Theories Chart
Theories Chart
Theory Basic Philosophies
Key Concepts
Goals Interventions Therapeutic Relationship Limitations Personal Thoughts & Impressions
Person-Centered-Empathy, congruence (or genuineness) and unconditional positive regard
-Relationships are central to human development and well-being
-People are the best judge of their own need for help -Congruence, empathic understanding,
Non-judgmental, point of view
-Self-concept, id, ego
-Emotions and feelings -To facilitate human being’s ability to self-actualize
– To take a participatory approach to therapy
– To focus specifically on the client -Setting clear boundaries,
-Not being judgmental,
Not making decisions for clients.
-Pay attention
Remember clients always knows best -Entails empathy, genuineness,
-unconditional positive regard -Unfairness due to empathy
Risk of fatigue,
-Exclusion of specific groups,
-Exclusion of staff’s personhood
-Increased financial and personal costs -I agree with the theory on that every person has the capacity and desire for personal growth and change.
-I disagree with this theory because I am not always looking to change myself.
-The main focus of this therapy is on the client, meaning that everything is done to help the client become their best self.
-The person-centered approach believes in unconditional positive regard, loving each individual unconditionally.
Psychoanalytic -Human behavior is deterministic in nature.
It is governed by the unconscious, irrational forces and biological and instinctual drive.
-Anxiety is the result of unexpressed emotions, unconscious conflicts, and escapist defenses
-Cognitive and emotional processes interact -Id, Superego
Ego
– Unconscious mind, repressed feelings, human instinctual needs
-Sublimation of sexual energy into intellectual pursuits or creative expression
-To bring the unconscious to the conscious and enhance functioning of the ego. This helps a person be less controlled by demands and drives of the superego.
– Help clients access their suppressed or unconscious thoughts and feelings in order to understand their true selves, gain insight into what drives them, and explore the various ways they cope with the world
– Become conscious of one’s own needs and desires so as to define one’s own goals -Confrontation, and clarification –Proper interpretation -Countertransference,
-Working alliance, the real relationship -Concepts such as penis envy are outdated.
– does not take into account factors such as the patient’s constitutional givens -Without a doubt, this theory aims to make the unconscious conscious.
-I disagree with psychoanalysis on that its principles are too long and complicated.
-Psychoanalysis theory focuses on childhood development and the relationship between parent and child.
-The goal is to uncover people’s unconscious thoughts, feelings and motivations through the use of free association, dream analysis, visualization
-Frustration occurs when unconscious thoughts are not made conscious because they are hidden so deep in the psyche
Adlerian -People are social beings. Therefore, behavior is having social meaning and is socially embedded
-Inconsistence in behavior is caused by society or culture and can be corrected by changing society or culture
-Intellect is not a good guide for human behavior -Holistic,
Inferiority
Sense of belonging. Happiness.
Success
– Inferiority complex; passivity and negativity; shyness; need to be noticed by others -To make the clients feel more connected to their colleagues and enable them to be social
-To help clients cope with feelings of inferiority complex and discouragement.
– Behave socially using nonverbal communication (e.g. smiling) while interacting with others so as to be accepted. -Insight
reorientation
-Engagement,
assessment -It is a joint journey between the counselor and the client
– personality is not changed unless there is insight -The therapy is time consuming
-The approach is not ideal for clients seeking quick solutions and brief therapy -I agree that overcoming inferiority complex goes a long way in attaining happiness and success
-I disagree that the theory of Adlerianism is too fundamental and old-fashioned.
-The main focus of this therapy is on the person, not on the problem.
-The major goal is to find ways to make mastery of one’s environment through self-control and hard work.
Existential -Embraces personal choice and freedom.
-Human beings select their own meaning and existence
-Meaning is created by the individual
-Existentialists, who emphasize choice and freedom, consider people to be their own best friends
-The “person” does not exist as a thing in the world. Rather, humanity exists as an open system of relationships
-Adversity
Struggle
Anxiety
– Death anxiety, the “unlived life,” meaninglessness of life in general. The individual’s sense of reality conflicts with the social structures they identify with. -Accepting and acknowledging that human beings struggle with adversity and anxiety
– Plan and make progress toward goals with long-term plans that involve multiple issues -Active listening
-Questioning
Empathic reflection
-Mutual respect
-Individual uniqueness,
-Pursuit of meaning -Human beings are in a constant state of becoming
-does not help client who experience difficulty in communicating and are afraid of confronting painful issues – I agree that we all have the freedom to choose in the way we live our lives.
– I disagree with existential theory that it is outdated and not used anymore in modern times.
– The main focus of this therapy is on the person, not on problem.
-The major goal is to let people make decisions for themselves rather than making them feel controlled by others.
Gestalt -Something is better than in parts
-Conflict and dysfunction arises from unconscious conflicts and defenses.
-The instincts are then expressed in ways that are sometimes conflicted with individual goals or social expectations. -Unfinished business, balance and polarities, figure and ground, personal responsibility,
Present-centeredness
– Unfinished business, balance and polarities, figure and ground, personal responsibility,
Mindfulness; antidote to stress
– Unfinished business, balance and polarities, figure and ground. Consciousness is a process of becoming aware. -Teaching people to be aware of major sensations that they experience in their environment to enable them to respond to situations with reason.
– Learn to employ nonverbal communication (e.g. smiling at people you meet) so as to be accepted in an “average” way
– Identify a major social goal -Self direction
-Self awareness
freedom -A dialogic relationship
-A working alliance -The Therapist must have high sense of knowledge
-Personal development -Unlike other theories, this theory looks at the human behavior and mind as a whole.
-Focusing on even the smallest components is important.
-I agree with Gestalt therapy as it provides an integrated approach for treating different mental disorders.
-I disagree with Gestalt theory that its principles are too long and complicated.
-The main focus is a process of becoming fully one’s self in order to fulfill oneself in life’s challenges.
-The goal is to help the client become more aware of how they behave and how they feel.
CBT -Our thoughts determine our behavior and feelings
– Behavior is learned based on consequences, not internal drives
-We change our behavior by changing our thoughts and beliefs (this idea is called cognitive restructuring)
-Cognition,
Emotion
Behavior
– Interpersonal Effectiveness, Self-Esteem
-Interpersonal Effectiveness, Self-Esteem, Work/School Stress -Teaching patients to become their own therapists
-Equipping them with tools to change their behavioral patterns -Learning to manage reactions
-Modifying distorted thoughts -Getting attuned to client’s emotional state,
-Being here and now
Challenging/Testing beliefs -Not suitable for individuals with complex mental problems
-Unsuitable for persons with learning difficulties -CBT is definitely a sure way of treating conditions like depression and anxiety.
– I agree with cognitive behavioral therapy as it allows a person to learn and practice good mental habits like motivation, self-control and self-discipline.
– I disagree that CBT is too fundamental and old fashioned.
-The main focus is on finding ways to strengthen a person’s cognition skills in order to improve the quality of their life.
–
REBT -Giving away a client for help is less miserable and less fulfilling
-People are neither inherently good nor bad. Instead, they are “sick” in their thinking and perception of reality.
-People have the power to “choose” their own emotional reactions to “misfortunes” that life hands them.
-Belief
Emotional consequence
-Emotional literacy -To eliminate current negative philosophies and replace them with flexible
-realistic ones bound to cause them happiness and satisfaction -Dispute
Questioning negative thoughts,
-Emotions, and thoughts -Therapists accept patients unconditionally
-disclose examples of clients that have been successful before. -Magnification of the negative
-Overgeneralization
Minimization of the positive. -It is based on the notion that people have a desire to do well in life.
-I disagree that REBT is too fundamental and old fashioned.
-The major goals are to change maladaptive behaviors, define the irrational internal and external voices, replace self-defeating behaviors with more rational ones, and learn to live more effectively.
-I agree that this theory focuses on a person’s own experiences rather than others’.
-I disagree that by applying this theory, people may feel less connected with their peers.
Reality -Universals are real; they exist
– Universals exist in human behavior, among all cultures
-Health is not a matter of the individual but rather of the relationships between people -Wudbolding
WDEP
– Relationship Cycle -Helping clients to reconnect with therapists
– Helping clients to reconnect with therapists
– To recognize the need for self-reliance -Internal control
– energy on changing their thoughts and behavior. -Present unmet needs
-often determine current behavior. -Does not recognize the power that the unconscious holds.
– fails to recognize the power of our unconscious. -It is effective in addressing some mental problems for some clients.
-I agree with reality therapy as it provides an integrated approach for treating different mental disorders.
-I disagree with reality theory that there is no one best way to solve problems.
-The main goal is for the clients to achieve their potential by setting short term, attainable goals toward long range plans and to take responsibility for their actions and choices in life.
Family Systems -A family is an emotional unit. People cannot be understood while in isolation but as a family.
-Family systems theory considers different patterns of interaction to be fundamental to people’s experience.
-Imbalances arise when a family member becomes overly attached to another, or is overly aggressive towards another, or when too much conflict occurs -Emotional cut off
Triangles
Family projection
Sibling positions, Nuclear family emotional process, and differentiation of self
-Enmeshment, Codependence, Triangles, Low Self-Esteem, Authoritarian Parenting Style, Vulnerable Child Syndrome -Improving hoc family members communicate
– To gain control over problematic behavior patterns. -Group therapy
-Circular questioning -In a family unit, individual behavior should be considered in the context of family
-Observations of family unit impacts -Prejudice
Cultural differences,
Socio-economic disadvantage.
-neglects the past perspective -This theory suggests that people re better understood within a family setting rather than when in isolation.
– I agree with family systems as it provides an integrated approach for treating different mental disorders.
-I disagree that family systems theory is too fundamental and old fashioned.
-The major goal of this therapy is to heal alienation, marginalization and isolation
within families.
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy -Patients should not depend on therapist to make their goals for them.
– We cannot change other people, only ourselves
-The goal of therapy is to help the client recognize what he really needs -Scaling questions
Basic assumptions,
Miracle question,
Exception questions, presupposing change,
-Root Cause -To find a lasting solution to the problem immediately to reduce time spend undertaking therapy and suffering.
– Identify and address client’s underlying concerns and present them with specific suggestions or a treatment plan that might alleviate their anxiety. -Exception questions
-Miracle questions -Focusing on client’s future goals
– not focusing on past encounters. -Focusing on quick solutions makes it easy to miss important underlying problems
-Its quick and goal-oriented nature may not allow for an emotional and empathetic connection between client and therapist -The focus is usually building solutions rather than solving the problem
-I agree that SFT is brief, flexible and solution-focused.
-The main goal of this therapy is for the client to develop a better understanding of their feelings and behaviors.
-The focus is usually building solutions rather than solving the problem
Narrative -Narration is a basic human strategy for coming to terms with human experiences.
– Therapy for a specific problem, goal, or situation does not exist. Therefore, there are only processes of history. All problems are part of a life story.
-The meaning of the moment is based on one’s past
-The memories from the past are constructed and reconstructed in the present
-Therapy is a conversation, not just a discussion.
-Therapist and Client co-construct the meaning of the stories in therapy -Change
Time
Process
-External reality versus internal world; “It’s not happening to me; it’s happening to us.” Reality is fluid and subjective.
-To unpack the aspects of the client’s life that has not been told.
– Help clients construct a meaningful story about their lives, from which they can draw useful information. -Alternative stories
-Wider view of self
-Challenging unhealthy and old habits -The client and therapist unite against the problem by externalizing and other concepts.
– uniting together against what has become problematic, -People that have been through trauma that has limited their intellectual, cognitive,
-language skills are not ready for this kind of therapy. -I agree that narration is human’s natural mode of thinking.
– – I agree with narrative therapy as it allows a person to become more self aware through writing or telling a story about their past.
– I disagree with this theory because it can be too graphic.
-The major goal is to understand why a person lives the way they do, what led them to make certain choices and how they deal with problems that may arise.
Feminist -The philosophy is united by concern for gender, and justice for women.
-Gender is socially constructed:
-The roles we play as women and men are learned, not innate. Therefore, gender stereotypes can be changed through socialization -Equality, time, experience, care, difference, choice
-Acceptance of self, others, and environment. -The explore the female viewpoint of history to recover and demonstrate the choice and voices of women.
– Help women to become autonomous so as to work on their own issues without guidance from therapists. -Competence,
-Resilience,
-Personal strength,
-Positive lifestyle -The focus in the client’s
–not fixing Client’s weaknesses -The subject is often depicted in cultural
– The subject is also often depicted in social spheres of life -I agree with the Feminist theory that gender may be a factor in the way human beings represent reality.
-I agree that feminist therapy helps women to recognize the many issues in their relationships and work toward improving them.
-I disagree because it focuses too much on gender roles.
-The major goal of this therapy is for the client to understand their own motivations and desires and how these are unique from men’s motivations and desires.
