Therapeutic Orientation

Most of my professional life to date has focused on working with people with disabilities and in helping them identify and achieve their goals. As an occupational therapist, I had coursework in psychology, but no formal training in counseling. My ability to help my patients reach their highest potential really depended on my professional relationship, or what as therapists we referred to as “therapeutic use of self”. I certainly learned and used specific techniques and assessments over the years to help me achieve better outcomes, but never identified with any specific theory as the framework of my interactions. I recognize there were times when my personality and my skills were a great match and other times when I felt like I just couldn’t figure out the right approach. Thankfully for much of my career, I worked with an interdisciplinary team that included some very skilled psychologists, so I always had the ability to consult.

My beliefs about human life are intricate. We are complex individuals that are shaped not only by our genes, but also by our environments, our experiences and interactions with others. Surely, the way that people behave can be due to psychological disorders that we are not at fault for, however, I also believe that issues involving anxiety, stress and depression are often perpetuated by our own thinking processes and how we feel about ourselves in comparison to the beliefs of others. Often times, I feel that having someone to listen, validate, empathize and care for us is what it takes for change to take place. As social beings, I believe that through interactions with a person who we care about and a person that cares about us, improvements can be made. In this paper, I will discuss how my philosophy of life relates to that of person-centered therapy, as described by Sharf (2016).

Establishing a theoretical orientation in counseling is vital to mental health profession, without a basis of knowledge on how to respond will often lead to the thinking that the counselor in incompetent in the field. Development of a theoretical orientation is often initiated and enhanced through

Philosophy and Approach: I believe in the healing power of counseling, and having safe place to tell one’s personal story. My approach is eclectic and trauma informed. I draw upon reality theory and the study of behaviors and neurocognitive development. I use CBT, mindfulness, and other practices as appropriate.

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.

My top five theories are Gestalt, Reality, Person Centered, Existential and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Within these five theories my top five aspects that I would like to incorporate into my own personal model of counseling is as follows: 1.) From Gestalt therapy I would incorporate staying with the feeling and use experiments along with internal dialogue exercises (Corey, 2013). The aspect of getting to the root of unfinished business in regards to impasse is appealing in regards to this theory as well as the idea that it moves the client to a place where they are more confident asking for help (Corey, 2013) 2.) From the Reality Therapy approach I would incorporate the WDEP technique (Corey, 2013). I feel that it is of the most importance to recognize what one wants from his or her life and to be able to verbalize and have an action based, planned path that moves one towards the goal (Corey, 2013). 3.) From the Person Centered Approach I would incorporate genuineness, unconditional positive regard and accurate empathic understanding (Corey, 2013). In regards to the therapeutic process when working with people in crisis I believe this model is most effective (Corey, 2013). 4.) From an Existential Therapy approach I would incorporate the aspect of guiding the client to a place of awareness. I believe being aware of why one is not living their life fully is very important to moving a person toward making choices that will get them to a life that is more authentic to who

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

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.

Having a theoretical orientation as a counselor is important in working with clients in social work career. Theoretical orientation helps us as a social worker to attend to different challenges facing the clients and deal with family problems, behaviors and emotions. As a novice student, having a theoretical framework serve as a “road map.” The purpose of this paper is to explain the important of having a theoretical framework and its important when dealing with families, individuals and treatment groups.

Evaluate the claim that Person-Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients.

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.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce to the reader the theoretical orientation of Taneka Gibson. The theoretical orientation adopted by the student should represent by beliefs and values as a professional counselor. Theoretical orientation reflects the theory or theories at which a counselor base their practice. The theories identified in this paper are Person-Centered and Reality Theory.

There are many values this writer wishes to incorporate into a counseling relationship. The fundamental values this writer wishes to incorporate are: flexibility, self-awareness, self-regulation, and empathy. The ability to be flexible and alter what one does in order to fit the client’s needs is crucial to establishing and maintaining a therapeutic relationship. Flexibility can be demonstrated in many different ways, such as the way the therapist interacts with the client, the tone of voice that is utilized, down to the way the therapist provides material to the client. In being flexible, treatment is able to remain focused on the client and his or her needs (Egan, 2014).