Question 1
Denis-Friske’s narrative approach states sanctions people as experts in their own life which effectively empowers them in their self-perspective and counseling relationship (2014). Through storytelling, clients impacted by traumatic are allowed the opportunity to narrate their own experiences as a process of emotional and psychological catharsis. In enabling people as experts over their own life, child and youth care counselors do not dictate what they ought to do in their process of overcoming traumatic or crisis experiences but act as guidance figures in client’s lives towards their healing (Denis-Friske, 2014). As victims of abuse, giving people the time and space to create their own meanings in narrative making and focus on their inner character’s strength and resiliency, people are made experts of their own lives by authoring their own stories and taking into control how they want to perceive their situation – in spite of adversity, strength can be recovered from deep within.
It is important that counselors empower clients as experts of their own lives because it gives them autonomy and this will be beneficial when the counseling relationship eventually comes to a close. When clients recount their own stories from their individual perspectives, agendas, and beliefs, this is powerful and significant because no one else can testify about their own life better than they can. Storytelling reweaves people’s perspective to see their potential for strength, renewal
The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) define counselling, along with psychotherapy, as being “umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies” (BACP, 2012: 1). In addition, counselling is provided by practitioners who “work with people over a short or long term to help them bring about effective change or enhance their wellbeing” (BACP, 2012: 1). Those who practice counselling in a professional manner undergo intensive training and personal development, the latter of which has been “defined in terms of self-awareness and change” (Wheeler, 1996: 75). These changes, according to Johns, “influence the
Solution-focused therapy is different from narrative and collaborative therapy because it focuses more on discovering solutions to problems by asking miracle and scaling questions (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013). Solution-focused therapists utilize miracle and scaling questions to help clients change their thoughts and behavior. Miracle questions challenge clients to think about what their lives could be like if all their problems suddenly went away and were solved (Henderson & Thompson, 2016). Scaling questions challenge the client to magnify their view of the current circumstance (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013). Solution-focused therapy is also different from narrative and collaborative therapy because the counselor leads the counseling session. Counselors lay out clear expectations for their clients to change, and expect them to actively participate in counseling so change occurs. The third difference between the three approaches is that solution-focused therapy is complaint-based, while narrative and collaborative therapy is not (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013). Clients come to counseling with a complaint, and counselors typically work with those who ready and willing to change. Another difference is that solution-focused therapy consists of five steps, which are “co-constructing a problem and goal, identifying and amplifying exceptions, assigning tasks, evaluating effectiveness, and reevaluating problems and goals” (Goldenberg & Goldenberg, 2013, p. 382). Collaborative and narrative therapy do not follow these five
By discussing this particular experience in detail, I can begin to understand the specific skills a counsellor may use in many different situations in order to help others (Egan, 2007, p. 13). In this reflective
Counseling is defined as ”the use of therapeutic strategies to help clients address personal concerns and mental health issues” (Nystul, 2016). Pursuing counseling as a career involves many years of formal study and certification or licensure. After receiving licensure to practice as a professional counselors it is a requirement to maintain involvement and certification in certain associations in order to hold your license. These association often require further education and/or professional practice in order to maintain membership in these associations. It is quite obvious that counseling requires a large amount of commitment and passion in order to pursue it as a career and maintain a title as a counselor. I have conducted an interview with a professional counselor in order to further understand the experience of being a counselor. The interview that I conducted explores the requirements of maintaining and receiving a counselling career, the experience of being a counselor, and what characteristics or skills a professional may have. The Individual who agreed to the interview was a counselor by the name of Susie Facio. Susie Facio, through this interview, will be giving us a look at what influenced her to become a counselor, what her work entails on a day to day basis, and what qualities and skills she has acquired in order to become a successful counselor.
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.
Rather than trying to transform or change the person and create a new “desirable” human all together, narrative therapy leans towards the goal of transforming the
On a bright and crisp morning of March 25, 2015, I interviewed Joni Roche and learned what a typical day was like for this Professional Counselor. Mrs. Roche has owned her own practice for nearly eighteen years and has truly loved every single part of it. Mrs. Roche has received a Master of the Arts degree and is a Licensed Profession Counselor and a Nationally Credited Counselor. During my interview with Mrs. Roche, I truly learned so many things from different counseling techniques, what it is like to have a private practice and the good and bad things counseling comes with that people do not necessarily speak about.
Theoretical frameworks in counselling offer guiding perspectives and direction informing professional practice. As a practitioner I am drawn to post-modernist approaches that position the human experience as a social construction, and reality as a result of perception, language and culture ( ). Embedded however within that social construction for me is the necessity to consider the broader social and political climate and issues of power that may play a role in the human experience. As a counsellor, I would like to align with a therapeutic approach that values the diversity and experience of multiple realities, and that supports clients in finding their power both within and outside the counselling session. Embracing the client-counsellor
Many people come to social workers with a victim mentality, feeling helpless and without a future based on their past. They have been discouraged, beat down and made to feel broken. Being a victim of abuse, trauma, toxic relationships or a victim of assault are all unfortunate circumstances, but they can be overcome. It may seem like a challenge, but it is possible with assistance and God. As social workers we are to provide client’s who have experienced repeated trauma with support and resources to assist them in their journey to a hopeful life. Painful experiences seem to get the best of us at times, but focusing on the client’s ability to survive these horrific events can give the client just the push they need to see that they are a survivor. Helping the client to realize their own strengths and skills used to overcome their trauma, instead of focusing on the trauma itself, is a powerful way to help clients achieve a positive outcome. Kisthardt (1992) states “intervention will work best when there is “an orientation to, and appreciation of, the uniqueness, skills, interests, hopes, and desires of each consumer, rather than a categorical litany of deficits” (p. 60-61). Kaplan and Girard (1994) state “people will be motivated to change and grow when their strengths are
It takes very special people to want to make a difference in people’s lives, to want to help them to be better. Some people seek to become counselors after overcoming a most important life challenge. The individuals that seek the profession of marriage and family therapy do not think of this work as a job or career, more typically a constellation of life experiences that demand explanation and a sense that others seek one out for assistance and emotional sustenance become driving forces leading one to counseling profession (An Invitation to Counseling Work).
Counseling is a relatively young profession when compared to other mental health professions. In my brief personal and professional experience with the field, I have come to define counseling as a process of engagement between two people, both of whom are bound to change through a collaborative process that involves both the therapist and the client in co-constructing solutions to concerns.
Narrative therapy is a social constructive philosophical approach to psychotherapy that has been developed to help clients deconstruct their negative and self-defeating life stories while rebuilding healthy and positive life stories through the use of various techniques. This paper will discuss the leading figures, some concepts and techniques, ethics, some similarities and dissimilarities of other theories compared to Narrative therapy. This paper will also address my personal integration of faith regarding the theory of Narrative therapy.
The intervention approached should be gentle with caution to translate what the client’s story means to them and guide them towards change in a meaningful and productive way (Phipps & Vorster, 2015). For example, the this particular client may explain their series of events as devastating and life altering. Using a narrative theoretical approach externalizing the words the client uses. The client expresses
This paper examines online publications on narrative theory and therapy with domestic violence victims. It explores the history of narrative theory as well as what assumptions are made about individual and family clients when using the theory. The paper reviews the techniques that are used in narrative theory and then applies these techniques to a case study involving a victim of domestic abuse. The purpose of applying the use of narrative theory to a case is to examine how it is utilized in practice and how it can be used to empower a specific population.
Narrative counseling seeks to be respectful and a non-blaming approach to counseling; the client is the expert of his or her own life. Similar to Client Centered Therapy in which the client has the innate ability to self-actualize without the direction of the therapist. Additionally, Narrative Counseling separates the client from their problem and believes that he/she has the resources to face the problems in their lives. Client Centered Therapy also focuses on the client and separates the client