Postmodern Theories of Counseling - Research Paper Example

?Introduction Counseling is the process of helping healthy people to function more appropriately in achieving their goals while psychotherapy is healing of the mind and or soul using psychological methods applied by suitably trained and qualified practitioners. Psychotherapy is however, more long term and intense and it assists people who have severe problems in living hence requiring more skill than simple counseling. It is normally conducted by a psychiatrist, a trained therapist, a social worker, or a psychologist. While a psychotherapist is qualified to provide therapy, a counselor may or may not possess the necessary skills to provide psychotherapy. A theory is defined as a set of statements used to explain data for a given issue. It provides the means by which predictions can be made, and points out the relationships between concepts and techniques therefore therapists cannot avoid being counseling and therapy theorists. There are many theoretical models, best utilized for particular situations and needs. There is not a single counseling approach that works for every client. Both counselors and therapists work from a variety of the theoretical approaches with their clients. Effective counselors and therapists must develop theoretical orientation models that dictate which human capacities will be examined and which should be ignored or reduced in importance. A theoretical orientation is a model that describes behavior and personality and it’s like a roadmap which without therapists and counselors cannot deal with their clients. It begins during training and continues throughout an individual’s career. (Byrne, 1995; Young 1998). As a therapist theories help me with concepts allowing me to think systematically about human development and the therapeutic process. The three main functions of theories are; 1. Provision of languages- a therapy is a series of conversations and requires a language for both the therapist and the client to communicate. Clients are different therefore different languages are required. 2. Generating research- this helps the therapist know how people think and behave and also how to respond to clients’ problems and finding solutions for them. 3. Providing conceptual framework Therapists are decision makers. They continually make decisions on the following; i. How to think about their client’s behavior. ii. How treat their clients. iii. How to respond on a moment-by-moment basis during sessions with their clients. My personality My culture and values underlie who I am as a person and thus who I am as a counselor, however, these values and the world wide view would have no effect on my personal theory. My counseling approach is strong and directive modified in a way that it suits the needs of each client and is flexible enough to contain change with time. Severally, I will review my personal approach and formulate new ideas with the aim of implementing them as the worldwide view on counseling and psychotherapy alters.Like my clients, I will be dealing with I will be continually growing and changing as a counselor and therapist through experience and practice by learning more about human behavior, thoughts, feelings and beliefs.A therapist’s choice of theoretical orientation is made up of four multifaceted and hierarchical components: (1) personal therapeutic belief systems; (2) theoretical school affiliation, which is the therapist’s self-reported adherence to one or more theoretical schools; (3) espoused theory, or what the therapist says he or she does; the self-reported use of theoretical concepts and therapeutic operations that does not necessarily reflect the therapist’s theory-in-action; and(4) theory-in-action, what is inferred by people observing the therapist’s behavior when working with clients (Poznanski and McLennon 1995). In finding my theoretical orientation as a therapist I will use these methods;training, reading, clinical experiences, and soul searching. This is because no single theorist has a monopolyon the truth that works in psychotherapy and counseling. No one therapist has acknowledged that he or she can work effectively with all clients and with all types of problems meeting all needs and wants. In my therapeutic process I will use the Choice theory with the assertion that human beings choose their behavior. This theory narrates that people choose and are responsible for their thinking, feeling, and emoting and thus are not controlled by situations, people, or events (Ellis, 2000). Ideally, this is effective in my work in that my values and beliefs will not affect my clients whatsoever. The five basic needs expressed in this theory are; (1) survival (2) love/belonging (3) power/inner control (4) freedom/independence (5) fun/enjoyment (Henderson & Thompson, 2011). Behaviors are chosen in order to satisfy desires related to their five needs (Henderson & Thompson, 2011). This will require me to understand each client’s behavior chosen by them to fulfill these needs and work with them into realizing other basic needs required by all human beings. This is in accordance of the humanistic school of thought based on humanism, a system of values and beliefs that emphasizes the better qualities of humankind and people’s abilities to develop their human potential. Humanistic therapists emphasize enhancing clients’ abilities to experience their feelings and think and act in harmony with their underlying tendencies to actualize themselves as unique individuals (Nelson-Jones, R. 2011). My values Values contain details of what should be. It is impossible for anyone to work value free and therefore therapists do not give up their values when dealing with their clients. It takes time for a therapist to become aware of his or her values (Richards & Bergin, 2005). A therapist’s or counselor’s values influence their clients’ values. In most cases a therapist’s values conflict with the client’s cultural beliefs.As a therapist’s my therapeutic task is to create a climate in which clients feel free to explore their own thoughts, feel­ings, and behavior and arrive at decisions that are right for they situations. Every theory makes certain assumptions about people and the primary motives of human behavior, it is therefore reasonable to examine the theoretical orientation in terms of ethical issues. To avoid conflicts I have placedvalues into a broader framework of culture which represent shared beliefs, assumptions, and values that influence pattern of behavior for a given group. This has the following theoretical advantages; 1. They have a structure that provides an understanding of people from a multicultural perspective in order to perform effective and competent multicultural counseling and therapy 2. The model is used to help structure thoughts about ethnic personality development. Common theories used for this; humanistic/person centered, cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, systems, ecology and psychology. Worldview This refers to the way in which as a therapist I construct meaning in the world. It indicates the bias in my personal theory and in my values and beliefs. My theory assumes that there arefive basic needs expressed in this theory are; (1) survival (2) love/belonging (3) power/inner control (4) freedom/independence (5) fun/enjoyment In conclusion, the aim of this theme paper was to discuss my personal theory of counseling and the importance of being theoretical in the therapist process and counseling. My counseling theoretical background, Choice Theory, was described as each individual having the ability to choose all that they do (Wubbolding, 2011). First, it introduces counseling and therapy and later my profile as a therapist which includes my personality and values. My role in this process is to be a supportive and resourceful counselor to all my clients and helping them in their situations. Reference 1. Rigazio-DiGilio, S. A. (2001). Postmodern theories of counseling. In D. C. Locke, J. E. Meyers, & E. L. Herr. The handbook of counseling . 2. Rogers, C. (1980). A way of being. Palo Alto, CA: Houghton Mifflin. 3. Scandell, D. J., Wlazelek, B. G., &Scandell, R. S. (1997). Personality of the therapist and theoretical orientation. Irish Journal of Psychology. 4. Byrne, R.H (1995) Becoming a master counselor: An introduction to the profession 5. Nelson-Jones, R (2011) Theory and practice of counseling and therapy (5th edition) 6. Santee, R. G. (2007). An integrative approach to counseling: Bridging Chinese thought, evolutionary theory, and stress management. 7. Mearns, D. and Thorne, B. (2007) Person-Centered Counseling in Action (3rd edition) Read More