SFBT is an approach that focuses on how clients change, rather than one which focuses on diagnosing and treating problems. Here, we see the therapist as a collaborator and adviser who helps clients to achieve their goals. In SFBT, the therapist pretends to be out of knowledge so that the client can feel himself an expert. The SFBT therapist spends most of the session listening attentively for talk about previous solutions, exceptions, and goals. When these come out, the therapist punctuates them with enthusiasm and support (de Shazer, Dolan et al.
The three core conditions of the Person-Centred approach are unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence; unconditional positive regard requires accepting and valuing the client as an individual, regardless of appearance, behaviour and attitude. A client may initially seem hostile if they feel they are being threatened and a person-centred counsellor’s main priority is to provide a space where that client can feel safe, without being judged or criticised. In terms of empathy, this involves active listening on the therapist’s part to really hear what the client is saying, and where appropriate, paraphrase back to the client what he/she has said. For example, a client may discuss how their parents constantly criticised them, pointing out many generalities such as how untidy they were, how stupid they were, possibly comparing the client to a sibling, how clumsy they were, how careless/inconsiderate/unappreciative. A person-centred counsellor could summarise by replying, “It seems you could never do anything right in their eyes no matter how hard you tried or how successful you were."
The emphasis is on the quality of the therapist–client relationship and empathic attunement while tapping the client’s wisdom and resources (Cain, 2002). The Gestalt approach focuses much more on process than on content. Therapists devise experiments designed to increase clients’ awareness of what they are doing and how they are doing it. Perls asserted that how individuals behave in the present moment is far more crucial to self-understanding than why they behave as they do. Awareness usually involves insight and sometimes introspection, but Gestalt therapists consider it to be much more than either.
EXPLAIN THE PROCESS INVOLVED IN ESTABLISHING A COUNSELLING SKILLS RELATIONSHIP: Developing a relationship where ones skills as a counsellor can be utilised begins with being your (flawed but contented) self. You have to be an emotionally healthy individual to understand that you are there to simply provide another (preferably informed) prospective. In order to do this one must be able to really listen to what is being said an offer a genuine level empathy – I used to believe that empathy means being able to say that you have lived through the same circumstance. However, I have come to understand that if the person you are offering empathy to really believes they are being heard, if they can feel a connection to them as a person, then any empathy offered by you will be accepted as it really stems from trust. If your client feels that you will listen without prejudice, hear what they have to say, keep their confidence AND offer a path to a real and achievable solution; you are on the way to establishing a counselling skills relationship.
Empowerment – The strength of this approach aims to enable service users and clients to develop their inner recourses and power to address their problems they don’t treat the people, find causes or offer cures. Weaknesses: 1. Therapy takes place- Counsellors use the quality of their relationship to help people gain new insights to their life stories this isn’t practical for a ‘quick fix’. May achieve more changes in the way a person lives, causing it to take up more time and be expensive. (114) The strengths and weaknesses of behavioural approach Strengths: 1.
It is my desire to support clients' efforts to gain insight and identify solutions for their areas of concern and believe that most of the answers lie within. From my perspective, the counselor's role is to create a climate in which clients can examine their thoughts, feelings, and actions and eventually arrive at solutions that are best for them. As a counselor, it is important to be non-judgmental, when counseling or helping another person, regardless of how open-minded I may consider myself to be. Personality attributes of professional counselors has a great impact in the counseling process. Being nonjudgmental and accepting are important attributes in any of the helping professions.
Good communication is the foundation to successful relationship i.e. patient and career, either through verbal or non verbal communication. Non verbal communication is a form of interpersonal interaction by gesticulating and eye movements. Non verbal communication skills (Body Language) improve relationships by helping to accurately read people's emotions they are feeling, creating trust and responding to non verbal clues to show that you understand notice and care what the patient is saying. Being an effective communicator requires the person to be open minded in respecting other people's thoughts and opinions in avoiding passing judgment on what that person is saying.
This puts the therapist in an easier position to determine what type of psychological mind set of their client. Some traits of an individual’s personality are more effective than others. The individual’s personality determines the effectiveness of the psychological theory. The therapist holds the responsibility of developing a synopsis of their client’s personality in order to determine what approach to will work best on their client. Even though therapist are considered experts in the areas of
According to Crabb our reactions to difficult life experiences take on one of three forms: guild, resentment, or anxiety (Crabb, 1977). Furthermore Crabb (1977) believes that many of our problems in life are simply the way we interpret our experiences. People who can have positive feelings towards situations are able to cope with their problems in a healthy way. And people who negatively view their experiences are more likely to fight guilt, resentment and anxiety. This is where counselors come in, for simple problems the counselor can just be a friend they do not need to be a professional simply someone who can listen and help sort out life experiences and offer simple advice.
Developing a therapeutic, healing and growing relationship between counsellor and client depended on three important “core” conditions. These three “core conditions”, empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence make it easier for the client to trust the counselling process and the counsellor (Mearns and Thornes, 2007). These three conditions are also necessary in facilitating and producing successful results when applied to psychotherapeutic intervention or techniques towards self- actualising (Seister and Wastell 2002). Congruence in particular is likened to “genuineness” and “realness” by Rogers and it is the notion of “transparency” by the Counsellor that captures the essence of this realness (McMillan, 2004). Mearns and Thornes 2007 stated: The more a counsellor is able to be herself in the relationship without putting up a professional front or a personal façade the greater will be the chance of the client changing and developing in a positive and constructive manner.