As you progress through this course, you will study several different theories, some of which have more similarities than differences and vice versa. In order for you to learn about them more effectively and to create a personalized tool you can use in the future, you will create a Theories of Counseling Chart summarizing key aspects of each theory.
As you review the theories each week, complete the “Click here to enter text” box sections of this chart. You will work on this chart throughout the course and submit it in Unit 5 and in Unit 10 as a discussion post. You will be able to refer to this chart throughout your classes, into your fieldwork, and beyond.
Refer to the Web Sites and Readings for Theories of Psychotherapycourse file document to assist you in completing the Theories Chart.
List of Theories
- Psychoanalytic andPsychodynamic Therapy
- Adlerian Theory
- Existential Therapy
- Gestalt Therapy
- Person-Centered Therapy
- Behavioral Therapy
- Reality Therapy
- Cognitive Therapy
- Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
- RationalEmotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
- Feminist Therapy
- Complementary and Alternative Therapies
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Family Systems
- Integrative Therapy
Psychoanalytic andPsychodynamic Therapy
Key Concepts
What are some of the key propositions of the theory? How and why do people develop problems? / Our current personalities and perceptions of life are determined by our past, particularly by the earliest experiences that helped to shape our views of the world.Negative and positive choices often stem from our most primitive instincts, for which we need to monitor our actions and thoughts through self-regulation and, when needed, through therapy.
We need to fix our present by looking into what is causing bad things to happen from our past upbringing. /
Theory of Change
How can therapy help a person overcome problems? What must a person do to improve his or her functioning? / Psychoherapy will integrate all stages of development and help individuals resolve whatever unfinished business has led them to their current situation. The way to change is by becoming aware, that is, by making bringing to consciousness the acts, behaviors and thoughts that we are leaving in the subconscious areas of the mind. Through discourse and other approaches involving the therapist and patient, individuals can get to the root of what is causing their current situation and may be helped to resolve it.Interventions
What techniques does the counselor use to help bring about change? / Integrative approaches to psychotherapy include cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy,The key technique is having the client speak up so that the inner feelings and emotions surface within the context of the conversation. This way, the counselor can monitor and curbe the thoughts of the client toward a more positive outlook. /
Who Is In Charge? What Is the Role of the Client and the Counselor?
What is the counselor responsible for in sessions? What is the client expected to do? Who takes the leading role in the interaction? / The therapist serves as a mirror, and safety net that the client uses to express themselves and bring out their innermost thoughts and feelings. The therapist acts like a analyst of everything the client says. A strong relationship between client and therapist is essential. /Web Resources
Who uses this theory? How do they present themselves to the wider community? Where are resources for learning more? / Resources for psychotherapy include:Mostly people who are suffering from depression caused by traumas, PTSD, anxiety, eating disorders and any other disorder that stems from trauma from the past and chaotic upbringing can use psychotherapy as a way to let out their frustrations and be guided on a better perspective of mind. /
Scholarly Articles, Books, and Resources on the Theory
What are some good references that I may want to refer to in the future? / The Theory and Practice of Psychotherapy- Irvin YalomOn Becoming a Person – Carl Rogers
The Gift of Therapy- Irvin Yalom /
Adlerian Therapy
Key Concepts
What are some of the key propositions of the theory? How and why do people develop problems? / Also known as Indiviual Psychology, this therapy wants clients to change the perspective of their lives by helping people reach for high goals, to want success, to contribute to society, and be better connected to others /Theory of Change
How can therapy help a person overcome problems? What must a person do to improve his or her functioning? / Goal setting is the way to change. A plan where the therapist points out the positive in the client, and develops a series of goals to achieve them in a sustainable way. This will make clients feel good about themselves. The idea is that they move from a negative view of themselves, and desire to strive for the better.Interventions
What techniques does the counselor use to help bring about change? / Some holistic interventions include interviews, analyzing family history, indentifying the factors of success and non-success in clients, and engaging in socratic dialogue so that the client can express what they really would like to achieve in life.Studying subjective experiences in context and individual is more like the Adlerian way of treating clients /
Who Is In Charge? What Is the Role of the Client and the Counselor?
What is the counselor responsible for in sessions? What is the client expected to do? Who takes the leading role in the interaction? / The client is in charge, but the therapist is the client’s biggest supporter.The therapist will help with action plans, with exploring goals, with correcting false self-concepts in the client, and to provide potential opportunities that will show the client that there is meaning to their lives and they should reach for high goals. /
Web Resources
Who uses this theory? How do they present themselves to the wider community? Where are resources for learning more? / Adlerian TheoryNorth America Adlerian society
People who have depression, anxiety and suffer from low self-esteem can use an Adlerian approach. People who feel “lost” or are stuck in life events such as a death, empty nest syndrom, singlehood, changing careers, and even entering menopause (age-related life events) can use Adlerian approaches. /
Scholarly Articles, Books, and Resources on the Theory
What are some good references that I may want to refer to in the future? / Adlerian Therapy, Theory and PracticeAdlerian Collection
Adler Graduate School
/
Existential Therapy
Key Concepts
What are some of the key propositions of the theory? How and why do people develop problems? / All people have the same capability for awareness.Everybody is free and responsible for living a safe and happy life
Identity is unique, but it develops as we co-exist with others
We must adapt to change and re-create who we are.
Self-understanding will prevent us from falling in self-destructive behaviors. Once we accept and love who we are, propose goals for ourselves, and understand the value of our uniqueness, we will likely select paths that are good for us /
Theory of Change
How can therapy help a person overcome problems? What must a person do to improve his or her functioning? / Change occurs once the client becomes self-aware of the good and bad things that shape their personality. Coaches often encourage clients to confront their anxiety because they consider that this is a normal part of existing. Through understanding what causes it, client can no longer fear it. Moreover, they could find ways to counteract it by understanding what causes it and how it can be remediated.Interventions
What techniques does the counselor use to help bring about change? / Some of the interventions include dialogue, conversations about anxiety, confrontation of conditions such as death, isolation, the feeling of being meaninfless, and freedom. It is basically a talk where the client confronts these fearful things and the therapist coaches the client into facing them and defeating them. /Who Is In Charge? What Is the Role of the Client and the Counselor?
What is the counselor responsible for in sessions? What is the client expected to do? Who takes the leading role in the interaction? / The therapist is like a coach that helps the client face the things that make them feel anxious, sad, and meaningless, through discourse, goal-setting and support, the therapist will help face and then defeat the causes of anxiety and negative thinking by making the client aware of the realities of his or her life, which are as positive and negative as anyone else’s…and that is OK. /Web Resources
Who uses this theory? How do they present themselves to the wider community? Where are resources for learning more? /This is a good therapy approach for people who are addicted and have a tendency for self-destructive behaviors that stem from low self-esteem and sense of self, to include: drug addiction, eating disorders, alcohol abuse, self-mutilation. /
Scholarly Articles, Books, and Resources on the Theory
What are some good references that I may want to refer to in the future? / Brief Existential and Humanistic theoriesExistential Psychotherapy- Irvin Yalom /
Gestalt Therapy
Key Concepts
What are some of the key propositions of the theory? How and why do people develop problems? / Gestalt is a person-centered practice that attempts to help clients to recognize what is really happening in the ir lives at the time of intervention. It also aims to let them recognize that their perception of what is happening to them now is a reflection of how they were conditioned to think about things, based on past experiences. /Theory of Change
How can therapy help a person overcome problems? What must a person do to improve his or her functioning? / In Gestalt, people get to re-enact and re-live incidents in their lives to recognize which behaviors led things to get to where they did. They also analyze the roles they played in key moments of their lives that they perceived to be important, so that they take responsibility for their influence in their own life choices.Interventions
What techniques does the counselor use to help bring about change? / In Gestalt the practitioner will ask the client, through conversation, to experience past events, and to narrate how the client feels as the events unfold in their mind. Within the context of what is said, and based on the emotions of the client, the therapist will be able to guide them to extrapolate how the role of the client influenced the situations. They could act it out, re-live the moment, narrate it, journal it, or just talk about it. /Who Is In Charge? What Is the Role of the Client and the Counselor?
What is the counselor responsible for in sessions? What is the client expected to do? Who takes the leading role in the interaction? / The therapist assumes the role of a coach, and will help the client analyze situations through prompted conversations, and question-and-answer sessions. /Web Resources
Who uses this theory? How do they present themselves to the wider community? Where are resources for learning more? /Gestalt would work for people who are experiencing situations for which they feel trapped.
It could work with any kind of anxiety, depression, family issues, divorce, and other relationship problems.
/
Scholarly Articles, Books, and Resources on the Theory
What are some good references that I may want to refer to in the future? / Gestalt Therapy Verbatim by Fritz PerlsThe Gestalt Approach and Eye Witness to Therapy
/
Person-Centered Therapy
Key Concepts
What are some of the key propositions of the theory? How and why do people develop problems? / This approach views humans in a positive way, and believes that the client can be come aware of their issues , adjust themselves from the disparate notion of what they are versus what they would want to be. Acceptance and conguiency against maladjustment are the key concepts. /Theory of Change
How can therapy help a person overcome problems? What must a person do to improve his or her functioning? / People are capable of changing if they use their self-direction properly, this can be done when they are willing to become aware of their here and now, of the way that they view life, of their emotions, and of their capabilities.Interventions
What techniques does the counselor use to help bring about change? / Person-centered therapy is the most common intervention, where the client is at the center of everything.Therapist is the primary listener in dialogue, and transparency, mutual respect and genuiness of care must be expressed. /
Who Is In Charge? What Is the Role of the Client and the Counselor?
What is the counselor responsible for in sessions? What is the client expected to do? Who takes the leading role in the interaction? / The person is the most important part of the therapeutic session. The counselor acts like a listener and will offer feedback when needed. The counselor will also gear the conversation toward a positive mindset. /Web Resources
Who uses this theory? How do they present themselves to the wider community? Where are resources for learning more? / This therapy is good for anyone undergoing crisis, especially when it comes to who they are and what they want in life.People who have felt unheard and unvalidated can benefit from PCT because this approach puts them at center stage and guarantees impartiality and transparency.
/
Scholarly Articles, Books, and Resources on the Theory
What are some good references that I may want to refer to in the future? / On Becoming a PersonCarl Rogers
Person-Centered Therapy- 100 Keypoints by Paul Wilkins
/
Behavioral Therapy
Key Concepts
What are some of the key propositions of the theory? How and why do people develop problems? / This type of therapy focuses on how the behaviors, habits, tendencies and actions of the client are a result of deeper processes of perspective and low-self-esteem. It aims to eradicate negatie behavior by substituting it woth positive behavior. /Theory of Change
How can therapy help a person overcome problems? What must a person do to improve his or her functioning? / Only by showing and modeling to the client what proper and better behavior choices are will the client be able to do the same. Clients not always have productive behaviors simply because they have never been exposed to it.Interventions
What techniques does the counselor use to help bring about change? / ModelingInterviews
Journals
Acting out situations
Conversations and dialogue
Goal-setting
Cognitive emotional approaches
Cognitive behavioral approaches /
Who Is In Charge? What Is the Role of the Client and the Counselor?
What is the counselor responsible for in sessions? What is the client expected to do? Who takes the leading role in the interaction? / The counselor acts like a guidance coach that will make the client aware of the behaviors and will invite the client to make better choices. /Web Resources
Who uses this theory? How do they present themselves to the wider community? Where are resources for learning more? /Any condition that prompts adverse behaviors can be used for this type of therapy, such as ADHD, ODD, PTSD, and other impairments of behavior. /
Scholarly Articles, Books, and Resources on the Theory
What are some good references that I may want to refer to in the future? / Graham, M. C. (2014).Facts of Life: ten issues of contentment. Outskirts Press.Longmore, R.J (2017). Do we need to challenge thoughts in cognitive behavior therapy?Clinical Psychology Review /
Reality Therapy
Key Concepts
What are some of the key propositions of the theory? How and why do people develop problems? / The key concept of reality therapy is to avoid speaking about the past and concentrate in the here and now. By doing so, clients will have a chance to see exactly what is happening,a nd will be able to identify what they have a current tool to help them meet their goals. /Theory of Change
How can therapy help a person overcome problems? What must a person do to improve his or her functioning? / The idea is for clients to be fully aware of their reality as well as their here and now. They have to acquire a full consciousness of what is going on so that they can effectively identify the things that can be used as problem solving tools.Interventions
What techniques does the counselor use to help bring about change? / To meet the five basic needs through goal setting and dialogue:Fun, survival, love freedom, and power /
Who Is In Charge? What Is the Role of the Client and the Counselor?