Personal Counseling Theory Traditional Counseling

Personal Counseling Theory

Traditional counseling theories have varied in their background, purpose, application, and treatment methods. Over this past semester, I have been exposed to a number of different counseling theories, psychotherapy systems, strategies and related skills. A synthesis of these different theories has enabled me to develop by own personal counseling style. Historically, both psychoanalytical and cognitive behavioral approaches have been among the most commonly used methods of treating various disorders, in areas as of great diversity. This paper will provide a synopsis of my own personal counseling style, the development of my own personal mission statement and its' effects, a comparative analysis of the established theory that most closely resembles my style, and a reflection of contemporary research involving this theory.

Review of Theories Leading to the Development of my own Personal Counseling Theory

Over the semester, my own personal counseling style has been affected by many of the theories presented in Seligman's text. One of the theories presented that has assisted in my development style is Freud's theory of psychoanalysis, which is based on the conflicts that Freud believed were at the core of human existence. Freud believed that these conflicts emerged from attempts to reconcile our biological selves with our social selves. Like Freud, I also believe that there is an internal battle occurring between an individual's mental awareness with their physical awareness. Aspects of these conflicts are unconscious and influence our behavior without our awareness (Strisik & Strisik, 2005). Psychodynamic therapies work to make the unconscious conscious so that we can have greater insight into our needs and behavior and therefore more control over how we allow these conflicts to affect us (Strisik & Strisik, 2005). However, my style is not completely a "psychodynamic therapy," but can be described as having its' roots in psychoanalysis. My style can best be described as finding a path to resolve internal conflicts so that the individual's mind can mature and self-actualize.

Self-psychology, as theorized by Heinz Kohut, has also affected my growth in this area. Kohut's variation of object relations theory recognized the central importance of people's needs for relationships critical in providing necessary experiences during growth and development (Strisik & Strisik, 2005). Kohut termed such experiences "self-object experiences." Sufficient positive self-object experiences when the infant and child are developing facilitate the formation of a strong, cohesive self, or the core of one's personality and character (Strisik & Strisik, 2005). I believe that Kohut's theory, combined with Freud's psychoanalysis, can provide an effective form of therapy because individuals can use their attained knowledge of how to form a positive relationship to combat an internal conflict. Kohut's theory is responsible for the formation of a strong core personality and character, which is necessary to be able to resolve any internal conflicts.

However, this is the point where my personal counseling style strays from Kohut's theory. Kohut's theory does not address the non-occurrence of positive self-object experiences, or the steps that the therapist can perform when the individual undergoing counseling does not have a strong core personality to begin with, or build on. The main element that I have added to my counseling style from Kohut's theory is his concept of empathy to the individual's experience of anxiety and distress. I have added this concept because Kohut's concept of empathy led to an exploration of the individual's personal beliefs and value system, which is necessary in order to understand the relationship between the individual's personal beliefs and their physical and psychological self. Kohut's theory has also influenced me to give important, equal weight to events in the individual's past, present and predicted future experiences. Thus, in my own personal style, questions and reflections regarding all aspects of the individual's experiences are taken into consideration.

Other theories presented in Seligman's text, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav Jung, have also helped me to develop my own style. My personal theory differs from that of Alfred Adler's theory of individual psychology, which seemed to focus on society. Adler believed that since humans are social animals, emphasis should be placed on social factors. This theory argues that the will to power and superiority are more important to the human race than sex or the will to pleasure. According to Adler, individuals try to overcome the deficits they believe they may have through either ambition or displaying superiority over others. My theory does not take into consideration Adler's theory of "inferiority complex," because I believe that although people are social beings, emphasis must be placed on relationships and their ability to relate to others instead of on the will to power and superiority.

Carl Gustav Jung and analytical psychology has also assisted in forming my counseling style. Jung extended Freud's concept of the unconscious beyond the individual, to include a collective unconscious besides the individual unconscious. Although my theory has its' roots in Freud's basic theory, I disagree with Jung's interpretation of Freud's theory of psychoanalysis. According to Jung, the racial memory of centuries is precipitated in the unconscious of each individual. This theory appears to be a bit too philosophical for me to apply into my counseling agenda and style. Additionally, Jung's theory appears a little too impractical for me to apply in reality, and does not fit in as part of my own personal style. However, his theory has given me a better understanding of Freud and Adler's theories that I previously did not have.

One of the theories that has been the most influential for me is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which is a practical approach that seeks to define concrete goals and uses active techniques to reach them. The cognitive-behavioral therapist looks at patterns of thinking and behavior and how these patterns are reinforced and maintained by the person within his or her environment (Strisik & Strisik, 2005). Next, a functional analysis of thinking and behavior is performed, using log sheets and graphs to better understand thought and behavior patterns in the context of daily routines. My style will implement this type of a log style, as a tracking device and for short-term and long-term analysis. I believe that this type of analysis will lead to a better understanding of the individual's symptoms and behavior patterns, from the therapist's point-of-view. After such analysis, it will be easier to establish some type of client "goals" and a more effective method of writing a treatment plan that is individually tailored to meet those goals or address new problems.

I was also influenced by cognitive-behavioral therapy because it seems to be the route that takes a more active approach to therapy. With cognitive-behavioral therapy, the counselor can implement a number of different techniques that appear to be more "hands on." For example, some of the techniques and programs that are usually associated with cognitive behavioral therapy include relaxation training, systematic desensitization, assertiveness training, and social skills training. This way, because people are so different, one type of program that does not work for some individuals may be very effective for others. After years of counseling, I think that a counselor will be able to establish different treatment programs through their gained knowledge of what works best for certain types of people. Although this may sound like stereotyping individuals and their therapeutic treatment, the counselor can use this as a starting point to kind of preliminarily evaluate a client.

Gestalt therapy was also covered in the text, which involves the interrelationship between awareness and energy. According to Fiebert (1990), when awareness is scattered and bound up in unknown feelings and thoughts, energy flow is diminished throughout one's personality. Gestalt therapy attempts to free the patient from mental, emotional, and physical energy blocks. From this perspective, every psychological problem can be explored and resolved as a polarized conflict between two aspects in personality (Fiebert, 1990). I had considered the methods of Gestalt therapy for my own counseling theory, but did not incorporate into my model. However, I did gain from our review of Gestalt therapy, and it has affected my decision to model my therapy style on another theory.

What I gained from Gestalt therapy is the fact that every patient session should be unique, and that during the counseling sessions, the patient is encouraged to assume increasing responsibility for individual thoughts, feelings, sensations, and the connection between verbal and nonverbal behaviors. According to Fiebert (1990), the Gestalt therapist operates in a more dynamic and active manner than that of a client-centered counselor who relies primarily upon receptive qualities expression through empathetic reflection of feelings. For my own practice, I would prefer to operate as a client-centered counselor, and this is one of the reasons why Gestalt therapy differs from own theory.

Additionally covered over the semester was existential therapy, which is a powerful approach to therapy which takes seriously the human condition. According to Hoffman (2004), existential therapy is an optimistic approach in that it embraces human potential, while remaining a realistic approach through its recognition of human limitation. Hoffman (2004) additionally states that existential therapy has much in common with psychodynamic, humanistic, experiential, and relational approaches to psychotherapy. Similar to Gestalt therapy, I also did not incorporate existentialist thinking into my theory.

However, similar to Jungian analytical psychology and Gestalt therapy, I view this type of therapy as very philosophical in its' nature and application. Therapy methods that are very philosophical in their application do not appeal to me because they do not seem to adequately address the "real-life" problems, and instead seek vague answers that can be subject to many different kinds of interpretation. Existential therapists seek to find whether the major questions of our existence can be answered. As a result of my disagreeance with this type of therapy, I have not modeled by theory after existential therapy.

Another reason why I have not modeled my theory on existentialism is because most often such theorists will claim a spiritual or religious basis for their optimism.

Hoffman (2004) states that the spiritual existential approach is not necessarily a religious approach in the sense of believing in God, though it often could be viewed this way. The spiritual approach is one in which some type of transcendent or embodied answer to the major existential questions is believed to exist (Hoffman, 2004). I am under the impression that such questions belong to the area of philosophy, not psychology, and as a result, cannot assist a patient that is in need of an effective type of therapy. Before pondering one's existence, one must need to understand their own personal actions and mental thoughts. Thus, existential therapy is not my treatment model, even though it has affected my decision.

Finally, I believe the most in cognitive-behavioral therapy because it requires the true expression of feelings. As a result of this expression, client's can open up their inner selves and can learn to deal with any hidden feelings, an element that is necessary for successful treatment. I think that once a problem is openly displayed through emotion, or through a relationship with another person, the treatment process has already begun. It appears to become easier to write a treatment plan and recommendations once some type of emotion is displayed, even if it is not a positive portrayal. My personal counseling theory is modeled on a type of treatment most likely to succeed, or an individually tailored approach that includes careful assessment and uses many different cognitive-behavioral techniques to support individual behavior change. Thus, as summarized above, my development over the semester has been greatly affected by the various theories of psychology presented in Seligman's text, classwork, and additional recommended readings and research studies.

Personal Counseling Mission Statement

As a new counselor, I seek to both nurture and educate the client utilizing a professional and confidential relationship, and expand that relationship to the client's family and close friends with whom that individual's actions and emotions affect. In my work environment, I seek to foster a socially aware, safe, and caring community of individuals who are willing to assist others, myself included, through their education and years of counseling experiences.

An Evaluation of the Effect of the Mission Statement on my Counseling Theory

Since my personal mission statement places significant weight on important relationships, both client and work-related, my counseling theory is largely based on feelings, relationships with others, and active treatment methods and goals. I realize that my theory may be criticized by others as being too feeling-oriented, however, an individual's inner feelings and belief system governs the majority of their actions, and must be understood in order to fully diagnose and treat the client. My mission statement is also influenced by the fact that I believe in continuing education programs for counselors, and that a new counselor has much to learn from the experiences and knowledge base of a counselor with many years of experience.

Based on Seligman's text and the classwork this semester, I believe that my counseling theory most closely resembles that of cognitive-behavioral therapy. For example, the goals of cognitive-behavioral therapy are to alleviate negative symptoms and prevent their recurrence by helping clients identify, test, and reshape negative cognition's about themselves, the world, and the future. Through cognitive-behavioral therapy, the client attains an ability to develop new and more flexible cognitive patterns to their prior methods of viewing life experiences. Langevin (1983), states that the effectiveness of therapeutic treatment is often measured by its contribution to restoration of emotional health and normal functioning along with the subjective sense of well being of the individual. Normal behavior may be defined either by reference to the applicable social norms or by statistical frequency (Langevin, 1983).

I believe that my theory more closely resembles cognitive behavioral therapy because that type of therapy combines cognitive therapy and behavior therapy. According to John Winston from the New York Institute for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, cognitive therapy is defined as therapy that teaches how certain thinking patterns are causing the patient's symptoms. These thinking patterns can give the patient a distorted picture of their life, making them feel depressed, anxious, or angry for no good reason. Winston defines behavior therapy as therapy that assists the patient to weaken the connections between troublesome situations and their habitual reactions to such situations. These reactions include fear, depression, rage, self-defeating or self-damaging behavior. According to Winston, behavior therapy also teaches individuals how to calm their mind and body, so that they can feel better, think clearly and make better decisions. Thus, this description seems to fit my theory better because as a counselor, I can take an active role in treating clients.

According to Winston, cognitive behavioral therapy resembles education, coaching or tutoring. Winston (2003) states that the two most powerful levers of constructive change are altering ways of thinking, and the ability to deal with challenges and opportunities. The "altering ways of thinking" portion deals with the person's thoughts, beliefs, ideas, attitudes, mental imagery and methods of directing his/her attention for the better. According to Winston (2003), the second lever of change is assisting the person to deal with challenges and opportunities presented in a such a manner that they are able to take actions that are more likely to have more desirable results. Finally, cognitive behavioral therapy has been very thoroughly researched, and has shown to be very effective. Of course, I would want to model my theory after a theory that has been proven to be successful to that my efforts are worthwhile and not in vain.

Furthermore, cognitive-behavioral therapy is appealing because it is a clinically and research proven breakthrough in mental care. It is the preferred method of treatment for many of the conditions that I am interested in, such as depression and mood swings, problems in marriage and other relationships, inadequate coping skills, or ill-chosen methods of coping, and substance abuse. Additionally, the client participates in setting treatment goals and deciding what techniques work best for them, a criteria I would definitely want if I were in the position of the client. Lastly, I believe that the most important reason that my theory is modeled after cognitive-behavioral therapy is because it is an extremely active theory in which the therapist or counselor's role is always changing, and positively challenging.

Although Freud's theory of psychoanalysis assisted in the development of my personal theory, my theory can be compared and contrasted with his theory. Psychoanalysis is comparable to my theory because it can help the client understand and control his/her behavior. In individual psychoanalysis, the therapist should maintain a helping role modeled on the parent-child relationship by showing respect, interest, and understanding. The therapist encourages openness and honesty on the part of the patient. This parent-like role gives the therapist the power to influence the client positively, and to interpret his/her self-defeating behavior and distorted beliefs about reality. However, the patient must be able and willing to profit from it. This is comparable to my theory because I also believe in individual counseling based on a confidential and trusting relationship between the client and counselor.

My theory is comparable to psychoanalysis on an individual basis as compared to group psychoanalysis, which gives members the opportunity to share experiences, gain insight, learn to control unacceptable impulses, and find acceptance. As a counselor, I feel that I am better suited to therapy on a one-on-one or individual basis. I think that I can be more effective on an individual level than in a group session. If I were the patient, I would definitely prefer an individual setting to a group setting. People in therapy usually need to learn to deal with themselves and their own problems before they can discuss them or their treatment in front of many others. Although used more commonly than individual psychoanalysis, the effectiveness is unknown, and thus, as a new counselor, not an element I am willing to implement yet. This is because there have been no replicable, controlled studies conducted so far. Thus, my theory is most comparable to cognitive behavioral therapy in its application and use. A review of the recent research covering psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy is outlined in the following sections.

Comparison of Contemporary Research on Psychoanalysis and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Since my personal counseling theory is sort of a combination of Freud's psychoanalysis and cognitive-behavioral therapy, I will discuss contemporary research on both established theories. This is rather unique because there has been a lot of literature written on how both of these theories differ from one another in addition to numerous arguments or studies regarding which theory is the superior one. One such researcher, Bickford (2004), has written a comparative assessment evaluating the differences between psychoanalytic vs. social-cognitive approaches to understanding personality. Bickford (2004) states that although both of these approaches differ in many respects, such as their emphases on nature or nurture in etiology, conscious or unconscious processes, or the role of dispositions vs. situations, such distinctions reflect the uniqueness of each approach and testify to the inherent difficulty of capturing the enormous complexity of the concept of personality with any single approach. This realization has led me to combine approaches in order to become a more effective counselor.

Numerous research studies have indicated that the psychoanalytic approach is effectively and motivationally based, while the cognitive behavioral approach describes behavior in terms of a person-situation interaction, in which thoughts and perceptions determine behavior in a purposive manner. Bickford (2004) observed that for both approaches, individual differences reflect different behavioral repertoires. Under the psychoanalytic approach, these repertoires are rooted in different ego strategies in mediating between reality and instinctual drives and wish-fulfillment, and in effects of different experiences during periods of psychosexual development (Bickford, 2004). In the cognitive behavioral approach, individual differences stem from person variables such as unique competencies, subjective values, and expectancies, which in turn evolve from the individual's social-cognitive developmental history (Bickford, 2004). Bickford (2004) reasoned that it was immediately apparent that the psychoanalytic approach emphasizes biological processes and a hereditary basis for personality, while the cognitive behavioral approach is environmentally and situationally focused.

Review of Contemporary Research on Psychoanalysis

Studies and work experience by Ehrlich (1998), discuss psychoanalysis in the context of family counseling. According to Ehrlich, psychoanalysis seeks the sources of human motivation in the patient's interior life and past, and leaves to the patient responsibility for behavior in the present. Ehrlich combines psychoanalysis and cognitive behavioral therapy through his current practice of couple and family therapies, that focus on current behavior and leave responsibility for inner life and the past to the patients. Ehrlich contrasts his work from psychoanalysis, which explores the lasting effects of early experience, because family therapy begins by focusing on here-and-now interactions. He states that couple and family therapists have continued to use these interventions, as well as assigning tasks and rituals to patients between appointments. Ehrlich also states that while dealing with families in which there had been severe trauma and abuse, it is clear that the damage from the past needed to be clarified, elaborated on and confronted in the present. As a result, Ehrlich has combined psychoanalysis and cognitive behavioral therapy in his current practice.

Other researchers have sought to study the effectiveness of psychoanalysis as compared to other methods of treatment. In 2002, Ablon et.al. researched the validity of controlled clinical trials of psychotherapy, extending the research conducted thus far involving the process of psychotherapy. Ablon et.al. (2002), hypothesized that manualized regimen of psychotherapy compared in a controlled clinical trial would overlap considerably in process and technique and that intervention strategies common to both treatments would be responsible for patient change. The researchers chose to conduct this study as a result of assumptions in most research that when a patient improves after undergoing psychotherapy, the improvement was caused by the specific interventions that were prescribed by a manual and monitored for adherence (Ablon et.al., 2002). Ablon et.al. (2002) discussed the fact that a recent series of studies suggests that such an assumption is likely false. This is because previous research conducted by the same group revealed that even with manualized regimens of psychotherapy, elements are borrowed from different therapeutic approaches and implemented. The researchers conclude that the added interventions and techniques is what was responsible for promoting the patient change, not just the manualized treatment plan.

According to Ablon et.al. (2002), his research group had previously demonstrated that brief psychodynamic treatments include a diverse set of interventions and that therapists applied both psychodynmaic therapies in addition to traditional cognitive behavior approaches. Ablon and his research group concluded that as a result, there appeared to be a great deal of overlap between the psychotherapeutic treatment model and the cognitive behavioral treatment model. Because of their previous findings, Ablon et.al (2002) conducted an additional experiment in which patients were randomly assigned to one of four brief treatments, including psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, clinical management, and a placebo. Patients improved in all treatment conditions, and the effect sizes of the psychotherapeutic treatments were found to be consistent (Ablon et.al., 2002). This consistency that Ablon et.al. discovered did not fall in line with the research studies conducted by others.

The Ablon research found that the nature of the process administered by the psychotherapists was very similar to that administered by the therapists administering cognitive behavioral therapy. The research found that interpersonal psychotherapy included a more diverse set of therapeutic processes, including significant aspects of the kind found in cognitive behavior therapy. This result led the researchers to challenge the presumption of large differences across psychoanalysis and cognitive behavior therapy. What is comforting to me is that this study offers evidence to support my theory, which I previously described as a blend of psychoanalysis and cognitive behavioral therapy, with less emphasis on psychoanalysis. Ablon et.al. (2002) offered a possible explanation for his findings, based on the theoretical language used in the experiment. According to Ablon et.al. (2002), clinicians from different orientations may use very different terminology to describe psychological constructs and processes that are actually very similar. Additionally, because of these language variations, the very same treatments may appear different from each other on the surface. Additional studies are necessary to determine the validity of the conclusions drawn by this research study.