Gerontology counseling competency model: exploring model elements through the lens of experienced counselors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37134/ejoss.vol10.2.8.2024Keywords:
Gerontology Counseling, Counseling Competency Model, Counseling Older Adults, Counseling competency, CounselingAbstract
Counselors play a vital role in supporting the mental health and well-being of older adults by recognizing and respecting their unique needs. This research marks a significant milestone in developing a gerontology counseling competency model aimed at enhancing counselors' professional proficiency. In this qualitative phase, interviews were conducted with fifteen counselors registered with the Malaysia Board of Counselors, selected using purposive sampling to identify essential elements for the model. By analyzing detailed narratives from semi-structured interviews, the study seeks to uncover key elements that support effective counseling practices for older adults. These elements, grounded in the counselors' experiences, include a wide range of qualities crucial for managing the complexity of counseling older adults. The data analysis revealed that counselors require several essential elements in their practice, including professional knowledge, counseling skills, techniques and tools, attitude and values, spirituality, and counseling ethics. Upon the culmination of this research, the gerontology counseling competency model is expected to elevate the standards of professionalism among counselors specializing in this field, thereby fostering the mental health and overall well-being of older adults, in alignment with Malaysia’s National Policy for Older Persons.
Downloads
References
Balcı, S. (2023). Importance of ethics for counseling profession: Metaphorical perceptions of candidate counselors. Elektronik Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 22(88), 2099-2116. https://doi.org/10.17755/esosder.1309789
Can Oz, Y., Duran, S., & Dogan, K. (2022). The meaning and role of spirituality for older adults: A qualitative study. Journal of Religion and Health, 61(2), 1490-1504. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01258-x
Department of Statistic Malaysia. (n.d.). Current population estimates Malaysia – 2023. Retrieved June 11, 2024, from https://www.dosm.gov.my/portal-main/release-content/current-population-estimates-malaysia----2023
Department of Statistics Malaysia. (n.d.). Population projection. Retrieved June 11, 2024, from https://www.dosm.gov.my/portal-main/release-content/population-projection-revised-malaysia-2010-2040
Fullen, M. C. (2018). Ageism and the counseling profession: Causes, consequences, and methods for counteraction. The Professional Counselor, 8(2), 104-115. https://doi.org/10.15241/mcf.8.2.104
Fullen, M. C. (2016). Counseling for wellness with older adults. Adultspan Journal, 15, 109-123. https://doi.org/10.1002/adsp.12025
Gatchel, R. J., Schultz, I. Z., & Ray, C. T. (Eds.). (2018). Handbook of rehabilitation in older adults (Handbooks in Health, Work, and Disability). Springer.
Grace, I. L. C., Sutton, M. C., & Voelkner, A. (2022). Clinical and counseling psychology doctoral trainees' attitudes toward and interest in working with older adult clients. Gerontology & Geriatrics Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2022.2160978
Ilgaz, A., & Gözüm, S. (2019). Advancing well-being and health of elderly with integrative nursing principles. Florence Nightingale Journal of Nursing, 27(2), 201-210. https://doi.org/10.26650/FNJN437700
Blando, J. (2014). Counseling older adults. Routledge.
Lee, H., Hasenbein, W., & Gibson, P. (2020). Mental health and older adults. In Encyclopedia of Social Work. Oxford University Press. Retrieved from https://oxfordre.com/socialwork/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.001.0001/acrefore9780199975839-e-1355
Martín-María, N., Lara, E., Cresswell-Smith, J., Forsman, A. K., Kalseth, J., Donisi, V., Amaddeo, F., Wahlbeck, K., & Miret, M. (2020). Instruments to evaluate mental well-being in old age: A systematic review. Aging & Mental Health, 25, 1191-1205. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2020.1774742
McNabney, M., Green, A.R., Burke, M., Le, S., Butler, D., Chun, A., Elliott, D.P., Fulton, A.T., Hyer, K., Setters, B., & Shega, J.W. (2022). Complexities of care: Common components of models of care in geriatrics. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 70, 1960 - 1972.
Munawar, K., Mukhtar, F., Choudhry, F. R., & Ng, A. L. O. (2022). Mental health literacy: A systematic review of knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders in Malaysia. Asia Pacific Psychiatry, 14(1), e12475. https://doi.org/10.1111/appy.12475
Noronha, K. (2015). Impact of religion and spirituality on older adulthood. Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging, 27(1), 16-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/15528030.2014.963907
Rani, N. H. M., Jaafar, W. M. W., Noah, S. M., Ghazali, M., & Izwan, M. (2017). The ethics knowledge among counsellors in Malaysia. International Research Journal of Education and Sciences (IRJES), 52.
Richey, R. C., & Klein, J. (2007). Design and development research: Methods, strategies and issues. Routledge.
Siraj, S., Ridhuan, M., & Rozkee, R. M. (2021). Pendekatan penyelidikan rekabentuk dan pembangunan: Aplikasi kepada pendidikan. Penerbit Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris.
Sari, M. (2023). The urgency of counselor ethics in providing services to counselees. Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling Terapan, 7(2), 166-176. https://doi.org/10.30598/jbkt.v7i2.1748
Schmidt, N. E., Cottone, R. R., & Steffen, A. M. (2022). Working with older adults impacts training preferences of counselors. Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 45(1), 86–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2022.2139693
Shahbo, G. M. A. E. M., Bharathi, B., & Daoala, A. (2014). Study to assess the effect of counselling on elder abuse among elders and their caregivers. IOSR Journal of Nursing and Health Science, 3(2), 20-32.
Sooryanarayana, R., & Sazlina, S. (2020). The Malaysian National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2018: Older persons’ health in Malaysia. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 20, 5-6. https://doi.org/10.1111/ggi.14112
Subramaniam, M., Shahwan, S., Abdin, E., Goh, C. M. J., Ong, W. J., Tan, G. T. H., Baig, N., Samari, E., Kwok, K. W., & Chong, S. A. (2020). Advancing research to eliminate mental illness stigma: The design and evaluation of a single-arm intervention among university students in Singapore. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1151. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01151
Syamila, D., & Marjo, H. K. (2022). Etika profesi bimbingan dan konseling: Konseling kelompok online dan asas kerahasiaan. Jurnal Paedagogy, 9(1), 116-123. https://doi.org/10.33394/jp.v9i1.4527
Wagner, N. J., Mullen, P. R., & Sims, R. A. (2019). Professional counselors’ interest in counseling older adults. Adultspan Journal, 18(2), 70-84. https://doi.org/10.1002/adsp.12078
World Health Organization. (2022). Aging and health. Retrieved June 11, 2024, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health
Yusof, H. M., Daud, N. A. M., Ahmad, N., Jalal, F. H., Saad, F., Abdullah, C. A. C., & Idris, M. N. (2022). A proposed training module on gerontological counselling in preparing volunteers to work with the elderly. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(9), 395-404. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-i9/14848
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Nik Nazlan Nik Jaafar, Pau Kee, Aslina Ahmad

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.