Power And Control Issues

This essay will explore the counselling relationship along with the benefits and limitations as well as discussing other factors that have an important impact in relation to the outcome of counselling. Counselling is an interpersonal relationship between the client and qualified therapist, the relationship involves communicating with the client and using skills to explore the client's feelings. The counselling/ therapeutic relationship can be used in all types of counselling such as psychodynamic, humanistic, behavioural, person centred and cognitive therapy. As mental health disorders increase so does the need to deliver effective counselling, which means that the therapeutic relationship is more crucial than ever. (Miller, Hubble, Duncan and Wampold 2010; Norcross and Lambert 2011).

Sometimes there are experiences that can completely change a person. A person comes in one way and comes out completely different, usually in their head. This happens a lot, even way back to the early 1600’s in the tragedy-based play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, where Macbeth develops and changes as a character over the course of the play in terms of his mentality. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is motivated by the witches predictions, can not control his thoughts, and lets his emotions get in the way of what he wants. Towards the end of the play, Macbeth is motivated by his need to survive, can control his thoughts better and limits the effect emotions have on him. These are three key components that change

As social workers, it is our responsibility to use the most effective method of practice to engage our clients, assess their situation, and help them create goals that will produce positive outcomes. Every client will present a unique set of challenges; therefore, the social worker must be careful in choosing an approach that will meet the client’s needs, compliment the skills of the therapist and are in line with the agency’s mission. According to Robert and Watkins (2009), psychotherapy is a therapeutic interaction between a trained therapist and a client that is

“Feelings of incompetence (FOI) plague therapists throughout their careers independently of the actual efficacy of their work. FOI arise when therapists’ beliefs in their abilities, judgment, and/or effectiveness in their role as therapists are temporarily challenged internally” (The´riault, 2003). When a psychology professional loses his or her belief in his or her work ability it will lead to the feeling of being incompetence. The feeling of incompetence will hinder the professional’s courage and ability to assist his or

1. Overholser, J. C. (2005). Contemporary Psychotherapy: Promoting personal responsibility for therapeutic change. Journal of Contemporary psychotherapy, 35,369-376.

Throughout my live, my behavior towards change has evolved into a more mature acceptance of the inevitable. As an adolescent, I failed to contemplate the reasoning behind changes that occurred within my life. I

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.

     Today many people seek professional therapy or counseling for a limited amount of time in order to deal with different life crises. Others seek professional help for the majority of their lives in order to deal with a psychological disorder. After reading this chapter on Therapy, I learned that this was not always the case, and that the way our society views therapy, and the meaning of therapy, has changed dramatically of the years. This chapter not only explains the evolution of therapy, it explores the different therapeutic approaches.

With these attributes, they will have the fundamentals of creating a strong therapeutic alliance with their clients. The therapists should be encouraged in “treating new cases as unique and constructing new theories to fit them, rather than depending on categories of established theory and technique” (Safran & Muran, 2000). Although this does not mean that standard techniques are useless, flexibility and creativity in application of these theories is considered the most important skill of a good therapist.

This application paper will discuss my personal theory of counseling or psychotherapy in a number of different areas. Specifically, I will discuss the seven areas of interest. First, I will discuss and describe

New and upcoming interventionists and therapists can let each of their clients know in the beginning that if they are feeling any type of agitation or frustration that they can feel free to step away or take a break if necessary. Therapists should not be afraid to ask for colleague advice or consulting with other professionals. Assessing a situation before a crisis escalates is key to prevention. Lastly, if a client needs to be referred to a different or more experienced professional, then the therapist cannot be afraid or hesitant to do

The authors found that, when new therapists experience symptoms of vicarious traumatization, they may experience anxiety, shame, and feelings of incompetence. The feeling of shame could make the new therapists not seek help in the form of adequate supervision and support. If nothing is done to treat vicarious trauma then there is the risk that the therapists may distance themselves emotionally and not be effective in clinical work which will eventually lead to burnout or quitting the field of psychology

If the client feels “safe” in the session, this can be very powerful for them. As sessions occur, the client will feel more comfortable in trusting the clinician with their feelings, attitudes and emotions. The client is able to present their needs and problems in ways that only they can express. Another factor that may resonate in the sessions may include transference and counter-transference. Transference is when the client’s attitudes, feelings and emotional conflicts from past events begin to be directed to the therapist, while Countertransference is exactly the opposite, when the therapist’s attitudes, feelings, and emotional conflicts from the past are directed towards the client (Transference and Countertransference, 2011). There are not too many positive factors with Countertransference, except being able to recognize it, when it exists, and be able to work out any conflict. A client’s experiences can affect their feelings, emotions, and behaviors towards their therapist. If the therapist remains their professionalism, and sets the proper limits and boundaries, a client can work through past experiences that are affecting their functioning. In a lecture, it is the role of the counselor to recognize the client’s experience; reflect and process the client’s emotional state, as well as process their own emotional reactions to clients and their issues. When clients can work through their problems from past

There are many variables that influence the success of therapy for the client, none more so than the therapeutic relationship. The therapeutic relationship is defined as the strength and collaborative relationship between the client and therapist that emphasises mutually agreed goals and tasks within the context of a strong affective bond (Horvath, 1994.) In the therapeutic relationship, the clinician offers care, touch, compassion, presence, and any other act or attitude that would foster healing, and expects nothing in return (Trout, 2013.) Some clinicians believe that the “therapeutic relationship is a precondition of change, others as the fertile soil that permits change, while others see it as the central mechanism of change itself” (Norcross, 2010.) This is not to devalue other variables that impact the success of the therapy such as client involvement and the treatment method.

Recognizing hazards in the workplace and setting clear boundaries initially and maintaining them throughout therapy will go a long ways in a therapist “keeping their sanity” intact. It is better to be proactive than reactive in this respect and dismiss the notion that “Boundary issues or countertransference issues won’t affect me.” “Those who understand the etiology and impact of these liabilities are most effective in minimizing their negative consequences, and thus more successfully “leave it at the office” at the end of a long workday” (Norcross & Guy, 2007, p. 36). I believe that all counselors will carry pieces of their clients with them at all times, but remaining aware of the risks and dangers associated with our specific occupation will allow counselors not to be affected as