APPLICATION OF GROUP THEORIES TO PRACTICE CLIENT-CENTERED COUNSELLING

APPLICATION OF GROUP THEORIES TO PRACTICE CLIENT-CENTERED COUNSELLING

Definition

Client-centered therapy, which is also known as person-centered, non-directive, or Rogerian therapy, is a counseling approach that requires the client to take an active role in his or her treatment with the therapist being nondirective and supportive. In client-centered therapy, the client determines the course and direction of treatment while the therapist clarifies the client's responses to promote self-understanding.

The goals of client-centered therapy are increased self-esteem and openness to experience. Client-centered therapists work to help client lead full lives of self-understanding, reduction in defensiveness, guilt, and insecurity as well as more positive and comfortable relationships with others and an increased capacity to experience and express their feelings.

Carl Rogers believed people are capable of self-healing and personal growth, which leads to self-actualization, an important concept in client-centered therapy. Self-actualization refers to the tendency of all human beings to move forward, grow, and reach their full potential. Rogers believed self-actualization is hindered by negative, unhealthy attitudes about the self.

Client-Centered Therapy

Client-centered therapy differs from other forms of therapy because client-centered therapy does not focus on therapeutic techniques. What's most important in client-centered therapy is the quality of the relationship between the therapist and the client. Client-centered therapy was not intended for a specific age group or subpopulation but has been used to treat a broad range of people. It has been applied for use with people suffering from depression, anxiety, alcohol disorders, cognitive dysfunction, schizophrenia, and personality disorders.

When people enter client-centered therapy, they are in a state of incongruence, meaning there is a difference between how they see themselves and reality. Having an accurate self-concept (the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs people have about themselves) is key to client-centered therapy. For example, a person may consider himself helpful to others but often put his own needs before the needs of others. It is the hope of client-centered therapists to help clients reach a state of congruence (a match between self-concept and reality; for people to see themselves as they actually are). For example, if a person considers herself a good chef, she would not doubt herself when it comes to cooking meals. In client-centered therapy, the therapist does not attempt to change the client's thinking in any way. The therapist merely facilitates self-actualization by providing a comfortable environment for clients to freely engage in focused, in-depth self-exploration.

In client-centered therapy, the therapist's attitude is more important than the therapist's skills. According to client-centered therapy, there are three therapist attitudes that determine the level of success of therapy:

1.     Genuineness

2.     Unconditional positive regard and

3.     Empathy.

APPLICATION OF GROUP THEORIES TO PRACTICE COMMON AREAS OF AGREEMENT IN COUNSELLING APPROACHES

PROS AND CONS OF UNCONDITIONAL POSITIVE REGARD

The term ‘unconditional positive regard’ (UPR) was coined by Carl Rogers and equates with a deep acceptance of the client. Sometimes it is referred to as warmth, non-judgementalism and prizing. It is asserted that no effective counselling can take place without such acceptance, since a counsellor who overtly or covertly transmits their judgement or rejection is reinforcing exactly those negative experiences that others, such as parents, have been responsible for; and no successful counselling is likely to happen in a non-accepting relationship. The ‘U’ in the UPR connotes an ability to rise above typical social values and prejudices but it is often said that one does not have to approve of all a client’s actions and attitudes – rather UPR means that you positively accept him as a person, perhaps sometimes bracketing off his more offensive features or understanding them as part of his best efforts to survive within difficult conditions. Sometimes it is said that UPR resembles the highest Christian form of love or agape (a pure concern for others, not based on any moral evaluation).

Some people are more likeable than others, whatever their ‘failings’ or negative attitudes. Some counsellors are themselves not naturally very warm or forgiving, or may have idiosyncratic resistances and reactions to others’ foibles. It seems likely that those with a natural openness will find UPR much easier. But it doesn’t necessarily follow that openness is always accompanied by an ability for active empathy, or technical creativity or imaginative therapeutic work. It’s possible that a highly conscientious and intelligent counsellor may have to work hard at certain aspects of UPR if, say, he comes from a family or culture in which he learned to be judgemental. UPR may be of a bland kind Congruence can also seem to be at odds with UPR. At one level I accept, or strive to fully accept, my client. But at another I may have feelings that I cannot deny I have, of anger or irritation, unease or rejection towards my client.

I have to decide whether, and when and how, to voice these feelings. Radical honesty as a human being, or a pressure for congruence within therapy, sometimes compels us to tell the other person that we object to their attitude, their language, views, poor hygiene or whatever. We may strive to ‘say it nicely’ but sometimes it will be experienced as rejecting or conditional. We may be able to work through such difficult moments successfully and sometimes they can even strengthen the therapeutic bond. Sometimes however they will not. It looks likely that there are shades of UPR, including the somewhat false variety (the superficial ‘portrayal’ of UPR) at one end of a spectrum and a profound, perhaps spiritual quality of tender UPR at the other. There may be moments when the client might benefit from some straight talking about his or her obnoxious or self-defeating behaviour, when we ought to put aside any pretence of UPR (for example, ‘It makes me shudder when you talk about your wife in that hateful and dismissive way’). Psychoanalysts might object that too strong or obvious an experience for the client of UPR might distort her unconscious feelings or their expression, just as some CBT writers have cautioned that too warm an acceptant style could encourage a client to be dependent on the counsellor and increase irrational beliefs about the need for others’ love. Others might argue that although professional courtesy is a sine qua non of counselling practice, there is no particular onus on practitioners to feel or convey anything as grand or idealistic as UPR. Pragmatically, we might say that a high level of aspirational acceptance is necessary but this must be balanced by honesty, realism and therapeutic constraints.

APPLICATION OF GROUP THEORIES TO PRACTICE TO TRAIT AND FACTOR OR VIEWPIONT

The Trait and Factor theory, Super’s (1953) theory and Holland’s (1997) theory. Parson’s (1909) theory forms part of the Trait and Factor process which involves matching an individual’s traits with the requirements of a particular occupation. Through the collection of information about interests and aptitudes information concerning the occupations which are of interest to the individual, it is possible to identify occupations that will both suits the individual’s personality as well as her aptitudes. The process of identifying the interests and aptitudes of the individual is done through the use of tests or questionnaires and so with the development of career counselling the development of the psychometric movement began (Zunker, 2002). Donald Super (1953) is also responsible for influencing the career counselling movement. Super (1953) places emphasis on the way people see themselves and their situations. He refers to this as an individual’s self–concept. He holds the view that a person’s occupational behaviour is dependent on the expansion of the self-concept (Super, 1953). Research by Norell and Grater (1960), Englander (1960) and Anderson and Olsen (1965) indicate that when an individual is permitted to use characteristics and values that are significant to her in her work she will experience career satisfaction. This satisfaction is experienced when a person’s work experiences are well-matched with the mental image of the self-concept. Many people want to express their personalities through their work and these people will search for careers which allow them to validate their self-concepts (Isaacson, 1985). Super (1990) stipulates throughout his theory that an individual’s self-concept is continually adapting and changing and therefore to always have a career which reflects self-concept an individual may have to change or alter careers several times throughout her lifetime. John Holland’s (1992) theory concerning career counselling is important as it constitutes the focus of the present study. Like Super (1969), Holland (1997) believes that one’s career choice is an extension of one’s personality and that one should try to match one’s view of the self with occupational preference. Where Holland (1992) greatly differs from Super (1953) is that Super’s (1953) theory mainly discusses the developmental growth regarding attitude toward occupation, whereas Holland (1992) concentrates more on the different personality types that exist and how this information about a person can assist in matching an individual with an appropriate occupation (Super, 1969; Holland, 1997). The motivation for the study is based on the importance of making a career choice that will lead to job satisfaction. In order to achieve this many theories have been formulated in terms of important factors to take into account when making such a decision. Arguably the factor which has the biggest influence is whether individual feels she will enjoy and receive satisfaction from the chosen career. In other words the individual will choose the career that she feels will give her the greatest amount of personal enjoyment and fulfilment (Isaacson, 1985). For an occupation to be enjoyed by the individual it is thus essential that the occupation is well-matched with the person’s personality (Isaacson, 1985). Sometimes however a person needs help in clarifying which occupations are best suited to her personality; it is at this point that the career counsellor becomes valuable (Isaacson, 1985). Holland (1997) agreed that an individual’s personality and background is influential in her choice of career and based on this, he created a theory to assist individuals in choosing a preferable occupation. This theory consists of six personality types with distinct personality patterns that have been matched to certain occupations (Holland, 1985).