Adlerian Therapy Flashcards
Adlerian Therapy
Theory of Change
Change occurs by increasing client’s self-awareness and challenging and modifying his or her fundamental premises, life goals, and basic concepts.
Adlerian Therapy
Therapist’s Role
- Accepting, encouraging, respectful, optimistic
- Co-thinker
- Relationship is collaborative and built on trust
Adlerian Therapy
Treatment Goals
- Challenge the client’s basic premises and life goals
- Develop socially useful goals and increase social interests
- Increase the client’s sense of belonging
Adlerian Therapy - Primary Concepts and Interventions
Inferiority
Inferiority feelings are always present as a motivating force in behavior. Adler proposed that inferiority feelings are the source of all human striving. Individual growth results from compensation, from our attempts to overcome our real or imagined inferiorities.
Adlerian Therapy - Primary Concepts and Interventions
Early Recollection
Used as an assessment tool, these are stories of events that a person says occurred before the age of 10. These are specific incidents that include what the client thought and felt at the time.
Adlerian Therapy - Primary Concepts and Interventions
Family Constellation
Exploration of the family atmosphere and relational dynamics that prevailed in the family when the person was a young child.
Adlerian Therapy - Primary Concepts and Interventions
Lifestyle Assessment
Identifying, though a questionnaire and or clinical
interview consisting of early recollections, the goals and motivations of the client
•Social Context: Widened the view that problems were not simply intrapsychic and incorporated the notion that the social context of the person’s lifestyle contributed as well.
•Social Interest: Therapeutic goal was to develop social interest where client had genuine feelings of empathy for others instead of a need to conquer their feelings of inferiority.
Adlerian Therapy - Primary Concepts and Interventions
Dream Interpretation
Adler’s considered dreams as an open pathway to true thoughts, emotions and actions. According to his view, dreams enable us to clearly see our aggressive impulses and desires. Adler considered dreams as a way of compensating for the shortcomings in life. Dreams offer a kind of
satisfaction that may be more socially acceptable.
Adlerian Therapy - Primary Concepts and Interventions
Summary
Therapist shares the results of the assessments as a narrative summary that is discussed with client.
Adlerian Therapy - Primary Concepts and Interventions
Role Playing
In the middle stages of therapy, role-playing offers clients opportunities to add missing experiences to their repertoire, and to explore
and practice new behavior in the safety of the therapist’s office.
Adlerian Therapy - Primary Concepts and Interventions
Guided Imagery
Guided imagery can be used therapeutically to change the negative imprints of childhood family members that weigh heavily on a client and often ignite chronic feelings of guilt, fear, and resentment. These techniques are typically used in the middle stages of therapy.
Adlerian Therapy - Primary Concepts and Interventions
Encouragement
Helping the client to “build courage” by becoming aware of their strengths, feeling connected to others, and having a sense of hope.
Adlerian Therapy - Phases of Treatment
Beginning
Establishing the Relationship: Adlerian therapists seek to make person-to-person contact with clients rather than starting with “the
problem.” Therapists start by helping clients become aware of their assets and strengths. Completes assessment using early recollections, questionnaires, and family constellations exploration. Summary is shared with client. Focus is on dynamics that may have influenced the sense of self, inferiority and the world.
Adlerian Therapy - Phases of Treatment
Middle
Encourage self-understanding and insight through interpretation. Clients are positively encouraged to overcome their feelings of insecurity through therapist’s optimism. Collaboratively explore ways in which client can feel more deeply connected in his social context. Support client to turn dysfunctional styles of life into more functional, socially beneficial ones.
Adlerian Therapy - Phases of Treatment
End
Putting insights into practice. Encouraging clients to take risks with new behaviors to act as if they are the people they want to be.
