Core Approaches in Counselling and Psychotherapy

Fay Short, Phil Thomas

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9780415745147
• eBook ISBN: 9781134642533
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Psychiatry & Mental Health

Core Approaches in Counselling and Psychotherapy is a comprehensive guide to the four main psychological approaches (Humanistic, Psychodynamic, Behavioural and Cognitive) and introduces several of the most common therapies used today. This textbook contains sufficient coverage to explain all of the most important elements of these core approaches and sufficient depth to provide a detailed analysis of the ten main therapies: Person-Centred Therapy, Psychoanalytic Therapy, Behaviour Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy, Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy, Multimodal Therapy and Neurolinguistic Programming.

The book focuses on the development of each approach and presents the associated therapy in its historical and psychological context, giving a deeper insight into the theories and clarifying the overlap between different therapies.

Presented in a unique style, with a clear layout, rigorous content and extensive resources available online, Core Approaches in Counselling and Psychotherapy is an invaluable asset for undergraduate and postgraduate students at all levels of study and is the ideal textbook for any degree or higher-level module in counselling.

Chapter 1

Counselling and psychotherapy

CHAPTER CONTENTS

• Introduction to counselling and psychotherapy

• Defining counselling and psychotherapy

– Definitions of counselling and psychotherapy

– Differences between counselling and psychotherapy

– Career paths in counselling and psychotherapy

• Therapist and client roles in the therapeutic relationship

– Differences between helping and therapy

– Role of the client in therapy

– Role of the therapist in therapy

– Relationship between therapist and client

– Therapy in the modern world

• Boundaries and ethics in the therapeutic relationship

– Boundaries in therapy

– Therapeutic contract

– Ethical guidelines

• Appreciating diversity in the therapeutic relationship

– Cultural assumptions in mainstream therapy

– Multiculturalism in the therapeutic relationship

– Self-reflection to recognise bias and prejudice

– Criticism of multicultural therapy

– Working holistically

• Approaches, therapies and models

– Defining approaches, therapies, and models

– Purist versus non-purist perspectives

– Integration and eclecticism versus syncretism

– Types of integration and eclecticism

– Egan’s skilled helper model

INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY

This chapter aims to introduce the reader to the concepts of counselling and psychotherapy. Key concepts such as ethical issues and sociocultural diversity will be explored in this chapter. You will also be introduced to the idea of counselling and psychotherapy as career options and provided with a clear route to becoming a therapist in the UK. It is impossible to develop a good understanding of any specific therapy without first understanding the field in general, so this introductory chapter will provide you with a general overview of the fascinating field of counselling and psychotherapy.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

• appreciate the differences and similarities between the fields of counselling, psychotherapy and psychology

• discuss the different roles of the therapist and the client in the therapeutic relationship

• acknowledge the importance of maintaining boundaries and outline the ethical issues associated with therapy

• appreciate the differences between an approach, therapy and model, and discuss each of these with consideration of the differing methods adopted by practitioners

DEFINING COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After reading this section, you will be able to:

• outline the definitions of counselling

• appreciate the differences between counselling and psychotherapy

• recognise the career possibilities in the field of counselling and psychotherapy

Definitions of counselling and psychotherapy

UK versus US

American spelling = Counseling

British spelling = Counselling

Simplicity

For the sake of simplicity, this textbook will focus on ‘counselling’ (British spelling) whenever the term is used. However, in general, this book will use the terms ‘therapy’ and ‘therapist’ to refer to all aspects of the therapeutic encounter.

What are counselling and psychotherapy?

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) definition of counselling and psychotherapy

‘Counselling and psychotherapy are umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies. They are delivered by trained practitioners who work with people over a short or long term to help them bring about effective change or enhance their wellbeing.’ (BACP, 2013)

British Psychological Society (BPS) definition of counselling

‘Counselling is concerned with the interplay between psychological principles and the counselling process and is developed by substantial reflection on practice and research. Its understandings derive both from formal psychological enquiry and from the interpersonal relationships between practitioner and the client.’ (BPS, 2013)

American Psychological Association (APA) definition of counselling

‘Counseling psychology centers on typical or normal developmental issues as well as atypical or disordered development as it applies to human experience from individual, family, group, systems and organizational perspectives. Counseling psychologists help people with physical, emotional and mental disorders improve wellbeing, alleviate distress and maladjustment, and resolve crises. In addition, practitioners in this professional specialty provide assessment, diagnosis and treatment of psychopathology.’ (APA, 2013)

World Health Organization (WHO) definition of counselling

‘Counselling provides a supportive and non-judgemental atmosphere for people to talk over their problems and explore more satisfactory ways of living.’ (WHO, 2013)

To summarise, counselling and psychotherapy include the following:

Collaborative relationship between therapist and client

Client seeks to enhance his or her emotional or psychological wellbeing

Therapist seeks to provide a supportive environment in which the client can work towards seeking to enhance his or her emotional or psychological wellbeing

What does a therapist do?

Essentially, a therapist will provide support to those in need by offering a safe non-judgemental environment in which the client can explore his or her own issues

Specifically, a therapist may offer support for distinct clients and/or problems

Client groups may include:

Individuals

Groups

Families

Spouses/partners

Children

Adolescents

Adults

Older adults

Employees

Students

Problem types may include:

Depression

Stress

Anxiety

Low self-esteem

Low confidence

Poor anger management

Insomnia

Eating disorders

Addictions

Marital or relationship difficulties

Sexual disfunctions

Employment issues

Financial concerns

Prior trauma or abuse

Bereavement

Modern public perception is much more positive towards therapy

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (2010a) conducted a wide-scale review of public attitudes towards counselling and psychotherapy

Meta-analysis of current research in the field followed up by a telephone survey of 1440 adults in the UK

21% of respondents had consulted a counsellor in the past

88% of respondents agreed that consultation with a counsellor might make many people happier

What happens in counselling and psychotherapy sessions?

Therapy sessions can vary depending on the orientation of the therapist, issues raised by the client, and demands of the service in which the therapy is offered. However, in general, most therapy will follow this pattern

Initial contact made by a referral agent or the client

Client registers by completing an initial written assessment (usually in the form of a questionnaire)

Client attends an initial meeting to assess his or her needs – risk assessments will also be completed at this time and further referrals may be made if the client is deemed unsuited for the specific type of therapy

Client is allocated to an appropriate therapist (may be the therapist from the initial assessment) or added to a waiting list for the next available therapist (if the service is particularly busy)

Client attends a first session with the therapist

First session typically involves information gathering and contracting – client is invited to tell his or her story, therapist will outline important policies and procedures (including confidentiality), and relationship boundaries will be established

Client attends a series of sessions to work through his or her issues

Each session will typically last for one ‘therapeutic hour’ (50 minutes)

Sessions will often run once per week for an agreed time frame

Short-term therapy might run for as little as six weeks; long-term therapy could run for years

If possible, client is given advance warning in the penultimate session so that the relationship can be drawn to a satisfactory close

Client attends the final session with the therapist

Final session typically involves reflection on progress and ending the relationshi...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• About the authors
• Preface
• Permissions
• Guide to the companion website
• Introduction
• 1 Counselling and psychotherapy
• 2 Humanistic approach and person-centred therapy
• 3 Psychodynamic approach and psychoanalytic therapy
• 4 Behavioural approach and behaviour therapy
• 5 Cognitive approach and cognitive therapy
• 6 Integrative and eclectic therapies
• Conclusion
• Index