Personal practice theory
Abstract
This paper sheds light on some of the requirements for the Theories of Personality and Counseling class. The writer’s stand is that as individuals have different and evolving needs, a therapist should integrate different techniques and have a clearly stated approach. This paper discusses theories that include multimodal counseling therapy, existential theory, and person-centered counseling. The paper also discusses how each approach is used in accordance and how the three approaches can be integrated to achieve the desired results.
Introduction
Researchers discovering the connection between educators' beliefs and their class activities realized that educator's knowledge and skills impact all that they believe should be like and that educators create their personal theories while teaching (Corey, 2001; Iacovou, 2009; He & Levin, 2008; Hutson et al., 2009). Corey (2001) described personal practice theory as the systematic or sequential set of theories managing educator's practices that are dependent on their previous or personal life happenings. Surfacing their personal practice theory makes it possible for educators to be more acquainted with their rational of sound decision making and allows them to be reflective persons (He & Levin, 2008; Hutson et al., 2009). Consequently, teachers have also brought into the classrooms their personal experience and counseling practices. Recognizing personal practice theories that inform advising actions could enable advisors to be more considerate and philosophical in adapting and applying different advising theories and approaches in their diverse advising contexts (Levin & He, 2008).
Multimodal counseling therapy
Multimodal therapy is an approach based on the assumption that the best way to meet a client’s needs is if a therapist works in a multimodal fashion rather than a bimodal or unimodal fashion (Iacovou, 2009). Multimodal therapy, therefore, depends on multimodal assessment to select the most appropriate technique that matches the client’s unique psychological circumstances and profiles. A systematic eclecticism does not allow a therapist to choose what they feel is right but an approach based on data from specific techniques, clinical skills, and clients qualities (Iacovou, 2009). This approach is comprehensive, and the therapist can pay attention to most of the factors in play thus, can come up with a distinct approach on how to meet the client’s needs.
The fundamental premise is that some problems should be dealt with by several specific treatments (He & Levin, 2008). The multimodal approach emphasizes that all therapy must be tailored to meet the specific requirements that can solve the client’s problems in different situations (He & Levin, 2008). The multimodal therapy approach is flexible as compared to the unimodal fashion therapy. And this is mainly because it cannot be tailored to meet an individual’s needs. The methods begin with an assessment of the seven modalities of human functioning, which include Affective response, Sensation, Imagery, Cognition, Interpersonal, Behavior, and Biology (Levin & He, 2008).
Multimodal therapy administration is systematic, and it, therefore, depends on the therapist’s ability and skills. The therapist should use the most suitable counseling approach and theory that best offer solutions to the problems that the client’s face. The counselor must, therefore, possess different skills to operate in various areas of counseling approaches and techniques (He & Levin, 2008). Most multimodal therapist draw from two main areas of discipline namely; behavioral and cognitive. It does not require any special setting to administer this form of therapy. The counselor can use any standard setting, but the number of sessions will be determined by conformity to the number of problems of the client. The gravity of the client’s problems is what defines the approach to take after the counselor meets the client for the first time. For the method to be effective there is a need for the client to be open. The counselor on the other hand should put more emphasis on warmth, professionalism, and genuineness.
There are strengths within Multimodal Therapy. The multimodal approach allows for personalizing specific treatments to the client. This method pays attention to the fact that each client needs either an informal and relaxed relationship or a close and formal professional relationship. The primary I.D allows for a customized treatment plan based on the challenging areas that are adapted to the recipient rather than a standard approach where the client must change themselves too (He & Levin, 2008). To make the client comfortable, the therapist will first concentrate on the favored modality then crosses over to other modalities.
Multimodal therapy has two weaknesses. The first weakness is the approach lacks experiential research. It also does not mention explicit instructions for selecting the appropriate treatments (Hutson et al., 2009). The second weakness is the approach has not changed over time. There are no significant improvements.
Existential therapy
The main foundation of this approach is that anxiety influences human behavior. Accordingly, individuals panic and lose control of their actions and emotions when they feel that their existence may be destroyed or compromised. It dictates their knowledge or realization of reality (He & Levin, 2008). Notably, when individuals strive to maintain their existence in the world to maintain psychological health, the concepts of the theory control their behavior. Eventually, if individual confronts situations with normal anxiety, the results may be instrumental and beneficial to their development. Moreover, individuals moving toward self-actualization and self-acceptance are also supported by the approach. However, it focuses more on being present, self-aware, and constantly having existence through experience. In this case, interpersonal relationships are just how individuals relate to each other. A broad spectrum of practitioners who administer a variety of other approaches is incorporated in the existential therapy (Iacovou, 2009).
According to the existentialist view, humans have self-awareness which is a trait that makes them to be able to decide and reflect. Self-awareness allows people to choose their way of life thus making them free beings. The reason for emphasizing on responsibility and freedom is that it allows people to redesign their lives (He & Levin, 2008). To redesign one’s life, the person has to make choices and decisions that give rise to anxiety. Anxiety is heightened in the face of uncertainty, and when human beings reflect on the reality of life and death. Reality is a catalyst that can lead to changing of behaviors and thus enable one to live a meaningful and purposeful life.
Existential therapy emphasizes in an open relationship. One of the main assumptions is that genuine encounter is the best way a client can grow. From an existential point of view, the techniques are not as important as it makes the counseling process less mechanical (Corey, 2001). Focusing on the quality of the relationship between the client and the counselor rather than the technique to use makes a huge difference. In existential therapy, it is the quality of relationship, not the technique that heals (He & Levin, 2008). Creating a working relationship and understanding, the client from a subjective approach allows for a real connection. A real relationship creates a solid foundation that allows for administration of therapy in a way that favors the client.
Existential therapy has the following strengths. First, an existential approach provides the client with a spirit of hope and optimism, by emphasizing on one’s ability to create change through choice despite facing limiting conditions. Secondly, it encourages the client to address issues such as anxiety and solitude and to make meaningful choices.
The main weakness of existential therapy is that it is not a well-organized counseling approach. The founders of existential approach created key concepts and themes that were integrated into other approaches instead of creating a separate therapy school (Hutson et al., 2009). Also, the approach fails to address the limited choices that people can make.
Person-Centered Approach
The person-centered approach has borrowed heavily from concepts of humanistic psychology. The humanistic psychology approach views people as autonomous and capable, with the ability to realize their potential, transform their lives in a positive way, and solve their difficulties (He & Levin, 2008). Carl Rogers, a major contributor to this approach, lay emphasis on the need for therapeutic relationships with clients to promote authenticity, actualization, and self-esteem and encourage them to realize their high points (He & Levin, 2008). The person-centered approach aims to empower the client to develop an understanding of self to resolve his or her problems without relying on the therapist. The therapist should allow the client to feel safe in facing the unknown. The effectiveness and success of this method depend on the quality of relationship and the personal characteristics and attitudes of the therapist. Key concepts in the person-centered approach include actualization, conditions of worth, and phenomenological perspective. Self-actualization refers to the achievement of one’s potential through creativity and independence (He & Levin, 2008). Self-actualization allows the individual to work towards self-fulfillment, self-regulation, and fundamental goals. Conditions of worth refer to critical and judgmental messages from close people that pressure them to act and react in a certain way. Phenomenological perspective approach relates to an individual’s distinct perception of his or her world. The individual perceives, and experiences own the world and reacts in a distinct way (Hutson et al., 2009).
Application of techniques in person-centered therapy is different compared to the use of others. The main differences between these techniques are that other techniques focus on an activity to be done during the therapy session, whereas the person-centered approach uses techniques that create an environment that encourages the client to work towards self-awareness (He & Levin, 2008). The following techniques are employed in person-centered approach: congruence, non-defectiveness, and empathy. Congruence refers to the genuine and authentic nature of what the therapist does and says. If the counselor body language is not reflective of what they are saying, the client will notice, and this will influence their level of openness and trust in the relationship (He & Levin, 2008).
The therapist’s body language must be in line with what they are saying. If confusion arises, it is imperative the therapist addresses this as soon as possible. This increases the level of trust and put the client at ease. Non-directiveness refers to a therapy session where therapist does not offer any advice or implement any strategies but rather allows the client to be the focus. Empathy relates to a skill used to show the therapist understands the client’s emotions. Empathy is useful in therapy as it allows the client to open up.
The person-centered approach has several strengths that include; it offers a realist approach as the therapist works with up-to-date information and takes a multicultural perception. The Person-centered approach also has a positive influence on the client when the focus in on their problems and makes the client feel empowered (Hutson et al., 2009).
There are several weaknesses with the person-centered approach. They include: the therapist supports the client without challenging them, difficult and ineffective if therapy is passive and non-directive, it does not draw on behavioral or developmental therapy, therefore, limiting understanding of clients, and it is not appropriate for customers who have not motivation to change (Hutson et al., 2009).
Integration of Theory and Techniques
The writer’s belief is that an integrative approach to psychotherapy and counseling is the best as it looks beyond the limitations of the single-school approach and uses a holistic approach by considering other perspectives. Integrative Counseling is the process of creative combination of contributions from different schools of counseling, and cleverly integrating key concepts and techniques that create a customized approach to counseling (Corey, 2001). One of the reasons for integration is the acknowledgment that no single theory and technique are enough to address the complexities of human behavior, especially when working with diverse populations.
Counseling practice can involve the following pathways: theoretical integration, common factors, and technical eclecticism (Corey, 2001). Theoretical integration refers to combining two or more approaches with the view that integration will offer a comprehensive solution compared to a single approach. Combining techniques allow one method to meet the shortcoming of the other method. With the common factors approach, the aim is to identify common elements across different theoretical systems (He & Levin, 2008). This approach seeks to identify similar elements even though the theories are different and emphasizes the importance of the similar elements just as the various items in each theory make it unique. The last method, technical eclecticism, tends to focus on adapting to the most appropriate approach for several different techniques (Corey, 2001).
Combining the mentioned theories and techniques helps to avoid administration of therapy in a rigid way. The three methods described above can be integrated to achieve a personalized approach on diverse client’s needs (He & Levin, 2008). For example, Existential Therapy and Person-centered Counseling can be used when a client has self-awareness issues and is uncertain about life. The two methods will encourage the client to be positive and realize they have control over their life. Existential Therapy and Multimodal Therapy combined will be useful when solving behavioral and cognitive problems (Hutson et al., 2009). The two approaches combined will allow for the therapist to select more than one criterion, which will have a positive impact on the client’s behavior. The two approaches are best suited when the intent is to empower the client to take control of their life. Both Person-centered Counseling and Multimodal Therapy can be used when person-to-person relationships are important. When a therapist is using the two approaches, they will have first to understand the clients’ needs then allow the client to be the focus of study thus the solutions will have a great impact on the client.
Personal Practice
The writer’s belief is that it is important to use an integrative approach in therapeutic counseling as opposed to one school of thought. Each client is different in the sense that they are different cultural, biological, and environmental factors in play thus; the therapist will first have to understand the nature of the clients’ problem before deciding on how the therapeutic process will occur (Hutson et al., 2009). The writer desires to use Person-Centered Counseling and Existential Therapy, as the two will address the cause of the negative behavior and other cognitive issues. A person-centered approach allows the therapist to study the client and let them take control of the session thus the client will be very instrumental in accepting change instead of when the therapist has to play a big part. The client is in control meaning they are empowered to take control of their lives (He & Levin, 2008).
An integrative approach is the best as the counselors can personalize their approach making it less mechanical. Thus, they will be able to learn from every situation they encounter and adjust their methods accordingly. An integrative approach is more of a continuous improvement process compared to single school approach (Hutson et al., 2009).
Each person has a role in life and should always be driven by them. Knowing that roles and delivery of duty should be done in a professional way is a major objective. Additionally, recognizing that tasks can be allotted by good supervision is also significant. This supervision normally comes from teachers. People have to be on their personal vision quest; otherwise, they will be left at a lower developmental stage and be prisoners of our wits (Hutson et al., 2009). Knowledgeable virtue is the willingness to live an anticipating life (He & Levin, 2008; Hutson et al., 2009). Whatever our situation in life, at some level we should be happy with it. At some level, we require gaining a healthy and normal self-esteem. Teachers have a major task in this process. In our daily life satisfaction can be eased if we direct our thoughts to that which we can manage, instead of that which we cannot control, or that which cannot be receptive to the myriad of sense impersonations (He & Levin, 2008). We have the capacity to make these parodies bad, good, or indifferent. Personal theories, therefore, entail learning self-mastery to familiarize the mind with various concepts and teach it to be organized, prioritized and reactive to life experiences. Nevertheless, the test of the value of the persons is not only personal gains but how the person reacts to a lived social practice (Hutson et al., 2009).
Conclusion
References
Corey, G. (2001). The art of integrative counseling. Belmont, CA: Brooks-Cole/Wadsworth.
He, Y. & Levin, B. B. (2008). Match or mismatch? How congruent are the beliefs of teacher candidates, teacher educators, and field mentors? Teacher Education Quarterly, 35(4), 37-55.
Hutson, B. L., Bloom, J. L., & He, Y. (2009). Reflection in advising. Academic Advising Today, 32(4), 12.
Levin, B. B., & He, Y. (2008). Investigating the content and sources of preservice teachers’ personal practical theories (PPTs). Journal of Teacher Education. 59(1), 55-68.
.Iacovou, S. (2009). Are well-being, health, and happiness appropriate goals for existential therapists? Existential Analysis, 20 (2)
