Counseling is a process that enables a person to sort out issues and reach decisions affecting their life. Often counseling is sought out at times of change or crisis, it need not be so, however, as counseling can also help us at any time of our life” (Woods, 2005). Counseling theories are used by counselors as part of their treatment plan for clients. There are many types of theories that counselors can choose from. These theories are usually hosen based on the client needs and what the counselor feel will be most effective. Counselors are not limited to just one theory when it comes to treating their clients. Theories can be used in conjunction with one another to effectively treat clients. Counseling does not just involve theories alone, it in involves some amount of talking with the person. The talking should be aimed at helping the person solve the problem(s), improve outlook, and/or aid in the client changing their behavior(s) (Woods, 2005). Many counseling theories intertwine with one another but either lacks something of importance compared to the other or vice versa. A counselor can start out with one theory in the beginning stages of treatment and may choose to incorporate another as treatment progresses. The counselor may also choose to completely abandon the theory they started out with in the beginning of the treatment process and pick up treatment with another theory. All of the above could take place ethically because the patient may progress or regress during treatment and treatment methods may need to be adjusted as your patient makes adjustments. Either way the main goal is to effectively treat the patient in the most ethical and beneficial way as possible. The three counseling theories that will be compare... ... middle of paper ... ... & D, W. (1995). Current Psychotherapies (5th ed.). Ithaca: F.E. Peacock. Rogers, C. R. (1961). On Becoming a Person. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. Rogers, C., Lyon, H., & Tausch, R. (2013). On Becoming an Effective Teacher. New York: Rutledge. Sachse, R., & Elliott, R. (2001). Process-Outcome Research on Humanistic Therapy Variables. In D. J. Cain, Humanistic Psychotherapies: Handbook of Research and Practice. Washington: American Psychological Association. Swildens, H. (1977). Controversies within Rogerian: The Therapeutic Relationship. Tijdschrift voor Psychotherapie, 249-252. Wilson, G. (2011). Behavior Therapy. In R. Corsini, & D. Wedding, Current Psychotherapies (9th ed., pp. 235-275). Belmont, California: Brooks/Cole. Woods, D. (2005). What is counseling? Retrieved March 25, 2014, from Douglas Woods: http://www.dougwoods.com/counselling.html
Counselors regularly decide which school of thought they will mainly utilize with their clients most often based on the combination of the orientation of the program they were primarily trained under, based on their personal views and opinions, and their personal therapeutic experience. There are some therapists who consider themselves purists and generally subscribe to only one particular theory practice; however, it is becoming increasingly uncommon to encounter a therapist, counselor or psychologist who still considers themselves a purist in that fashion. It has been realized that many theories offer potentially helpful methods of counseling (Lazarus, 2005), and some therapists find certain aspects of certain theories easier to manipulate in order to help different clients through different issues.
To conceptualize, choose, and use effectively a distinct theoretical approach, a therapist really needs to conceptualize change, define his values, and articulate their core beliefs about other people. It's good to be exposed to a variety of theories in order to have a solid base when working with clients. After all, a theory provides the counselor with a framework that they can use to explore the counseling process, the client’s problems, and to measure progress. Theories are very diverse and unique to each therapist. A key component to choosing a theoretical orientation lies within a therapist’s view of how people change and to which theoretical approach matches that view of change.
Another aspect of my personal theory comes from Carl Rogers and his Person Centered theory. My greatest take away from Rogers is his theory of unconditional positive regard. I am in agreement that an individual in counseling must feel as if they are being accepted and not judged by their therapist. Often individuals who seek counseling are fearful to begin with so as a therapist it is important to make this client feel at ease and understand that they are in a safe environment where they will not be judged. Once you can establish this with a client I believe that the relationship with that client will be more successful and the ...
‘Counseling’ is a recognized psychological therapy that is often provided to such patients. Counselors have often been employed to deliver psychological therapy to patients in primary care settings. Providing counseling alongside other treatments such as cognitive behavior therapy means that patients have greater choice, and that alternatives can be found for patients who either do not benefit from standard treatments or who do not find them acceptable.
In regards to the questions and answers, I feel as though my personal approach to counseling is based off of my own priorities I set forth in myself that follow more closely to the aspects of Reality Therapy, and Adlerian Therapy. Though Reality Therapy primarily focuses on the present, it still has some grounding in the past but not as much as Adlerian does. Even knowing this I still feel these two therapies are more closely related to my own belief system. I am in agreement with Reality Therapy, in that we are responsible for the choices we make. I trust that we can exercise great control over our lives, over how we can change to better ourselves, and to better our relationships with those around us. I feel that we all as a society are influenced by basic needs: belonging, survival, freedom, and power, and that these needs can be used as motivational tool when working with clients.
Roger, Patricia R, and Stone Gerlad Counseling vs Clinical" Society of counseling psychology, n.d. Web. 13 Feb 2014.
Ethical issues in a counseling practice lay the foundation of a therapist in practice. Ethics are at the center of how the counseling process functions and operates in a successful manner for the clients who seek help in such a setting. In order for the counseling profession to be ethical and hold professional recognition, there are many facets that need to be examined and outlined to make sure all counselors and practitioners are functioning at the highest level and withholding their duties required by the counseling profession. The first introduction so to speak of the area of ethics also happens to be one of the first steps in counseling, which is the informed consent. The informed consent provides the basis of what happens or will be happening in a counseling setting and serves to inform the client to their rights, responsibilities, and what to expect. Most importantly, the informed consent is in place for the client’s benefit. It also is important to understand that culture and environment play a role in the treatment of a client and how theories can positively or negatively impact this treatment. Therapists need to understand how to work within the context of a theory while being able to understand the individual in their own environment. Although theories are put into place to serve as a framework, there are also alternative ways to approach counseling, one example being evidence-based practice. Such an approach is very specific, which presents a series of solutions for counseling as a whole, but also brings forth many problems. Every approach or theory introduces ethical concerns that need to be taken into consideration by the entire counseling community and how each can positively and negatively affect clients and the pr...
Summers, R.F., & Barber, J.P. (2010). Psychodynamic therapy: A guide to evidence-based practice. New York: Guildford Press.
Five major theoretical bases for counseling in psychology are biological, learning, cognitive, psychodynamic, and sociocultural. Each one of these perspectives searches for answers about behavior through different techniques and researching a clients childhood or adult life experiences looking for answers to different kinds of questions. Due to the different types and styles of counseling approaches, each counselor forms their own thoughts and explanations.
Although counselors are educated to be compassionate and nonjudgmental, one’s own ethical belief may be compromised. Because it appears that society’s way of thinking and opinions are easily influenced by their emotions and moral commitment. If attitudes are influenced by emotions, the stigmatizing of certain clients could occur by counselors. Counselors’ attitudes have important implications for their practice, which include unbiased quality of client care. Counselors should be aware of their own beliefs, biases, feelings, perceptions, and reactions and how their perspectives may affect the counseling session. The counselor who is in tune with personal attitudes, biases, and emotions has the ability to gauge her responses. Self-awareness also allows the counselor to provide unbiased empathy, understanding, and support. If the counselor
This is due to the fact that Rogers continually submitted testable theories to research. As a result, an abundance of research has been conducted over the last 70 years to examine Roger’s approach (Cain, 2010). A study by Gibbard and Hanley (2008) evaluated the effectiveness of person-centered therapy within a primary care counselling service. After receiving PCT therapy, 67% of patients showed significant and dependable improvements (Gibbard & Hanley, 2008). A further study to support the work of Roger’s was conducted through a meta-analysis design (Elliott & Freire, 2008). After the analysis of more than 180 scientific studies, it was identified that PCT contributes to significant client change in comparison. Additionally, the results indicated that PCT is clinically and statistically equivalent to other therapies (Elliott & Freire, 2008). Furthermore, a comparison study on depressed patients aimed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of general practitioner care, PCT and cognitive-based therapy (CBT) (Ward et al., 2000). After four months, depressive symptoms were significantly lower among patients who received PCT or CBT (Ward et al., 2000). By 12 months, patients in all three groups had all improved equally, however PCT patients were more satisfied with their treatment
There are multiple structures of that can be applied to the counselling process, ranging from the basic idea of a beginning, middle and end to a more structured approach as that proposed by Egan (1994). Although his initial structure offered three main components; Stage 1, exploring the situation, stage 2, identifying a new or desired scenario to strive for and stage 3, the action stage, in which methods of coping are devised of and implemented. Egan later devised a ten stage structure that still takes into account initial stages from the speakers perspective of identifying a problem and seeking help, within this structure stage 4 is the initial meeting of the counsellor and client and can be considered the beginning stage of the helping re...
Kyriacou, C. (2001) Effective Teaching in Schools: Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. Nelson Thornes Ltd.
Clients do not often care what theoretical orientation the counselor is, which statistical outcome provides the best treatment results for someone else, or even how a technique will work outside of basic explanations of what and why the technique is being implemented. The main reason the client is sitting across from a counselor is because they or someone they know has deemed it crucial in order for them to get help. If the therapist is not welcoming, working to build rapport and honestly does not give the client hope that their issue is not a lost cause, that client may end up leaving within one or two sessions. Building that therapeutic alliance, providing client motivation, and showing therapist confidence- explaining the counselor knows what they are doing and that they will try whatever they can to help improve the client’s day, will go a long way in the end (Fife et al.,
Corey, G. (2011). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. (ninth ed., pp. 291-301). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.