Philosophy Overview

The underpinning philosophy of the site is essentially holistic in nature. The wellbeing of the whole person involves inter-relationships and synergies within a person and with the elements of the external physical world which influences health and wellness. As such, this site strives in its language and its approach to resource development not to treat and deal with deficit states or their prevention, but to enhance positive states of well-being, build strengths and promote human flourishing. However, it will report and use works that show an enhancement in wellbeing from the deficit state that have been researched and are reported in the current literature.

Wellbeing is not static but a dynamic process that takes into account all the decisions people make daily. It is hoped that people using the site and its materials will operate not within the medical/illness model of health but within the wellness model (Figure 1). The wellness or holistic model defines health in terms of the whole person. It encompasses the physiological, mental, emotional, social, spiritual and environmental aspects of individuals and communities. Unlike the medical model, which assumes that a person who is not sick or not suffering from a disease is healthy, the holistic model proposes that health is a state of optimum or positive wellness. The wellness model promotes positive actions, not only to prevent acute and chronic illnesses, but to increase awareness of present states such as to help individuals pursue high levels of functioning. Practitioners who use the site should be dealing with clients not patients; the clients are well - not ill. They should be promoting self-responsibility/self-care/self-regulation. However, in order to ensure safety for clients, people using the site should always operate within their professional boundaries and make appropriate referrals to the medical profession when necessary.

On an illness/wellness continuum practitioners using this site will operate on the wellness end of ‘Travis’s Wellness Model’ between the ‘neutral point’ and ‘wellness’ using a positive strengths approach. The emphasis is on the wholeness of a person, the client-centeredness of practice and techniques that promote wellness are seen as part of life-long personal wellbeing programming.