Psychological Science: Counseling Essay (Theory of Counseling)

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Theory of Counseling
Counseling psychology
Values in counseling
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Counselling generally refers to the provision of assistance or guidance that eventually helps solve personal, social or mental problems. A professional individual typically administers it. It usually takes a number of forms, including individual counselling, group counselling, and couples counselling. The goal of individual counselling is to help one make better decisions, improve one’s relationship with others, and generally help one understand oneself in order to be able to make healthy changes. However, group therapy helps an individual to comprehend their emotions and transform problem behaviours with the help of others (Seikkula, 2019). This essay about counseling can help reveal and understand the prospects for using various techniques in the process of helping clients.

Counselling may be beneficial in a number of ways. It can make one have a better understanding of things that help in getting new skills to manage themselves better. Through the help of the counsellor, individuals can respond to problems from different perspectives. Sharing thoughts can exceptionally be helpful in changing one’s life, and that is what counselling is all about. There are important aspects of counselling that make its usage effective. One of these aspects is confidentiality; this means that a counsellor is, by ethics, required to treat all the information that a client shares as confidential material (Avasthi et al., 2022). Another important aspect is the counselling process; this depends on the individual counsellor and client and the urgency of the issue in question. However, the general process to be followed includes collecting background information, identifying key issues, case development, setting goals for therapy, implementation of intervention and evaluation. An important research question of this essay is, “How will counseling help you get through with your problems?”

Theory of Counseling

Theories of counselling vary and mainly depend on the views of different writers. The ones reviewed include client-centred, holistic health, learned optimism, cognitive behavioural, solution-focused and existential. In client-centred counselling, the client is motivated to discover things and develop as a result of the guidance and climate that the counsellor provides. In this type of counselling, the standard features include active listening, acceptance, truthfulness and empathy (Bayliss-Conway et al., 2021). Holistic health, on the other hand, stresses the importance of physical well and emotional, social, vocational and spiritual needs. If these are ignored, then individuals will easily succumb to stress, which can affect their well-being.

There is a type of counselling practice that allows for interaction between the client and the counsellor. This method makes it possible to discuss successful moments that have occurred in the past or in the present (Bayliss-Conway et al., 2021). This form of counselling is referred to as learned optimism counselling. This also allows them to address the problems that should be anticipated in the present and the future. It involves having a positive mind and usually directs an individual on how things can turn out.

Cognitive behavioural therapy, also referred to as the ABC method, can be described as any form of therapy that is based on the belief in one’s thoughts and that is typically directly connected to the way one feels. In this type of scenario, there usually is what is referred to as the activating event, where the client draws their interpretations. This makes it possible for clients to believe in the ideas conveyed by the consultant (Reid et al., 2021). This typically leads to different consequences concerning the outcome of the event. Thus, this form of therapy helps clients identify distorted thinking that causes emotional problems and helps solve them.

Solution-focused therapy typically focuses on the outcomes; this means that the primary goal is focused towards achieving what the client wants through the use of therapy rather than the cause that made them seek therapy. This kind of approach focuses on the present and future, and the client is customarily advised to focus on the future and how it has changed (De Shazer et al., 2021). The existential approach is simply based on the presence of individuals in a therapy session and the reason why they are there in the first place. This means that if a client knows the reason why he/she is in therapy, then it will enable them to face the challenges that come along swiftly.

Counseling psychology

Counselling and psychology are interrelated; the use of psychological principles to overcome different problems is facilitated through counselling. Therefore, counselling psychology is a specialty that brings together research and applied work to achieve broad areas. The counselling process, outcome, supervision, and training are critical components in establishing preventive recovery pathways (DeBlaere et al., 2019). Some unique features of counselling psychology include the focus on people, environment interaction and impact personalities. Psychologists get the answers to people’s behaviours through counselling.

Psychologists are generally interested in finding answers through the counselling process and outcomes, in which, through the process, they get to ask questions, and the outcome will determine whether the process was effective and successful. In this process, the psychologist uses specific techniques. One of the main and most common ones can be called client and cultural variables (DeBlaere et al., 2019). Therapist variables and mechanisms of change are also included.

Therapist variables include the traits of a counsellor, theoretical orientation and behaviour. Following clearly established models of therapeutic intervention can have significant positive effects on patients (DeBlaere et al., 2019). Client variables, on the other hand, include certain things, such as seeking support from other people and further attachment to them (DeBlaere et al., 2019). This has been very useful in counselling. Stigma from mental illness motivates people to accept the fact that they have problems and make them seek help. Self-stigma is a condition that affects the individual’s perspective towards counselling, and this causes such an individual to require intervention.

Attachment style can be viewed in different ways. Those clients with avoidant styles may believe that counselling is not able to have any positive effect on their condition (Moradi et al., 2023). However, securely attached ones react differently. They perceive counselling to be incredibly beneficial. These kinds of individuals seek such professional help. Anxious attachment is said to perceive much importance as well as risks to counselling; thus, providing education about expectations of counselling can change clients’ attitudes tremendously.

Counselling relationship, as referred to in counselling psychology, refers to the feeling that a client and a therapist have towards each other and the way in which they are expressed. This kind of relationship may fall into three categories: countertransference, working alliance and personal relationship (Moradi et al., 2023). The secure base hypothesis is a theory concerning the function of counselling and is typically related to attachment theory; this enables the client to have a reference point.

Counselling psychologists use different approaches. They incorporate things such as cultural variables in counselling practices. They relate such aspects with the processes and results arrived at during counselling. Recent studies show that black clients are at risk of racial discrimination from white counsellors. Counsellors must have experience working with a variety of people in order to effectively deal with their characteristics and personal problems (Moradi et al., 2023). Counselling outcomes typically look at different symptoms, such as specific disorders and behaviour changes. Positive outcomes like quality of life form a basis of life-satisfaction measure reports.

One of the various quantitative methods includes conducting correlation studies. This is applied in the counselling course and during clinical trials. They also apply during the actual process of counselling and the studies on the processes of counselling and the outcomes. On the other hand, qualitative methods involve conducting, translating, and coding therapy sessions. In practical terms, one sees that counselling can delve into aspects such as emotion, personality and interpersonal relationships (DeBlaere et al., 2019). It, thus, can relate to different kinds of settings in a population, like community mental health settings and in-patient clients on drug abuse. In a community mental health setting, there are different individuals who suffer from all sorts of mental breakdown illnesses.

Counselling helps in making them understand the core reason behind their mental breakdown and possibly helps them deal with the fears that relate to it; the end results depend typically on the attitude of patients and their response to therapy during these counselling sessions. Different settings, thus, have different counselling approaches and also depend on the technicality of the given situation. Client variables normally help a lot during some sessions as they represent a deeper understanding of the current situation (DeBlaere et al., 2019). An in-patient on drug abuse, for example, may not derive much benefit from counselling if he does not accept that he/she has a problem, the problem has had a significant effect on his/her life, and finally, the problem can be fixed.

It is important to note, therefore, that counselling can only work where a client is willing to participate; commonly, psychology can be used to gain this will. Counselling, in essence, is a profession that is highly dependent on the needs of clients and their personalities. The counsellor’s approach should be unique from session to session and depend on how the client responds to the therapist’s questions and actions (DeBlaere et al., 2019). On other occasions, counsellors influence decision-making in individuals. This way, they influence the kind of decisions the clients make. Some of their decisions may change their lives completely.

Values in counseling

Values in counselling introduce us to the various theoretical perspectives of psychology that can be used in counselling. The question of this study is to find out how counselling will help you get through your problems. There are various theoretical perspectives in psychology that are commonly referred to as paradigms. They include behavioural, biological, cognitive, humanistic, social, Freudian, and developmental. Focusing on the developmental perspective, its information processing, and developmental approaches as a discipline brings us to the approaches that can be applied in counselling (DeBlaere et al., 2019). There are three basic approaches currently under debate. They include information processing, life span development, and developmental approaches.

The approach under investigation was based on the concept of irrational beliefs, concepts of feelings and behaviour. The counsellors may incorporate therapy in the session and combine it with behaviour. This way, the counsellor personalizes the therapy session. How an individual feels and reacts to such feelings is the first step in knowing that something is not correct, and that can further lead to reasoning and, thus, the decision that motivates them to seek counselling. With these considerations, counselling appears as a link between the individual’s way of thinking and his/her behaviour. Feelings of sadness or anxiety can significantly predetermine a person’s behaviour in public life and their reactions to any aspects of society (Chita-Tegmark & Scheutz, 2021). Behaviour is usually motivated to result in a change in the human mind. When one’s response is based on false emotions, then negative and possibly harmful results will be achieved.

Negative behaviour may sometimes be the reason that individuals or groups in a therapy session realize the need for change. Proper guidance is one of the critical aspects that must be complemented by the ability to identify the client’s emotional state and behavioural patterns (Chita-Tegmark & Scheutz, 2021). This may lead towards finding out what the problem is with a particular individual or a group or may enable proper interpretation of events that led to therapy.

When a counsellor discovers the behaviour in an individual is no longer functioning, it may be a good indicator for assessing the things that the individual now believes in and thus, emotional health can be regained through removing the negative thoughts and distortions and trying to give them emotional and personality balance. Behavioural response as a perspective in counselling can provide a significant impact on the change process of an individual or a group. A behavioural perspective in interactions with clients during consultations can influence the achievement of trusting relationships between people (Seikkula, 2019). Usually, clients who decide to go for counselling have different problems they are aware of but need the help of a therapist to be able to identify the core reason as to why they cannot solve it.

Counselling can show that the initial stages of the client-counsellor relationship can be a bit difficult, but as the clients’ emotions and behaviour exhibit themselves, the counsellor will gain insight that will enable him/her to understand the client more and, thus, improve their relationship. Thus, it is crucial for the therapist to identify specific behavioural traits that are characteristic of the client and on which work can be concentrated (De Shazer et al., 2021). The positive ones help in improving the client’s self-esteem in the time when he/she seems to be having a mental breakdown that is related to the problem he/she is facing.

Exploring this perspective enhances the buildup of a therapy case before and in the course of counselling. The individual most often has no knowledge of the kind of issues that need to be addressed if he/she goes to counselling, but he/she knows that something is not right in the environment he lives in or that he/she has a problem that needs to be addressed. Distinguishing between the types of emotions experienced by the client is critical for the therapist in the initial stages as this will lay the foundation for further cooperation (Avasthi et al., 2022). In later stages of counselling and as the counsellor and the client relationship is built up, the counsellor may uncover the thought that leads to disruptive behaviour and feelings. It is the counsellor’s role in this perspective to identify and respond to them so as to restore an individual functional system.

Counselling is meant to consider the entire characteristic that an individual exhibits when he/she enters counselling; a counsellor, through knowledge of these traits like behaviour and feeling, will be challenged to uncover the client’s beliefs that are the cause of their actions. This can help create a more personalized process aimed at demonstrating people’s focus on their thoughts and ideas (Reid et al., 2021). The kind of behaviour that an individual exhibits during counselling sessions will either work positively for the client or not. If a client exhibits behaviour aimed at changing the painful experiences and helps him or them work on his/her feelings like anger, then this will be of great significance in making this individual a healthy and positive person.

In essence, counselling will make the individual understand and appreciate the reward that he/she achieved because of counselling. There are different approaches employed in counselling psychology. They differ in terms of therapy and the basic concepts. One of them is the behavioural perspective. This is comparable to the rest but also differs in various aspects. A comparison between the behavioural and cognitive perspectives revealed a key difference in the approach to problem-solving through psychoanalytic theory and practice methods, respectively (DeBlaere et al., 2019). The Freudian perspective works towards changing an individual’s personality and character through using childhood experiences. Cognitive and behavioural perspectives usually produce a change in a group or individual in a short period.

Theoretical perspectives differ in scope and applicability. Some can be used to solve crime cases as well as real-life dilemmas. There are various theories and approaches that can be combined with the perspectives discussed to help consultants gain a broader perspective and understanding of clients’ understandings (DeBlaere et al., 2019). In this way, a conducive and harmonious counselling environment can be created that will enhance the process to achieve results faster. It will also allow the client to recognize the impact that counselling has had on their life.

Conclusion

A compiled essay about counselling has shown it is quite a broad and diverse subject; it shares most subject matters, especially concerning psychology as a discipline in terms of emotion, behavior, personality, attention and perception. It usually provides an opportunity for individuals to express themselves where no one seems to agree with what they have to say; this is the basis and direction in which most individuals’ dysfunctional problems are solved today. Counselling has had tremendous results over the past in solving cases, and, as an expert, counselling psychology is one of the most effective tools in handling mental breakdown; the results of its usage in the modern world have become very effective over the years.

The counselling essay format provided a comprehensive review of the main aspects of this process and the key elements necessary for success. The study of counselling and, in broad terms, psychology have also been criticized by different philosophers of science; some say it is a soft science lacking the fundamental concepts and effectiveness like mature sciences such as physics and chemistry. Some say that it is not objective. They argue that the phenomena used by psychologists, like personality and emotion, cannot be measured directly and that they are often subjective in nature. The critical thing to note is that its usage in real-life situations has proven to be very successful.

References

Avasthi, A., Grover, S., & Nischal, A. (2022). Ethical and legal issues in psychotherapy. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 64(Suppl 1), 1-27. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9122134/

Bayliss-Conway, C., Price, S., Murphy, D., & Joseph, S. (2021). Client-centred therapeutic relationship conditions and authenticity: a prospective study. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 49(5), 637-647. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2020.1755952

Chita-Tegmark, M., & Scheutz, M. (2021). Assistive robots for the social management of health: a framework for robot design and human–robot interaction research. International Journal of Social Robotics, 13(2), 197-217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-020-00634-z

De Shazer, S., Dolan, Y., Korman, H., Trepper, T., McCollum, E., & Berg, I. K. (2021). More than miracles: The state of the art of solution-focused brief therapy. Routledge.

DeBlaere, C., Singh, A. A., Wilcox, M. M., Cokley, K. O., Delgado-Romero, E. A., Scalise, D. A., & Shawahin, L. (2019). Social justice in counseling psychology: Then, now, and looking forward. The Counseling Psychologist, 47(6), 938-962. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000019893283

Moradi, B., Brewster, M. E., Grzanka, P. R., & Miller, M. J. (2023). The hidden curriculum of academic writing: Toward demystifying manuscript preparation in counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 70(2), 119-132. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/cou0000650

Reid, J. E., Laws, K. R., Drummond, L., Vismara, M., Grancini, B., Mpavaenda, D., & Fineberg, N. A. (2021). Cognitive behavioural therapy with exposure and response prevention in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 106, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2021.152223

Seikkula, J. (2019). Psychosis is not illness but a survival strategy in severe stress: a proposal for an addition to a phenomenological point of view. Psychopathology, 52(2), 143-150. https://doi.org/10.1159/000500162

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