Week 1: Overview of Counselling & Psychotherapy Flashcards
Counselling vs Psychotherapy (4)
- Both counsellors and psychotherapists engage in similar behaviours: listening, questioning, interpreting, explaining, advising etc.
- Generally, psychotherapists are less directive, go deeper, work a little longer, may charge higher fees
- Generally, counsellors tend to work with less complex issues (i.e., severe mental illness) and for shorter periods of time (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2004)
- Some say they are very similar (Hill, 2010)
Counselling in summary (6)
- Short term
- Surface level issues
- Here and now
- Conscious
- Moderate client revelations
- Focused issues
Psychotherapy in summary (6)
- Long term
- Deep seated issues
- There and then
- Unconscious
- Deep client revelations
- life stories
Is therapy worth while? (3)
- Seligman (1995) found 87% self-described as very poor, 92% fairly poor showed clear improvement, long lasting*
- Wampold (as cited in Hill, 2010) that those who attended therapy were 79% psychologically healthier than untreated counterparts
- Dodo Bird Hypothesis
Dodo Bird Hypothesis (6)
Main 6 common factors, lead to therapeutic success
1) Therapeutic relationship
- feel authentic
2) Fostering hope
- Show possibility
3) New learning
- Exploring things, new techniques, addressing
problems, deal with conflict
4) Emotional engagement/arousal
- Need motivation/ driving factor, optimal level of arousal
5) Self-efficacy development
- Believe in their ability to accomplish things
6) Practice
- Enable safe space for clinic to practice new skills, dynamic relationships, getting in touch with self, and allowed to fail
Effective Treatment (6)
Miller, Duncan & Hubble (1997) found that clients made sense of therapy in the following ways:
- 40% of change was attributed to extratherapeutic factors (i.e., life events, internal resources)
- 30% to the client-therapist relationship
- 15% to specific techniques and interventions
- 15% to hope and expectation of positive change
A therapist’s presence, and how the therapist connects with the client, are the most important factors in the healing process (Seigel, 2010)*
- emphasis on therapeutic relationship
Why did Siegel put emphasis on therapeutic relationship despite it only being a 30% of how clients made sense of therapy?
everything ties back into it:
40% extratherapeutic factors: Likely to assigned homework, and self-reflection
15% Applying certain techniques on what clients need, need to connect to the client
Ingredients in Positive Change (6)
Seligman & Reichenberg (2010)
*Therapeutic relationship: trust, mutual investment, shared respect, genuineness, positive emotional feelings, holistic understanding
- Safe, supportive, healing context
- Goals, direction
- Shared understanding of problems
- Therapeutic learning, corrective experiences
- Encouragement of self-awareness and insight
Ingredients in Positive Change (Improvements) (3)
Seligman & Reichenberg (2010)
Improvement in clients’:
- Awareness of emotion
- Awareness of thoughts
- To access dysfunction and acquire healthier ways of being
Role of the Client (4)
Seligman & Reichenberg (2010)
- Motivation*
- Positive & realistic expectations for treatment
- Full participation in treatment
- Also, intelligence, education, socioeconomic level can affect treatment outcomes
Stages of Change in Clients (6) Model
Precontemplation
- Cost and problem behaviour are not yet recognised
Contemplation
- There is ambivalence about change
- Start recognise there are reasons for change, doubtful
Preparation
- Decided to make a change
Action
- End previous problematic behaviours, reach out for help, avoid triggers
Maintenance
- Action stage is maintained
possibility of relapse
Characteristics of Successful Clients (5)
1) Maturity
2) Capacity for relationships*
- Need for intimacy, trust in others, desire to connect with others, freedom from fear of abandonment
3) Ability to establish appropriate interpersonal boundaries*
- Have good self-esteem, what is or isn’t acceptable
4) Introspection, psychological mindedness
5) High frustration tolerance*
- Being able to grow from setbacks
Qualities of Effective Counsellors (10)
Gladding & Alderson, (2010)
Curiosity and inquisitiveness
Ability to listen
Comfort with conversation
Empathy and understanding
Emotional insightfulness
Introspection
Capacity for self-denial
Tolerance of intimacy
Comfort with power
Ability to laugh
Additional Qualities of Effective Counsellors (6)
Gladding & Alderson, (2010)
Intellectual competence
Energy
Flexibility
Support
Goodwill
Self-awareness
Cultural Aspects in Counselling (3)
- What values the counsellor has
- Understanding what cultural viewpoints are
- Looking at culturally appropriate interventions
