Essay Sample on Focus Approach In Counselling

Introduction

In counselling different approaches are used to varying clients according to what a patient's issues are and with the focus on how to best assist a patient. The importance of theory in counselling cannot be downplayed; it is good to note that a counsellor can adopt various theoretical approaches when working with multiple patients. The counsellor also must ensure that the method in use has an in-depth look into the client and maximises on the therapeutic impact the client experiences and wellness. My theoretical approach to counselling is cognitive behavioural therapy because the bases of the theory in fundamental tenets are substantial in practice.

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Cognitive behaviour theory specialises in treating patients with behaviours, emotions and mental makeup. The solutions provided under this theory facilitate treatment in behavioural changes and empowers emotional and thought development (Crumb and Haskins, 2017). The concept analysis of cognitive behavioural therapy is based on a perception influence ideology that suggests that an individual's thoughts influence their behaviour and overall point of view on the world. The reason I choose this theory is that in my opinion it can be applied to various cases across a diverse client portfolio.

At a personal level, I have seen how thoughts, emotions and behaviour correlate amongst individuals that affect the way they live. Choices have impacts because we are but a product of our thoughts. What one perceives in their mind they act on which leads to action; action leads to reactions. Every day individuals need to be mindful of their thoughts because this will bring out a resultant action through behaviour. Cognitive behaviour therapy has shown me how to deal with people and have applied it to my life; I see the essence of the theory in interactions daily.

In professional capacity, cognitive behaviour therapy is critical in helping patients overcome the struggles that they are facing. In counselling, this method would be suitable for connecting with a client to understand what everything they are going through. Crumb and Haskins (2017) suggests that counselors should guide and encourage their clients to have a change in thoughts. Strategies to modification of constructive mental processes should be put to exercise with clients with the objective of obtaining optimum therapeutic effects. As a counsellor I would like to be in a position to not only assist my patients but also to empower them and in my opinion cognitive behaviour therapy will be of help in achieving that.

Personal development is how an individual views and carries out themselves in every domain they are in. In my opinion, it is what stands out about a person's image and identity and how they continually improve themselves. Personal development aims at seeing that an individual is refining their model with the aim of achieving a specific goal (Jungers and Gregoire, 2013). The goals are person inventive and are constructing to the individual's wellness and manner of doing or perceiving things. It is important to note that the fundamental principle of personal development is to improve oneself for the sake of personal approval.

Personality, on the other hand, is the uniqueness of individuals in behaviour, thought and emotions. Personality is whereby connections of expression and emotion meet in harmonising individuality. The character is affected by various factors that play a role in the manner in which character develops and manifest. In my opinion, personality is impression oriented in that individuals conform to different personality traits to impress other people whereas personal development is individualistically oriented.

Problems are a natural way of life because everyone faces their share of troubles. Issues are mostly brought about by the deficit or excess of something in an individual's life and the short of means to solve the problems. Problems lead to the loss of happiness especially when the issue is of considerable magnitude (Jungers and Gregoire, 2013). Problems can be in any category, and thus it is essential to know the cause of the trouble when coming up with a solution. In my view, difficulties change people and their temperament and behaviour. A person is a way they are due to the challenges they faced and manoeuvred and those they are still suffering. In my view, problems shape a person and can bring changes in individuals.

Cognitive behaviour theory bases its ideology on patient treatment and therapy as a broad perspective solution rather than a disease pointer. It can be a useful and practical therapeutic process when applied in treatment because of the methodology it is based on. It is an integrative approach of psychology because it incorporates other methods in its methods. It can be combined with the wellness and gestalt theory to complement each other. Gestalt theory is based on the concept of mental perception and how they play a part in the world as a whole (Schulz, 2013). Cognitive behaviour, wellness and gestalt theories can be combined to foster an alliance that serves patients with the safety of to see the sights their world, experience support and improve themselves all around. According to Crumb and Haskins, (2017), this provides an all-rounded therapeutic process for the individual builds on the relationship of the counsellor and the patient.

A counsellor considers the theoretical approach that they choose to adopt with a client must be satisfactory in the factors that impact it as a whole. The main factors to put in consideration in the cognitive behaviour theory are the patient, environment and the therapist because these in my view are empirical to the success of the therapy process in its entirety. The most important factor to consider is the patient always, the patient should be the centre of concern, and the rest should conform to the patient's issues and capacity. The reason why there is a therapy process in the first place is the existence of a patient in need of treatment. Under this theory, the patient should be handled with the utmost care to ensure that the recovery process is not stagnant.

The therapist is also another factor of consideration under the cognitive behaviour methodology. A counsellor using this methodology should have the know-how and experience to carry out this mode of therapy. The lack of skill in this theory implementation can be detrimental to the therapy process. Effective treatment under this theory is subject to the conscious experience of a counsellor in his craft to help clients. The environment is crucial to the therapeutic process because it maintains a situation that maximises treatment and recovery to the patient. The atmosphere of therapy should make the patients feel supportive and safe for the procedure to have an increasing impact on the patient.

Conclusion

My choice of approach to therapy is cognitive behaviour theory because of the flexible nature it has in use and practice. Over time this approach has changed and evolved in use as an integrative practice of therapy and can still is used as a single theory of treatment. David and Cristea, (2018) Suggest that cognitive behaviour theory has been applicable and pivotal in integrative therapy. Nonetheless, various approaches are viable for use in therapy and can be fashioned to suit the needs of a patient.

References

Crumb, L., & Haskins, N. (2017). An Integrative Approach: Relational Cultural Theory and Cognitive Behavior Therapy in College Counseling. Journal of College Counseling, 20(3), 263-277. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocc.12074

David, D., & Cristea, I. (2018). The New Great Psychotherapy Debate: Scientific Integrated Psychotherapy Vs. Plurality. Why Cognitive-Behavior Therapy Is the Gold Standard in Psychotherapy and a Platform for Scientific Integrated Psychotherapy. Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies, 18(2), 1-17.

Jungers, C. M., &Gregoire, J. (2013). Counseling Ethics : Philosophical and Professional Foundations (Vol. 1st ed). Danvers, MA: Springer Publishing Company

Schulz, F. (2013). Roots and Shoots of Gestalt Therapy Field Theory: Historical and Theoretical Developments. Gestalt Journal of Australia & New Zealand, 10(1), 24-47