A Theoretical Orientation As A Counselor

3. What is a theoretical orientation in counseling? What value does following a theoretical orientation bring to counseling?

A theoretical orientation is the model used to describe a client’s behavior, tendencies and personality. Therapists can’t approach and find explanations of behavior or personality in the same manner due to the difference in client issues, diagnoses, and symptoms. Although different in nature each theoretical orientation consists of the general themes that can be seen and utilized universally. As a counselor, it is important to develop and have sense of which theoretical orientation works best for you and the type of clientele that you will be servicing. While it may be a challenge to pick one theoretical orientation and stick to it due to the vast variety, it is important that you incorporate your background, values, religious beliefs, as well as a host of other factors into your decision to ensure that that orientation can be utilized properly.

In the professional field of Social Work, there are many terminologies that individuals outside of this group may not understand. During the process of assessing a problem in a family, there are different theoretical perspectives that helps social workers understand different aspects of family situations. There are eight theoretical perspectives that helps social workers understand family’s dynamic and situations. These theoretical perspectives are; system perspective, conflict perspective, exchange and choice perspective, social constructionist perspective, psychodynamic perspective, developmental perspective, social behavior perspective and humanistic perspective.

In this paper I will explore each of these areas in order to define my own personal practice framework, as well as looking at how the elements I have chosen fit within the social work field.

I believe counseling is a collaborative partnership between client and counselor. Furthermore, this collaborative partnership is built from trust and acceptance of both client and counselor. I hope in conjunction with clients to understand the issues and concerns so to help them tap into their wisdom, creativity, and strengths to meet their current challenges. I believe in a comprehensive perspective through which clients can better comprehend themselves in the framework that our thinking about events can lead to emotional and behavioral upset. Moreover, counselors are to provide a safe environment for clients to explore their challenges and identify ways to move differently in overcoming these challenges.

Values, Morals, and Beliefs are components that play a role in an individual’s self-identity. The establishment of these components shape human nature, behavior, and the development of an individual’s purpose. The basis of these fundamentals has contributed to my desire to become a counselor. This paper will discuss my views of human nature, factors of behavior changes, goals of therapy, the roles of a therapist, and the counseling approaches that I chose to incorporate in a practice.

Another prominent theoretical perspective utilized in this case is social constructionist perspective. This perspective views the relationships between a person’s knowledge and how it constructs their reality. For Bea, her reality for most of her life has been the life she had with her husband. With his recent passing, Bea is now having to create and understand a new reality, one where she is living independently and is only responsible for her own personal needs. The supports the worker has put in place, in addition to the case management provided, will help guide Bea as she gains new knowledge and makes interactions that will help shape her new reality.

Throughout this essay I will illustrate the similarities and differences between the three core theories by looking at the theory behind each concept, the nature of the client/counsellor relationship and the techniques used. The three core theories to be considered here are Humanistic,

The way the concept theoretical orientation relates to me being a student studying Social Work I have been introduced to theories that offer understandings to help to assist clients with their problems. Theories are basic guiding tools to help practitioners to interact with our clients and to help shape our professional identity. The approach that I am most interested in is the Decisional model, Loge therapy, and person centered Counseling. Decisional Counseling process makes decisions by assisting the client by defining problem, Generating alternative problems and assisting the client with taking action .Loge Therapy is the process that assists the client with finding their purpose this will assist clients to be able to undergo any hardships that they may encounter. Person Centered Counseling is the process that the client is in control of what they want to do as a practitioner we facilitate the process. The way I will start to build my competence using the uses of theories are inside of my practicum. My field placement is at The Boys& Girls Club I believe that the Decisional Counseling approach will be useful because of the services the Boys & Girls Club provide for the youth so that can be successful. There has numerous situations when students received consequences because of their negative behavior. Using this method I could try to get

The Generalist Model is having a broad range of knowledge on professional values and ethics and a broad range of skills, basically eclectic-based. By being eclectic, the social worker is able to help the client in any situation from at least a basic level. It allows them to work in different environments, whether it is considered to be micro, mezzo, or macro. There are seven stages of the generalist model; engagement, assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, termination, and follow up. Each stage will be discussed below and how it helps change the client for the better. It is important that the social worker and client go through each stage and successfully complete the stage before moving onto the next.

This paper identifies the three major counseling theories that have been the most influential in the development of my ideas on counseling. The major points of Person-Centered Therapy, Adlerian Therapy, and Behavioral Therapy are looked at in brief. Each theory is then shown how a school counselor can apply them into their work with students. While one theory does not work for every situation in the school setting, each theory brings something beneficial to the school counselor.

Theoretical Orientation Reflection Paper Natasha Cartwright Senior Seminar February 8, 2017 Dr. Hill Theoretical Orientation Reflection Paper Introduction In the field of social work it is essential to be aware of theoretical approaches to incorporate into the work and realize which one fits more effectively with your different perspectives of life. With a better understanding of who you are, it becomes more easier to figure out your best way of counseling; figuring out which theories you find least and most appealing helps as well. When you are rooted in a theoretical orientation that aligns with your personal values and beliefs everything aligns up well. Applying your research of theoretical orientations to your actual work creates

As a counselor, being aware of the theoretical approaches and which ones best suit your perspective on human nature, complications, and change for an individual is vital. Not only is understanding the approaches important, but the counselor’s own values and personal philosophy are equally fundamental for the counselor to do their job efficiently.

You did a great job explaining the different theories. My definitions were similar to your definitions. I agree with your statement that as a social worker all theories can be used within the practice. The theory that will be used depends on the type of group and/or individual you are working with. The theory I like most is the learning theory. I am a firm believer that people will do what they see other people doing. As children our parents teach us how we should act or behave. Throughout my professional career my new job orientations consist of a preceptor showing me how to do the job. I never just sat and read an orientation manual, then was expected to do the job. What type of group do you think I can facilitate with

The Theoretical Orientation Graphic is another tool for the social workers’ toolbox. In my opinion this is another way for social workers to communicate effectively without introducing a whole bunch of paper or slides. This way of communicating will work for any form of meetings. I enjoyed the how you can pick the kinds of diagrams to represent the type of presentation that is at hand. This is new way to display a flowchart and I will use this by incorporating ideas for my clients before board meetings and research.