Theories of Counseling - Essay Example

THEORIES OF COUNSELING Introduction Counseling is the process or practice of giving someone counsel (advice) and guidance to deal with a personal or psychological problem. This guidance is usually offered by a professional in a particular field. It usually takes place in a private setting where the client and counselor can have time alone. The counselor listens to the client’s story then tries to approach the problem from the client’s point of view and come up with suitable solutions (Corey 2009). All activities that people engage in the world are guided by a certain understanding of how things are supposed to be. These understandings shape our expectations and the processes we employ to meet them. Most professional fields have models that generalize how things work in certain situations. These models are theories that are shaped by historical observations and writings that prove their effectiveness. The more accurate the model, the more effective the decisions that are based on it will be. These theories allow for continuous development and they can be modified with more updated findings. Without this continuance, each generation would have to source information from the start. Professionals and professions utilize theories all the time to formulate strategies of dealing with things and counseling is no different (Brown & Lent 2008, p. 267–283). Counseling is a broad field of psychology because it deals with many parameters of the human mind. It is connected to theory which professionals use to guide their skills and processes. Some of the models that are used in counseling are cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy and narrative therapy. Each of the models presents a set of procedures that are consistent with a particular perspective (Corey 2009). The three models have common factors and those that are unique to each one. They are consistent of assumptions, goals, key techniques, therapeutic relationships and limitations. These constituents help guide professionals when they are creating strategies based on the models. These models present distinct ways of counseling. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) This model utilizes a psychotherapeutic approach. As the name suggests, the research that is used in this model applies to both cognition and behavior of individuals (Williams & Garland 2002, p.172-179). The method used in this system is talking and it is sometimes called talking therapy. When you go through CBT, you talk about how you view the world, the people in it and yourself. Also, it evaluates how an individual views the actions he does (Williams & Garland 2002, p.172-179). For instance, you get to talk about what you view as the consequences of your actions on your feelings and the things that you think of. The main goal of this therapy is to help an individual change how they view themselves and, as a result, how they act. By changing what you think, you modify your cognitive processes and, by changing how you act, you alter your actions or behavior. The model focuses on current issues and not the causes of the problems (Williams & Garland 2002, p.172-179). The changes that a person makes after going through this therapy will help them in the process of feeling better at the given moment and beyond. It aims to come up with ways that will improve the state of mind of the individual at the time without looking to the past problems. CBT works b taking a problem and breaking it into smaller parts that are tackled independently but connectedly. The parts include the situation, the thoughts one has about the situation, the emotions that are evoked by the thoughts, physical feelings, and the actions that result. These parts are interrelated and they affect each other. The specifics of each part affect how a person thinks and behaves. The parts that follow the situation also have helpful and unhelpful ways of dealing with them. This is often referred to as five part assessment (Wells 1997). The aim of CBT is to get an individual to a place where they can choose helpful ways to deal with the problem. CBT is done in sessions with an individual or a group. The therapist’s role is to arrange for the meeting times. Also they are to guide the client through breaking down the problems they have into the smaller parts. In addition, they should help the clients develop positive ways of dealing with and thinking about situations. The client’s role is to provide information that is necessary and to be honest. They are also supposed to keep a diary of the events that will help identify their way of thinking. The client can continue with the activities of CBT even after the sessions are over (Scott et al. 1997, p. 131-134). However, CBT has various limitations. One is that if a person’s state of mind is depressed or if they feel low, they may not be able to concentrate on the activities. It often requires that a person confront his problems which may them to be more anxious sometimes. CBT also needs for the client to do most of the work on his own with the therapist acting as an advisor (Williams and Garland 2002, p.172-179). Family therapy This model of therapy is a division of psychotherapy that deals with families. It also deals with couples who are in intimate relationships to help them nurture transformation and growth or improvement (Campbell & Patterson 1995, p. 545–584). The change that is sought after in this case is said to originate from the interactions between family members. Family members are seen as having interaction systems and the relationships that they have is one of the most important factors of good psychological health. The issues that people face can be resolved with the help of family. The focus of family therapists is on the things that go on amongst family members than those that go on within them. They meet many family members at the same time. From this, they learn of how the members interact with each other. They focus on the interactive relationship between the family members. The aim of family therapy is to help people deal with problems as a family unit. The help they get comes through them changing their attitudes in order to achieve the goals they have set out for themselves. As a result, the quality of their lives will be improved. The family unit is encouraged to make use of communication as a method of resolving disputes. Communication is done as they meet for their meetings with the counselor. The information that is shared during these sessions will help an individual to know how others want him to behave and clear any misunderstandings and hard feelings that the members may have towards each other. He can therefore change to make others happy and in turn, others will change to make him happy. They are also encouraged to replace any harsh utterances with polite ones (Fowers & Richardson 1996, p. 121–151). The role of the therapist is to set up the meetings then observe what happens. After this, he can know the problem that needs to be solved and come up with adequate approaches towards the solution. In addition, he should conduct personal interviews to get as much information from the family as possible. He also has to monitor the result to see if the prescribed approach is working. While the therapist undertakes his roles, the clients also have a duty to play. They need to provide the information that is needed by the therapist. Also, they should be cooperative and attend the sessions as required. However, there are some limitations to using this model. Firstly, it requires that a person have a family that is cooperative and ready to accompany him to the counselor which is often not the case. Secondly, the focus on groups may make it harder for people to raise issues that affect them as individuals. Finally, not family members may not all be ready to change (Fowers and Richardson 1996, p. 121–51). Narrative Therapy As the name suggests, this model focuses efforts on problem solving through narratives or stories of people’s experiences. In this case, the social, political and cultural experiences within the community as seen as the cause of problems people face. The problems are seen as originating from people’s lives and not the people themselves. The stories of people’s experiences formulate and describe how people think of themselves (Monk et al. 2008, p. 3-31). People who seek therapy are viewed as having stories that speak of the oppressive nature of their lives. Therapists who employ narrative therapy techniques focus on the individual moving away from the negative oppressive stories to untold stories. The untold stories contain their dreams, values, their hopes, their desires and their commitments. The therapists focus on letting people come up with their own solution to the problem through the untold stories. They only suggest to them what to do from the information they have. The role of the therapist in this case is to listen to the stories told by the client. He is then obligated to come up with ways to deal with problems that they suggest to them. He is to identify the unique qualities that the client has, from the stories, and come up with solutions from the information. The client, on the other hand, has roles too. He is to provide information necessary through his stories. He is to attend sessions consistently (Doan 1998, p. 379–385). The limitations of narrative therapy are that the client may not be as cooperative about sharing his stories. In addition, the client may be a loner whose experiences do not fit into the social scene and so his stories may not contribute to an effective solution (Doan 1998, p. 379–385). Similarities among the three models The end result for the three models is for the person with the problem to feel better. The techniques and other specifications within the models all aim towards making the client’s life better. In addition, the three models focus on the client as having the power to change things on their own; the therapist offers guidance that will enable the client to make changes needed. CBT gives the client steps that can be followed by the client. Family therapy gives the client the power to solve the problem by changing his behavior. Narrative therapy utilizes the client’s unique properties as the source of the solution. Another similarity is that the three models all focus on communication from the client’s side to identify problems and come up with solutions (Corey 2009). Differences among the three models The three models have different approaches towards the client’s problem. In CBT, the source of the problem is viewed as coming from how the client handles situations. The problem is seen as originating from within the individual. In family therapy, the problem originated from the relationships that an individual has with his family. In addition, the interaction between family members is viewed as the basis of any problem that arises. In contrast, narrative therapy views the experiences that people have within a society are the source of problems. The lives people live are the source of problems. As a result of the differences in the source of the problems, the approaches towards the solutions are also different in the three models. When using CBT, the solution will come from within the person while family therapy sources the solution from change in the communication within the family. On the other hand, narrative therapy sees the solution as coming from the aspirations that the client has. Another difference is that the goal of CBT is for the client to change his way of thinking and his behavior. On the other hand, family therapy seeks to solve problems as a single family where one member’s change affects another (Fish 1993, p. 221-232). In contrast, narrative therapy the goal is for the client to focus on their unique qualities and build from there. Another difference is that while CBT breaks down the problem in order to solve it, family and Narrative therapy approach the problem as a single entity. Conclusion The three models of therapy have various unique characteristics that make them suitable for different situations. It is therefore difficult to choose one of the models as being better than others. They have different goals and techniques but are all aiming towards making life better for those who seek professional counseling (Corey 2009). They all focus on makings people feel at ease in their minds consequently, their actions and feelings. Therapists have a duty towards their clients to provide them with the best professional help available. They should therefore polish on their knowledge and skills depending on which model they chose to use. List of References Brown, S & Lent, R 2008, Handbook of Counseling Psychology, 4th edn, Wiley, New York, NY. pp. 267–283. Campbell, T & Patterson, J 1995, ‘The effectiveness of family interventions in the treatment of physical illness’, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, Vol. 21, pp. 545–584. Chamberlain, P & Rosicky, J 1995, ‘The effectiveness of family therapy in the treatment of adolescents with conduct disorders and delinquency’, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. Vol. 21, pp. 441–459. Corey, G 2009, Theory and practice of counselling and psychotherapy, Eighth Edition, Brooks/Cole, Nelson, Canada. Doan, R 1998, The King is Dead: Narrative Therapy and Practicing what we Preach,’ Family Process, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 379–385 Fish, V 1993, ‘Post Structuralism in Family Therapy: Interrogating the Narrative/Conversational Mode’, Journal of Family Therapy vol. 19, no.3 pp. 221-232 Fowers, B J & Richardson, FC 1996, ‘Individualism, Family Ideology and Family Therapy’, Theory & Psychology vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 121–151 Monk, G J, Winslade, K, Crocket & Epston, D 2008, Narrative therapy in practice, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. pp. 3-31 Richards, A, Barkham, M, Cahill, J, Richards, D, Williams, C & Heywood, P 2003, ‘PHASE: A randomised, controlled trial of supervised self-help cognitive behavioural therapy in primary care’, British Journal of General Practice, vol. 53, pp. 764-770. Scott, C, Tacchi, M J, Jones, R & Scott, J 1997, ‘Acute and one-year outcome of a randomised controlled trial of brief cognitive therapy for major depressive disorder in primary care’, British Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 171, pp. 131-134. Wells, A 1997, Cognitive Therapy of Anxiety Disorders: A Practice Manual and Conceptual Guide. Wiley, Chichester, UK. Williams, C J & Garland, A 2002, ‘A cognitive-behavioral therapy assessment model for use in everyday clinical practice’, Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, vol 8, pp.172-179 Read More

The method used in this system is talking and it is sometimes called talking therapy. When you go through CBT, you talk about how you view the world, the people in it and yourself. Also, it evaluates how an individual views the actions he does (Williams & Garland 2002, p.172-179). For instance, you get to talk about what you view as the consequences of your actions on your feelings and the things that you think of. The main goal of this therapy is to help an individual change how they view themselves and, as a result, how they act.

By changing what you think, you modify your cognitive processes and, by changing how you act, you alter your actions or behavior. The model focuses on current issues and not the causes of the problems (Williams & Garland 2002, p.172-179). The changes that a person makes after going through this therapy will help them in the process of feeling better at the given moment and beyond. It aims to come up with ways that will improve the state of mind of the individual at the time without looking to the past problems.

CBT works b taking a problem and breaking it into smaller parts that are tackled independently but connectedly. The parts include the situation, the thoughts one has about the situation, the emotions that are evoked by the thoughts, physical feelings, and the actions that result. These parts are interrelated and they affect each other. The specifics of each part affect how a person thinks and behaves. The parts that follow the situation also have helpful and unhelpful ways of dealing with them.

This is often referred to as five part assessment (Wells 1997). The aim of CBT is to get an individual to a place where they can choose helpful ways to deal with the problem. CBT is done in sessions with an individual or a group. The therapist’s role is to arrange for the meeting times. Also they are to guide the client through breaking down the problems they have into the smaller parts. In addition, they should help the clients develop positive ways of dealing with and thinking about situations.

The client’s role is to provide information that is necessary and to be honest. They are also supposed to keep a diary of the events that will help identify their way of thinking. The client can continue with the activities of CBT even after the sessions are over (Scott et al. 1997, p. 131-134). However, CBT has various limitations. One is that if a person’s state of mind is depressed or if they feel low, they may not be able to concentrate on the activities. It often requires that a person confront his problems which may them to be more anxious sometimes.

CBT also needs for the client to do most of the work on his own with the therapist acting as an advisor (Williams and Garland 2002, p.172-179). Family therapy This model of therapy is a division of psychotherapy that deals with families. It also deals with couples who are in intimate relationships to help them nurture transformation and growth or improvement (Campbell & Patterson 1995, p. 545–584). The change that is sought after in this case is said to originate from the interactions between family members.

Family members are seen as having interaction systems and the relationships that they have is one of the most important factors of good psychological health. The issues that people face can be resolved with the help of family. The focus of family therapists is on the things that go on amongst family members than those that go on within them. They meet many family members at the same time. From this, they learn of how the members interact with each other. They focus on the interactive relationship between the family members.

The aim of family therapy is to help people deal with problems as a family unit. The help they get comes through them changing their attitudes in order to achieve the goals they have set out for themselves. As a result, the quality of their lives will be improved. The family unit is encouraged to make use of communication as a method of resolving disputes.

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