Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy Notes
Introduction and Overview– He talks about the therapy techniques, strategies and unique
approaches when applying theories and practices when offering therapy to clients. In order to
become accurate in theory and practice of counseling clients you must give yourself a
substantial amount of research, therapy sessions and studying theories. It doesn’t happen
overnight!
Psychodynamic Approaches
1. Psychoanalytic Therapy– is the theory of personality organization and the dynamics of
personality development that guides psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating
psychopathology.
2. Adlerian Therapy– humanistic and goal oriented theory that emphasizes the individual’s
strivings for success, connectedness with others, and contributions to society as being
hallmarks of mental health.
Experimental and Relationship Oriented Therapies
3. Existential Therapy– based upon the fundamental belief that all people experience
intrapsychic conflict due to their interaction with certain conditions inherent in human
existence, which are known as givens.
4. Person Centered Therapy- uses a non-authoritative approach that allows clients to take
more of a lead in discussions so that, in the process, they will discover their own
solutions. The therapist acts as a compassionate facilitator, listening without judgment
and acknowledging the client’s experience without moving the conversation in another
direction.
5. Gestalt Therapy- is a client-centered approach to psychotherapy that helps clients focus
on the present and understand what is really happening in their lives right now, rather
than what they may perceive to be happening based on past experience. clients learn to
become more aware of how their own negative thought patterns and behaviors are
blocking true self-awareness and making them unhappy. Clients deal with the here and
now.
Cognitive Behavioral Approaches
6. Behavior Therapy– is focused on helping an individual understand how changing their
behavior can lead to changes in how they are feeling. The goal of behavior therapy is
usually focused on increasing the person’s engagement in positive or socially reinforcing
activities.
7. Cognitive Behavior Therapy– is a short-term, goal-oriented psychotherapy treatment
that takes a hands-on, practical approach to problem-solving. Its goal is to change
patterns of thinking or behavior that are behind people’s difficulties, and so change the
way they feel.
8. Choice Theory/Reality Therapy– is a therapeutic approach that focuses on problem-
solving and making better choices in order to achieve specific goals. Reality therapy is
focused on the here and now rather than the past.
Systems and Postmodern Approaches
9. Feminist Therapist- is a set of related therapies arising from what proponents see as a
disparity between the origin of most psychological theories and the majority of people
seeking counseling being female. It focuses on societal, cultural, and political causes and
solutions to issues faced in the counseling process.
10. Postmodern Therapy- focuses on deconstructing common beliefs and examining their
value in an individual’s life. For example, postmodern therapists question the definition
of “mental health” as well as commonly held assumptions such as the definition of
success and what it means to be an adolescent.
11. Family System Therapy- individuals cannot be understood in isolation from one another,
but rather as a part of their family, as the family is an emotional unit.
The Counselor: Person and Professional- The person and the professional are intertwined
