Counseling & Psychotherapy Theories
Counseling & Psychotherapy Theories
Corey, G. (2012). Theory and Practice of group- counseling. Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
12-18 years old Genital Stage Adolescence: o Emotional communication with clients is a useful way to gain
Identity versus information and create connection.
role confusion o Transference – a key component of the therapeutic alliance.
18-35 years old Genital Stage Young adulthood: The client is revealing to the therapist feelings and desires that
Continues Intimacy versus are unconscious shifts from past relationships.
isolation o Working-through Process – a continuous and extensive
35-60 years old Genital Stage Middle age: exploration of the unconscious material and defenses that
Continues Generativity mostly stem for childhood.
versus o Countertransference – happens when therapist’s unresolved
Stagnation conflicts from their past is projected onto the client.
60+ years old Genital Stage Later life: Integrity o Therapists needs to be aware of countertransference to
Continues versus despair avoid interfering the objectivity and progress of the
therapy.
o Erik Erikson o It is crucial for therapist to be objective and refrain from
Psychosocial Stages – basic psychological and social reacting defensively and subjectively when client’s express
tasks which individuals need to master at intervals emotions like rage, love, criticism and other strong emotions.
from infancy to old age. o Not all countertransference is detrimental to therapeutic
Classical Psychoanalysis – based on id psychology, process.
where instincts and intrapsychic conflicts are basic o Basis for analytical progress is awareness and insights into the
factors in shaping personality repressed material.
Contemporary psychoanalysis – based on ego o Dynamic self-understanding is important in substantial
psychology, which emphasizes the striving of ego for personality change and resolution of present conflicts.
mastery and competence throughout human life
span. THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES
o It aims to raise awareness, encourage insights into the client’s
THERAPEUTIC GOALS behavior and comprehend the implications of symptoms.
o Ultimate goal: becoming more adaptive functioning, reduce Therapeutic processes progress from client’s talk to catharsis to
symptoms and resolve conflicts. insight to working through unconscious materials.
o Goals of Freudian Psychoanalytic Therapy:
Make the unconscious conscious SIX BASIC TECHNIQUES IN PSYCHOANALYTIC THERAPY
Strengthen the ego so that behavior is based more on MAINTAINING THE Procedural and stylistic factors (e.g.,
reality and less on instinctual cravings or irrational guilt.
ANALYTIC analyst’s relative anonymity, regularity and
FRAMEWORK consistency of meetings and start and end
THERAPIST’S FUNCTION AND ROLE
of meeting, clarity on fees, etc.)
o Therapists assume anonymous stance or also called, “blank-
- Central technique to the therapy and
screen” approach) or having minimal self-disclosure, having
plays key role in maintaining the analytic
neutral stance and fosters transference relationship.
FREE ASSOCIATION framework.
o Transference Relationship – cornerstone of psychoanalysis. It is
- Expressing whatever comes to mind
the transfer of feelings from the past person to the present
without restraint.
person.
- Analyst points out, explains and even
o Must first establish a great deal of listening and interpreting.
teachers the clients the meanings of
o Process is like putting pieces of puzzle together.
INTERPRETATION dreams, free association, resistances, and
the therapeutic relationship.
CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE IN THERAPY
- Identifies, clarifies, and translates the
o Able to commit to a long-term and intensive therapeutic
client’s material.
process.
- Significant process for revealing
o Engage in Free Association – expressing whatever comes to
unconscious materials and providing client
mind without restraint. That is, clients can speak openly with
with insight into some unresolved
the therapist about anything (classical psychoanalysis).
problems.
o Commits to following the steps of an extensive therapy process
DREAM ANALYSIS - Two Levels of Dreams: Manifest Content
with the help of the therapist.
(literal meaning) and Latent Content
o Therapy can be mutually terminated by client and therapist
(unconscious and hidden meaning)
when symptoms and conflicts have been resolved.
- Uncovering disguise meanings by studying
symbols in the manifest content of dream is
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THERAPIST AND CLIENT
the task of the therapist.
o Being attuned to the nature of the therapeutic relationship.
ANALYSIS AND - Resistance: any conscious or unconscious Normal Infantile Autism (first 2 or 4 weeks of life) – infant
INTERPRETATION thought, attitude, sentiment, or behavior responds more to physiological states of tension rather
OF RESISTANCE that fosters status quo and gets in the way than psychological processes.
of change. Symbiosis (3rd-8th month) – dependency on mother.
- Functions as anxiety defense mechanisms, Separation-Individuation Process (4th-5th month) –
but impedes the ability to accept change, moves away from symbiotic forms of relating.
which could lead to a more fulfilling Narcissistic Personality Disorder –
existence. grandiose and exaggerated sense of self-
- Manifestations are helpful because it importance and exploitative attitude which
ANALYSIS AND allows clients to reexperience emotions masks a frail self-concept.
INTERPRETATION that would otherwise be inaccessible. Borderline Personality Disorder –
OF TRANSFERENCE - Clients may be able to see how their instability, irritability, self-destructive,
interactions with the therapist, important impulse anger, and extreme mood shifts.
people from their past, and current Final Subphase in the Separation-Individuation Process –
relationships all follow the same dynamic moves toward constancy of self and object.
patterns.
- Central technique in psychoanalysis and LIMITATIONS AND CRITICISMS
psychoanalytically oriented therapy. o Ignores empirical research.
o Many severely disturbed clients lack the level of ego strength
needed for treatment.
JUNG’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITY o Traditional psychoanalytic therapy requires relatively long-time
o Analytical Psychology – an approach to therapy that aims to commitment required to accomplish analytic goals.
harmonize and unite the conscious and unconscious of the o Irrelevant to contemporary culture and being appropriate only
mind. to an elite, highly educated clientele.
o We are shaped by our past, present and future.
o Individuation – harmonious integration of conscious and
unconscious aspects of personality; an innate and primary goal.
o Collective Unconscious – deepest level of psyche which
contains culmination of experiences passed down by our
ancestors.
o Archetypes – images of universal experiences contained in the
collective unconscious
Persona – mask we wear to protect ourselves (public
face).
Animus and Anima – biological and psychological aspects
of masculinity and femininity that coexist in both sexes.
Shadow – deepest roots and the most dangerous and
powerful among all archetypes.
o Private Logic – ideas about oneself, people and life that make Reorientation – shifting rules of interaction, process, and
up the philosophy on which a person bases their way of living. motivation.
Problems arise because conclusions made in private logic Reeducation – providing information, teaching, guiding to
do not conform to the requirements of social living. increase understanding.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THERAPIST AND CLIENT Encouragement – build courage.
o Good Therapist-Client Relationship – to be founded on Discouragement – basic condition which
collaboration, mutual trust, respect, confidence, teamwork, prevents people from functioning.
and shared objectives.
o Therapist aims to have a person-to-person and egalitarian LIMITATIONS AND CRITICISMS
relationship with clients. o Written presentations are difficult to follow because of his
Strong therapeutic alliance is essential to successful conflicting decisions to formalize theory or teaching basic
outcomes. concept of Individual Psychology,
o Contract is not necessary but can bring tight focus to therapy. o Some considered his ideas as loose and too simplistic.
Outlines the goals of the therapy process and details the o Research on effectiveness of theory is limited and requires
responsibilities of both therapist and client. empirical testing and comparative analysis.
♦ Inauthenticity: not accepting personal AWARENESS OF ♦ Aware that death is a basic human
responsibility. DEATH AND condition.
♦ Freedom: we are responsible for our NONBEING ♦ Ability to grasp reality and inevitability
lives. of death.
♦ Existential Guilt: realizations that we
are not what we might have become.
♦ Authenticity: being true to our own THERAPEUTIC GOALS
evaluation of what is a valuable o Assist in moving toward goals and recognize self-deception of
existence; courage to be who we are. clients.
♦ Basic condition for change: assuming o To reclaim and reown their lives.
responsibility o Central Goal: increased awareness as it allows clients to
♦ Preserving uniqueness and discover alternatives in their life.
centeredness while also relating to o 4 Essential Aims according to Schneider and Kruger (2010):
other beings.
♦ Courage to be – takes courage to
discover the “true ground of our
STRIVING FOR being”
IDENTITY AND ♦ Experience of Aloneness – able to
RELATIONSHIP stand alone and tap into our strengths.
WITH OTHERS ♦ Experience of Relatedness –
relationships should be based on
fulfillment.
♦ Struggling with our Identity – got THERAPIST’S FUNCTION AND ROLE
engrossed with ritualistic behaviors o Understand subjective world of clients and aid assist them in
that binds us to an image or identity discovering new insights and options.
we acquired as children. o Deals with clients who have restricted existence or those who
♦ Distinct human characteristic: have little self-awareness and lacks clarity about the nature of
struggle to find a sense of meaning their problems.
and purpose in real life. o Can use a wide range of techniques from diverse theoretical
♦ Problem of Discarding Old Values is orientations.
not creating other, suitable ones to o Therapeutic journey is creative and uncertain and different
replace them. from each client.
SEARCH FOR ♦ Meaninglessness is when clients
MEANING wonder whether it is worth it to CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE IN THERAPY
continue struggling or even living. o Encouraged to take ownership of the way they are now
• Existential Vacuum – choosing to interaction with the world.
emptiness and o Must actively participate in the therapeutic process by
hollowness. exploring fears, guilt feelings, anxiety, etc.
♦ Logotherapy – help o Should address ultimate concerns instead of focusing on
clients find meaning in life current problems.
♦ Anxiety – inevitable; stems from one’s
effort to survive, maintain and assert RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THERAPIST AND CLIENT
one’s being. o Central prominence in relationship with client.
o Therapists should have client-focused attitudes as well as their
♦ Existential Anxiety – stems from
own personal qualities (e.g., honesty, integrity, and courage).
unavoidable result when confronted
o Therapy is a voyage into self-discovery and a journey of life-
with the “givens of existence” (e.g.,
ANXIETY AS A discovery for both parties.
death, freedom, choice, isolation and
CONDITION OF o Emphasizes 2 fundamental relationships:
meaninglessness).
LIVING “I/It” – time and space; necessary starting place for self.
♦ Normal Anxiety (ontic) – appropriate
“I/Thou” – essential for connecting self to spirit to achieve
response to certain situations.
true dialogue.
♦ Neurotic Anxiety – type of worry that
o Core of Relationship: respect or faith in client’s potential to
is out of proportion to the situation.
cope with problems authentically and find alternative ways of
♦ Psychologically healthy individual:
being.
having little neurotic anxiety as
o Therapist’s presence plays an important role.
possible.
MASLOW AND HIS HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY CONTRIBUTIONS o To be real in the relationship with clients.
o Pioneer in the development of
humanistic psychology. CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE IN THERAPY
o Many of Carl Roger’s ideas are o Change depends on client’s perceptions both of their own
built from Maslow’s basic experience in therapy and therapist’s basic attitudes.
philosophy (e.g., positive aspects o They come in a State of Incongruence – discrepancy between
of human being and the fully self-perception and experience in reality.
functioning person) o They seek therapy because of the feeling of basic helplessness,
o Positive Psychology emergence powerlessness, and inability to make decisions or effectively
o Self-actualization and Self-actualized People direct their own lives.
o Hierarchy of Needs o When they feel understood and accepted, they become more
congruent, less defensive, and more open to experience.
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE o Clients heal themselves, create their own self-growth, and who
o People are trustworthy, resourceful, and capable of self- are active self-healers.
understanding and self-direction, able to live effective and
productive lives. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THERAPIST AND CLIENT
o 3 Therapist Attributes that Foster Growth-Promoting Climate: Hypothesis:
CONGRUENCE or genuineness or realness. 1. Two persons are in psychological contact.
UNCONDITIONAL POSITIVE REGARD or acceptance and 2. First is client who is in a state of incongruence.
caring. 3. Second is therapist, who is congruent in the relationship.
ACCURATE EMPATHIC UNDERSTANDING or an ability to 4. Therapist experiences unconditional positive regard to
deeply grasp the subjective world of another person. client.
5. Therapist experiences empathic understanding of client’s
internal frame of reference.
6. Communication of empathic understanding and
unconditional positive regard is to a minimal degree
achieved.
7. No other conditions are necessary.
Therapeutic Core Conditions
o Actualizing Tendency – directional process of striving toward 1. Congruence (genuineness or realness)
realization, fulfillment, autonomy, and self-determination. • Therapist is real – genuine, integrated and
o Rejects therapist as the authority in therapeutic process. authentic during therapy.
o Therapy is rooted in the client’s capacity for awareness and • Serves as a model of a human being struggling
self-directed change in attitude and behavior. toward greater realness while also expressing a
range of feelings including anger, liking, concern.
THERAPEUTIC GOALS 2. Unconditional Positive Regard (acceptance and caring)
o Aims to achieve a greater degree of independence and • Empathic identification with client by showing
integration. deep and genuine care for client as a person.
o The focus is on person not on its presenting problems. • Acceptance – recognize that clients have their
o Assist clients in their growth progress so they can better cope own feelings and beliefs.
with problems are they identify them. • The greater the degree of caring, the greater the
o Characteristics of People who Increasingly self-actualize: chance that the therapy will be successful.
1. Openness to experience 3. Accurate Empathic Understanding (an ability to deeply
2. A trust in themselves grasp the subjective world of another person).
3. An internal source of evaluation • Therapist’s ability to sense client’s feelings as if
4. Willingness to continue growing they were his/her own without becoming lost in
o Basic goal is to encourage the characteristics mentioned above. those feelings
o Clients have the capacity to define and clarify their own goals. • Empathy – deep and subjective understanding
with the client.
THERAPIST’S FUNCTION AND ROLE Subjective Empathy –
o Role: rooted in ways of being and attitudes, not techniques. experience client’s point of
o Use themselves as an instrument of change. view.
o Role is to be without roles. Interpersonal Empathy –
o Encounter clients in a person-to-person way. understand client’s internal
o Function: to be present and accessible to clients and focus on frame of reference and
their immediate experience.
COGNITIVE ♦ operates on the assumption that what 7. Behavioral treatment interventions are individually
BEHAVIOR people believe influences how they act tailored to each client
THERAPY and feel. Several techniques can be used.
♦ Cognitive factors as central role in
understanding and treating emotional THERAPEUTIC GOALS
and behavioral problems. o General Goals: (1) increase personal choice, and (2) create new
conditions for learning.
o Goals must be: clear, concrete, understood, and agreed on by
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE the client and the counselor.
o Grounded on a scientific view of human behavior that o Continual assessment throughout therapy determines the
accommodates a systematic and structured approach to degree to which identified goals are being met.
counseling o Behavior therapists and clients alter goals throughout the
o The person is both the producer and the product of his or her therapeutic process as needed.
environment.
o SEVEN KEY CHARACTERISTICS: THERAPIST’S FUNCTION AND ROLE
1. Based on principles and procedures of the scientific o Conduct a thorough functional assessment (or behavioral
method analysis) to identify the maintaining conditions by
Experimentally derived principles systematically gathering information about the ABC Model:
Systematic adherence to precision and A. Situational Antecedents
empirical evaluation B. The dimensions of the problem Behavior
2. Not limited to overt actions but also encompasses C. Consequences of the problem.
internal processes (e.g., cognitions, images, beliefs and o Suggests that behavior (B) is influenced by some particular
emotions). events that precede it, called antecedents (A), and by certain
Characteristics of behavior can be events that follow it, called consequences (C).
operationally defined. o Use techniques common to other approaches such as
summarizing, reflection, clarification, and open-ended
3. Deals with current problems and factors influencing
questioning.
them.
o Therapists should be active and directive, possess intuitive
Specific factors that influence present
skills and clinical judgment in selecting appropriate techniques,
functioning and the factors to modify
use strategies that are supported by research, and conduct
performance.
follow-up assessments.
Undergoes process of functional
o Baseline - outcome measure that are given to the client at the
assessment or behavioral analysis.
o beginning of treatment; collected during and after treatment
Recognizes the importance of the
also.
individual, the individual’s environment,
and the interaction between the person and
CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE IN THERAPY
the environment in facilitating change.
o Unique contributions of behavior therapy: it provides the
4. Clients are expected to assume an active role in therapy therapist with a well-defined system of procedures to employ.
Required to do something than only talk o Client and therapists have clearly defined roles, and the
about it by monitoring behaviors both importance of client awareness and participation in therapy.
during and outside therapy sessions, learn o Active role for both therapist and client.
and practice coping skills, and role-play new o Client engages in behavioral rehearsal with feedback until
behavior. skills are well learned. They also receive homeworks to
Therapy is an action-oriented and an complete between therapy sessions.
educational approach, and learning is o Clients are encouraged to experiment for the purpose of
viewed as being at the core of therapy. enlarging their repertoire of adaptive behaviors
5. Assumes change can take place without insight into
underlying dynamic RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THERAPIST AND CLIENT
behavior can occur prior to or o Stresses the value of establishing a collaborative working
simultaneously with understanding of relationship with their clients.
oneself, and that behavioral changes may therapeutic relationship and therapist behavior are critical
well lead to an increased level of self- factors in the process and outcome of therapy.
understanding. o Therapeutic flexibility and versatility enhance treatment
6. Assessment is an ongoing process of observation and outcome.
self-monitoring o Therapists conceptualizes problems behaviorally and makes use
Asses client’s culture. of the client-therapist relationship in facilitating change.
• 3-Step Process:
THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES o Progress muscle relaxation - asked to
o Strength of Approach: the development of specific therapeutic create imagery of previously relaxing
procedures that must be shown to be effective through situations
objective means. o Anxiety hierarchy (graduated) - stimuli that
o Hallmark of behavioral technique: empirically supported and elicit anxiety in a particular area, such as
evidence-based rejection, jealousy, criticism, disapproval, or
o Therapeutic procedures are specifically designed for a any phobia, are analyzed
particular client rather than being randomly selected from a o Desensitization - imagine first the least
“bag of techniques.” Often quite creative. anxiety-provoking situation until it
o RANGE OF BEHAVIORAL TECHNIQUES: progressively moves to the most anxiety-
1. Applied Behavioral Analysis: Operant Conditioning provoking situation
Techniques 4. In Vivo Exposure and Flooding
• Most important contribution of applied behavioral • Exposure – systematic confrontation whether in vivo
analysis: offers a functional approach to or imaginary with a feared stimulus
understanding client’s problems and addresses these • In Vivo Exposure - exposure to the actual anxiety-
problems by changing antecedents and consequences evoking events
(ABC model) o Self-managed in vivo exposure—a
• Goal of reinforcement: increase the target behavior procedure in which clients expose
• Key Principles: themselves to anxiety- evoking events on
o Positive Reinforcement – addition of their own
something of value to the individual (e.g., • Flooding – refers to either in vivo or imaginal
praise, attention, money, or food) as a exposure to anxiety-provoking stimuli for a prolonged
consequence of certain behavior. period of time
o Negative Reinforcement – the escape from o In vivo flooding – consists of intense and
or the avoidance of aversive (unpleasant) prolonged exposure to the actual anxiety-
stimuli producing stimuli.
o Extinction – withholding reinforcement o Imaginal Flooding - based on similar
from a previously reinforced response. principles and follows the same procedures
o Punishment (aversive control) – in which except the exposure occurs in the client’s
the consequences of a certain behavior imagination instead of in daily life
result in a decrease of that behavior. • Frequently used for treatment of anxiety-related
Positive Punishment - an aversive disorders, specific phobia, social phobia, panic
stimulus is added disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder,
Negative Punishment – a posttraumatic stress disorder, and agoraphobia.
reinforcing stimulus is removed 5. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
• Key Principle: to use the least aversive means possible - Francine Shapiro (2001)
to change behavior, and positive punishment is • form of exposure therapy that entails three basic
known to be the most powerful change agent. phases: assessment and preparation, imaginal
2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation – Jacobson (1938) flooding, and cognitive restructuring in the treatment
• aimed at achieving muscle and mental relaxation and of individuals with traumatic memories
is easily learned • Treatment involves the use of rapid, rhythmic eye
• Clients are given a set of instructions to teach them to movements and other bilateral stimulation to treat
relax, assume passive and relaxed position in a quiet clients who have experienced traumatic stress.
environment while alternatingly contracting and 6. Social Skills Training
relaxing muscles. • deals with an individual’s ability to interact effectively
• Common to problems such as stress and anxiety that with others in various social situations; help achieve
are manifested in psychosomatic symptoms (e.g., skills in interpersonal competence.
asthma, headache, hypertension, panic disorder). • Social skills - involve being able to communicate with
3. Systematic Desensitization – Joseph Wolpre others in a way that is both appropriate and effective.
• clients imagine successively more anxiety-arousing • Key elements through a collection of techniques:
situations at the same time that they engage in a assessment, direct instruction and coaching,
behavior that competes with anxiety. modeling, role-playing, and homework assignments
• based on the principle of classical conditioning • Role-playing - individuals actively practice desired
behaviors
o Follow-up phase is critical for clients in • Premise: Therapeutic flexibility and versatility, along
establishing a range of effective behaviors with breadth is most important than depth, are highly
that can be applied to many social valued
situations • BASIC I.D. – divided into 7 major areas of functioning:
• Anger Management Training – designed for o B = behavior
individuals who have troubles with aggressive o A = affective responses
behavior o S = sensations
• Assertion Training – useful for people who lack o I = images
assertive skills. Useful for those who: o C = cognitions
o (1) who have difficulty expressing anger or o I = interpersonal relationships
irritation, o D = drugs, biological functions, nutrition,
o (2) who have difficulty saying no, and exercise.
o (3) who are overly polite and allow others 9. Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Cognitive Behavior
to take advantage of them, Therapy
o (4) who find it difficult to express affection • “Third Wave” of behavior therapy, emphasize
and other positive responses, considerations that were considered off limits for
o (5) who feel they do not have a right to behavior therapists until recently.
express their thoughts, beliefs, and feelings, • 5 core themes: (1) an expanded view of psychological
or health, (2) a broad view of acceptable outcomes in
o (6) who have social phobias therapy, (3) acceptance, (4) mindfulness, and (5)
7. Self-Management Programs and Self-Directed Behavior creating a life worth living
• “Giving psychology away” - psychologists being • Mindfulness - being aware of our experiencing in a
willing to share their knowledge so that “consumers” receptive way and engaging in activity based on this
can increasingly lead self-directed lives and not be nonjudgmental awareness.
dependent on experts to deal with their problem • Acceptance - receiving one’s present experience
• Basic Idea: change can be brought about by teaching without judgment or preference, but with curiosity
people to use coping skills in problematic and kindness, and striving for full awareness of the
• Basic Steps to succeed in self-management: present moment.
o 1. Selecting goals – goals should be • Four major approaches:
established one at a time; realistic; o Dialectal Behavior Therapy (DBT) –
measurable, attainable, positive and treatment for borderline personality
significant for the client disorder or people with problems in
o 2. Translating goals into target behaviors – emotional regulation
identify behaviors targeted for change. Skills are taught in four modules:
Anticipate obstacles and think of ways to • Mindfulness
negotiate them • Interpersonal
o 3. Self-monitoring – deliberately and Effectiveness
systematically observe your own behavior • Emotional Regulation
and keep a behavioral diary • Distress Tolerance
o 4. Working out a plan for change – devise o Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
action program; self-reinforcement. (MBSR) – 8-10-week group program to cope
o 5. Evaluating an action plan – determine with stress and promote physical and
whether goals are achieved and psychological health
adjust/revise plan to meet goals; evaluation Aims to assist people in learning
is an ongoing process; self-change is a how to live more fully in the
lifelong practice present rather than ruminating
8. Multimodal Therapy: Clinical Behavior Therapy about the past.
• comprehensive, systematic, holistic approach to o Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
behavior therapy developed by Arnold Lazarus (MBCT) – treatment for depression
• Although the assessment process is multimodal, the o Acceptance And Commitment Therapy
treatment is cognitive behavioral and draws upon (ACT) – encourage clients to accept rather
empirically supported methods; grounded in social- than attempt to control or change
cognitive therapy and applies diverse behavioral unpleasant sensations
techniques • Application to Group Counseling:
o Teach self-management skills and a range of
new coping behaviors, restructure thoughts
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE 3. Demonstrate how clients are keeping their emotional
o based on the assumption that human beings are born with a disturbances active by continuing to think illogically and
potential for both rational, or “straight,” thinking and irrational, unrealistically
or “crooked,” thinking 4. challenge clients to develop a rational philosophy of life so
o Humans have predispositions for self-preservation, happened, that in the future they can avoid becoming the victim of
loving, etch and they also have propensities for self- other irrational beliefs
destruction, avoidance of thought, procrastination, etc.
o VIEW OF EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE IN THERAPY
o we learn irrational beliefs from significant others o Clients learn how to apply logical thought, participate in
during childhood and then re-create these irrational experiential exercises, and carry out behavioral homework as a
beliefs throughout our lifetime way to bring about change.
o Major Goal: to encourage clients to be less o Largely focuses on clients’ experiences in the present.
emotionally reactive o Clients are expected to actively work outside the therapy
o Blame is at the core of most emotional disturbances sessions.
o We have strong tendencies to transform our desires o Homework is carefully designed and agreed upon and is aimed
and preferences into dogmatic “shoulds,” “musts,” at getting clients to carry out positive actions that induce
“oughts,” demands, and commands emotional and attitudinal change.
o A-B-C FRAMEWORK - central to REBT theory and practice. o Toward the end of therapy, clients review their progress, make
Provides a useful tool for understanding the client’s feelings, plans, and identify strategies for dealing with continuing or
thoughts, events, and behavior potential problems
o A (the activating event) does not cause C (the
emotional consequence). Instead, B, which is the RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THERAPIST AND CLIENT
person’s belief about A, largely creates C, the o Warm relationship between therapist and client is not
emotional reaction. required.
o Practitioners strive to unconditionally accept all clients and to
teach them to unconditionally accept others and themselves.
o Often open and direct in disclosing their own beliefs and
values.
o Establish as much as possible an egalitarian relationship.
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
o General Goal: teaching clients how to separate the evaluation THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES
of their behaviors from the evaluation of themselves—their o multimodal and integrative.
essence and their totality—and how to accept themselves in o Cognitive Methods - usually incorporate a persuasive cognitive
spite of their imperfections methodology in the therapeutic process. REBT relies heavily on
o Basic goal: teach clients how to change their dysfunctional thinking, disputing, debating, challenging, interpreting,
emotions and behaviors into healthy ones explaining, and teaching
o Two Main Goals: Disputing Irrational Beliefs – and teach them how to do
o (1) assist clients in the process of achieving this challenge on their own.
unconditional self-acceptance (USA) and Cognitive Homework – clients are expected to make lists
unconditional other acceptance (UOA) of their problems, look for their absolutist beliefs, and
o (2) to see how these are interrelated dispute these beliefs
o General Goal: teaching clients how to separate the evaluation Bibliotherapy – utilize bibliotherapy as adjunctive form of
of their behaviors from the evaluation of themselves—their treatment
essence and their totality—and how to accept themselves in Changing one’s language – imprecise language is one of
spite of their imperfections the causes of distorted thinking processes
Psychoeducational Methods – educate clients about the
THERAPIST’S FUNCTION AND ROLE nature of their problems and how treatment is likely to
o Steps for the task of the therapist: proceed.
1. Show clients how they have incorporated many irrational o Emotive Techniques – clients are taught the value of
absolute “shoulds,” “oughts,” and “musts.” Replace rigid unconditional self-acceptance
“musts” with preferences. Rational Emotive Imagery (REI) - form of intense mental
2. Demonstrate how clients are keeping their emotional practice designed to establish new emotional patterns.
disturbances active by continuing to think illogically and Using Humor
unrealistically. Role Playing – clients can rehearse certain behaviors to
bring out what they feel in a situation
o Behavioral Techniques - assignments are done systematically DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REBT AND CBT
and are recorded and analyzed on a form.
Homeworks such as desensitization and life exposure to REBT CBT
daily life situations. ♦ highly directive, ♦ uses Socratic dialogue by
o Applications of REBT to Various Settings - applicable to a wide persuasive, and posing open-ended
range of settings and populations confrontational; questions with the aim of
o Application of REBT as a Brief Therapy - well suited as a brief teaching role of the getting clients to reflect on
form of therapy therapist; therapist personal issues and arrive at
o Application to Group Counseling - employ an active role in models rational thinking their own conclusion.
getting members to commit themselves to practicing in and helps clients Identify misconceptions;
everyday situations what they are learning in the group identify and dispute reflective questioning
sessions irrational beliefs. process
♦ Ellis view faulty thinking ♦ Beck views faulty thinking as
AARON BECK’S COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY as irrational and more inaccurate than
nonfunctional irrational
COGNITIVE THERAPY - perceives psychological problems as ♦ Collaborative Empiricism –
stemming from commonplace processes such as faulty thinking, attempts to collaborate with
making incorrect inferences on the basis of inadequate or incorrect clients in testing the validity
information, and failing to distinguish between fantasy and reality. of their cognitions.
o Theoretical Assumptions:
(1) that people’s internal communication is accessible to THE CLIENT-THERAPIST RELATIONSHIP
introspection, o Emphasis on the therapeutic relationship) – first necessary step
(2) that clients’ beliefs have highly personal meanings, and o Effectivity of therapy: combine empathy and sensitivity along
(3) that these meanings can be discovered by the client with technical competence
rather than being taught or interpreted by the therapist o Effective cognitive therapists strive to create “warm, empathic
relationships with clients while at the same time effectively
BASIC PRINCIPLES using cognitive therapy techniques that will enable clients to
o Automatic Thoughts – personalized notions that are triggered create change in their thinking, feeling, and behaving”
by particular stimuli that lead to emotional responses. o Collaborative Relationship: good therapeutic alliance = well
Primary focus: assist clients in examining and restructuring done homework
their core beliefs o Aim: identify specific, measurable goals and to move directly
o Cognitive Distortions - Systematic errors in reasoning that leads into the areas that are causing the most difficulty for clients
to faulty assumptions and misconceptions o Bibliotherapy: clients complete readings dealing with the
Arbitrary Inferences - making conclusions without philosophy of cognitive therapy
supporting and relevant evidence. “Catastrophizing” or o Homework: experiment. Complete homework if tailored to
thinking of the absolute worst scenario and outcomes for their needs
most situations
Selective Abstraction - forming conclusions based on an APPLICATIONS OF COGNITIVE THERAPY
isolated detail of an event. o “strong empirical support for its theoretical framework and to
Overgeneralization - process of holding extreme beliefs on the large number of outcome studies with clinical populations”
the basis of a single incident and applying them o Has been successful in treating problems and mental disorders
inappropriately to dissimilar events or settings. (e.g., phobias, psychosomatic disorders, eating disorders,
Magnification and Minimization - perceiving a case or anger, panic disorder, GAD, PTSD, etc.)
situation in a greater or lesser light than it truly deserves. o Applying Cognitive Techniques – strategies are both cognitive
Personalization - tendency for individuals to relate and behavioral techniques
external events to themselves even when there is no basis Cognitive techniques: identifying and examining a client’s
for making this connection. beliefs, exploring the origins of these beliefs, and
Labeling and mislabeling - portraying one’s identity on the modifying them if the client cannot support these beliefs
basis of imperfections and mistakes made in the past and Behavioral techniques: activity scheduling, behavioral
allowing them to defi ne one’s true identity. experiments, skills training, role playing, behavioral
Dichotomous thinking - categorizing experiences in either- rehearsal, exposure therapy
or extremes. Polarized thinking labeled in black or white o Treatment of Depression - content of the depressive’s negative
terms. thinking and biased interpretation of events
Cognitive Triad:
1. clients hold a negative view of themselves
2. tendency to interpret their personal world in a negative o Relapse Prevention - procedures for dealing with the inevitable
manner (selective abstraction) setbacks clients are likely to experience as they apply what they
3. depressed clients’ gloomy vision and projections about are learning to daily life
the future o Constructivist Narrative Perspective (CNP) - stories people tell
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) – assess depth of about themselves and others regarding significant events in
depression their lives. We are all storytellers
o Application to Family Therapy o Successful therapy: clients become their own therapists and
family interaction patterns, and family relationships, take the therapists’ voice with them
cognitions, emotions and behavior are viewed as exerting
a mutual influence on one another LIMITATIONS AND CRITICISMS
A cognitive inference can evoke emotion and behavior, ELLIS’ REBT
and emotion and behavior can likewise influence cognition o Question’s REBT’s assumption about exploring the past is
in a reciprocal process that sometimes serves to maintain ineffective in helping clients change faulty thinking and
the dysfunction of the family unit. behavior.
o Misuse of the therapist’s power by imposing ideas of what
MEICHENBAUM’S COGNITIVE BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION constitutes rational thinking.
o REBT is a forceful and confrontational therapy.
o Focuses on changing the client’s self-verbalizations o For practitioners who value a spiritual dimension of
o Self-statements affect a person’s behavior in much the same psychotherapy, Ellis’s views on religion and spirituality are likely
way as statements made by another person to raise some problems.
o Distressing emotions are typically the result of maladaptive BECK’S CBT
thoughts o Focusing too much on the power of positive thinking; being too
o Self-instructional training - helping clients become aware of superficial and simplistic; denying the importance of the client’s
their self-talk and the stories they tell about themselves. past; being too technique oriented; failing to use the
Cognitive restructuring plays a central role. Practices through therapeutic relationship; working only on eliminating
role-play symptoms, but failing to explore the underlying causes of
Cognitive structures - organizing aspect of thinking, which difficulties; ignoring the role of unconscious factors; and
seems to monitor and direct the choice of thoughts neglecting the role of feelings.
through an “executive processor” that “holds the o Therapists do not explore the unconscious or underlying
blueprints of thinking” that determine when to continue, conflicts but work with clients in the present to bring about
interrupt, or change thinking changes in their core beliefs.
o How Behavior Changes - behavior change occurs through a MEICHENBAUM’S CBM
sequence of mediating processes o Some practitioners focus too much on client’s reaction to stress
3-phase change process or their internal dialogue.
Phase 1: Self-observation o Cautions cognitive behavioral practitioners against the
Phase 2: Starting a new internal dialogue tendency to become overly preoccupied with techniques.
Phase 3: Learning New Skills. o The therapist’s level of personal development, training,
o Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) - teaching clients stress knowledge, skill, and perceptiveness.
management techniques o therapists need to learn the specific cognitive formulation for
a combination of information giving, Socratic discovery- each disorder they treat and learn how to address the key
oriented inquiry, cognitive restructuring, problem solving, cognitions and behavioral strategies for each disorder.
relaxation training, behavioral rehearsals, self-monitoring,
self- instruction, self-reinforcement, and modifying
environmental situations.
o 3-Stage Model of SIT
conceptual-educational phase - primary focus is on
creating a working relationship and therapeutic alliance
with clients
skills acquisition and consolidation phase - giving clients a
variety of behavioral and cognitive coping skills to apply to
stressful situations
application and follow-through phase - carefully arranging
for transfer and maintenance of change from the
therapeutic situation to everyday life.
REALITY Therapy who they are and owning what they are
doing right now.
THEORIST/PROPONENT Keep the Therapy in the Present - whatever
WILLIAM GLASSER (b.1925) mistakes were made in the past are not
o developed reality therapy, founded on choice pertinent now.
theory. Challenge Traditional Views of Mental
o Father of Reality Therapy Illness - rejects the traditional notion that
ROBERT E. WUBBOLDING, EdB (b.1936) people with problematic physical and
o Demonstrates choice-centered approach and psychological symptoms are mentally ill.
reality approach to various cultures and
ethnic groups THERAPEUTIC GOALS
o WDEP system o Help clients get connected or reconnected with the people
they have chosen to put in their quality world.
REALITY THERAPY o Help clients learn better ways of fulfilling all of their needs,
o Provides a delivery system for helping individuals take more including achievement, power or inner control, freedom or
effective control of their lives independence, and fun.
o Underlying problem of clients: either involved in a present
unsatisfying relationship or lack what could even be called a THERAPIST’S FUNCTION AND ROLE
relationship. o Often considered as a mentoring process in which the therapist
o Choice Theory – theoretical basis for reality therapy. is the teacher and the client is the student.
o Choice Theory: highway; Reality Therapy: vehicle delivering the o Assist clients in evaluating their own behavioral direction,
product specific actions, wants, perceptions, level of commitment,
o Prerequisite for effective therapy: satisfying relationship possibilities for new directions, and action plans.
The outcome is better relationships, increased happiness,
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE and a sense of inner control of their lives.
o Choice Theory - we are not born blank slates waiting to be o Function as an advocate; instill hope
externally motivated by forces in the world around us. We are
born with five genetically encoded needs that drive us all our CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE IN THERAPY
lives: survival, or self-preservation; love and belonging; power, o Not expected to backtrack into the past or get sidetracked into
or inner control; freedom, or independence; and fun, or talking about symptoms
enjoyment. o Emphasis in on actions. When clients change what they are
Primary need: love and to belong because we need people doing, they often change how they are feeling and thinking.
to satisfy the other needs. o Therapists will gently, but firmly confront clients.
Quality world – at the core of our life. Store information o Self-evaluation cornerstone of therapy
inside our minds and build a file of wants; like a picture
album of specific wants as well as precise ways to satisfy RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THERAPIST AND CLIENT
these wants. o Emphasizes an understanding and supportive relationship, or
o Choice Theory Explanation of Behavior - all we ever do from therapeutic alliance, which is the foundation for effective
birth to death is behave and, with rare exceptions outcomes.
Total Behavior – all behavior is made up of four o Therapy skills in establishing trusting relationship are critical.
inseparable but distinct components—acting, thinking, Important that the client perceives the therapist as being skilled
feeling, and physiology—that necessarily accompany all of and knowledgeable.
our actions, thoughts, and feelings o Counselors must have certain personal qualities, including
Emphasizes thinking and acting (a general form of CBT) warmth, sincerity, congruence, etc. for involvement to thrive.
o Characteristics of Reality Therapy o Therapeutic interventions’ efficiency rests on a fair, firm,
Focuses quickly on the unsatisfying relationship or the lack friendly and trusting environment.
of a relationship, which is often the cause of clients’
problems THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES
Basic Axiom: “The only person you can control is yourself.” o Practice of Reality Therapy
Characteristics: Cycle of Counseling
Emphasize Choice and Responsibility - If we Creating the counseling environments and
choose all we do, we must be responsible Implementing specific procedures that lead
for what we choose. to changes in behavior.
Reject Transference – transference is a way Clients explore their total behavior and make their own
that both therapist and client avoid being evaluation of how effective they are in getting what they
want.
solutions to society’s problems must Gender-role expectations tend to generate a false sense of
include considerations of class, race, self and force women to accept stereotyped gender roles.
sexual orientation, economics, Women’s sense of self and morality is based in issues of
nationality, and history responsibility and care for other people and is embedded
POSTMODERN ♦ model for critiquing other traditional in a cultural context.
FEMINIST and feminist approaches, addressing Concepts of connectedness and interdependence is
(START OF THIRD the issue of what constitutes reality central to women’s development, but is virtually ignored
WAVE) and proposing multiple truths as in male-dominated developmental theories.
opposed to a single truth Women’s relational qualities are seen as strengths and as
WOMEN OF COLOR ♦ essential that feminist theory be pathways for healthy growth and development instead of
FEMINIST broadened and made more inclusive being identified as weaknesses or defects
LESBIAN FEMINIST ♦ share commonalities with many Relational-Cultural Theory - the vital role that
aspects of radical feminism relationships and connectedness with others play in the
♦ women’s oppression as related to lives of women
heterosexism and sexualized images of Gender Schemas - are internalizations of the gender roles
women perpetuated in a sexist society
GLOBAL Engendered Lives - that gender is the organizing principle
♦ worldwide perspective and seek to
INTERNATIONAL in people’s lives
understand the ways in which racism,
FEMINIST Women have developed “women’s intuition” and have
sexism, economics, and classism affect
included in their gender schema an internalized belief that
women in different countries
women are less important than men.
Central in feminist work: Understanding and
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
acknowledging internalized
o Fundamentally different from that of most other therapeutic
Traditional gender stereotypes are still prevalent in
models
cultures throughout the world and uncritical acceptance of
o Androcentric - male-oriented constructs to draw conclusions
it greatly restricts their range of freedom.
about human, including female, nature.
o Principles of Feminist Therapy
o Gendercentric - proposing two separate paths of development
The personal is political - based on the assumption that
for women and men
the personal or individual problems that individuals bring
o Heterosexist - viewing a heterosexual orientation as normative
to counseling originate in a political and social context
and desirable and devaluing lesbian, gay male, and bisexual
Commitment to social change - not only to help individual
orientations
clients in their struggles but also to advance a
o Deterministic - assuming that personality patterns and
transformation in society
behavior are fixed at an early stage of development
Women’s and girl’s voices and ways of knowing are
o Intrapsychic orientation - attributing behavior to internal
valued and their experiences are honored - women’s
causes, which often results in blaming the victim and ignoring
perspectives are considered central in understanding their
sociocultural and political factors
distress
o Constructs are:
Counseling relationship is egalitarian – clients are experts
Gender-fair approaches - differences in the behavior of
of their own lives.
women and men in terms of socialization processes rather
Focus on strengths and a reformulated definition of
than on the basis of our “innate” natures, thus avoiding
psychological distress - psychological distress is reframed,
stereotypes in social roles and interpersonal behavior.
not as disease but as a communication about unjust
Flexible–multicultural perspective - uses concepts and
systems
strategies that apply equally to individuals and groups
All types of oppression are recognized - acknowledge that
regardless of their origin.
social and political inequities have a negative effect on all
Interactionist view - concepts specific to the thinking,
people
feeling, and behaving dimensions of human experience
and accounts for contextual and environmental factor.
THERAPEUTIC GOALS
Life-span perspective - assumes that human development
o Goals: empowerment, valuing and affirming diversity, striving
is a lifelong process and that personality and behavioral
for change rather than adjustment, equality, balancing
changes can occur at any time rather than being fixed
independence and interdependence, social change, and self-
during early childhood.
nurturance
o Feminist Perspective on Personality Development
o Key Goal: assist individuals in viewing themselves as active
Emphasize that societal gender-role expectations
agents on their own behalf and on behalf of others
profoundly influence a person’s identity from the moment
o Goal: empower to create a world of equality.
of birth and become deeply ingrained in adult personality
o Ultimate goal: create the kind of society where sexism and ROLE OF ASSESSMENT AND DIAGNOSIS
other forms of discrimination and oppression are no longer a o sharply critical of the DSM classification system; extremely
reality. difficult to arrive at a meaningful assessment or diagnosis.
o Long-term therapeutic goal: empowering the client. o Diagnostic criteria is normative to male gender-role traits, thus
women are prone to become pathologized.
THERAPIST’S FUNCTION AND ROLE o Refers to distress than pathology; use diagnostic labels very
o Rests on a set of philosophical assumptions can be applied to carefully
various theoretical orientations o Encouraged to be tentative in diagnosis of diverse backgrounds.
o Therapist’s role and functions will vary to some extent o Diagnosis or distress becomes secondary to identification and
depending on the particular therapist and client in the assessment of client’s strengths, skills, and resources.
therapeutic relationship.
o Feminist therapists have integrated feminism into their TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES
approach to therapy and into their lives o Does not prescribe any particular set of interventions but
o Also committed to understanding oppression in all its forms tailors interventions to clients’ strengths with the goal of
o Value being emotionally present for their clients, being willing empowering clients while evoking their feminist consciousness
to share themselves during the therapy hour, modeling Empowerment – goal of therapy.
proactive behaviors, and being committed to their own Process begins with informed consent
consciousness-raising process process or empowerment consent
o Techniques are unique in feminist therapy Self-Disclosure – sharing information and experiences.
o Relationship should be nonhierarchal, person-to-person Gender-Role Intervention – insight into how societal
relation and aims to empower clients. expectations have affected psychological condition.
o Convery genuineness and strive for mutual empathy Power Analysis - range of methods aimed at helping
clients understand how unequal access to power and
CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE IN THERAPY resources can influence personal realities.
o Active participant in the study. Bibliotherapy –
o Appropriate self-disclosure is affirmed. Assertiveness Training
o Doesn’t restrict therapy with only females. Reforming and Relabeling
o The expert in determining what he or she wants from therapy. Reforming – shift in perspective
o Male: explore ways that has limit his experiences because of Relabeling – changes lablel/evaluation
gender-role socialization. Social Action -essential quality of therapy
o Clients acquire a new way of looking and responding to the Group Work – way to discuss lack of voice
world.
o Needs to be prepared for major shifts in how they view the ROLE OF MEN IN FEMINIST THERAPY
world. o Men can be feminist therapist and female therapist can be
practiced with male clients.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THERAPIST AND CLIENT o Principles and practices are useful in working with male clients.
o Based on mutuality, equality, and empowerment o Any presenting issue can be dealt with from a feminist
o Identify and use power responsibly perspective
o Therapists clearly state their values to reduce the chance of
value imposition and allows clients to make a choice; a step in LIMITATIONS AND CRITICISMS
demystifying process o Do not take a neutral stance; believe therapy is value-oriented
o Employ a number of strategies process.
1. acutely sensitive to ways they might abuse their own o There is a danger that therapists may unduly influence clients,
power in the relationship especially those who lack a strong sense of their own values
2. actively focus on the power their clients have in the o Issues with regards to working with abused women.
therapeutic relationship and make this part of their o Potential strength and limitation is moving aware from
informed consent processes. exploring intraphsyic domain by looking at contextual or
3. work to demystify the counseling relationship by sharing environmental factors.
with the client their own perceptions o Viewing the source of a client’s problem as being in the
o Defining theme: inclusion of clients in both the assessment and environment could contribute to the client not taking personal
the treatment process, keeping the therapeutic relationship as responsibility to act in the face of an unfair world.
egalitarian as possible o There are factors that inhibit growth of feminist therapists such
o Collaboration leads to genuine partnership as nonsysematic training, and lack of quality control.
o Evidence-based on efficacy of therapy is lacking
CLIENT’S EXPERIENCE IN THERAPY o Terminating – once clients are able to construct a satisfactory
o Clients fully participate when perceive themselves as solution.
determining the direction and purpose of conversation. Main goal of SFBT