Counseling

Approaches

Christine A. Prestado
CLIENT CENTERED
COUNSELLING
Definition

– Person-centered therapy, also known as person-centered or client-

centered counselling, is a humanistic approach that deals with the
ways in which individuals perceive themselves consciously, rather
than how a counsellor can interpret their unconscious thoughts or
ideas.
– Created in the 1950s by psychologist Carl Rogers, the person-
centered approach ultimately sees human beings as having an
innate tendency to develop towards their full potential. However,
this ability can become blocked or distorted by certain life
experiences, particularly those the experiences which affect our
sense of value.
– The therapist in this approach works to understand an individual’s
experience from their perspective. The therapist must positively
value the client as a person in all aspects of their humanity, while
aiming to be open and genuine. This is vital in helping the client
feel accepted, and better able to understand their own feelings.
The approach can help the client to reconnect with their inner
values and sense of self-worth, thus enabling them to find their
own way to move forward and progress.
The person-centered counsellor is not an expert; rather the
client is seen as an expert on themselves and the person-
centered counsellor encourages the client to explore and
understand themselves and their troubles.
The core purpose of person-centered therapy is to facilitate our
ability to self-actualise - the belief that all of us will grow and fulfil
our potential. This approach facilitates the personal growth and
relationships of a client by allowing them to explore and utilise their
own strengths and personal identity. The counsellor aids this process,
providing vital support to the client and they make their way through
this journey.
An important part of the self-actualising theory is that in a particular
psychological environment, the fulfilment of personal potentials
include; sociability (the need to be with other people, and a desire to
know and be known by others); being open to experience; being
trusting and trustworthy; and being curious, creative and
compassionate.
This psychological environment is one where a person feels both physically
and emotionally free from threat. There are three conditions believed to
help achieve this environment, particularly in the therapy room.

• Congruence - the counsellor must be completely genuine.

• Empathy - the counsellor must strive to understand the client's
experience.
• Unconditional positive regard - the counsellor must be non-judgemental
and valuing.
A number of factors can affect a person’s ability to flourish, including
low self-esteem, a lack of self-reliance and very little openness to
new experiences. The person-centered approach recognises that a
person’s social environment and personal relationships can greatly
impact these, so therapy is offered in a neutral and comfortable
setting, where a client can feel at ease, authentic and open to
learning about themselves.
By offering a safe, comforting environment, the client is able to understand the past
experiences that have impacted the way they feel about themselves or their abilities, and
take the steps to positive change. The person-centered approach can also help the client
to:
– find closer agreement between an idealised self and actual self
– achieve better self-understanding and awareness
– release feelings of defensiveness, insecurity and guilt
– have greater ability to trust oneself
– develop healthier relationships
– see improvement in self-expression
– achieve a healthy sense of change overall
Benefits

Generally, person-centred counselling can help individuals of all ages,

with a range of personal issues. Many people find it an appealing
type of therapy because it allows them to keep control over the
content and pace of sessions, and there is no worry that they are
being evaluated or assessed in any way.
The approach is said to be particularly effective in helping individuals
to overcome specific problems such as depression, anxiety, stress and
grief, or other mental health concerns. These issues can have
significant impact on self-esteem, self-reliance and self-awareness,
and person-centered therapy can help people to reconnect with their
inner self in order to transcend any limitations.
 ECLECTIC
COUNSELLING
Definition

– Eclectic counseling is defined as the synthesis and

combination of directive and non-directive counseling. It
represents a middle status between the two extremes
represented by the ‘non-directive’ technique on one hand
and the ‘directive’ technique on the other. In eclectic
counseling, the counselor is neither too active as in the
directive counseling nor too passive as in the non-directive
counseling. He just follows the middle path between these
two.
The chief advocate of this type of counseling is Thorne. In eclectic
counseling, the needs of a person and his personality are studied by
the counselor. After this the counselor selects those techniques,
which will be useful for the person. The main techniques used are
reassurance giving information, case history, testing etc.
In eclectic counseling the counselor first takes into consideration the
personality and need of the counselee. He selects the directive or
non-directive technique that seems to serve the purpose best. The
counselor may start with the directive technique. When the situation
demands, he may switch over to the non-directive counseling and
vice-versa. An attempt is made to adjust the technique to the
requirements of the situation and the individual.
STEPS IN ECLETIC
COUNSELLING
1) Diagnosis of the cause.
2) Analysis of the problem.
3) Preparation of a tentative plan for modifying factors.
4) Securing effective conditions for counseling.
5) Interviewing and stimulating the client to develop his own
resources and to assume its responsibility for trying new modes of
adjustment.
6) Proper handling of any related problems which may contribute to
adjustment.
ADVANTAGES

The features of eclectic counseling that is, flexibility in choosing

directive or non-directive or both the techniques, and alternating
between the two techniques, the freedom of choice and expression
to the counselor and the client – are itself its major advantages. It
removes the rigidity of the other two methods that is directive and
non-directive, and hence produces better results. It is economical
and effective.
DISADVANTAGES

1) Some people are of the view that eclectic counseling is vague,

opportunistic and superficial.
2) Both directive and non-directive counseling cannot be mixed
together.
3) In this, the question arises how much freedom should be given to
the client? For this there is non-definite rule.
4) The problem with an eclectic orientation is that counselors often
do more harm than good if they have little or no understanding
about what is helping the client.
 BEHAVIOR
MODIFICATION
Definition

Behavior Modification is an approach to therapy that is based on

conditioning. The goal of behavior modification is to, well, change
behavior. Behavior Modification techniques can be used with both
children and adults and often is used in conjunction with other
treatments such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (adults) and Play
Therapy (children).
Behavior modification usually seeks to extinguish, or stop, an unwanted behavior
and replace that behavior with a desired behavior. Using the principles of
reinforcement, therapists assist clients and parents in constructing ways to
reinforce desired behaviors while constructing ways to extinguish unwanted
behaviors.

One behavior modification technique that is widely used is positive reinforcement,

which encourages certain behaviors through a system of rewards. In behavior
therapy, it is common for the therapist to draw up a contract with the client
establishing the terms of the reward system.
In behavior modification, extinction eliminates the incentive for
unwanted behavior by taking away the reward for that behavior. An
example of this is using time-out, in which a child is separated from
the group when he or she misbehaves. This technique removes the
expected reward of parental attention.
Another behavior modification technique is negative reinforcement.
Negative reinforcement is a method of training that uses a negative
reinforcer. A negative reinforcer is an event or behavior whose
reinforcing properties are associated with its removal. A common
example of this is being on time for work or making sure work is done
correctly to avoid disciplinary action from a supervisor. In this case,
disciplinary action is the negative reinforcer and, of course, getting to
work on time or doing work assignments correctly is the desired
behavior.
In addition to rewarding desirable behavior, behavior modification also can
discourage unwanted behavior through punishment. Punishment is the
application of an aversive or unpleasant stimulus in reaction to a particular
behavior. For children, this could be the removal of television privileges
when they disobey their parents or teacher.

On the surface, Behavior Modification appears to be a very simple process.

However, it often is difficult to determine what is reinforcing unwanted
behaviors and what will reinforce desired behaviors. For this reason, it
often is helpful for Behavior Modification to be added into other types of
treatment such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or Play Therapy.

Behavior Modification often is helpful for individuals who have compulsive

behaviors, children with aggressive behaviors, and children with ADHD.
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