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The significance of counselling theory
Significance of counselling theory
Compare and contrast two counselling theories
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Counselling, having many different interpretations, can be taken to mean different things to different people, in different times and in different cultures. In keeping with a somewhat linguistically trusted understanding of the very word, according to the Oxford Dictionary, as a noun, counsel refers to advice; and as a verb, counselling refers to the act of giving advice. Yet, this synonymity between counsel and advice, is far from what people holding the profession of the aforementioned would consider accurate. In fact, and more often than not, professional counsellors would keep their practice and reputation as counsellors, far from the idea of advice giving. Instead, associations with concepts of “help” and “growth” in areas of the self and one’s perspective are much preferred by counsellors time and time again. And, despite the varied phraseology by different practicing counsellors, the concepts of “help” and “growth” stay central, where the matter of difference may simply lie in nothing more than semantics. Hence, the aim of this paper is to explore and, as far as possible, discuss a working definition of what counselling is, and how its nature is made up of counsellor-client dynamics in the form of a therapeutic relationship and empathic communication, amongst other factors.
Counselling
Attempting to define what counselling is can be both difficult and fascinating. Difficult, because there has been, and still is no single agreed upon definition. As mentioned in the introduction to this paper, counselling means a different thing to different people during different times; and adding on, with different expectations to deal with different issues with different approaches. In short, how one views and chooses to define counsellin...
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What is Counseling?. (2014). American Counseling Association Website. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/learn-about-counseling/what-is-counseling/overview
Williams, K. (1973). The school counsellor. London: Methuen, [Distributed in the U.S.A. by Harper & Row, Barnes & Noble Import Division.
Yeo, Anthony. (1993). Counselling: a problem-solving approach. Singapore: Armour Publishing Pte Ltd.
A brief historical view of the counseling profession with a concentration of the philosophies on the wellness model will be discussed.
The current practices of the clinical and counselling psychological streams are not entirely dissimilar as both are concerned with the application of psychotherapy, education, research, and instruction (Mayne, Norcross, & Sayette, 2000; Norcross, 2000). Clinical psychology is primarily concerned with the assessment, treatment, and study of populations who experience severe mental illness (Bechtoldt, Campbell, Norcross, Wyckoff, & Pokrywa, 2000; Norcross, 2000) clinical psychologists mostly employ behavioral and psychoanalytic theoretical orientations when treating clients (Norcross, 2000). In contrast, counselling psychologists generally aim to support people who, while not typically suffering from severe mental illness, need assistance in overcoming the emotions associated with traumas such as loss of employment, marital dissatisfaction, loss of friend or family member, addiction (Geldard & Geldard, 2012; Gladding, 2013). Primarily they employ client-centered and humanistic methods of theoretical orientation (Geldard & Geldard, 2012; Gladding, 2013; Norcross, 2000).
Kottler, A. J., (2010). On being a therapist. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
Counseling began as a simple form of treatment for emotional problems. It was practiced in the form of advice and information in the
Sometimes individuals consider becoming counselors after overcoming some major life challenge such as addiction or a history of bad relationships. Perhaps an individual has encountered a particularly effective counselor or therapist and has a desire to follow in those footsteps. Others may have had a bad experience with counseling and concluded that it can be done better. People do not think of this work so much as a job, or even as a career. More typically, a constellation of life experiences that demand explanation and a sense that others seek one out for assistance and emotional sustenance become driving forces leading one toward the counseling profession” (An invitation to). .
Prochaska, J.O. and Norcross, J.C (2003) Systems of Psychotherapy: a transtheoretical analysis, 5th edition, Pacific Grove, California: Brooks/ Cole.
Corey, G. (2013). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (9th Edition). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
1) Corey, Gerald Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 6th edition, Brooks and Cole, Stamford, CT p. 153.
Erford, B. T. (2011). Transforming the School Counseling Profession, 3d Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
As I began to read Davis and Meier's (2011) The Elements of Counseling, I was immediately intrigued by the title of Chapter Five, “Counselor, Know Thyself”. In the title, I made intuitive connections with many important concepts imbedded in Philosophy. As an example, In Plato’s Phaedrus (2003), the master protagonist, Socrates, explains to Phaedrus that he has no time to explain trivial things, “…and the reason, my friend, is this: I am not yet able as the Delphic inscription has it, to know myself; so it seems to me ridiculous, when I do not yet know that, to investigate irrelevant things.” As I reflect on the handout Competencies in Professional Counseling and Related Human
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...
The relationship between the counsellor and client is fundamental to the success of the counselling experience and the results that will follow. The counsellor and client need to build rapport and trust. The client needs to feel comfortable enough to open up and discuss their inner most thoughts and fears in the knowledge that the discussion is confidential and non-judgemental. The resulting relationship should be one of mutual respect.
This essay will attempt to highlight and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the three main theories of counselling within the module covered this term. The three approaches in discussion are psychodynamics, cognitive behavioural and humanistic.
Corey, G. (2011). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. (ninth ed., pp. 291-301). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Reinkraunt, R., Motulsky, L. S., & Ritchie, J. (2009). Developing a Competent Practioner. Use of Self in Counseling Psychology Training, 16, 1, 7-29.