“the Strengths and Weakness of Adlerian Therapy

The Adlerian therapist, on the other hand with his orientation of depth psychology, would approach the session with a priori convictions and perceptions about the client's situation. These beliefs would then format the way that he constructs and directs the session as well as the way that he interprets response and reaction of Daniel.

This paper will carry out a comparative analysis of the two most important psychological therapies, the Adlerian Therapy and the Gestalt Therapy.

It is my goal to become a school counselor in a local high school. As a school counselor, it is also important to try and understand the different experiences that children go through in order to get through to them. After studying the different counseling theories, I have discovered that each theory is valid and there are ideas and techniques that I would use out of each of them. However, there are some theories more than others that I would use to guide me daily as a school counselor. Modern day counseling is equipped with a wide variety of therapies, techniques and approaches. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast three approaches of therapy. Also in this essay the views of the person and the Therapeutic process will be

Wood, A. (2004). Alfred Adler’s treatment as a form of brief therapy. The Journal of contemporary psychotherapy. 33 (4), 287-301.

Adlerian theory and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) may be thought to have many similarities. This may be because CBT is rooted in Adlerian theory (Sperry, 2017). This paper discusses Adlerian theory, then Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Both of these sections include the theoretical basis for, and interventions or techniques used, within each approach. Also discussed are key points specific to counseling in schools pertaining to, and skills necessary for counselors utilizing, each approach. This paper then explains the similarities and differences between Adlerian theory and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Adlerian, Cognitive Behavioral, and Solution Focused Brief Therapy are three major theories that are used today. All three theories have things that make them similar as well as different.

There are many major key concepts in this theory that correspond well with this case. First of all, taking the holistic concept in consideration and deciphering Lillian’s social involvement with her family, friends and school will help determine her goals for therapy. Additionally, as emphasized by Adler, the phenomenological approach should be utilize to gain insight into Lillian’s world in order to understand her family constellation and her guiding self-ideal to assist her in achieving her goals.

Alfred Adler, a renowned and highly influential psychologist who came to prominence in the early part of the 20th century coined the term ‘family constellation’, which served as a metaphor to describe the influence of familial bonds and dynamics upon the personality development of individuals, particularly children. Adler’s conception of the family constellation has been adopted and studied extensively since his time. Rudolf Dreikurs built upon Adler’s work some years later, and vouched for the usefulness of the family constellation perspective in psychoanalytic work:

Adler saw that what is learned in the family, is central to one’s later self-image, relationships, work, marital choices, parenting, moral behavior, and how one pursues one’s goals. Adler felt that there were three basic childhood

The means for which one should go about counseling the imperial client and counseling the interpersonal client should differ greatly as people functioning at these stages using Kegan’s subject-object theory are fundamentally different in their characteristics, cognitive limitations, and strengths. Children or adults function at the imperial stage are subject to their needs, interest, wishes, and enduring dispositions while making impulse and perception object. Where the imperial client has a self-concept and is more self-sufficient than those operating at the previous, impulse stage, they have not developed consciously enough to maintain relationships, behave responsibly, express feelings, or tune into other’s needs as those who operate on the interpersonal stage do. Therefore imperial clients make decisions of right and wrong according to what will benefit or disadvantage them directly. They are able to debate between two competing impulses and recognize ambivalence between two objects when it occurs. People at the imperial balance use language as the primary means for social interaction and communication. They become more reality oriented rather than mere fantasies and focus on fantasizing about things that can actually be achieved one day. Children or adults in this stage live by the rules of the world around them and are able to see that egocentric behaviors sometimes conflict with the regulations put before them. They typically respond well to praise and seek out

I feel that our perception of the past influences the way we act in the present. However, I do think that it should be taken into account that I, nor my client, will be able to change the past. Early experiences play a significant role in who we are but do not determine us as a whole. I believe Adler’s idea of a subjective reality, individual to each person, is similar to how people operate. People create and interpret their own experience, which means that a sense of reality is individual to each person. It is my goal as a counselor to do my best to try and understand each of my client’s realities and cater to them that would seem fit, since we are not all molded the same in our thought processes. People have the capacity to interpret, influence and create events. In order to understand people we must first understand the systems of which they are part. Adler’s life style assessment is holistic and systemic. In any beginning counseling relationship, I would try and gather as much information as I can about their attitudes and come to find an understanding of the lives that they live through their own personal perspective. This subjective reality is described as phenomenological and includes the individual’s perceptions, thoughts, feelings, values,

The Adlerian therapy believes that people are self-determined decision-makers free to choose the goals they want to pursue. This would be helpful to Ruth because she is not clear on who she is, aside from being a mother, wife, and student. She realizes that she does not have a good sense of what she wants from herself and that she typically has chosen to live according to others expectations of her. For the Adlerian theory the therapeutic process helps individuals become aware of their patterns and make some basic changes in their style of living which leads to changes in the way they feel and behave. This would be helpful to Ruth because she describes her life as uneventful predictable and feels panic reaching the age of 40. Using the concept of anti-deterministic from Gestalt and Existential. These theorist believe that people have the ability to change and become more responsible. This will make Ruth more responsible and not just live up to others expectations of her but her own expectations. Assisting Ruth resolve past issues by bringing them into the here and now. Bringing her feelings up to the here and now from when her father caught her playing doctor at the age of six with an eight year old boy. Gestalt theory of the here and now is useful because this would resolve repressed feelings she had about her own emerging sexuality during adolescence. Theoretical

Social embeddedness. One of the most important concepts of Adlerian therapy is the focus on the social importance of humanity. Adler viewed people as social

According to Blom, (2006) “The integration of polarities is a prerequisite for a dynamic and healthy life process.” Therefore, all techniques and modalities from gestalt theory focus on direct experience and experimentation. From this perspective, direct experience is the only way that learning can take place. The therapist should avoid counseling and interpretation during therapy and focus on creating an atmosphere where the client can discover what is important and they can react to the information as it is important to them. The therapist is primarily a catalyst in the process of therapy. Oaklander (1994) posits that any interpretation by the therapist must be verified with the child.

Compared to psychoanalysts of Victorian Era, Alfred Adler looked at psychology from a more holistic, humanistic and positive perspective. He was convinced that the main focus should be shifted from biological needs, drives and instincts to individual differences, experience, interaction and social environment. Adler placed great emphasis on sibling and peer group relationships, social interest and achieving perfection. He also introduced the terms inferiority and superiority complex, so commonly used nowadays, to the world.