Counseling Theories

Psychoanalysis

As a therapy, psychoanalysis is based on the observation that individuals are often unaware of many of the factors that determine their emotions and behavior. These unconscious factors may create unhappiness, sometimes in the form of recognizable symptoms and at other times as troubling personality traits, difficulties in work or in love relationships, or disturbances in mood and self-esteem. Because these forces are unconscious, the advice of friends and family, the reading of self-help books, or even the most determined efforts of will, often fail to provide relief.

Jungian Analysis and Therapy

Jungian analysis is a "depth psychology," or psychology of the unconscious. "The interpretation of dreams," Freud says, "is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious." Perhaps even more than in contemporary Freudian analysis, dream interpretation is integral to any Jungian analysis. In contrast to Freud, who asserts that all dreams are wish-fulfillments (usually sexual ones), Jung contends that most dreams are attitude-compensations. The attitudes that dreams compensate are those of the ego. Jung says that compensatory dreams "add to the conscious psychological situation of the moment all those aspects which are essential for a totally different point of view."

Alderian Therapy

Alderian Therapy is a growth model. It stresses a positive view of human nature and that we are in control of our own fate and not a victim to it. We start at an early age in creating our own unique style of life and that style stays relatively constant through the remained of our life. That we are motivated by our setting of goals, how we deal with the tasks we face in life, and our social interest. The therapist will gather as much family history as they can. They will use this data to help set goals for the client and to get an idea of the clients' past performance. This will help make certain the goal is not to low or high, and that the client has the means to reach it. The goal of Alderian Therapy is to challenge and encourage the clients' premises and goals. To encourage goals that are useful socially and to help them feel equal. These goals maybe from any component of life including, parenting skills, marital skills, ending substance-abuse, and most anything else. The therapist will focus on and examine the clients' lifestyle and the therapist will try to form a mutual respect and trust for each other. They will then mutually set goals and the therapist will provided encouragement to the client in reaching their goals. The therapist may also assign homework, setup contracts between them and the client, and make suggestions on how the client can reach their goals.

Existential therapy

Existential therapy focuses on freedom of choice in shaping one's own life. Teaches one is responsible to shape his / her own life and a need for self-determination and self-awareness. The uniqueness of each individual forms his / her own unique personality, starting from infancy. Existential therapy focuses on the present and on the future. The therapist try's to help the client see they are free and to see the possibilities for their future. They will challenge the client to recognize that he / she themselves were responsible for the events in their life. This type of therapy is well suited in helping the client to make good choices or in dealing with life.

Person-Centered Therapy

Person-centered therapy gives more responsibility to the client in their own treatment and views humans in a positive manner. Founded by Carl Rogers in the 1940's. Rogers had great faith that we could and would work out our own problems. The therapist will move the client towards self awareness, helping the client to experience previously denied feelings. They will teach the client to trust in themselves and to use this trust to find their direction in life. The person-centered therapist makes the client aware of their problems and then guilds them to a means of resolve them. The therapist and client must have faith that the client can and will find self-direction. The therapist focus on the here and how. They motivate the client in experiencing and expressing feelings. The person-centered therapist believes that good mental health is a balance between the ideal self and real self. This is where the problem lies, the result of difference between what we are and what we wish to be causes maladjusted behavior.

Gestalt Therapy

Gestalt therapy integrates the body and mind factors, by stressing awareness and integration. Integration of behaving, feelings, and thinking is the main goal in Gestalt therapy. Client's are viewed as having the ability to recognize how earlier life influences may have changed their life's. The client is is made aware of personal responsibility, how to avoid problems, to finish unfinished matters, to experience thing in a positive light, and in the awareness of now. It is up to the therapist to help lead the client to awareness of moment by moment experiencing of life. Then to challenge the client to accept the responsibility of taking care of themselves rather then excepting others to do it. The therapist may use confrontation, dream analysis, dialogue with polarities, or role playing to reach their goals. This may include treatment of crisis intervention, marital / family therapy, problem in children's behavior, psychosomatic disorders, or the training of mental health professionals.

Behavior Therapy

Behavior therapy is always undergoing refinement and uses learning to overcome specific behavioral problems. In this type of therapy it is believed that behaviors are learned, that we are a product of our environment. Focus will be on present and overt behavior. In this type of therapy it is believed that reinforcement and imitation teaches normal behavior and that abnormal behavior is a direct result of defective learning. Therapy will be based on learning theory. The therapy will include a treatment plan, the goals of the treatment will be laid out up front, and the outcome expected from the therapy will be set right up front too. To eliminate unwanted behaviors