Personal Counseling Theory Paper

Personal Counseling Theory Paper

Solution

Counselors play an essential role in societies; they help and guide people to overcome various situations in their lives. Every individual who seeks help from a counselor is unique in terms of response to treatment and issues affecting their lives. Therefore, counselors need a customized approach, often referred to as theoretical orientation, to the counseling process to adequately help each client through difficult situations. Given the variation in clients’ needs and reactions to treatment, counselors need to understand the nature of people, multicultural considerations, nature of problems, and the process of change to select the best therapy for clients.

The Nature of People

The term “nature of people” entails several characteristics in humans. The features include the way people think, feel, and behave. In my view, the cognitive, behavioral, and sensation aspects of people are embedded in learned processes. This aspect implies that individuals are born as a blank paper; they are neither good nor bad. The view compares to Brill’s basic principle of psychoanalysis, which defines an infants mind, when born, as a tabula rasa, meaning a blank slate (Duschinsky, 2012). As the child grows, his or her thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are shaped by the surroundings. Mainly, the understanding of good and evil and the way a child responds to daily happenings are influenced by goals set by the community in which one lives. Therefore, the nature of people is a learned process; it begins when a child is born and progresses as a person interacts with the external environment.

The counseling theory that identifies with my view of human nature is cognitive-behavioral therapy. According to Sapp (2010), cognitive-behavioral therapy “is a blend of cognitive and behavioral psychology and those who use it feel that a client’s problems are the result of faulty belief systems” (p. 44). This concept connects human nature and problems to the belief systems, implying that thoughts, behavior, and feelings exhibited by a person are learned and shaped by the existing social networks. The cognitive-behavioral theory shares in my view that the bundle of characteristics possessed by humans is acquired from the time a child is born and progresses during adulthood.

As the cognitive-behavioral theory suggests, the belief system has a direct effect on people’s well-being; thus, it can easily contribute to mental health issues. According to the World Health Organization, mental health is “state of well-being in which the individuals realize their abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to their community” (Lindert, Bilsen & Jakubauskiene, 2017, p. 32). The interrelation of mental health and belief system lies within the human cognition. For instance, the conscious mind, which entails people’s current awareness of the surrounding, can affect a person’s mental well-being and behaviour (Earl, 2014). For example, during a tragic event, the conscious mind sends a message to the inner self through different forms, such as images, which affect a person’s behavior, thoughts, and emotions. Similarly, information recorded in the subconscious mind can affect humans’ well-being in the long-term. For instance, a current occurrence can trigger a person’s reaction based on previous experience or memories. Therefore, mental health is significantly interrelated with the nature of people and the belief system.

Additionally, Edlar theory is congruent with my view of the nature of people. In his psychological theory, Edler disdain reductionism (Watts, 2015). In other words, the theorist believes that every dimension of a person’s life is interconnected. Therefore, the theorist believes that to understand the nature of a person and challenges affecting them, counselors must take into consideration all human aspects with unity and indivisibility. Edlar also believes that humans are proactive, creative, and in charge of constructing their personalities within a socially embedded context (Watts, 2015). The theorist’s view that an individual’s behavior and personality are constructed implies that people are born blank. With time, and within the socially embedded context, humans begin to learn and construct realities that they eventually start to believe and respond to.

Alder theory also suggests that people are born good. The theorists express this perception when he mentions inferiority feelings among people and trustworthiness (Corey, 2013). Rather than viewing some feelings as inferior, Alder believes that such feelings are what enable people to survive in the social context. Alder also assumes that people are born with the trait of trustworthiness. However, as they interact with the external environment, the traits are progressively modified.

Multicultural Considerations

Cultural differences support the view that people are born as blank paper, and their behavior, thoughts, and feelings are learned and shaped through interaction with the social system. As perceived by Hofstede, national culture is a “software of the mind” (Beugelsdijk & Welzel, 2018). In other words, the theorist believes that culture programs the way people think, feel, and behave. For example, some people view the United States as an individualistic country in which the need for supremacy drives everyone. On the other hand, some people view Japan as a collectivist country because the nation has its roots in the communist leadership.

The cultural differences between the two countries shape the nature of people residing in them. For instance, it is likely that people in the United States work hard to stand out in their social groups because they are raised in a culture where individualism is highly valued (Gjersoe, Newman, Chituc & Hood, 2014)On the other hand, children raised in Japan are more likely to appreciate communism as they are raised in a social system pillared against the belief of homogeneity. Arguably, children are not born with the knowledge that individualism or collectivism is the best way of life. Instead, the individuals’ behavior and attitude are shaped through interaction with the social system.

Furthermore, cultural differences support the view that mental health issues are closely related to the social system. Cultural differences significantly affect people’s well-being. For instance, if individualsinteract with people with varying cultural orientations, they may experience some mental disorders such as depression since they cannot adequately relate socially with the rest of the surrounding communities (Loveys et al, 2018)Therefore, cultural differences affect the overall well-being and nature of people.

Apart from causing mental health issues, cultural diversity also affects the way mental health disorders are perceived and the menthods of coping with them. For instance, Gopalkrishnan (2018) observes that some cultures ascribe the onset of mental health illnesses to possession of evil spirits, a product of karma, and a lack of balance in emotional expression. Such perceptions vary significantly from the Western culture in which mental health is ascribed to a person’s experiences. Gopalkrishnan and Narayan (2015) also add that cultural diversity impacts people’s coping styles to problems and other types of stressors. For instance, depending on the cultural orientation, an individual may choose to cope with mental health issues such as depression by screaming, being silent, or crying. A study conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services revealed that children in Thailand were two times more likely to covert coping methods such as not talking back against screaming and running away than those in the United States (Gopalkrishnan & Babacan, 2015). Such information reveals that cultural differences have a significant effect on people’s reactions to mental health problems and the way they cope with the issues as they arise.

Cultural differences also impact treatment-seeking patterns. Gopalkrishnan and Babacan (2015) observe that people from ethnic minorities are less likely to seek mental health treatment compared to the majority of communities in Western countries. Often, this issue may be a result of the cultural context, whereby ethnic minorities are ascribed to higher cases of mental health issues compared to their counterparts (Gopalkrishnan & Babacan, 2015). Additionally, cultural stigmatization and discrimination also hinder patients from seeking mental health services since some view the conditions as a shame to their families (Gopalkrishnan & Babacan, 2015). Therefore, cultural differences may, to a considerable extent, be associated with problems that arise in the treatment-seeking patterns among mental health patients.

The Nature of Problems

In my view, people develop problems for failure to resolve a combination of factors that affected their past and present. Some of the aspects that may impact a person’s history include abuse, stigma, unemployment, and domestic violence. For instance, if an individual fails to acquire proper treatment after an encounter of child abuse during the adolescent stage, he or she may experience mental health issues later. Similarly, the failure of an individual to solve unemployment issues can cause depression in a person’s life. People also develop problems by subjecting themselves to destructive thoughts that affect their behavior. For example, if an individual spends time thinking about car accidents, he or she may develop a fear of traveling by vehicles. Hence, problems mainly crop from past unresolved issues and disturbing thoughts that impact people’s behavior.

One of the counseling theories that conform to the view that problems result from past unresolved factors is gestalt therapy. According to Saadati and Lashani (2013), the treatment focuses on growth, awareness, and content of knowledge in terms of relationship with self, others, and the world. The authors also add that gestalt therapy links a lack of human contact with the inner world to source of destruction to a person’s present life (Saadati & Lashani, 2013). Failure of people to develop an awareness and interact with the environment can be a source of mental health problems. Besides, the lack of contact with the present can make it difficult for an individual to cope with future changes in society, which eventually affects one’s emotional well-being.

Gestalt therapy also associates neglected or unfinished businesses to the emergence of problems in people’s lives. Saadati and Lashani (2013) argue that “unfinished issues of past that are not expressed such as grief, anger, guilt, and incomplete requirement, can be considered as unresolved issues that affect the current consciousness of human” (p. 1172). For instance, if an individual loses a close friend through a car accident and fails to express the grief at the moment when the event occurs, he or she may experience emotional distress in the future. Under the dimension of unfinished business, gestalt theory suggests that unresolved problems in the past can make it difficult for people to focus on the present and future.

The second theory that identifies with my view of the nature of problems is CBT therapy. The method is based on the underlying assumption that core beliefs, dysfunctional assumptions, and negative automatic thoughts have a detrimental effect on behavior and can lead to mental health disorders (Fenn & Byrne, 2013). For instance, negative schemas can be associated with the development of depression among people. To elaborate, if a person develops the core belief that he or she is “useless,” he or she begins to view the world as unfair and create the perception that he or she wa born to suffer. Such beliefs eventually shape a person’s behavior and can subsequently lead to depression. Overall, CBT therapy associates the nature of problems with cognitive dysfunctions.

The Process of Change

Change in the counseling process occurs as a result of the willingness of people to dismiss their dysfunctional assumptions, negative schemas, and negative automatic thoughts and replace them with positive cognitive that molds subsequent behavior. However, the change is not a one-time event; it is a process that requires the intervention of a therapist. For instance, when dealing with a client, the specialist starts by evaluating the thoughts and emotions of the individual to identify the dysfunctional assumptions. The therapist proceeds to train the client on behaviors and skills that may help eliminate the problem. Nonetheless, the outcome of the counseling process highly depends on the willingness of the client to abandon the negative assumptions and thoughts and embrace skills that bring positive change in behavior.

The theories that are most congruent with my perception of the process of change are gestalt and CBT therapy. In gestalt therapy, the counselor plays a critical role in guiding clients through unfinished business, which is often identified as the primary cause of the latter’s problems. Therefore, the therapist plays the role of a facilitator during the counseling process. For effective change, the therapeutic relationship between the counselor and the patient should be equal and person-to-person (Palmer, 2011). In other words, before the therapy begins, the counselor must establish a relationship based on trust with the client to facilitate the planned change. When in use, gestalt therapy lacks a pre-established goal. However, the counselor guides the client through the struggles and help one achieve greater awareness of him or herself and overcome existing problems.

On the other hand, CBT therapy aims at changing the way people think to help mold their behavior. The treatment utilizes two techniques: cognitive and behavioral (Fenn & Byrne, 2013). In the behavioral approach, the therapist guides the client through a series of questions that help the latter expand their thinking and develop an alternative perspective of cognitions that facilitate their well-being. Just like gestalt therapy, counselors using CBT cognitive technique do not provide an ultimate solution to the patient. Instead, the therapist helps the patient discover his or her incongruent assumptions and develop a solution for him or herself. An alternative to the cognitive technique is the behavioral technique, which allows patients to re-establish daily routines, increase pleasurable activities, and deal with problems by enhancing problem-solving skills (Fenn & Byrne, 2013). Overall, the CBT therapy aims at unveiling the incongruent assumptions and thinking among clients and helping them dismiss the assumptions and embrace positive behavior.

References

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