The author reflects on the collaborations that led to this special issue. The author also reviews some of his original ideas, comments on the values embodied in this issue, and outlines some of his hopes for the future of the counseling profession.

In an earlier article, the author argued that there had been a devaluation of inner subjective experiences by the counseling profession over the last several decades (J. T. Hansen, 2005). In their reply to this article, J. Rudes and J. T. Guterman (2007) advocated for a social constructionist position for the counseling profession. In the current…

The counseling profession has strongly identified with the multicultural movement. Nevertheless, postmodernism, which is the ideological foundation of multiculturalism, has had relatively little impact on other segments of the profession. The author argues that many realms of the counseling profession are locked within modernism and could be…

Theories of counseling process are founded on a logical contradiction in that they are simultaneously objectivist and constructivist in nature. Because this epistemic tension is present across diverse theories and has persisted throughout the history of counseling theorizing, the author argues that it has implications for the structure of human…

The author takes the position that the foundational value of the counseling profession is an ethic of appreciation for human differences. The professional tool that is used to actualize this value is language. In this regard, the philosophical distinction between copying and coping conceptualizations of language is overviewed. The author argues…

Counseling theories have traditionally been considered within a modernist epistemology. Reconsidering theories from a postmodern vantage point opens up new possibilities for theory utilization in the counseling process. The author discusses 3 of these possibilities--theories as narrative structures, theoretical truth redefined as pragmatic…

Theoretical integration refers to the conceptual unification of diverse counseling approaches. Contends that the general failure of integrative attempts is a by-product of the modernistic epistemic context in which the systems were considered and proposes an examination of common narrative features of counseling approaches in a postmodern…

Counseling orientations are redescribed in terms of the relative importance they place on knowing. This epistemological redescription results in a reconsideration of the role of humanism. Specifically, rather than a treatment orientation, the author argues that humanism should be considered a moral imperative. Implications of this conclusion for…

Critically reviews efforts at theoretical integration of psychoanalysis and humanism along the lines of F. Pine's (1990) four psychologies of psychoanalysis. Concludes that psychoanalysis and humanism have certain compatible features, but that they generally represent opposing vantage points in the study of subjectivity. Provides recommendations…

In this article the author traces the history of inner subjective experiences (ISE) as a focus of the counseling profession and discusses the implications of this history for the identity of the profession and counseling practice. He outlines the history of ISE in the counseling profession by discussing (a) the valuing of ISE as the foundation of…

Humanistic thought has been oppressed by the dominant forces of contemporary mental health culture. The author argues that the rebellious essence of humanism must be incited to counter these reductive ideologies that have monopolized our times. A critical appraisal of the philosophical dualisms that support the prevailing mechanistic vision of…

Reviews the psychoanalytic literature on countertransference. Notes changes in the counseling profession and the mental health system that are causing mental health counselors to see a greater number of disturbed clients. Provides illustrative case examples of ways in which countertransference anxiety is managed in the counseling process. (RJM)