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Not just for laughs : what prompts therapists to use humour in a counselling session

University of British Columbia

This study explored how counsellors' experiences with humor affect their counselling practice. The study examined what motivates counsellors to use humour and how using humour can be important to the counselling field. Furthermore, it exemplified ways counsellors can include this dimension within their practice. An autobiographical method was employed. Participants wrote stories about their experiences with the use of humor and how they incorporated it into counselling. Narrative analysis was used to review the data. A follow up interview with each of the participants served the purpose of confirming and validating the findings generated from the autobiographical accounts. This study illuminates the power of humor, inspires counsellors to examine their own sense of humour, and reminds the field of psychology how imperative the inclusion of humour is to the healing process. Recommendations for future research and implications for counselling are provided.

Thesis/Dissertation

application/pdf

2009-10-29

For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/14354

School Psychology

University of British Columbia

UBCV

DSpace