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A Reflective And Competent Practitioner Essay

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In my journey to become a reflective and competent practitioner, the approach to counseling theory, which I espouse, will play an integral role in my development as a counselor. It will define the techniques I employ, how I develop and view the therapeutic relationship, how involved I will be in client’s goal setting and change process, as well as, my view of human nature. I fully comprehend that as I progress in my career, my approach may alter and adjust as I actively work with clients and utilize my approach in a real world setting. While understanding that the approach I take may not always be applicable to every client I encounter and may require adaptation in order to benefit my clients, the approach that I have adopted is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Guiding Theory Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an insight-focused therapy that emphasizes the here-and-now (Corey, 2009). It typically is brief and time-limited therapy that is collaborative in nature, fairly structured and empirically based (Freeman, Felgoise, Nezu, Nezu, & Reinecke, 2005). Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck are the major names that arise when discussing CBT. My theoretical orientation slants more towards the foundations of CBT set by Beck. Beck contends that individual perceptions of events shape feelings and behaviors. His foundation operates on three main assumptions. First, that clients can gain insight through introspection. Second, core beliefs have exceedingly personal implications. Finally,

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