Question

What is a theory as it relates to counseling?

Answer 1

Counselling, by definition, is a process that involves "interpersonal relationship (PATTERSON, 1985). Frequently it is conductes on an individual level in which an atmosphere of trust is fostered between counselor and client that ensures communication, exploration, planning, change, and growth. In counseling, a client gains benefit of immediate feedback from the counselor about behaviours, feelings, plans and progress."

Four determinants that take place in any type of counselling:

1. counselor
2. client
3. setting, and
4. theoretical orientation.

Theoretical understanding is an essential part of effective counselling practice. Theories help counselors organize clinical data, make complex processes coherent and provide conceptual guidance intervention(Hansen, 2006, p.291).

The following are theories of counselling:

Psychoanalytic theory of counselling, the counsellor allows the client to speak “whatever comes to mind” focussing more on childhood experiences. After a few sessions, to create a comfortable expressive environment for the client, the psychoanalysist asks the client to lie down on a couch and express himself out without the counsellor being at his/her sight as it could be difficult for him to express certain difficult situations or thoughts face to face. The counsellor allows the client to gain insight by reliving and working out the thoughts that have been difficult for him to express and resolve them. The psychoanalysis task is that the counsellor has to interpret the client.The goal of the theory is to focus on re-organisation of internal forces and help client to become self aware of the unconscious aspect of his/her personality. The second goal would be helping client work with his developmental issues he had during his developmental stages. Third goal is to cope with the societal demands specially environmental adjustment like intimacy and work. Some techniques of Psychoanalytical theories could be: free association, dream analysis, analysis of transference, analysis of resistance.

Humanistic counselling theory refer to people who are sufficiently self resourced to live a healthy and functional life. The problem is only with the restricted resources of problem-solving . The counsellor helps client explore and create their own solution to the issues they have. Some therapies include: person-centered, existential, emotion-focused, Gestalt and positive psychology.

Cognitive counselling theory are approached by counsellors when the client is having psychological and emotional problems, i.e., their thought is out of sync with the reality. They have distorted thinking pattern and the problem-solving leads to wrong solutions. Thus, cognitive counsellors use techniques to accurately address the distorted thought of the client. Most important therapy used by counsellor in such cases is cognitive behaviour therapy. Reality therapy, motivational interviewing, and acceptance and commitment therapy ae also some techniques used under cognitive counseling theory.

Behavioral Counselling Theory: People who experience problematic behaviour and irrational thinking with the environment are dealt with counsellor have a behavioural approach to theories of counselling.It includes identification of reinforcements to problematic pattern of behaviour and thought process and replaces them with the alternative re-inforcement for desirable thinking patterns. Currently preferred therapies based in behavior theory include behavior therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, multimodal therapy and conjoint sex therapy.

Systemic Counselling Theory: Fundamental guiding speculations hold that reasoning, feeling and conduct are generally formed by pressures applied on individuals by the social frameworks inside which they live. As needs be, singular reasoning, feeling and conduct are best comprehended when inspected in relationship to the job they play inside an individual's family or other significant informal organizations. Fundamentally engaged guides work to modify interpersonal organization elements that impact a customer's bothersome musings, emotions and practices. Some as of now favored treatments drawing from foundational hypothesis incorporate basic family treatment, key family treatment, human approval process family treatment and Gottman technique couples treatment.

Constructionist Counselling theory: Constructionist Counsellors goal their counselling session to examine and go through the clients having problems with Self, Realtionships and the world. Some prefered thepay with respect to constructionist counselling theories would be olution focused brief therapy, narrative therapy, feminist therapy, Eriksonian therapy and identity renegotiation counseling.