Paving of the Professional Path in Counselling Practice - Research Paper Example

? Paving My Professional Path in Counselling Practice This essay integrates the learned theories about counseling from this course and the author’s personal values to come up with the guiding theories and principles that the author will uphold in professional practice as a counselor/ therapist. It explains selected theories from the existentialist, humanistic and feminist perspectives as well as the ideal qualities that therapists should possess and the practices that they should employ in order to be successful in helping clients through the counseling sessions. It includes personal opinions based on the author’s beliefs and life experiences. Paving My Professional Path in Counselling Practice Life in these times has grown to be complicated. Globalization has had a great impact in the way people live and relate, bringing with it steady progress as well as dysfunctional relationships. Modern times have witnessed the rise in divorce, stress, behavioural problems and the like that may push people to seek professional counselling. I have come across so many counselling theories both in this course and in my readings over time and have encountered numerous definitions of counselling. The common variable in counselling definitions is the presence of a trained, knowledgeable and supportive counsellor or therapist? catering to the psycho-emotional needs of a client while employing a counselling approach that the counsellor has expertise in. Both counsellor and client work together to come up with solutions to the client’s presented problems. Establishing interpersonal relationships entails several factors that can benefit or negatively affect the connection especially in its early stages. In therapy, the therapist and the client share a close relationship that may transcend the professional link because the client is made vulnerable to the influence of the therapist. However, one rule in therapy is for a therapist to be objective even as he tries to extract personal information from the client (Pervin, Cervone & John, 2005). I believe that when a therapist is successful in making the client open up, he has made a breakthrough that will be crucial in the healing process. In the early stages of a counseling relationship, the counselor must be able to establish rapport with the client by employing both personal and professional skills necessary to gain the client’s trust. Evans et al (2008) have identified these skills as attending skills, which show sensitivity to the responses of the client; information-giving skills, which educate the client on some relevant points discussed; questioning skills, or effective probing without being intimidating to the client; and reflection skills, which draws the client to think inwards and evaluate her own intentions and attitudes that may be causing the problem she is currently experiencing. During the first session, a client must be made to feel relaxed and safe. The therapist must be as adept and very patient in coaxing the client to unearth information that is pertinent to therapy. The ability to listen and be alert and sensitive to what the client tries to communicate (verbally or non-verbally) is crucial to his valid interpretations about the client (Goldfried & Davila, 2005). He must also possess maturity and maintain his professional objectivity especially when the client undergoes “transference” of remembered feelings towards a significant person in her life to the therapist. A deep level of trust must be established between the therapist and the client to be able to achieve this feat (Corey, 2009). At the same time, the first session is when boundaries of the counseling relationship are set. The therapist himself must set basic rules such as keeping strict appointment schedules in the official venue of the therapy and limiting personal contacts to relate to the therapy itself. This means, the client can only see the therapist regarding the nature of her case and at the schedule and venue set by the therapist. Phone calls should also be limited to issues related to the therapy and should be limited to working hours, interceded by the therapist’s secretary or receptionist, if possible. Jorgenson et al. (1997) enumerate the possible negotiations between therapists and clients such as appointment times, fees, length of sessions, telephone protocol, and vacation times. These negotiated elements of the relationship constitute boundaries of a professional counselling relationship. With regards to the counselling theories that I am partial to use in my own practice as a counsellor, my philosophy lies within existentialist, humanist and feminist theories. The existential approach views human nature as comprised of the following: capacity for self-awareness; freedom and responsibility; creating one’s identity and establishing meaningful relationships with others; the search for meaning, purpose, values and goals; anxiety as a condition of living; and awareness of death and non-being (Schneider & Krug, 2010). In Existential therapy, both therapist and client thoroughly explore each concept. I believe achieving true self-awareness is an aim of all counseling. It empowers the client to know what he is all about – his motivations, temperament, skills and limitations, and use this knowledge in making the right choices for his own life. It also opens up the client to his options in case he makes a wrong choice and pursues those according to what he believes will make his life worth living. The humanistic approach is closely related to the existentialist approach as it has great respect for a client’s subjective views and potential for self-actualization. It offers a fresh and hopeful perspective on its views on human nature. The main ingredient to successful therapy is a warm and caring therapist imbued with attributes such as congruence, unconditional positive regard and accurate empathic understanding (Schneider & Krug, 2010). I know that it expects much from the personal skills of the therapist, but since it is also for my own personal as well as professional growth, I am willing to be the kind of therapist this humanistic approach requires. In my personal life, I am surrounded with women who are burdened with so many problems ranging from their domestic relationships to work-related ones that threaten gender equality. Thus, I also want to incorporate feminist therapy theories in my practice in order to help these women. The philosophy of the Feminist Therapy is basically premised on women’s socio-cultural issues that cause a lot of emotional and psychological turmoil for them. This approach believes that women are innately good, but external forces around them cause negative effects. It raises awareness that women are usually oppressed by societal expectations usually set forth by men. Thus, Feminist therapy aims to empower women to push their own strengths to the fullest in order to gain the self-respect they need, regardless of what society dictates of them (Brown, 2010). This course has been helpful in guiding me become effective as a counsellor. I learned that I always need to be cautious of my behaviours and attitudes towards clients. I am aware that during counselling sessions, clients may share their innermost thoughts and feelings and such intimate information shared may develop within the client feelings of dependency and attachment to the therapist. Being able to encourage the client to share this information may be pertinent to the therapy however, the counsellor must still be able to maintain a professional demeanour. The client may think that the therapist is one trustworthy individual who accepts her as she is and is not pushed away regardless of how bad her case is. This fact may cause ‘transference’ of feelings the client originally had for one person who may have caused her strong emotions in the past to her therapist (Corey, 2009). On the other hand, the therapist may also develop certain feelings for the client. This is termed ‘countertransference’. The concept of countertransference was first introduced by Freud in 1910. He noted that there are some factors in the patient that can influence the analyst’s unconscious feelings and these can interfere with the treatment. However, more contemporary therapists see such therapist’s reactions to patients may also have diagnostic and therapeutic relevance which can contribute rather than inhibit treatment (Bethan et al., 2005). Other factors that may affect the professional relationship are the therapist’s own biases and stereotypes. Some examples are gender, sexual orientation or cultural stereotypes attached to some clients. Steele (1997) explains that stereotype threat is an external factor that greatly affects an individual’s confidence about his own abilities due to his identification with the domain and the resulting image it projects about him. For example, a Black American woman may be stereotyped as inferior to a Caucasian woman in terms of competencies and personality. It is likely that this client shirks away from situations that may expose her to stereotype threats for fear of being labelled negatively, thus further diminishing her already low self-esteem. It is also possible that she has grown immune to such stereotypes that it defines her “self-fulfilling prophecies” to be manifested (Rist, 2000). The therapist should project to the client that he is non-judgmental and the therapy sessions are stereotype threat-free. Maintaining a warm and sincere disposition will help the therapist eventually gain the client’s trust. Another significant thing I learned from this course that I must apply to my practice is becoming a reflective practitioner. Schon (1983) was particularly influential in contributing to the understanding of reflective practice He defines reflection to “involve thoughtfully considering one's own experiences in applying knowledge to practice while being coached by professionals in the discipline” (p.26). Schon’s theory outlines two different types of reflection that occur at different time phases: reflection on action (p. 278) and reflection in action (p. 62). ‘Reflection in action’ is often referred to the colloquial phrase as ‘thinking on your feet’ a term used to being able to assess ourselves within a situation, making appropriate changes and still keeping a steady flow in the process. For reflection in action, vigilance is essential so as not to slip into a misinterpretation by the client. Reflection on action is when reflection occurs after the event. This is where the practitioner makes a deliberate and conscious attempt to act and reflect upon a situation and how it should be handled in the future (Loughran 1996). The therapist is in a constant state of alertness in gaining information and insight about the client while providing the necessary service expected of him (Goldfried & Davila, 2005). The whole session becomes a learning and reflective experience altogether. After the session, the therapist reflects on whether what he has done was the right thing to do for the client or not. I believe my personal background has prepared me to become an effective counsellor/ therapist since I am the type of person that people find easy to open up to. They readily come to me with their problems and they know that I am eager and sincere in helping them out. I feel I have the gift of understanding and discernment and people just feel safe telling me their secrets because they know I can be trusted to keep them. My being open to people’s problems and drive to help them out of it may both be an asset and a liability for me. Of course it is a necessary requirement for my practice, but on the other hand, I find it difficult to set boundaries with the people I help that I have had experiences of being taken advantage of. This is one thing I need to learn and develop as a necessary skill. Since my profession involves serving people in settings that encourage close personal contact, I need to reflect on all my actions all the time. I need to be aware of transferences that may be developing that I may be unwittingly encourage because I enjoy them. It is but human to enjoy the attention and admiration of others. Being friends with clients is not a bad thing. However, if they step out of bounds, then I need to step back and alert them of my boundaries. For instance, a client keeps calling me regarding personal problems or begins to borrow money or some things from me, or manifested interest in beginning a romantic relationship with me, then I have to be firm in reminding him/her that we are friends but our professional relationship overrides the friendship and that we must stay within our boundaries as therapist and client. As of now, my preference for clients is women and teenagers, as I feel they are the most vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. I feel I have the ability to empower them to be strong and self-propelling. Although I know I should be open to all types of clientele, I do not think I can handle male clients who have aggressive tendencies or have deep psychological problems that may manifest in physical or emotional aggression. I need to develop a stronger personality to handle such complicated cases as currently, I am still easily intimidated or provoked to deal with them that I foresee that I will not be effective in helping them. Conclusion This course has validated my desire to be an effective counsellor/ therapist out to help people through their problems. I feel my role as a professional is significant in leading an individual from darkness to light guided by principles culled from existentialist, humanistic and feminist theories which all empower people to be the best they can be. To achieve this, I need to hone my personal and professional skills in helping clients recognize and identify their problems, confront them and find solutions to work on. Through the whole process, I believe in maintaining a close professional relationship with the client. I am confident that our collaboration will bring about positive outcomes which hopefully lead to healing. References Bethan, E., Heim, A.K., Conklin,C.Z.& Westen, D. (2005) Countertransference Phenomena and Personality Pathology in Clinical Practice: An Empirical Investigation. Am J Psychiatry 162:890-898, Brown, L. S. (2010). Feminist therapy. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. Corey, G. (2009). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy (8th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Evans, D.R., Hearn, M.T., Uhlemann, M.R. & Ivey, A.E. (2008) Essential Interviewing: A Programmed Approach to Effective Communication. Thomson Brooks/Cole. Goldfried, M. R., & Davila, J. (2005). The role of relationship and technique in therapeutic change. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 42(4) 421-430. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from the PsycNET database. Jorgenson, L.M., Hirsch, A.B. & Wahl, K.M. (1997) Fiduciary Duty and Boundaries: Acting in the Client's Best Interest, Behavioural Sciences and the Law, Vol. 15, 49±62 Loughran, J.J. (1996) Developing reflective practice: learning about teaching and learning through modeling. Routledge. Pervin, Cervone & John (2005) Personality: Theory & Research, 9th Edition , Chapters 3 – 6: Psychodynamic & Phenomenological Theories. Wiley Rist, R.C. (2000). HER classic: Student social class and teacher expectations: The self- fulfilling prophecy in ghetto education. Harvard Educational Review, 70 (3), 257-301. Schneider, K. J., & Krug, O. T. (2010). Existential-humanistic therapy. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. Schon, D. A. (1983)The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books Steele, C.M. (1997). A threat in the air: How stereotypes shape intellectual identity and performance. American Psychologist, 52 (6), 613-629. Read More