Quality of Life

Janet F. Gillespie

Quality of life (QOL) is a concept that has been considered vital to counseling and psychotherapy services since the profession began. Clients seek counseling services to improve their QOL, and so QOL is of critical importance to both process and outcome in therapy. Although more than 20,000 articles referencing QOL appeared in the psychological literature between 1980 and 1994, a consensus definition of QOL remains elusive. The concept is often assumed to be self-explanatory, but it is used in varying ways by different authors and professions. The World Health Organization first defined QOL as multifaceted, consisting of total well-being in social, physical, and mental functioning. Medical definitions of QOL, derived from this early work, emphasize the capability for a full and active life ...

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