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COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY
UNIT 1
DEFINITION OF COUNSELLING:
The term counselling includes work with individuals and with relationships which may be developmental, crisis support, psychotherapeutic, guiding or problem solving. The task of counselling is to give the client an opportunity to explore, discover and clarify ways of living more satisfyingly and resourcefully. (BAC 1984) Counselling denotes a professional relationship between a trained counsellor and a client. This relationship is usually person-to-person, although it may sometimes involve more than two people. It is designed to help clients to understand and clarify their views of their life space, and to learn to reach their self- determined goals through meaningful, well- informed choices and through resolution of problems of an emotional or interpersonal nature. A principled relationship characterized by the application of one or more psychological theories and a recognized set of communication skills, modified by experience, intuition and other interpersonal factors, to clients’ intimate concerns, problems or aspirations. Its predominant ethos is one of facilitation rather than of advice- giving or coercion. It may be of very brief or long duration, take place in an organizational or private practice setting and may or may not overlap with practical, medical and other matters of personal welfare. It is both a distinctive activity undertaken by people agreeing to occupy the roles of counselor and client and an emerging profession. It is a service sought by people in distress or in some degree of confusion who wish to discuss and resolve these in a relationship which is more disciplined and confidential than friendship, and perhaps less stigmatizing than helping relationship offered in traditional medical or psychiatric settings. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY: Counselling is provided under a variety of different labels. To employ a metaphor from the world of business, there are a range of competing products that offer the consumer or client the same service. The upmarket version of the product is sold as psychotherapy, which is provided by practitioners who are usually very highly trained specialist professionals, often with a background in medicine. Psychotherapy can be a lengthy process. Although there is an increasing interest in forms of briefpsychotherapy, which may consist of a series of ten or twelve sessions, it is probably fair to say that most psychotherapists would consider it necessary for clients to be in treatment for a year or more for beneficial results to occur. The most expensive and exclusive version of psychotherapy remains classical Freudian psychoanalysis. There has been considerable debate over the difference between counselling and psychotherapy. Some would claim that a clear distinction can be made between the two, with psychotherapy representing a deeper, more fundamental or involved process of change with more disturbed clients. Others maintain that cou7nsellors and psychotherapists are basically doing the same kind of work, using identical approaches and techniques, but are required to use different titles in response to the demands of the agencies that employ them. For example, traditionally psychotherapy has been the term used in medical settings such as psychiatric units, and counselling the designation for people working in educational settings
such as student counselling centres. One significant difference between counselling and psychotherapy is that much counselling is conducted by non- professional volunteer workers, whereas psychotherapy is an exclusively professional occupation. However, both counselling and psychotherapy can be viewed as activities distinct from advice- giving, caring, and teaching. ORIGIN AND HISTORY:
1. Emergence from the Guidance Movement - The field of counseling emerged in contrast to psychology, which evolved from both religion and philosophy. - Psychologists shifted focus from developing "new theories" to concentrating on "new techniques," leading to differences in opinions and unhealthy critiques. - Professional psychotherapy began with Dr. Sigmund Freud's work, but his disciples branched off to form their own schools of psychotherapy due to discrepancies in the system. - After Freudian psychoanalysis, various theoretical approaches to psychotherapy proliferated, each claiming superiority over others. - Psychologists, in their quest for attention and superiority, focused on specific personality traits, losing sight of the total picture of human nature. - Divisions in psychology led to a lack of objectivity, humility, and integrity in the profession, with empathy giving way to statistics, respect to labels, compassion to arrogance, and integrity to zeal. - Holding steadfastly to one theory without recognizing its limitations and the contributions of others is deemed unwise and dangerous. - No single theory has proven to be the best in therapy, and recognizing commonalities among various schools of psychotherapy is essential to overcome professional dogmatism. - Counseling as a profession evolved in two stages over the 20th century: a role development stage in the first 50 years and a profession development stage in the last 50 years. - The roots of counseling trace back to educational and vocational guidance, the mental health movement, and the emergence of psychotherapy. 2.Evolution from the guidance movement - Jesse B. Davis, known as the Father of School Counseling, introduced guidance lessons in English classes in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at the beginning of the 20th century. - The vocational guidance movement emerged from these lessons, focusing on building character and preventing problems. - In 1908, Frank Parsons established the Bureau of Vocational Guidance in Boston, outlining a framework for vocational guidance that included understanding oneself, knowledge of career requirements, and applying true reasoning for successful matches. - The 1920s to 1930s witnessed the growth of school guidance and counseling, emphasizing personal, social, and moral development.
- The Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) emerged, providing psychiatric assistance, consultation, and prevention, leading to the growth and empowerment of the mental health consumer movement.
- Clifford Beers' efforts changed mental health care worldwide, promoting treatment and humane care for individuals with emotional disturbances.
- Counseling evolved through various viewpoints and theories, combining ancient and recent methodologies to provide a holistic approach to counseling in the present day. 4. Evolution from Psychotherapy
- Counseling originated from the work of Sigmund Freud in the 1880s, particularly through his development of psychoanalysis as a method for working with hysterical patients.
- Freud's followers, including Adler, Ferenczi, Abraham, and Rank, became psychoanalysts and contributed to the evolution of psychoanalytic theories and practices.
- Dissenters and critics of psychoanalysis, such as Carl Jung, developed their own schools of thought, like analytical psychology.
- In the 1940s, B.F. Skinner opposed Freud and emphasized observable behavior, developing a psychological therapy based on operant conditioning and reinforcement schedules.
- Carl Rogers pioneered the Humanistic approach to psychology, focusing on the client human being actively involved in their own change process.
- Humanistic counseling marked a shift from intervention to prevention, extending counseling beyond vocational and psychotherapeutic arenas.
- Rogers' person-centered approach emphasized the client's experience, avoiding complex theoretical constructs and considering the internal world of the client.
- Other approaches like Gestalt therapy (Fredrick Perls), transaction analysis (Eric Berne), psychodrama (J. L. Moreno), Transpersonal Psychology, Psychosynthesis, and Existential Therapy came under the umbrella of Humanistic therapies. AIMS OF COUNSELLING: Underpinning the diversity of theoretical models and social purposes discussed above are a variety of ideas about the aims of counselling and therapy. Some of the different aims that are espoused either explicitly or implicitly by counsellors are listed:
- INSIGHT : the acquisition of an understanding of the origins and development of emotional difficulties, leading to an increased capacity to take rational control over feelings and actions.
- RELATING WITH OTHERS : becoming better able to form and maintain meaningful and satisfying relationships with other people. For example, within the family or workplace.
- SELF- AWARENESS : becoming more aware of thoughts and feelings that had been blocked off or denied, or developing a more accurate sense of how self is perceived by others.
- SELF- ACCEPTANCE : the development of a positive att9itude towards self, marked by an ability to acknowledge areas of experience that had been the subject of self- criticism and rejection.
- SELF- ACTUALIZATION OR INDIVIDUATION: moving in the direction of fulfilling potential or achieving an integration of previously conflicting parts of self.
- ENLIGHTENMENT: assisting the client to arrive at a higher state of spiritual awakening.
- PROBLEM- SOLVING : finding a solution to a specific problem that the client had not been able to resolve alone. Acquiring a general competence in problem- solving.
- PSYCHOLOGICAL EDUCATION : enabling the client to acquire ideas and techniques with which to understand and control behavior.
- ACQUISITION OF SOCIAL SKILLS : learning and mastering social and interpersonal skills such as maintenance of eye contact, turn- taking in conversations, assertiveness or anger control.
- COGNITIVE CHANGE: the modification or replacement of irrational beliefs or maladaptive thought patterns associated with self- destructive behavior.
- BEHAVIOUR CHANGE : the modification or replacement of maladaptive or self- destructive patterns of behavior.
- SYSTEMIC CHANGE: introducing change into the way in that social systems operate.
- EMPOWERMENT : Working on skills, awareness and knowledge that will enable the client to take control of his or her own life.
- RESTITUTION : helping the client to make amends for previous destructive behavior.
- GENERATIVITY AND SOCIAL ACTION : inspiring in the person a desire and capacity to care for others and pass on knowledge and to contribute to the collective good through political engagement and community work. It is unlikely that any one counselor or counseling agency would attempt to achieve the objectives underlying all the aims in this list. Overall, psycho- dynamic counselors have focused primarily on insight, humanistic practitioners have aimed to promote self- acceptance and personal freedom, and cognitive- behavioral therapists have been mainly concerned with the management and control of behavior. However, any valid counselling approach should be flexible enough to make it possible for the client to use the therapeutic relationship as an arena for exploring whatever dimension of life is most relevant to their well- being at that point in time. SCOPE OF COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY: Counseling psychologists perform so many different functions that it si hard to give asynopsis of their role. A counseling psychologist can consult with a variety of agencies (e.g., schools, government, private organizations), teach at the college level (undergraduate and graduate levels), do research, administer therapy (e.g., group, individual, family), hold academic administrative positions (e.g., dean of a college), among others.
- Counselling Contributes to The Clarification of the Mind: Validation and Clarification are another important aspect of counseling. Online therapy helps you in clarifying your doubts and questions and makes everything clear. It helps you in seeking answers and removing all the negativity present. It gives you a very different approach to life.
- Gives You Guidance in Life: There are times when you may feel lost, hopeless, and broken. You may find yourself not able to find a direction. Counseling helps you in moving towards the right path in life. It gives you guidance in life. You may take help from an online counselor. They help you find a direction to move on and give you a purpose in life. Counselling even helps you understand that if your therapy is working is working or not and makes you feel better.
- Bringing Positivity in Life: Counseling fills your life with positivity. It helps you to have a positive approach towards everything, including life. It helps you to see things from a very different perspective and understand others and yourself. Counselors help you create a positive aura around you.
- Improves Communication Skills: Counselling lets you communicate easily and freely. It helps you express your emotions and feelings easily. It gives you the strength to speak out clearly and speak whatever you wish to. Counselors understand the obstacles that are forbidding you from expressing yourself and help you find a solution to overcome them.
- Helps in Improving Relationships: There is relationship counseling that helps you in building bonds and strengthening your relationships. Counselors help in bringing clarity in relationships and also improve broken bonds. That is why people prefer taking relationship counselling also. BENEFITS OF COUNSELLING
- Leads to Self-discovery: One of the main advantages of individual counselling is that counselling helps you in self-discovery. Knowing yourself is one of the hardest and important things to attain to lead a peaceful and successful life
- Develop Confidence, Hope, and Encouragement: Another important counselling benefit is the development of confidence, hope, encouragement, and motivation. Motivation and hope will give you the strength to encounter problems in life and take
a step further in achieving the goal. Confidence will make your character strong and charms your personality.
- Helps in The Management of Emotions: Expressing emotions and feelings can be very difficult to handle and manage. There are times when you may have confused feelings. Talking to a therapist can help you in managing your emotions. This is yet another advantage of individual counselling and the need of counselling.
- Contribute to Self-acceptance: You may encounter situations when you may have the feeling of worthlessness, and undeserving. This is where counselling will help you. Online therapy will help you in realizing your worth and make you take steps towards self-acceptance.
- Give Your Point of View a Direction: Another advantage of individual counselling is that it will give your point of view a direction. It presents before you the different aspects and also gives your point of view the correct direction. Counsellors help you analyze the situation and think of it correctly.
- Provides Mental Peace: Mental peace is something that everyone wishes to claim these days. We think of making our life peaceful but it can truly be in peace when you will have mental peace. This is one of the counselling benefits. It will clear out unnecessary stuff from your mind and help you to relax.
- Improve Your Skill: Counselling can also help you with improving your skills. Skills like decision making, communication, etc are enhanced by taking counselling sessions. The development of personal skills is also important as it makes your personality strong. You can also lookup online counseling and seek out any facility.
- Helps in Improving Lifestyle: With the advancement in everything, our lifestyle has also changed a lot. This is one of the importance of counselling as well. With lifestyle change, a lot of other changes are brought as well. Meeting a counsellor resolves many issues and you will see positive changes in your life.
- Give Insight to Problems: Another benefit of counselling is that it provides you insight into problems. It helps you understand others’ points and think over them. Many times we are unable to think of both the aspects of problems and thus unable to tackle them. The therapist helps you see the other side of problems and help you to handle them.
- Contributing in Coming Over from Drugs and Alcohol: Addiction to drugs and alcohol is very harmful and coming over from it is also not easy at all. Counselling can help you in coming over the addiction to alcohol and drugs. Counselling sessions will
CODE OF ETHICS:
Code of ethics are the set of principles that guides to achieve your goal. The ACA code of ethics contains nine topical section headings. They are:
- Section A deals with the counseling relationship, including counselors professional responsibilities to clients and their welfare. The section also discusses cultural sensitivity and ways to handle potentially troublesome subjects such as fees, bartering, boundaries, referrals and termination. For example, in this section the ACA clearly states that sexual or romantic intimacies between counselors and former clients must be examined carefully before commencing and are prohibited for a period of 5 years following the last professional contact.
- Section B covers confidentiality and privacy in counseling, including the right to privacy, records, minor or incompetent clients, disclosure, and consultation.
- Section C focuses on issues related to professional responsibility, such as professional competence, advertising and solicitation, professional qualifications, treatment modalities, non-discrimination and public responsibility.
- Section D covers relationships with colleagues, employers, and employees, including consultation.
- Section E deals with evaluation, assessment and interpretation. In addition to general information, it includes material on competence to use and interpret tests, informed consent, release of information to competent professionals, proper diagnosis of mental disorders, instrument selection, conditions of assessment administration, multicultural issues in assessment, forensic evaluation, and test scoring and interpretation.
- Section F focuses on issues related to supervision, training, and teaching, including counselor supervision competence, supervisory relationships and responsibilities, supervisee responsibilities, responsibilities of counselor educators and counseling students, and multicultural / diversity issues in counselor education programs.
- Section G deals with research and publications and delineates research responsibilities, rights of research participants, reporting of research results, and publications and presentations.
- Section H , which is new to this edition of the code, examines ethical issues in distance counseling, technology, and social media. It includes topics dealing with knowledge and legal considerations, informed consent and security, client verification, distance counseling relationships, records and web maintenance, and social media.
- Section I addresses resolving ethical issues, including standards and the law, handling suspected ethics violations, and cooperation with ethics committees. Code of ethics by Kitchener consists of 5 foundational principles.
- Respect for Autonomy (respecting freedom of choice and self- determination): The essence of this principle is allowing an individual the freedom of choice and action. This principle emphasises the importance of developing a client’s ability to be self-directing within therapy and all aspects of life. It addresses the responsibility of the counselor to encourage clients, when appropriate, to make their own decisions and to act on their own values. There are two important considerations in encouraging clients to be autonomous. First, helping the client to understand how their decisions
and their values may or may not be received within the context of the society in which they live, and how they may impinge on the rights of others. The second consideration is related to the client’s ability to make sound and rational decisions. The principle of autonomy opposes the manipulation of clients against their will, even for beneficial social ends.
- Beneficence (doing good and preventing harm): The principle of beneficence means acting in the best interests of the client based on professional assessment. Beneficence reflects the counselor’s responsibility to contribute to the welfare of the client. Simply stated it means to do good, to be proactive and also to prevent harm when possible (Forester-Miller & Rubenstein, 1992). It directs attention to working strictly within one’s limits of competence and providing services on the basis of adequate training or experience. There is an obligation to use regular and on-going supervision to enhance the quality of the services provided and to commit to updating practice by continuing professional development. An obligation to act in the best interests of a client may become paramount when working with clients whose capacity for autonomy is diminished because of immaturity, lack of understanding, extreme distress, serious disturbance, or other significant personal constraints.
- Nonmaleficence (not inflicting harm): Nonmaleficence is the concept of not causing harm to others. Often explained as “above all do no harm”, this principle is considered by some to be the most critical of all the principles, even though theoretically they are all of equal weight (Kitchener, 1 984; Rosenbaum, 1982; Stadler, 1986). This principle reflects both the idea of not inflicting intentional harm, and not engaging in actions that risk harming others (Forester-Miller & Rubenstein, 1992). Non-maleficence involves avoiding sexual, financial, and emotional or any other form of client exploitation; avoiding incompetence or malpractice; not providing services when unfit to do so due to illness, personal circumstances, or intoxication. The practitioner has an ethical responsibility to strive to mitigate any harm caused to a client even when the harm is unavoidable or unintended.
- Justice (fairness): The principle of justice requires being just and fair to all clients and respecting their human rights and dignity. Justice does not mean treating all individuals the same. Kitchener (1984) points out that the formal meaning of justice is “treating equals equally and unequals unequally but in proportion to their relevant differences” (p.49). It directs attention to considering conscientiously any legal requirements and obligations, and remaining alert to potential conflicts between legal and ethical obligations. Practitioners have a duty to strive to ensure a fair provision of counselling and psychotherapy services, accessible and appropriate to the needs of potential clients. If an individual is to be treated differently, the counselor needs to be able to offer a rationale that explains the necessity and appropriateness of treating this individual differently.
UNIT 2
APPROACHES TO COUNSELLING
APPROACHES TO COUNSELING
1)PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORIES:
- FOUNDERS/DEVELOPERS.
❖ Sigmund Freud ❖ Anna Freud ❖ Heinz Kohut-Object relations Theory.
- VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE: > Conscious Mind (attuned to an awareness of the outside world), > Preconscious mind (that contains hidden memories or forgotten experiences that can be remembered), > Unconscious mind (containing the instinctual, repressed, and powerful forces). 1. Id (comprised of amoral basic instincts, which operates according to the pleasure principle) 2. Ego (the conscious, decision-making “executive of the mind,” which operates according to the reality principle) 3. Superego (the conscience of the mind that contains the values of parental figures and that operates according to the moral principle) PSYCHOSEXUAL DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES ● Oral stage - where the mouth is the chief pleasure zone and basic gratification is from sucking and biting; ● Anal stage - where delight is in either withholding or eliminating feces; ● Phallic stage - where the chief zone of pleasure is the sex organs, and members of both sexes must work through their sexual desires; ● Latency - where energy is focused on peer activities and personal mastery of cognitive learning and physical skills; and ● Genital stage - where if all has gone well previously, each gender takes more interest in the other and normal heterosexual patterns of interaction appear. Excessive frustration or overindulgence in the first three stages are the main difficulties that can arise going through these stages, in which case the person could become fixated (or arrested) at that level of development and/or overly dependent on the use of immature defense mechanisms (i.e., ways of coping with anxiety on an unconscious level by denying or distorting reality).
Defense mechanisms -
- Repression The most basic of the defense mechanisms, repression is the unconscious exclusion of distressing or painful thoughts and memories. All other defense mechanisms make some use of repression.
- Denial- In this process, a person refuses to see or accept any problem or troublesome aspect of life. Denial operates at the preconscious or conscious level.
- Regression When individuals are under stress, they often return to a less mature way of behaving.
- Projection Instead of stating what one really thinks or feels, he or she attributes an unacceptable thought, feeling, or motive onto another.
- Rationalization This defense mechanism involves giving an “intellectual reason” to justify a certain action. The reason and the action are connected only in the person’s mind after the behavior has been completed.
- Reaction Formation When an individual behaves in a manner that is just the opposite of how he or she feels, it is known as a “reaction formation.” This type of behavior is usually quite exaggerated, such as acting especially nice to someone whom one dislikes intensely.
- Displacement This defense is a redirection of an emotional response onto a “safe target.” The substitute person or object receives the feeling instead of the person directly connected with it. ROLE OF THE COUNSELOR:
- Experts Ask their clients to talk about Childhood experiences
- Couch technique ( psychoanalysts, after a few face-to-face sessions, often have the client lie down on a couch while the analyst remains out of view (usually seated behind the client’s head).
- The analyst’s role is to let clients gain insight by reliving and working through the unresolved past experiences
- The development of transference is encouraged to help clients deal realistically with unconscious material.
- Unlike some other approaches, psychoanalysis encourages the counselor to interpret for the client. GOALS ● Focuses on personal adjustment ● Which includes Reorganization of internal forces with in a person. ● Help the client become Aware of the unconscious aspects of his or her personality and to work through current reactions that may be dysfunctional ● Work through developmental stage not previously resolved ● Unresolved conflicts of developmental stage- reconstruction of the personality ● Cope with the demands of the society ● Environmental adjustment in the areas of Work and intimacy ● Strengthening the ego so that perceptions and plans become more realistic.
STRENGTHS AND CONTRIBUTIONS.
● Emphasizes the Importance Of Sexuality & unconsciousness in human behaviour. ● Lends itself to empirical studies; it is heuristic. ● Provides a Theoretical base of support diagnostic instruments.some psychological tests such as Thematic Apperception Test or the Rorschach Ink Blots are rooted in psychoanalytic theory ● Emphasized adaptive processes and social relations. ● Effective for those who suffer from a wide variety of disorders. Such as hysteria, narcissism, obsessive-compulsive reactions, character disorders, anxiety, phobias, and sexual difficulties. ● Importance of developmental growth stages. LIMITATIONS ● Time-consuming - expensive ● Does not work with older clients - benefiting ● “middle-aged men and women oppressed by a sense of futility and searching for meaning in life”. ● Claimed almost exclusively by psychiatry. ● Concepts not easily communicated nor understood ● Deterministic. For instance, Freud attributed certain limitations in women to be a result of gender—that is, of being female. ● Does not lend professional counseling associated with major adjustment difficulties. 2) HUMANISTIC THEORIES Focuses on the potential of individuals to actively choose and purposefully decide about matters related to themselves and their environments.
- Person-centered,
- existential, and
- Gestalt. Person-Centered Counseling Founders/Developers. ● Carl Rogers it was Rogers who first formulated the theory in the form of nondirective psychotherapy in his 1942 book, Counseling and Psychotherapy. The theory later evolved into client- centered and person-centered counseling with multiple applications to groups families, and communities as well as individuals.
View of human nature : ● Implicit in person-centered counseling is a particular view of human nature: People are essentially good “positive, forward-moving, constructive, realistic, and trustworthy”. Each person is aware, inner directed, and moving toward self- actualization from infancy on. ● According to Rogers, self-actualization is the most prevalent and motivating drive of existence and encompasses actions that influence the total person. ● Rogers views the individual from a phenomenological perspective: What is important is the person’s perception of reality rather than an event itself ● The concept of self is another idea that Rogers and Adler share. But for Rogers the concept is so central to his theory that his ideas are often referred to as self theory. ● For a healthy self to emerge, a person needs positive regard —love, warmth, care, respect, and acceptance. But in childhood, as well as later in life, a person often receives conditional regard from parents and others. Feelings of worth develop if the person behaves in certain ways because conditional acceptance teaches the person to feel valued only when conforming to others’ wishes. ● The further the ideal self is from the real self, the more alienated and maladjusted a person becomes. ROLE OF THE COUNSELOR ● The counselor’s role is a holistic one. ● He or she sets up and promotes a climate in which the client is free and encouraged to explore all aspects of self ● The counselor is aware of the client’s verbal and nonverbal language, and the counselor reflects back what he or she is hearing or observing. ● The client is a person in process who is “entitled to direct his or her own therapy” ● Thus, the counselor trusts the client to develop an agenda on which he or she wishes to work. ● The counselor’s job is to work as a facilitator rather than a director. In the person-centered approach, the counselor is the process expert and expert learner (of the client). ● Patience is essential GOALS: ● The goals of person-centered counseling center around the client as a person, not his or her problem. ● emphasizes that people need to be assisted in learning how to cope with situations. ● One of the main ways to accomplish this is by helping a client become a fully functioning person who has no need to apply defense mechanisms to everyday experiences. ● Such an individual becomes increasingly willing to change and grow.
● The person-centered approach may be especially helpful in working with clients who have experienced tragedies since it allows them “to struggle through emotions and actually become less affected in time by fully realizing feelings related to the tragedies” ● Open and accepting relationship ● Relatively short time to learn. ● The approach has a positive view of human nature and it continues to evolve. LIMITATIONS ● Too simplistic, Optimistic, unfocused for clients in crisis or who need more structure and direction ● Approach depends on hard-working clients ● Ignores diagnosis ● Deals only with surface issues ● More attitudinal than techniques-based. EXISTENTIAL FOUNDERS/DEVELOPERS ● Rollo May ● Viktor Frankl. are two of the most influential professionals in the field of existential counseling. May dealt extensively with anxiety, especially in regard to his life and death struggle with tuberculosis, whereas Frankl, who was interred in Nazi concentration camps during World War II, focused on the meaning of life even under the most horrendous death camp conditions. VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE ● Emphasizes the freedom that human beings have to choose what to make of their circumstances. ● existentialists believe that people form their lives by the choices they make. ● Existentialists focus on this free will of choice and the action that goes with it. ● Logotherapy meaning goes beyond self-actualization exists at three levels: (a) ultimate meanings (e.g., there is an order to the universe)” (b) meaning of the moment” and (c) common, day to-day meaning ● Discover life’s meaning in three ways:
- By doing a deed, that is, by achieving or accomplishing something,
- By experiencing a value, such as a work of nature, culture, or love, and
- By suffering, that is, by finding a proper attitude toward unalterable fate. ROLE OF THE COUNSELOR: ● counselors concentrate on being authentic with their clients and entering into deep and personal relationships with them. ● “The counselor strives to be with the client in the here-and-now, and to understand and experience the ongoing emotional and mental state of the client.
● Existential counselors focus on person-to-person relationships that emphasize mutuality, wholeness, and growth. ● They concentrate on helping the client experience subjective feelings, gain clearer self-understanding, and move toward the establishment of a new way of being in the World. ● The focus is living productively in the present, not recovering a personal past. ● They also focus on ultimate human concerns such as death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness. GOALS: ● helping clients realize the importance of meaning, responsibility, awareness, freedom, and potential. ● The aim of therapy is that the patient experience his existence as real ● In the process, the client is freed from being an observer of events and becomes a shaper of meaningful personal activity and an embracer of personal values that lead to a meaningful lifestyle. TECHNIQUES : ● Existential therapy is not technique-oriented, it doesn't limit counselor to specific techniques. ● Existential therapy can be incorporated into any type of psychotherapy. ● It focus on a person’s entire existence rather than solely on psychopathology and symptoms ● The Most effective and powerful technique used in this therapy- Counselor's relationship with the client STRENGTHS : ● Emphasizes The uniqueness of each individual. ● Humanistic way of working with others ● Recognizes That anxiety is not necessarily a negative condition. ● Counselors access to a tremendous amount of philosophy and literature about human nature. ● Effective in multicultural counseling situations. ● Helps To connect individuals to universal problems faced by humankind. ● Can be combined with other perspectives and methods. LIMITATIONS:
- Lacks a fully developed model of counseling.
- Lacks educational and training programs.
- Difficult to implement beyond an individual level
- Lacks The type of methodology and validation processes
- Lacks The uniformity
- Close To existential philosophy
