Approaches to counselling

Incorporated findings from:

theory Social psychology Counselling psychology Therapeutic counselling
Personality

1.Directive or authoritarian or psychoanalytic counseling

Psychoanalysis-theory of human personality Deals with normal and abnormal behaviour Also known as Dynamic Theory as it emphasize the interactions of unconscious processes.

Principles
Oral Stage:
if babys oral needs are not met, greediness or acquisitiveness may result later.

The Unconscious:
People are unaware of much of their mental process i.e. unconscious Unconscious motivation is based on instincts as modified and socialized by the interaction with significant others, mainly parents during formative years If the satisfaction of instinctual needs is blocked through ineffective parenting
Acceptable means of expression cannot found, then unconscious motivators will propel the individual to satisfy those needs by whatever means available People frequently do not understand why they behave as they do, bcause of uncon

The Unconscious
are unaware much of their mental processes i.e. mental activity can be unconscious Unconscious motivations are based on instincts
People

Modified and socialised by interaction with significant other like parents  If blocked through ineffective parenting and acceptable means of expression cannot be found, the unconscious motivators will propel the individual to satisfy those needs by whatever means available.


The Unconscious
Discovering motives and developing effective means of meeting needs is one of the tasks of counselling.

The Structure of personality

ID EGO SUPER

EGO

ID
Works on pleasure principle Actions for the satisfaction of personal wants

EGO
Works on logic or rationality It has a contact with reality It control consciousness Provides realistic and logical thinking Moderates the desire for ID

SUPER EGO
It represents conscience of the mind Higher plane of ethical codes or ideals Actions are developed by the moral code

DEFENSE MECHANISM that represents behavioral responses(Protection from threat)

Defensive mechanism Repression

Explanation Memories, feelings and thoughts are stored in the unconscious Providing justification to make undesirable behavior Returning to earlier behaviour when appropriate behaviour is blocked by negative feelings Gives one satisfaction and compensation . Helps to acquire new behaviour Movement away from one object to another

Role of counsellor Brings the repressed into conscious Brings out and modify such views Learning adjustments to new behavior pattern

Rationalization Regression

Identification

Guidance to retain identity

Displacement

Find new avenues for pleasantness

Process
Assumption:
Client

is helpless and unaware of all the problems

Tools used:
Free

association Test, projective test, dream analysis etc

Duration:
Modern

analysts are using psychoanalytic technique for therapies of short span of time

PROCESS
Talking therapy-analyses the root cause of behaviour
Client

is encouraged to talk freely as possible about troublesome situations Often leads to the recall of related thoughts that were repressed
Free analysis is used: the client is asked to just let the speech flow  Dreams are also analysed


The

counselor tries to understand the clients motives and to interpret his thoughts, feelings and behaviour

2. Behavioural Approach
Concerned with behavior change and must involve the application of the principles of learning or learning theory. Learning: Change in behaviour Assumptions: Behaviour is conditioned-----primary learning comes from experience , behaviour changes when favourable condition exists Behaviour is predictable----- individual reacts in a predictable way to any given situation or stimulus, depending on his/her learning

Purpose
To change ineffective and self defeating behaviour into effective and winning behaviour Only measureable change is regarded as evidence of successful counselling.

Role of counsellor:
Adopt a directive role in initiating and directing therapeutic counselling Takes roles of teacher or a coach Sessions tend to be structured and action oriented

Principles (DCRR)
The Drive (Motivation)
Impels

the organism to act Without drive there is no action Consequently no learning occur

The Cue (Stimulus)

For

e.g. an organism is hungry and is stimulated by a variety of different objects, including food Stimulation by food will be effective than others

Principles (DCRR)
Response
Stimulus

leads to response Relevance of a response is determined by its survival value or its serviceability or usefulness to the organism If there is danger then running would be a the relevant response.

Reinforcement
Its

the nature of the reward. Response that is rewarded is acquired otherwise not.

Nature of People
Behaviorists see human behavior as a function of heredity and environment This view is called Deterministic
Coz

both elements that shape behaviour are largely beyond the individuals control

Counselling Process:
1. Know the clients view of the problem:
Interaction

with the client Develop a common understanding of the perspective

Process
2. Set target behaviour: Set an objective of achieving a change in the behavioural pattern 3. Choose treatment procedure: Behaviour understand through theories of learning

Process
4 learning procedure A. Operant learning:
 Used

to eliminate an undesirable behaviour or to develop a positive behaviour  Facilitated by use of re-enforces at predetermined intervals  Forms of re-enforces :- gift, cash or intangibles such as approval or attention

Process
B. Initiative learning:
Encouraged

through exposure to models of desired

behaviour Demonstrate how to behave in a situation

C. Cognitive learning:
Instructing

the client what to do , how to do

Process
D. Emotional learning:
Strengthened

by substitution of acceptable emotional responses for un pleasant emotional reaction

E. Desensitization Training Help clients to eliminate or reduce irrational fears or phobias Based on Classical Conditioning The client is asked to be as specific as possible about the condition that produces the anxiety, For. E.g. Fear of Heights A list of frightening conditions is made in a hierarchy from least freighting to most freighting The client is then taught to relax and through breath and muscle control When completely relaxed the client is asked to..

Think about the freighting circumstances While the counsellor continues to encourage relaxation and positive feelings Finally the client can be encouraged to experiment with real feared circumstances while practicing self relaxation techniques

4.Humanastic or Affective Approach

Person-centered approach Carl Rogers Aims at bringing about psychological growth/ maturity in the client Assumptions :

Assumptions
Human beings are seen as possessing positive goodness and desire to become fully functioning i.e. to live as effectively as possible. Roger believed that if people provided with nurturing environment, people will grow with confidence towards self actualisation i.e. becoming what they can be. If their development is restricted then they will see themselves as lacking in worth and regard others as untrustworthy, their behaviour will become defensive and their self actualisation will be hampered.

Assumptions
The persons perception of himself/ herself in relation to the environment including significant others are reality for that person. For e.g. if an individual sees himself/herself as incompetent or parents as means, (s)he will act on that belief. Personal reality may be changed through counselling

Helping Relationships
Looked upon as nurturing and uplifting relationships The main characteristics of helping relationships are:
Meaningful

to the persona involved- implies mutual self

commitment Marked tone of feeling- individuals involved experience certain emotional states Implies integrity- persons involved are intellectually and emotionally honest with each other Exist by mutual consent- no compulsion Comes into existence when some one is in need of some help

Helping Relationships
Involves communication and interaction- may involve non verbal communication It is often structured- not vague i.e. the helping individual knows what type of help he could possibly provide and the one receiving help knows what kind of help he is need of. Sustained to through mutual cooperation and collaboration. Helping person must have a sense of security The goal of helping person is to change the client positively.

Role of Counsellor
conditions that would permit self discovery Serves as a role model of how fully functioning persons relate with others Effectively eliminate defence mechanism Strengthen clients ability to face reality Awareness regulate self control and regulation
Provide

Counseling Process
A. Empathies with the counselee:
Self-theory

of Rogers based on phenomenology phenomenology----what people perceive is their reality Interpret a persons behaviour can be done by understanding phenomenological field

B. Help to see in congruence:

Close

matching of awareness and experience

C. Help to see the whole picture:

Integrate Duration

behaviour feeling and thinking

: Short span of time

Techniques used: Reflection , summarization and open-ended enquiries Tools are homework, role playing, social modelling, desensitization

Contribution
Clear description of the helping relationship Clients are ultimately responsible for their own lives