From ‘disorder’ to ‘challenge’: Using lifespan development theories to reframe distress

Leonie Sugarman has previously made the case for counselling psychology to embrace lifespan theories as readily available frameworks that can incorporate the needs of clients in an open and flexible manner without resorting to the medical model. This article advocates again for the uptake of such theories but addresses the issue of their language as something which is fundamentally non -pathological. It is argued that lifespan approaches help in the normalisation of distress rather than view it as ‘abnormal’.One of the key concepts of the lifespan approach is ‘challenges’, something which can account for the ecological role of distress, signifying the importance of individual-environment interactions. They demonstrate that challenges are something to be expected and are ‘normal’ aspects of living. This way distress is not located ‘within’ individuals but in the ways which they relate to their environments.One such model that provides a non-pathological ‘language of challenge’ is ‘The Lifespan Model of Developmental Challenge’ (Hendry & Kloep, 2006, 2012). This framework is discussed in detail. It highlights that development is uniquely personal and can only be understood through use of a narrative account. Practioners ought to be aware of such models which can help bring phenomenology to the surface while at the same time normalising distressing feelings as part of the natural flow of life.