Self-efficacy means how people acquire important skills and knowledge in life. This knowledge determines how one changes his future. It attributes to how one thinks, perceives, and motivates himself to be successful.
People wish to have full control of events unfolding in their lives. One can control these events if only one takes into consideration that the events happen as a result of the activities he or she undertakes. Self-efficacy can be observed in three dimensions; strength, breadth, and the magnitude of one’s self-efficacy. Persons with high efficacy end up having a high expectations in life. A person with high self-efficacy will always set challenges which one uses to gauge his progress in life. A person with a lower efficacy ends up with low aspirations and no achievement due to weak commitments in life. This proves the belief in one’s efficacy for self-evaluation is affected by perceived self-efficacy hence one controls the outcome in life. The four sources of self-efficacy link together to judge one’s success in life: The mastery experience captures one’s past events and influences present actions. Vicarious learning involves imitating another person to succeed. Verbal persuasions concentrate on feedbacks from colleagues that guide one to improve on his weakness. Psychological reaction mounts pressure on one’s capability to achieve set objectives.
Self-esteem, on the other hand, gives account to one’s acceptance and self-belief in life. It creates a mental picture of either a positive or negative influence on his actions. Self-esteem helps to judge the psychological aspect of individuals. It determines how one relates to the environment. It also values the depth of satisfaction one derives from life. For one to have good self-esteem, one needs to have competence acceptance, and significance in life.
Behavior therapy technique
Behavior therapy technique comes in handy when a client is affected by maladaptive behavior which influences his or her routine behavior.
A client presents his case on recently developed insomnia to me. He explains the symptoms he experiences while I record them down. Insomnia is a common incident that affects a person and denies individual sleep. The patient stays awake most of the night and has multiple waking at night. This has led to his depression and a lot of stress. It has also affected his routine during the day.
I shall approach the issue by using psychotherapy to gauge his thoughts and behavior. This will help me to tackle the problem of my client. At the beginning of the therapy, I make assessments to enable the therapy to be optimally effective. I shall shape the course of the therapy by cognitive conceptualizing the client’s problems. A checklist comes in handy to keep the therapy in focus.
With the checklist in hand, I should advance to educate the client about his disorder, and elaborate more on the distress through psychoeducation. This should enable me to note the automatic emotions and thoughts of the patient. Formulation of appropriate solutions follows suit and open discussions with the client. He provides room for the patient to counter any formulation that he may not find it conceptualizing. The therapy allows the patient to link his thoughts emotions and behavior. Linking these three aspects helps the client to recognize he is responsible for the personal change. I strive to maintain a collaborative therapeutic relationship with the patient. By the end of the therapy sessions, I develop an extent to which the client engages in behavior that temporarily relieves him and helps him to avoid the problem. I give feedback on any positive progress made by the patient.
Rational emotive therapy
Rational emotive therapy was developed by Albert Ellis as a brilliant mind and health philosophy of life. REBT determines those who are prone to emotional and behavioral effects. REBT has enabled many therapists to treat anxiety and unconditional self-acceptance. REBT tends to explain that the therapy is based on the assumption that emotional cognition and behavior are intrinsically incorporated into a person’s body system. The successful use of REBT depends much on the hard work and continuity of attending to this therapy. This therapy does not apply to all situations. It should not be expected to work 100% at all times. REBT has been very successful in combating psychiatric conditions that later on may have escalated to psychopathology. REBT is widely used as therapy for tender ages teenagers who are depressed in life. Even though, REBT may or may not be effective it is still preferred to be used as a therapy for the young tucks. It is applied as an educational process. REBT applies to nonclinical problems such as relationships, social skills, and career challenges.
On the other hand, cognitive therapy concentrates much on the problem of the patient. It explains that emotions and behavior are consequences of the client’s beliefs. The sessions of this therapy are usually precise and less in number as compared to the REBT sessions. The cognitive approach is usually aggressive and seeks to combat the problem experienced by the client. Cognitive therapy avoids the task f modifying the philosophy of the client’s world. It rather sticks to the mode of goal attempting approach.
As the chairperson of the group, I started the meeting with my co-facilitator by establishing the rules and informing members that everything to be discussed should be confidential. The topic of the discussion that was to be handled on that day was stress. My fellow facilitator engaged the other group members by asking them to introduce themselves, and say anything they felt would be important for all members.
This was meant to help them to remember their early recollections. My objective was to be frank and inculcate confidence among group members. This would be in line with the Adlerian’s theory, where at stage one, establishment and maintenance of the relationship among member are critical (Bitter & Corey, 2011).
This implies that I would cooperate and establish mutual respect at the initial stage of the discussion. Engaging group members to participate gives them an opportunity to work with confidence, and to make the relationship between the facilitator and a member stronger (Bitter & Corey, 2011).
At times, I tried to engage group members to enable them to realize their thought processes. According to Adlerian, self-assessment is crucial. A personal understanding of life and the effects of one’s lifestyle affects his or her current situation is important (Bitter & Corey, 2011). The theory was applied to recognize individuals in their cultural and social contexts. This was to make them recognize the sources of stress.
In addition, engaging them would help them counteract the effects of stress. I tried to make them understand that their perceptions of issues could be changed to make them not feel as if they were negatively impacted by their stress. I involved all the group members for the reason that they could feel that they were part of the group. However, the process was not effective because some members did not trust me despite the fact that I had reaffirmed to them that their information could be confidential.
In addition, some members did not participate fully, although I was giving every participant a chance. This is also evident in theory because it emphasizes the role of other factors in shaping behavior, apart from individual responsibility (Bitter & Corey, 2011). Some members also acted as if they had done research prior to the discussion, giving faulty information.
Effectiveness of the topic addressing in the group
The topic on stress was adequately covered during the discussion. Every participant was stressed. It was established that factors causing stress were encountered at home and/or school. I tried to engage the members in imagining goals they wished to focus on during the meeting. Although they did not give verbal expressions, they all seemed to agree on the topic, i.e., making a toolbox for dealing with stress.
The members participated actively, and collaborated in advising one another with regard to stress management. One of the pieces of advice that were in line with the Adlerian perspective was changing the manner of perceiving things, i.e., the mindset and attitudes (Bitter & Corey, 2011). According to Adlerian, people’s experiences affect their way of thinking, and how they function in society. Clients’ recollections are important as aforementioned (Bitter & Corey, 2011).
People believe that everything that happens has a purpose (Corey, Corey & Corey, 2013). Adlerian posit that recalling of the past in relation to the events that affected a client makes him or her relieved after sharing with group members (Bitter & Corey, 2011). It is important to note that the topic was addressed effectively and all members concentrated on it.
Group dynamics in the session
Throughout the session, every member was attentive and participated actively. The group members contributed to the topic of discussion. Collaboration and cooperation were evident, where members engaged in open communication with the aim of gaining from the meeting. Adlerian argues that in a group facilitation situation, there should be a democratic relationship where a leader accommodates the views and dynamics of members (Bitter & Corey, 2011).
Participants are expected to reflect on their past ways of lives and share with other members. In my group meeting, members were allowed to share their experiences about stress and how they had affected them. As a result, some members who felt that they were inferior did not develop high levels of confidence, which implied that they did not share their life issues.
It was evident that most members changed their attitudes toward stress and self-concepts. Those who had lost hope in life due to stress gained some knowledge about how to cope with stressful situations, and how to avoid stress in the future (Bitter & Corey, 2011). Some of the members demonstrated high self-esteem after the facilitation.
Experiences of the session
Members of the group were very cooperative. Sometimes, I felt like commenting on an issue, but my co-facilitator commented before me. Therefore, I did not get an opportunity to involve members much compared with my co-facilitator. According to me, my colleague was not comfortable with silence, making her respond quickly after every any member gave a comment. I felt it was vital for me to address the group verbally and inform them that the goal of the discussion was to help them.
Despite the interruptions by my colleague, it was clear that the majority benefited vis-a-vis dealing with stress. I also learned that many of the members had many challenges, although they could not be willing to share with everybody. Thus, as demonstrated in this paper, the facilitating process was effective and useful to all participants.
A counselor is one of the most respected persons in our societies and for this reason, it is imperative that he also accords himself or herself the value. As a counselor, I am obliged to take heed of some social and cultural norms as a way of empowering my career and helping other people with their social problems. This paper highlights a few strategies of enhancing my proficiency and competence as a counselor in a bid to have an upper hand in the crowded field of counseling.
Body
I see myself being a competent counselor in a number of ways. For instance, my flexibility in responses can play an imperative role in accommodating all the unique demands of my clients. As a competent counselor, I very well understand the importance of applying a wide range of conversational reactions depending on unique demands of the situation. My magic concepts during a counseling session are comprehensive reflections on the subject matter, focus, summarization, problem-solution and self-disclosure. I understand that counselors who ovoid using these strategies during a counseling session are bound to make irrational decisions hence causing dissatisfaction on the part of their clients. Subsequently, other traits that can enhance my specialty and competence in counseling are my hypothesis and assessment skills.
I am able to internalize my client’s problems and make substantive analysis before visualizing the situation in order to come up with a gainful conclusion and advice. I am capable of compiling all the pieces of information obtained during a counseling session so as to come up with a meaningful comprehension of the situation. My observation skills help a lot in finding long-term solutions to the problems of my counselees. I not only understand the need of my clients but I am also conscious of the intended impact I need to impart on my clients. From the reactions of my clients, I am able to comprehend their meanings so as to put myself in a better position of moderating my intervention styles to suit the situation. As a proficient counselor, I am aware of my confines and uphold my personal care. I prioritize my spiritual well-being lest I risk diminishing the other counselor competencies I already embrace (Jungers, & Gregoire, 2012).
Despite my eloquence as a counselor, I am faced with some blind spots that retard my thirst of becoming an exemplary counselor. Occasional low self esteem has been my major problem as far as counseling is concerned. I need to improve on my confidence in handling issues especially during occasions when solutions are hard to reach. There are some technical situations that make me doubt my capability to evaluate them comprehensively. However, with continued intervention in cases that need counseling, I can enhance my experience and scope of thinking hence making me more suitable for handling complex situations. Additionally, I have some sort of individualism that makes me more inclined to finding solutions to my own problems than helping others solve their own.
In some occasions, I view situations with the ‘I’ perspective instead of the ‘we’ or ‘you’ perspective. In order to enhance my competence in counseling, I understand perfectly that my priority should be my counselee and not myself. I can avoid this by putting myself into the shoes of my counselees. Through this, I am able to tackle any issues with the notion that I am handling my own problem. This will then give me an ample opportunity of embracing collectivism instead of individualism. Another blind spot that might hinder my success as a counselor is my susceptibility to emotions. I am easily swayed emotionally and this might put me in a compromising situation of sympathizing with my counselees instead of being strong to help them get over their problems. One may argue that this trait might put a counselor in a better position of understanding the pain that his or her client is going through. In as much as this statement might bear some facts, emotional attachment can hinder effective solution of a problem (Jungers, & Gregoire, 2012).
There are a number of ethical and multicultural factors that need consideration when it comes to making rational decisions on matters of competencies. For instance, competence in this context implies that one should learn the current behavioral patterns and use them in suitable settings. In counseling, there are ethical considerations that should form part and parcel of the counseling process. Simple considerations like unnecessary body contact with a client during consolation must be avoided. It beats logic to touch a counselee unnecessarily simply because he or she is depressed. Etiquette too is of utmost importance in the career of counseling. Elderly people must be addressed in a formal manner. In most occasions, a counselor uses their surnames alongside their titles in order to show respect. Sometimes, small talks with clients just before counseling commence helps in familiarization and internalization. It is imperative that counselors treat cases with utmost discretion, fairness and integrity. They should treat their clients with respect too (Jungers, & Gregoire, 2012).
Conclusion
In conclusion, counseling as an occupation must have ethically and culturally proficient personnel in order to accommodate a diversified population. Ethical and multicultural expertise reminds counselors of their authorization to act as sponsors of clients and defend their rights.
Reference
Jungers, C. M., & Gregoire, J. (2012). Counseling ethics: Philosophical and professional foundations. Danvers, MA: Springer Pub.
In the area of multicultural competence, I would like to improve my knowledge about several ethnic groups in the country. Since the US is a multicultural society, a counselor is bound to interact with clients from various backgrounds. Some of them may have worldviews that few know about, and this may undermine clinical outcomes. Consequently, I would like to learn more about the cultural backgrounds of different types of Asians, such as the Burmese and Sri Lankans or different Latin Americans. Sometimes it is easy to generalize members of a certain region/ continent, yet each country may have very different cultural inclinations (Murphy & Dillon, 2011). I would like to know these differences and be a better counselor.
Homosexuals are becoming a distinct group in today’s society. Certain stereotypes affect this group in a negative way. I would like to develop competence in communicating with gays. If one is insensitive to acceptable language in a certain community, a client may become offended by the counselor and even terminate his sessions with him. These communication codes are highly affected by the geographical location of the client; therefore, I would like to know more about how gays perceive themselves in one part of the world than in another. This will help me to incorporate those expectations when communicating with them. Furthermore, it will lead to a better understanding of the factors that may have affected the psychological condition of the client.
My growth and upbringing in a modern society has caused me to develop biases against traditional healers or similar individuals. In the event that I get assigned to a remote location where villagers rely on traditional healers, I may find it difficult to consult or work together with these specialists. I need to do more research about the rationale and history behind these traditional practices so as to understand them (Murphy & Dillon, 2011). However, I should know how to end their involvement without offending them.
Ethical issues
Some ethical dilemmas are common across the board and it is easy to make decisions about them. However, some of them may be quite new; in these circumstances, it is necessary to use one’s value system. I need to develop my own value system that I can always count on when professional standards are no longer sufficient to respond to a case. This would give me the ability to deal with cases as they arise and exercise personal judgment more confidently.
Some ethical issues have been handled and discussed extensively in public but implementing them personally can be quite challenging. For instance, responsible counselors are not meant to have any previous relationship with clients. However, sometimes one gets clients through referrals from close friends and family. Even though a client may not be close to the counselor, he or she may have some association with the therapist. Psychotherapists who are just starting out may heavily rely on these types of referrals to survive. Consequently, ethical principles may drastically shrink one’s client pool and hence one’s success. It takes a lot of courage to stick to these principles even when it hurts one’s professional success. Therefore, I need to develop the stamina to make the right ethical decision when the situation arises.
General counseling
In general counseling, I need to work on my level of attentiveness. There are times when I can be so attentive and effective, but there are also other times when I lose focus. This behavior can be detrimental in counseling sessions. I need to analyze those situations that cause me to lose focus and determine the possible triggers. One of the most effective ways of solving a problem is to know when it happens. I can put a stop to the deviations as soon as I identify when those issues take place. If something else could be causing the inattentiveness, then I need to start working on solving the problem.
I need to get more experience on specialty cases or complex cases. For instance, families dealing with the terminal illness of a young one are a particularly complex one. Alternatively, cases of teenage rebelliousness as manifested through gang behavior are also unfamiliar to me. I need to expose myself to these cases and gain more insight about them. However, because they are beyond my area of expertise, then I will need the assistance of a more competent individual (Murphy & Dillon, 2011).
In order to be an effective counselor, I need to place my feelings on the periphery and focus on the clients’. Sometimes I can feel proud about what I did for my client and this may make me overconfident about a similar case. As a result, it is easy to forget about the needs of the new client thus compromising the effectiveness of the therapy. I also need to empower my clients by giving them the power to improve their lives. A counselor can only facilitate recovery; it is the patient who must implement these changes. I need to learn how to let go and trust clients to practice what we have talked about in sessions.
Reference
Murphy, B. & Dillon, C. (2011). Interviewing in action in a multicultural world. Belmont, CA: Brooks.
Psychotherapy: resolving a complex psychological issue.
Brief groups: fast resolution of a current concern.
The significance of group counseling is becoming increasingly high in the modern globalized environment. Due to the necessity to function within a society and engage in interpersonal and often multicultural interactions, people need to learn to address complex issues in a group. There are different types of groups, including task, psychoeducational, counseling, psychotherapy, and brief ones. A task group is focused on managing a particular assignment. Psychoeducational groups help participants learn new information and develop specific skills. Counseling groups help address psychological issues without causing massive changes to one’s personality. Psychotherapy groups, in turn, allow focusing on a certain psychological concern. Finally, brief groups require managing a particular issue within a restricted amount of time (Jacobs, Schimmel, Masson, & Harvill, 2015).
Group Counseling: Task Groups and Brief Groups
Task Groups:
Focused on a particular assignment;
Deployed in a workplace setting;
Require collaboration between participants.
Brief Groups:
Are time-bound;
Address a single concern;
Explore a wider range of topics.
Task groups and brief groups have a lot in common in terms of how problems are managed within them. Therefore, the choice of a specific strategy hinges on rather intricate details concerning the group that needs counseling and especially its members. For instance, both groups are focused on addressing a particular assignment, yet task groups are not bound by time constraints as opposed to brief groups.
Furthermore, addressing work-related issues is the primary goal of task groups. As a rule, the agenda of task groups does not go any further. Brief groups, in turn, can be devoted to any subject as long as they are kept short and concise. Thus, a wider range of issues is embraced, yet the participants only have the opportunity to develop a rather superficial solution to them.
Group Counseling: Psychoeducational Groups, Psychotherapy Groups, and Counseling Groups
Psychoeducational Groups: focus on promotion of psychological knowledge and communication skills;
Psychotherapy Groups: solution of psychological issues and provision of assistance;
Counseling Groups: management of current issues without an in-depth analysis of personal problems (Corey, 2015).
In the existing taxonomy, there is a set of groups that are supposed to explore psychological issues rather than task-related ones. Thus, the focus is on internal concerns rather than on external ones in the specified scenario. The identified groups can be utilized when handling a personal or cross-cultural conflict or a mental health concern. In psychoeducational groups, one can receive extensive information about the nature of particular psychological issues and confrontations within a team, as the name suggests. Psychotherapy groups, in turn, focus on the active support of people with mental health issues or conditions. They allow improving cognition processes and give people the ability to process information properly. Finally, counseling groups are supposed to manage current problems without delving too deep in the mental condition of an individual (Corey, 2015). Therefore, counseling groups can be used in an academic or workplace context, whereas psychoeducational and psychotherapy groups should be deployed in a healthcare environment where appropriate services are provided to people with mental health conditions.
Irwin Yalom’s Factors Promoting Change
Instillation of hope.
Universality.
Imparting information.
Altrusim.
Corrective recapitulation.
Socializing techniques.
Focus on imitative behavior.
Interpersonal learning.
Group cohesiveness.
Catharsis.
Existential factors (Lassiter & Culbreth, 2017).
It should be borne in mind that an array of factors may have a direct effect on the counseling process and the outcomes thereof. The specified phenomenon is especially noticeable in group counseling, where the array of factors influencing its development is extraordinarily vast. Among the essential elements that may change the course of the counseling process, cultural issues need to be mentioned first. In addition, personal psychological issues experienced by specific group members may become an obstacle. Traditionally, Yalom’s eleven psychological factors are identified when considering the issues that may define the course of the therapy. These include the focus on socializing and the promotion of empathy as the keys to successful communication and conflict management (Lassiter & Culbreth, 2017).
Group Counseling: Strategies and Expected Outcomes
Cognitive Behavior Theory: understanding behavioral standards and norms;
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy: addressing emotional aspects of one’s behavior;
Reality Therapy: developing an understanding of ethical factors defining people’s choices;
Adlerian therapy: assessment of extrinsic factors;
Transactional analysis: ego state evaluation.
At present, several approaches to group counseling exist. Particularly, the issue can be viewed from the perspective of several theoretical frameworks. The Cognitive Behavior Theory sheds light on how people’s attitudes and behavioral norms are shaped. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy helps to approach the problem from the perspective of people’s emotions, whereas Reality Therapy implies appealing to people’s sense of ethics and morality (Corey, 2015). The Adlerian therapy, in turn, provides a chance to explore the external factors leading to changes in an individual’s mental condition and behavior (Sharf, 2015). The transactional analysis offers an opportunity to locate an individual’s ego state, which, in turn, informs the further choice of a therapeutic approach.
Counseling Issues in a Multicultural Environment
Asian American background: a better understanding of Asian American learners’ needs;
Opportunity to reinforce family support;
Tools for building a dialogue with students’ parents;
Improved counseling services due to a better understanding of students’ needs.
As a person of the Asian American descent, I must admit that counseling requires culture-specific adjustments to produce a tangible effect. Particularly, the personal cultural background helps me understand the needs of Asian American students as well as White American learners. As a result, I can provide the counseling services of a higher quality. Specifically, I am aware of the significance that family plays in the lives of Asian Americans. As a result, I can use my knowledge to encourage the formation of a stronger bond between a learner and their family members. Consequently, a large number of issues that hinder the learning process are addressed successfully, and a student can receive family support. Similarly, the impact of traditions on learners’ motivation and ability to perform certain tasks is taken into account when addressing a particular concern.
Counseling Issues in a Multicultural Environment: Concerns
Lack of understanding of the needs of other cultures;
Need for acquiring skills for multicultural communication;
Lack of awareness about students with special needs;
Necessity to pay more attention to learners from different socioeconomic backgrounds.
However, my cultural background may also become a stumbling block on the way to meeting learners’ needs. Specifically, it is difficult to approach students from other cultures, such as African American, Latin, or Native American ones. Therefore, a greater emphasis must be placed on cross-cultural communication. I must learn more about the needs of students from culturally diverse backgrounds to ensure that they are provided with the counseling services of the finest quality. For instance, a deeper insight into the needs of learners with disabilities, students from other ethnic backgrounds, and people of a different socioeconomic status is required.
Counseling Issues in a Multicultural Environment: Suggestions
Focus on the consistent learning;
Acquisition of crucial cross-cultural communication skills;
Active use of emotional intelligence during communication;
Careful use of nonverbal communication elements;
Viewing cooperation and collaboration as priorities.
Attempting to learn about every possible culture and the needs of its representatives is barely a possibility. Therefore, it is necessary to approach each problem on a case-by-case basis and use the principles of empathy, emotional intelligence, and cooperation. It is crucial to be culturally sensitive and be ready to provide students with emotional support.
Personal Characteristics as Support in Counseling
Emotional responsiveness;
Emotional intelligence;
Empathy and compassion;
Ability to relate to students’ problems;
Listening skills and attentiveness to others’ problems.
Using personal character traits as the means of improving the communication process and assisting students in coping with their issues should be seen as a priority. Among my personal characteristics that I deem as important for a counselor, I must mention compassion and empathy. It is crucial to show a student that their personal problems are understood and accepted; otherwise, the counseling process will have no effect (Viers, 2017). Therefore, I must use my ability to relate to students’ concerns on an emotional level and empathize with the difficulties that they are facing. As a result, a deep bond will be created, and students will be eager to share their concerns with me. Thus, I will be capable of providing them with professional assistance.
Nonverbal Communication Skills
Using active listening;
Maintaining eye contact;
Giving students enough personal space;
Using appropriate facial expressions.
The importance of nonverbal communication is often dismissed, yet the identified component of a conversation must not be underrated. By using nonverbal communication skills, a counselor will be able to build a rapport with students.
Altering students’ behavior by using a role model;
Encouraging independence and self-reliance;
Providing support and offering guidance;
Using positive reinforcement and encouragement.
Finally, the use of leadership skills needs to be mentioned as an important asset that I can use to improve the quality of counseling and encourage students to manage their problems successfully. While the ability to listen is crucial for a counselor, it is also important to prompt a learner to act independently and learn to solve problems, as well as approach issues responsibly. For this purpose, the use of the transformational Leadership Model is essential. I tend to focus on motivating learners and transforming their attitude toward specific issues to help them succeed.
Humor and Positive Thinking
Humor:
Creating a relaxing environment;
Helping a student not to overestimate the problem;
Relieving a student of the stress that they have been experiencing.
Positive Thinking:
Seeing a problem as manageable;
Seeking an appropriate solution;
Being positive about the available options.
Humor can be used to help students see their problems as solvable. When being able to laugh at their problems, people no longer view them as devastating and life-destroying. Therefore, it will be necessary to help learners see the issues that they face through the lens of humor. When using the specified quality as the means of helping learners to approach their problems critically and realize that they are solvable, one will be able to encourage them to develop viable solutions.
Positive thinking is the skill that is linked directly to humor. As soon as the scale of the concern is reduced with the help of humor, the use of critical analysis is required to develop a solution. A counselor can give a student an example of how critical thinking can be applied in the context of a particular dilemma. As a result, a learner will be capable of managing the issue independently.
Group Leadership Skills: Transformation
Changing behaviors to socially acceptable ones;
Altering attitudes to more positive ones;
Promoting personal growth;
Enhancing interpersonal communication;
Prompting cross-cultural dialogue;
Stressing the importance of negotiation.
The ability to transform students’ attitude should be seen as one of the crucial aspects of counseling. Transformation of students implies changing their attitude toward a particular issue and helping them become better people. Particularly, acquiring new communication skills, overcoming prejudices, and solving conflicts constructively should be seen as the abilities that a counselor must help students develop.
Group Leadership Skills: Building Trust
Creating an open environment;
Promoting sincerity and trust;
Appreciating students’ confidentiality;
Determining trust patterns among target audiences;
Keeping information secure and preventing its disclosure.
The ability to build relationships based on trust is another leadership quality that will help me provide high-quality counseling services to students. Trust is especially important in group counseling sessions, where several students need to address a common issue that affects their team. Therefore, my ability to establish trust-based relationships is bound to have a profound effect on the overall quality of counseling services and the outcomes thereof. Without trust lying at the foundation of counselor-student relationships, learners will not be able to share the information that may lie at the root of their problems. Therefore, the specified ability is bound to become the essential group leadership skill that will improve counseling and help students manage their issues.
References
Corey, G. (2015). Theory and practice of group counseling (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Jacobs, E., Schimmel, C. J., Masson, R. L. L., & Harvill, R. L. (Eds.). (2015). Group counseling: Strategies and skills (9th ed). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Lassiter, P. S., & Culbreth, J. R. (2017). Theory and practice of addiction counseling. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Sharf, R. S. (2015). Theories of psychotherapy & counseling: Concepts and cases (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Viers, D. (Ed.). (2017). The group therapist’s notebook: Homework, handouts, and activities for use in psychotherapy (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Chapter 24 concerns itself with LGBTQI+ clients that have experienced religious and spiritual abuse (SA), using a trauma-informed approach. It identifies SA as the coercion and control of a person utilizing spiritual contexts as tools of doing so. The target of such abuse experiences an attack on an emotional and an existential level. The methods of SA typically include manipulation, exploitation, enforced accountability and conformity, censorship, obedience, isolation, as well as secrecy and silence in order to perpetuate abuse. Victims of SA are typically involved with religious communities from an early age, meaning that their experiences are deeply-rooted.
Some of the symptoms of SA include cognitive confusion, identity confusion, affective anxiety, depression, and a lack of meaning, functional disorders (sleep, sex, substance abuse), social disruptions from family and the community, employment issues, and interpersonal dysfunctions. The situation is made worse by the fact that an individual is often deprived from support of said communities, as the abuse is coming from them. It makes escape and recovery very difficult.
It is proposed for specialists that treat LGBTQI+ members with SA to implement a trauma-informed approach. Religion and spirituality make a significant part of a person’s identity, meaning that one has to be cautious and define how important spirituality is for their patients. The biggest challenges include gaining trust of the patient, dismantling the negative perceptions of oneself and other humans, clarifying one’s own values, and recovering a sense of self-identity. The client’s experience of trauma is to be considered, and sensitivity and supportiveness practiced at all times. The overarching purposes of behavior therapy implemented in a trauma-informed approach is to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment in trauma survivors.
Reference List
Ginicola, M. M., Smith, C., & Filmore, J. M. (2017). Affirmative Counseling with LGBTQI+ People. Wiley.
Guidance and counseling are important processes and practices in today’s world because of the several problems affecting humanity. Guidance and counseling entail assisting individuals in discovering and developing their vocational, educational, and psychological abilities (Hughes et al., 2017). The practice helps victims achieve their happiness and social usefulness (Hughes & Meijers, 2017). The idea of counseling in both England and Nigeria is an essential practice allowing children to exercise their rights to shape their destinies.
The area of professional interest revolves around guidance and counseling in basic education for children. The practice is important in nurturing and helping children achieve their future dreams (Zafar, 2019). Counseling in the early years is a vital educational instrument in shaping and developing a positive life orientation among young people (Anyi, 2017). Ideas and positive life instructions need to be planted in children as early as possible since they can have a positive impact on their future (Canzittu, 2020; Karacan-Ozdemir, 2019). Offering the services to young people is challenging since the professionals have to develop a good rapport with them. Counselors have to listen to the complaints of children in a friendly manner and offer sound advice.
The paper covers the analysis integrating a comparison of counseling theories and models in England and Nigeria. Comparing the practice in early childhood in two countries is significant in identifying the approaches used and their impacts on young learners in both countries. The frameworks used to draw comparisons are cognitive and humanistic models. In England, the cognitive theory focuses on helping children change their thinking and behavior (Noble & Marshman, 2018). Guidance and counseling based on a cognitive approach are brief in structure and nature and center on solving the root problems of the young people (Phiri et al., 2017). The counseling institutions have trained experts who deploy cognitive theory to understand children’s mental states and desires.
The cognitive model is a fundamental counseling theory in England with a variety of impacts on the victims. Children find some problems challenging, and they become easily frustrated when proper guidance is not rendered. In England, even though childhood and adolescence are taken as periods of greater changes in people, 20% of the latter group encounter one or many psychological disorders requiring diagnosis and counseling (Mladenovic, 2018). Cognitive therapists revolve around the current situation of a child without reminding them about their distorted past. In the United Kingdom, cognitive and behavioral theories are integrated into cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (Fogarty et al., 2019). CBT has helped children in their basic education to overcome mental problems such as anxiety, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and poor personality, among other aspects.
The humanistic model is a common framework in the counseling environment of Nigeria, among others. As opposed to the CBT model applied in England, the humanistic theory focuses on human ability and unique personal experiences (Kabir, 2017). However, the practice applied in Nigeria during guidance and counseling sessions has similarities with the CBT model used in England. For instance, both models acknowledge the importance of understanding childhood behaviors and unconscious psychological changes and processes in the basic development of a young person (Hoffman et al., 2016). The humanistic model focuses more on recognizing the ability of young ones during self-understanding and personal psychological health.
The cognitive model in England and the humanistic framework in Nigeria are supported by various literature expounding on several challenges which children experience as they grow. According to Noble and Marshman (2018), a child is not spared from some of the problems which adults encounter in life. However, children experience some difficulties in recognizing, processing, and communicating their problems due to several factors, such as the development stages. From the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) agency, adolescents are susceptible to behavioral challenges, and there is a need for adequate counseling for them to overcome the challenges in contemporary society (Suleiman et al., 2019). Therefore, most scholars emphasize the need for guidance and counseling as a practice in both countries to help young people to achieve stable mental health.
Practices Comparison
Technology has impacted the field of guidance and counseling in various ways. In addition to the cognitive and humanistic counseling models used in England and Nigeria, respectively, the former country has embraced online counseling programs as part of the practice. However, professionals in Nigeria continue to offer counseling services, preferably through face-to-face encounters. Therefore, the comparison is mainly between the online and traditional approaches to service delivery. The rationale for using technology as a comparison framework is to identify the merits of both counseling practices on children’s lives in both countries.
The number of people, both adults, and children, seeking counseling services has increased in England, forcing therapists to use online platforms. According to Stoll et al. (2020), online counseling via mobile phones and interactive video calls has enabled therapists in England to deliver their services to remote regions hence helping a larger portion of the population. According to Affum et al. (2016), traditional counseling practices promote confidentiality leading to trust development between a child and the therapist. Thus, both practices differ in their scopes of application and have varying advantages. The Nigerian traditional counseling practices are based on a philosophical idea of counseling being a community affair (Chiboola, 2019). Any child can attend counseling sessions depending on the nature and scope of a challenge they are encountering. In England, counselors are expected to be accredited professionals and have a proper understanding of different cultures (Clark et al., 2017). Since counseling is a sensitive profession that involves handling people’s feelings and challenges, it is important to understand the approaches to service provision.
Online counseling can be biased and unreliable as compared to the traditional approaches to offering therapeutic help. While using online platforms, a counselor might not identify the exact problem that a child is undergoing due to a lack of close contact (Amos et al., 2020). Traditional counseling approaches create the required proximity and trust between the therapist and a young person, hence increasing the accuracy of practice. However, there are ambiguities in the counseling practices when the comparisons are based on various kinds of literature. For instance, from the research done by Chiboola and Munsaka (2016), procedures of traditional counseling are not documented, and counselors using the approach do not undergo basic counseling training. According to Wong et al. (2018), students prefer online counseling to promote privacy and avoid stigmatization. The varied views of researchers and scholars bring controversy to the best practice and approach for service delivery.
Conclusion
Online counseling practice has more advantages as compared to traditional therapeutic approaches. Some children tend to fear physical contact with professionals and prefer to be counseled via mobile phones or other technological devices. The selection of the online approaches to the practice has been influenced by values and beliefs of making the educational sector more accommodative. Digitalization has made the provision of services easier, and children can now access sound counseling programs while at home. Both the cognitive and humanistic models of counseling have proved to be critical in the country of the application despite the varied ways of delivery. Counseling is a noble practice, and appropriate models and techniques need to be selected to suit the young learners, as evident in the case study of Nigeria and England.
Chiboola, H., & Munsaka, S. (2016). Nature and role of traditional forms of counselling in Zambia: A case of Lusaka province. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 46(1), 79-90. Web.
Fogarty, C., Hevey, D., & McCarthy, O. (2019). Effectiveness of cognitive behavioural group therapy for social anxiety disorder: Long-term benefits and aftercare. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 47(5), 501-513. Web.
Hughes, D., Law, B., & Meijers, F. (2017). New school for the old school: Career guidance and counselling in education. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 45(2), 133-137. Web.
Kabir, S. (2017). Counseling approaches In S. Kabir (Ed.), Essentials of counseling (pp. 117-204). Abosar Prokashana Sangstha.
Karacan-Ozdemir, N. (2019). Associations between career adaptability and career decision-making difficulties among Turkish high school students. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 19(3), 475-495. Web.
Mladenovic, N. (2018). Cognitive behavioral therapy with children. Centre for Evaluation in Education and Science, 1452(9343), 173-187. Web.
Suleiman, Y., Olanrewaju, M., & Suleiman, J. (2019). Improving guidance and counseling services for effective service delivery in Nigerian secondary schools. JOMSIGN: Journal of Multicultural Studies in Guidance and Counseling, 3(1), 75-89. Web.
Implicit expectations in sociology refer to unofficial expectations. Analysts have cited implicit expectations of the mental health professionals by people with mental disorder and the general society as the main setback to effective rehabilitation. In a healthy community, implicit expectations by individuals thrive and allow room for communities’ ever-changing conditions and needs. Medicine as a social activity has allowed all the unfit members in the society to receive treatment in a hospital. Hence, medicine can be termed as a contract between the ill members in the society, the society and the environment.
As a result, health professionals, social workers and mental health workers continuously seek to change patients’ ability to relate with their environment hence facilitating the improvement of their symptoms through rehabilitation. The society expects these professionals to rehabilitate fully the mentally ill persons neglecting their roles and participation. These persons require considerable attention from all the members of their society for effective treatment and rehabilitation. Through this therapy, the society expects mentally disabled individuals to regain normal mental health like the other members of the society. The impacts of such implicit expectations have negatively affected the process of rehabilitation (Andary 2003, p.2).
Competent doctors
Every member in the society expects the health practitioners to be technically competent in dealing with varied medical conditions. Moreover, the society expects the healthcare experts of the mentally unstable individuals to be immensely competent in their profession. It is with this perception that the society fully trusts the health practitioners in the rehabilitation of the mentally ill patients. What the society fails to realize is that medics alone cannot achieve mental health rehabilitation. The whole society’s participation in this regard is vital (Hinshaw & Stephen 2007, p.147).
Moral integrity
The society and the mentally ill patients perceive their healthcare givers as morally upright individuals without any flaws. The society accords medical professionals the highest possible esteem as compared to other professions. Self-sacrifice among the health practitioners treating the mentally ill patients is a moral component. However, such experts should consider the primacy of such patients to be paramount. The society and the individuals with mental disorder fully rely on the medical practitioners to diagnose, treat and care for the mentally ill patients. The doctors’ day-to-day activities have disapproved these implicit expectations, as they also are prone to flaws. In this regard, a doctor can be highly competent at diagnosing and prescribing pharmaceutical medications and not perfectly prescribe the psychiatric care, as a psychologist would have. Thus, rehabilitation has suffered considerable undermining as the society expects the medical practitioners to rehabilitate fully the mentally ill patients while neglecting other professionals’ the role.
Dealing with uncertainty and ambiguity
The society expects mental healthcare experts to handle uncertainty and ambiguity with considerable determination. Patients with extremely few objective tests exist predominantly in the mental hospitals, and hence their diagnosis may be unclear and uncertain. However, the society expects the health experts to provide diagnosis treatment and hope to the patients. These factors, in conjunction with ambiguity, induce pressure on the medical practitioners leading to multifaceted expectations. Consequently, with increased pressure, doctors may not fully concentrate on their patients. This undermines the rehabilitation program’s gains.
Stigmatizing
Health workers dealing with the mentally disorderly patients face stigma against the patients and the professional itself. The society normally perpetuates this stigmatization against the mentally ill, and sometimes on their doctors and psychiatrists. It is the psychiatrists’ desire that the society abandons its stigmatizing attitude in order to motivate and allow the mentally ill to recover fully. However, these anticipations are impossible in the real world and the health workers should acknowledge these prejudices and take actions to reduce them wherever possible. Similarly, the health experts’ contribution in the mentally ill rehabilitation should be non-stigmatized as stigmatization dents the psychiatrists and healthcare experts’ role in the rehabilitation process (Hannon 2007, p.30).
Focus on public good
The society expects the psychiatrist to act in the common good for the public and facilitate the mentally ill patients to become good citizens. In this regard, the society expects them to mould the patients in its perception. Despite this enormous contribution by doctors, the society has failed to realize their role in transforming the mentally ill person’s welfare, and hence their need to engage in the transformation programs envisage in the rehabilitation process. Therefore, we are all required to ensure that patients’ welfare, preferably the mentally ill in the social context, attains paramount considerations.
Psychiatric assessment
Repeatedly, mental health professions carry out psychiatric assessments on their patients. Through these assessments, the society and counsellors have portrayed several beliefs and assumptions about the human nature. More often, counsellors and the society assume that humans should only learn the specific skills that they lack. This is contrary to the health experts’ view. With these expectations in mind, they have found themselves equipping the mentally handicap with the skills that they perceive these individuals lack. In this regard, they have failed in imparting them with some vital social and life skills essential for their recovery (Moxley & David 2003, p.37). Counsellors and the society should stop believing that human attributes such as those common to the mentally handicapped are fixed and malleable, but rather try to be dynamic in their line of thoughts. Similarly, the society should never assume that an individual is terminally ill upon the diagnosis of a mental illness. Actually, psychiatrists argue that persons with mental illnesses shift between phases and pathological functioning (Stephen & Hinshaw p. 173). Therefore, we should all depend on the psychiatric facts to impede the society’s myths lessening the gains attained in the course of rehabilitation.
Part played by the health professions
Medical professionals have exhibited their implicit expectations of the society in several ways. By solely relying on their prescribed medications, some medics have implicitly expected the complete recovery of their mentally ill patients. These medical practitioners have fail in prescribing and implementing social therapies as a form of medication to such patients. Consequently, the role of imparting the social life skills back into such individuals relies on their relatives, families and friends (Browning& Philip 1974, p 102). In such situations, the relatives and friends are normally incompetent to deliver the appropriate therapy to their loved ones. This undermines the process of rehabilitating such individuals. Some health experts believe that mentally ill patients can never excel in their career and expect them not to actively engage in certain professions and tasks. Contrary to these beliefs, psychiatrist and psychologist have established that mental illnesses can facilitate better compassion among the healthy individuals (Stephen & Hinshaw p. 174). This illustrates how mental disorders can be of benefit to an individual. Studies show that some mental illnesses such as autism and Tourettes disorders cause some special abilities rather than consistent deficiencies to the persons involved. Therefore, for effective psychiatric rehabilitation, the process should entail the improvement of the mentally ill individual’s abilities and competence. Adjusting and changing their environment needs can facilitate the achievement of this cause (Anthony, 1984, p.40)
Medical practitioners always expect a mentally disorderly person to approach them for medication and care. Controversies arise when these persons seek medication and rehabilitation from other experts like psychologists. In such instances, the medical practitioners falsely believe that they are the only appropriate experts to diagnose and treat mental illnesses. With these perceptions, their expectations can be termed as implicit since the affected individuals can equally receive care from other relevant experts. In my point of view, mentally disorderly patients’ rehabilitation programs should dwell more on the social care rather than the medical care. This is true because mentally disturbed patients are normally distressed as expressed in their daily behaviours. Psychological problems cause their illness. To solve these problems, a psychological approach is suitable because sometimes the medical healthcare experts lack the methodology and skills required to tackle a condition.
A psychologist, rather than a health care expert, can easily diagnose psychological problems affecting individuals. Similarly, community members should provide the needed social care and skills to the mentally ill patients and should not only rely on the health professional’s help, but also play their part in ensuring effective patient rehabilitation. Thus, for effective rehabilitation, the medical experts should embrace all the measures of the community and the psychologist rather than undermining their role. In addition, medical professions should embrace all methods and standards used for diagnosing and treating mentally ill patients rather than developing standardized criteria for diagnosis (Liberman & Robert, 1988, p.67).
During the initial stages of rehabilitation, changes in the patients experience are observable from the instant of admission to the rehabilitation centres. Upon the patients’ admission to the wards, the setting should ensure the wards allow the patients to have a relaxed environment. In addition, the health care experts should treat these patients with the necessary attention rather than prejudicing them. Normally, healthcare workers expect their medication to be of help to such patients in the end. Apart from the medical attention, medics should demonstrate interest in their mentally ill patients and take their views seriously by administering therapeutic arrangements as required (Townsend & Mary 2006, p.23).
Although some mentally ill patients may not be certain about the success of the medication administered, they may appreciate its contribution if there is a clear explanation of its purpose at the manageable level. In this context, the acknowledgment of their experiences is crucial, and if possible, more attention should be focused on their successes in life rather than the consequences of their disorder. To achieve these gains, medical experts should change their expectations and approach when dealing with the mentally ill patients. They should expect little or no respect from these patients and display maximum respect towards them as the main concern should be the restoration of the patients’ self-esteem in the society. Through these expectations and methodologies, the effectiveness of the rehabilitation can be effectively enhanced (Wade& Derick 1992, p.45).
Evidence
Contrary to the health care professionals’ expectations, rehabilitation in the health setups, group-homes with shared facilities, provide effective means of mental rehabilitations as in-patients find them less restrictive than the hospital’s ward. Therefore, health care experts need to analyze critically their extensively believed expectations as allowing the mentally ill patients to live among the society has more advantages. This therapy allows the mentally ill patients to create friendship with the other members of the society unlike in the case of their confinement in medical wards. Similarly, the system will lead to low hospitalization rates. In Britain, a research was carried out to ascertain this suggestion and the effects of implicit expectations of mental health professionals (Leff 1997, p. 78). In this research, patients were placed in group- homes allowing the sharing of facilities. The effects of implicit expectations were scientifically controlled.
At the end of the research, the findings established the truthfulness concerning the group homes. This raised the number of such homes in Europe by more than a half over the last decade. With this breakthrough, the hospital asylum view expected and advocated by most health care experts has been replaced by the virtual asylum. The asylums’ provisions of homely environments to the patients facilitate their success. This has facilitated increased patient’s attachment to the environment and the members of the society allowing them to recover back their behaviours and habits in relation to their immediate settings. Through these effects of health care, correlating the rehabilitation achievements of both asylums can clearly illustrate implicit expectations.
Conclusion
Implicit expectations by the society and the medical experts have formed a network of professional activity undermining the rehabilitation process geared towards the recovery of the mentally ill patients. Since both groups’ expectations undermine the rehabilitation process, more appropriate measure are necessary to prevent all odds undermining rehabilitation (Baumeister & Alfred 1967, p.34).
References
Andary, L., & Stolk, Y. (2003). Assessing mental health across cultures. Australian Academic Press: Bowen Hills, QLD.
Baumeister, A. A. (1967). Mental retardation; appraisal, education, and rehabilitation, Aldine Pub. Co: Chicago.
Browning, P. L. (1974). Mental retardation; rehabilitation and counseling, Thomas: Springfield, III.
Hannon, F. (2007). Literature review on attitudes towards disability. National Disability Authority: Dublin.
Hinshaw, S. P. (2007). The mark of shame: stigma of mental illness and an agenda for change. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
Leff. J. (1997). Care in the Community – Illusion or Reality? John Wiley & Sons: Chichester.
Liberman, R. P. (1988). Psychiatric rehabilitation of chronic mental patients. American Psychiatric Press: Washington, D.C.
Moxley, D., & Finch, J. R. (2003). Sourcebook of rehabilitation and mental health practice. Kluwer International: New York.
Townsend, Mary C., T. M. (2003). Sourcebook of rehabilitation and mental health practice. Kluwer International. Print. F.A. Davis Co: New York.
Wade, D. T. (1992). Measurement in neurological rehabilitation. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
To achieve complex counseling goals, a therapist sometimes needs to combine several approaches to ensure the most beneficial client outcomes. When chosen correctly, the combination of several counseling theories might be an effective way to address all the issues the client is facing.
The counseling model presented in this paper covers the rational emotive behavior and gestalt theories that enable dealing with harmful behaviors and cognitive processes through the substitution of those by means of the application of beneficial experiences. The combination of the theories suggests the basic philosophy of perceiving emotional and behavioral impairments as the cause of psychological issues, which might be eliminated by means of human’s inner resources. The therapy’s goals, relationships between a counselor and client, techniques, and limitations will be discussed in detail.
Theories
The model is designed on the basis of the combination of two counseling theories, including gestalt and rational emotive behavior theories. The choice of the theories is determined by the therapeutic potential they have for a client to deal with diverse psychological problems, such as fear, anxiety, or phobias. The first theory is gestalt therapy that concentrates on the human’s potential to deal with mental issues here and now. The theory prioritizes learning from the current experiences while a client lives through a particular feeling, emotion, or behavior (Zahm & Gold, 2002). It is chosen due to the therapeutic value of the available techniques that empower a person to deal with problems on a long-term scale.
The second theory is rational emotive behavior therapy that views emotional reactions, behavior, and cognitive responses as a learned pattern that might be changed or substituted by means of restructuring and learning (Ellis, 2002). According to this approach, irrational and dysfunctional emotions and behaviors might be changed through exercises and practice. The choice of this theory is validated by the scope of techniques it provides and the specific relationship pattern between a therapist and client than give a counselor more leading opportunities to empower a client.
Basic Philosophy
The combination of these theories allows the counselor to act within the specific philosophy. The model views the mental health issues of a client as those rooted in the wrongful emotional and behavioral reactions to the experiences in life. It seeks to educate and lead the client through the process of engaging his or her human potential in dealing with psychological difficulties. The rational emotive behavior theory plays a dominant role in the foundation of the basic philosophy of the model because it prioritizes the dysfunctional feelings and behaviors as the core of therapy. However, gestalt theory is also essential since it enables cultivating a client-oriented approach that allows for finding and using inner resources in the client.
Relationship Between the Therapist and Client
The framework imposed by the basic philosophy of the model determines the way the therapist and a client will communicate and act during the counseling sessions. The model implies that the therapist will play the role of a guide who directs the process of the client’s learning of new behaviors and emotional responses using the knowledge and potential he or she has as a human. According to the rational emotive behavior theory, the client will be led by the counselor and learn how to determine adversities and construct consequences through the application of rational beliefs (Ellis, 2002).
The gestalt therapy similarly implies the leading role of a counselor, where both a therapist and client engage in role-playing to stimulate learning out of the deep experience of the present moment. Overall, the relationship between client and therapist should actively engage both actors where one is a stimulator (a counselor), and another one is a performer (a patient).
Therapy Goals
The model enables using the philosophy and relationship pattern to pursue the therapy goals, which include changing behavioral and emotive response patterns and empowering the client through the process of learning how to accept one’s feelings and use the inner resources to deal with psychological problems. In this respect, gestalt theory will be responsible for building awareness about the patient’s experiences, and rational emotive behavior theory will contribute to behavior change and cognitive restructuring. This model might be a useful framework for helping a client deal with phobias and anxiety. Through the application of a series of combined techniques and exercises, the patient will be able to acquire a solid basis not only for coping with the current issues but also for dealing with similar psychological problems in the future.
Techniques
The identified basic philosophy predetermines the possible ways, which might enable the achievement of the therapy goals. Gestalt therapy provides an array of possible exercises to apply within the model. Some of them are the empty chair and awareness practices based on focused expressive treatment. When using these techniques, the therapist can encourage a patient to be concentrated on his or her immediate emotions when living through the artificially created life situation (Zahm & Gold, 2002). Rational emotive behavior therapy introduces such techniques as modeling and role-playing. These techniques allow for learning from other people’s experiences in coping with psychological issues (as in modeling) or exercising the coping methods through acting out a life situation with a therapist (Ellis, 2002).
These techniques are oriented explicitly on the client and his or her needs through the active inclusion of the therapist that ensures the implementation of the above-mentioned relationship and achievement of therapy goals.
The Limitations of the Model
Despite the significance of the theoretical justification of the model’s effectiveness, it has its limitations concerning multicultural issues. Indeed, the model provides generalized techniques that concentrate on internally applicable theories. However, multicultural society might require more specific approaches to dealing with psychological issues on the basis of culture-specific beliefs. Since rational emotive therapy closely deals with restructuring so-called dysfunctional beliefs, it is important to investigate the client’s cultural background to ensure therapy’s consistency with his or her cultural heritage.
Conclusion
In summary, the counseling model incorporates the theoretical bases of gestalt and rational emotive behavior therapies, which provide a beneficial combination of techniques helping clients to learn behavioral patterns of dealing with psychological problems by means of their own experiences. The chosen theories blend into a beneficial model by covering a vast population of patients and apply to different mental health issues, including anxiety, phobias, or depression. The identified approaches enable building a trusting relationship between a therapist and a client through assigning a leading role to the counselor.
With the application of such techniques as an empty chair, awareness exercises, modeling, and role-play allow for achieving therapy goals of building awareness, acquiring new behavioral patterns, and restructuring emotional and cognitive reactions.
References
Ellis, A. (2002). Rational emotive behavior therapy. In M. Hersen (Ed.), Encyclopedia of psychotherapy (Vol. 2) (pp. 483-487). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.
Zham, S. G., & Gold, E. K. (2002). Gestalt therapy. In M. Hersen (Ed.), Encyclopedia of psychotherapy (Vol. 2) (pp. 863-872). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier.
What does personality mean when used in the assessment literature? In what ways is this meaning different from those in the daily conversation?
The course of everyday life this way or another makes us assess the personalities of people around us. Special education is not necessarily required for making attempts to understand the people around. Though different people may have a different understanding of personality, almost everyone will agree that personality is a sum of one’s characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Personality makes a person unique.
If we consider personality from the point of view of assessment literature it is quite logical that we will find the far more scientific investigation of this concept. Fundamental issues of personality are taken into consideration, its origin is often explained in assessment literature (for example, Derlega et al. Contemporary Theory and Research). The origin of personality traits is investigated, as well as their role in biological and social processes and the consequences they have for a person’s health (like in Matthews, G., & Deary, I. J. Personality Traits). Theories of personality, personality disorders are brought into focus in the assessment literature. Everyone interested in enlarging his or her knowledge on personality should resort to the works of the type to get a full and comprehensive picture of the problem.
What constitutes the personality factors? How may the advantages of using this conceptualization be compared with such tests as the MMPI, 16PF, or MBTI in the counseling context?
Professionals studying human character and everyone who is not indifferent to investigating the mysteries of a person’s character often make use of personality tests. This tool helps everyone engaged in the field to define character traits that do not change throughout a person’s lifetime, to investigate one’s behavior patterns, thoughts, feelings, and emotions. The history of personality tests starts from Hippocrates’ model of personality, but during the 20th century, they have been significantly modified and adopted for answering numerous questions of psychological science.
One of the modifications of the personality tests is the so-called “Big Five” conceptualization. It embraces five factors or dimensions of personality derived through empirical research. Namely, these are:
Extraversion (sometimes called Surgency) – this dimension includes such traits as talkative, energetic, and assertive. Energy, positive emotions, willingness to be in the company of others characterize this dimension;
Agreeableness – this dimension implies the tendency to be compassionate and cooperative, it includes traits like sympathetic, kind, and affectionate;
Conscientiousness – a tendency to be highly organized, to set goals, and to find ways of achieving them. People are thorough and able to plan;
Neuroticism (sometimes called Emotional Instability) – is a tendency to experience negative emotions. Characteristic traits are tense, moody, and anxious;
Openness (sometimes called Intellect or Intellect/Imagination) – people are imaginative, insightful, and curious, they highly value art, appreciate emotion, adventure, original ideas, strive for various experiences.
The “Big Five” theory is a follower of the MBTI assumptions. But it goes further and has more opportunities: it has five dimensions of personality, it focuses on individual personality traits instead of the type concept and it is based on experience rather than on theory. The latter is extremely beneficial in counseling. Those who resort to counseling might have different reasons for it ranging from boredom with the occupation they are engaged in up to desire for self-improvement. The “Big Five” mechanism is a useful tool for helping people overcome their difficulties. The approach is rather simple if compared with other personality tests. But in their complex use, a counselor will succeed more in identifying factors that may be contributing to emotional or social problems and finding ways of solving them effectively.
References
Brody, N. & Ehrlichman, H. (1997) Personality psychology: The science of individuality. Prentice Hall.
Derlega, V. et al. Personality: Contemporary theory and research. Nelson Hall.
Matthews, G., & Deary, I. J. (1998). Personality traits. New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press.
Pervin, L. and John, O. (1999) Handbook of personality: Theory and research, 2nd Edition. New York: Guilford.
Srivastava, S. (2008). Measuring the Big Five personality factors. Web.