Conclusion

Conclusion Summary:

When clients come to counseling, they are often unaware of what their exact problem is. They do not have a perfect theoretical explanation for whatever is wrong within their lives. The job of the counselor is to help them think more critically about this process. The main idea for counselors to follow a theory in which they believe in order to better help their clients with it. It is better to place faith within one of the more heavily researched models rather than something more ambiguous. 

How it applies:

The conclusion of this book made me think a lot of my own helping process with my students. When a student comes into my office seeking help, I do not make judgments or calls on what is wrong or what is going on before talking with them. At the same time, it is not right for a counselor to believe one theory will work on all clients. Furthermore, there’s no way to tell which theory will work best without first discussing the problem thoroughly with their client. Whether it be helping a student or counseling a client, there is a lot to be gained from having a thorough, unbiased conversation with an individual.

Mindfulness Approach

Chapter 16 Summary:

The mindfulness approach is divided into two different therapy styles: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Both are rooted within cognitive behavioral therapy. Steven Hayes is the originator of ACT. There are six specific processes in ACT, which define human functioning: acceptance, being present, cognitive defusion, self as perspective, values, and committed action. There is a heavy focus in ACT on inflexible thinking as the cause of psychological dysfunction. DBT was conceived by Marsha Linehan and it was meant for very specific psychological problems. Its main focus is for those with borderline personality disorder but also those who display parasuicidal behavior. DBT is broken in to two separate categories of primary and secondary targets. Primary targets are hazardous behaviors such suicide or self-harm. Secondary targets are life skills such as problem solving, emotional regulation, and self-validation. DBT typically involves reviewing these categories and addressing the primary targets first.

 How it applies:

Working in residence life I have encountered various mental health problems that I have had to address with students. I have not encountered a student with borderline personality disorder, but I do know of professionals who have and it is a real possibility. While I do not think I will ever be completely certified to aid someone with borderline personality, knowing that things can be placed in two categories is helpful to know. I also found some of the processes of ACT to be applicable, specifically the first one of acceptance. Students are often struggling because no one accepts them as they are and being someone who does accept them goes a long way.

Narrative Therapy

Chapter 15 Summary:

Narrative therapists have a heavy focus on the stories we create within our lives. Clients will seek out this type of therapy because the stories do not line up with their hopes and expectations of their lives. There is also a heavy cultural awareness with this style as the therapist is very aware of the issues of social justice and power. Questioning is a key part of the style as it helps to separate the person from the problem. Michael White and David Epston are the two most commonly known individuals associated with Narrative Therapy. 

How it applies: 

I feel like I have noticed narrative therapy without realizing what it actually was. Students often come to college and then to my office talking about what all their hopes and expectations were of college. More than likely, their reality of college is not what they hoped for. As a result, I have to help them work through what their reality is. Questioning is something I find helpful as it helps present things in a different light to them in way in which they realize for themselves rather than me telling them directly.

Video:

Narrative Session with Dr. Madigan and David about Taunting

In this video, the young boy David is struggling with taunting problems. The therapist, Dr. Madigan, makes an interesting suggestion of each of them writing letters or emails. The unique though is that is he says they are not letter but stories. David can keep these stories and can go back and read them whenever he is struggling with the taunting issue.

Solution Focused Therapy

Chapter 14 Summary:

Solution focused theory is very reminiscent of the name; its emphasis is on the solution to the client’s problem. It seeks to focus on the time when the client is not complaining or making exceptions. The client sets the goals of treatment; it is up to the therapist to help make this solvable and attainable to the client. Solution focused therapy is heavily rooted within the workings of Milton Erickson. However, there is a variant in the workings of Steve De Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg. Bill O’Hanlon’s research is also attributable. 

How it applies: 

I can see how this theory relates to a lot of the problems I deal with working within residence life.  Students often get stressed out and need to vent about the problems in their lives. However we try to keep them focused on things they can do fix what’s wrong in their life. In addition to this, we do a lot of training within my job about working towards a specific goal. This training overlaps as we help keep students and staff focused on a solution. 

Video:

Solution Focused session with Dr. Berg and Robyn using the scaling technique

The therapist in this video clearly making use of the scaling technique but does so in a unique manner. Dr. Berg asks Robyn to rate herself and where she thinks her husband would rate her. It is also helpful because Robyn does not rate herself at 10 nor does she think her husband rates her at a 10. She rates herself higher than her husband would which helps put things in perspective for both Dr. Berg and Robyn as to where she is at with her problem.

Family Systems Therapy

Chapter 13 Summary:

Family systems theory places a heavy emphasis on different systems, specifically the family system and the various relationships it is composed of. It does not view psychological problems as stemming from a specific individual, but rather a result of repetitive patterns within the family. Viriginia Satir and Murray Bowen played key roles in this theory with their own unique approach. Satir had a heavier focus on the individual’s self-esteem and the communication patterns within the family. Bowen’s theory focuses more on the origin of family issues. Bowen’s theory emphasizes breaking away from family origin issues before dealing with current relationship difficulties. The Family systems theory has often been criticized as it upholds middle-class, Caucasian values and it not very applicable across cultures.

Area of interest:

I find some usefulness within this theory in my field as a graduate hall director. A lot of students come to college struggling with issues with their family, both in the past and present. I believe a good mix should come from both Satir and Bowen. As a GHD, I have emphasized to my students to communicate with their parents on how they’re feeling. However, I do believe it can some times be helpful to break away from their past problems before focusing on new ones.

Family Session: Judy, Pam, and Adrian

This video made me think a lot of Satir’s approach. The therapist was focusing on the different words and the ways the mother Judy was communicating with Pam. He was telling her how if she wanted to say something about Pam’s blouse she should ask her first before saying it. He mentioned this because Pam got mad whenever Judy made comments about her. This focus on the communication would help both Pam and Judy in the end.

Feminist Therapy

Chapter 12 Summary:

Feminist Therapy is not necessarily a therapy as much as it is a philosophical approach. There is no specific individual who created feminist therapy. Rather, it was created due to the frustration with traditional psychotherapy. FT focuses on the empowerment of the client. It recognizes the societal pressures that women so commonly struggle with.

  How it applies:

FT made me think a lot about my training I have had about equality for my GA. There is a higher rate of females on campus than there are males but I often find females in my office more than males. There is a trend in the struggles they tell me about, as it often has to deal with difficulties with men or peer pressures they feel from men. I focus on trying to empower these young girls. I help them to realize there is more to college than the party scene.

 Video:

 Individual: Reframing Perception Video

                

The client in this video was discussing how she has struggle with her mother. The client mentioned how she has difficulties with the word no with her mother and children. The client said she not like how she feels when both her mother and children say no. The therapist asked why and the client had some difficulty. She believed it was because she is used to hearing her mother say do as your told. This is a result of mothers having an impact on their kids and their development and continuing on to grandchildren in some cases.

Reallity Therapy

Chapter 11 Summary:

                 Reality Therapy has a heavy focus on the motivation of people meeting their needs. Some of these needs include: survival, belonging, having fun, freedom, and love. Love is the most important need to be met within the theory as it includes a sense of belonging. RT looks to solve problems work towards building a healthier future. It was created by William Glasser, due to the fact that he disliked the traditional psychoanalytic theory.

How it applies:

                 I believe Reality Therapy focuses on the central idea that most college students are seeking, a sense of belonging and being happy. Many students that I speak with struggle with finding happiness when they get to college. They also struggle with feelings of love and wanting to belong, this is sometimes due to issues they face at home. One of the things I try to do with my students is help them work towards a healthier future both at college and at home. This helps them be more motivated and work through their problems as they’re focusing on working on their happiness.

Video:

Individual: Reframing Perception Video              
 This video highlights the strive that people have for for meeting their basic needs. The therapist asks a key question by asking him what he would like to do with his life. This prompts to talk about how he is a writer and felt very content while he was publishing his cheesy books. He mentions how he would be very happy spending his life as a writer. This is demonstrating how the therapist is focusing the clients thoughts on what will make him happy in life.

Cognitive Theraphy

Chapter 10 Summary:

 Cognitive therapy focuses on the idea that our thoughts and feelings play a key role in our behavior and how we act. Automatic thoughts play a significant role with this therapy; they pop out of nowhere and come from our internal beliefs. There are three different types of automatic thoughts associated with cognitive therapy: assumptions with a distorted conclusion, accurate but dysfunctional thoughts, and distorted thoughts. The process of cognitive therapy involves examining the process of assumptions, thoughts, beliefs of the clients. It was developed by Arron Beck. 

  How it is applied:

                       I fee like I can use some of the philosophies from cognitive therapy within my position as a GHD. I am always looking to establish a rapport with my students in order to best assist them. I usually have deep discussions with them about their beliefs and their thoughts. It helps me to get a better understanding of whom they are and why they might think the way they do about certain things. It also gives me a better understanding of the different assumptions they might have about certain things.

Video:  

Cognitive Session Part 2:

This video highlights the parts of cognitive therapy about assumptions and automatic thoughts. She has an assumption that her class for her masters program is a waste of her time. She also has the assumption that her husband will resent her if the class ends up being a waste of time. These are all assumptions and automatic thoughts she is having about things in her life. The therapist then shows her an exercise to focus on different automatic thoughts.

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

Chapter 9 Summary: 

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy or REBT was originally known as a rational therapy before it was renamed to focus more on the emotional aspects of the approach. Albert Ellis is the founder of REBT and created it out of frustration. It follows a specific ABC model. The A is for an event that takes place in the environment around you. The B is the belief that the individual holds about said event. And C is the consequences or emotional responses to the event.

How it applies:

I feel like I follow this model a lot whenever I speak with students. I often deal with students who are upset due to an event that has just taken place. For example, one of my residents was very upset because her roommate moved her air conditioner without her permission. She was responding to an event that took place in her environment; the AC being moved in her room. She believed this was wrong of her roommate and was very angry about it as a response.

Cognitive Behavior Theraphy

Chapter 8 Summary:

Behavior theory is a result of a combination of models and techniques that deals with various perspectives on human learning. There is a focus on seeming behaviors as opposed to the history of the client. Behavior therapy was developed in reaction to the Psychoanalysis model. Many analysts of this style believe that behaviors are both environmental and biological. The theory was associated with many famous therapists including: Joseph Wolpe, John Watson, B.F. Skinner, Albert Badura, E.L. Thorndike, and Ivan Pavlov.

How it is applied:

College is a heavy factor for anyone and is a big change to one’s environment. As a student affairs professional, I often have to deal with students struggling to deal with these changes. Students often think they need to go out and party every night because that what they see everyone else doing. However, in my profession I try to stress the other options available to students. I show them there is more to this environment than just the party scene.

Video: 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapeutic Factors

This video highlights areas of the social learning theory. The client, Harriet, is asked what she will remember about this session after she leaves. She explains how she realizes her partner is the one who sabotage her relationship and is no longer going to isolate herself. She plans to continue working with her counselor on different ways she can help herself feel better and how she can be more comfortable being alone. Her goal is now on taking the necessary steps to move on and adapting more positive behaviors into her everyday life.

Gestalt Theraphy

Chapter  7 Summary:

Gestalt therapy focuses on a holistic approach looking to what clients need in both an emotional and physical manner. The relationship between therapist and client is unqiue as the therapist is expected to self-disclose; this helps make the relationship more authentic. The goal of this is create a comfortable environment for the client; this is also the goal of the therapy in general. It is associated with Fritz Perls and is made of a combination of existential and humanistic therapy techniques.

 Area of interest:

Self-disclosure is a large part of my practice as a student affairs professional. When students mention something I can relate too, I am very willing to open up about myself and tell them my experiences. I do this in the hopes of relating more to the student to help them with the problem. At the same time, I am trying to create a more comfortable environment for them. My hope is that they will feel they can relate to me and be more willing to open up.

Video:

Gestalt Session:

The rapist makes clear examples of gestalt within this video. The session is done in environment that both the client and therapist are comfortable with. The therapist is careful to let the client take the lead in the session but still asks questions so the client can reflect on their mother. The therapist is also practicing individual psychology, as he is careful to point out things that really make the client stop and think.

Existential Theraphy

Chapter 6 Summary:

Existential Therapy is associated with several individuals: McElwain, C.T. Fischer, DuBoise, James Bugentao, Abraham Maslow, and Carl Rogers. Many of its roots are also embedded within philosophy. Existential Therapy has four main concerns that it focuses on: freedom, death, meaningless, isolation. All four of these are associated with significant aspects of life. There has been difficulty with associating this theory to most, but many people have found in it helping them find meaning in life and value in life.

How the theory applies:

Students in college are in a very pivotal and transitional point of their life. Regardless of their year, they are often searching for some type of meaning in their lives and where they are going with it. As a GHD, I often act as a resource to these to help figure out some of the bigger questions they are dealing with. While it is not complete counseling, it can still go a long way to these students to just have someone to talk too.

Video:

Client Homework:

The therapist is assigning a type of homework in this video. The clients are suffering from two common issues that the therapist has them reflect on. He explains that when it happens they should talk about it and then discuss it at the next session; this placing emphasis on the clients living within the now. Instead of letting it build up, the clients deal with the problem right as it happens.

Person Centered Theory

Chapter 5 Summary:

Person Centered Therapy founder is Carl Ransom Rogers. This theory revolves around an optimistic view of others and where the client leads the session. It is the job of the therapist to create a trustworthy environment so the client may lead the session. This theory is not very applicable cross-culturally and there is no assessment or diagnosis done by the therapist.

Area of interest

This applies to my position in Residence Life as a Graduate Hall Director. My office space is meant to be a trustworthy environment where students can come and speak their minds and whatever they maybe struggling with. At the same time, I am there to help the students with their problems and come up with solutions. However, I always try to do it in the manner in which the student comes up with the answer on their own and I am simply guiding them to it. It is more valuable to the student when they come up with the answer on their own rather than me just telling them.

Video:

Challenging clients to think about feelings:

In this video, the therapist is helping a client who is having a very difficult time discussing what is wrong. Despite the difficulty of the subject, the therapist is not bringing it up, showing the person centered style. The therapist is very careful to only mention things the client has already said. By doing this, the therapist is giving the client the power to guide the session.

Individual Psychology

Chapter 4 Summary:

Individual Psychology emphasizes that humans have two different motivations.  The first is power the second is the need to belong. We meet each of these drives in our own way as each of us creates our own lifestyle. Many things impact our lifestyles but most are formed by age six. This theory points out and understands the faults in the lifestyle of an individual. Alfred Adler is the founder of Individual Psychology therapy.  

How the theory applies:

I see the second drive a lot working within residence life. Many times students have come to me and talked about how they don’t talk to anyone and they miss being at home. They feel they do not belong here and they an outcast. I have to facilitate these conversations in order to help these students feel they belong.

Video:

Individual: Reframing Perceptions:

The therapist is practicing individual psychology as he is listening to the client but at the end points out the faults that may be causing conflict in his life.  Throughout the session, the client mentioned several different things that he would like to do as a career, empowering him.  The therapist points this out by asking which he really would like to do; this gives him the power. The client then decides that he would like to be a writer, meeting his first drive.

Neoanalytic

The Neoanalytic theory is very reminiscent of Freud’s theory but varies to some extent. The theory does not look to add new techniques but rather looks at new ways of discussing the techniques. Much of the theory comes from Freud’s daughter Anna Freud. They typically emphasize the relationship between the therapist and the client as curative in and of itself; this is beyond what is gained from transference analysis. There are four major categories of the neoanalytic approach: Ego Psychology, Object relations, Self Psychology, and Relational Psychoanalysis. Ego Psychology was created by Anna Freud and derived from much of her father’s work. Heinz Hartmann, a client of Freud’s, also played a significant role in the development of Ego Psychology. Theorists kept Freud’s model of the id, ego, and superego but emphasizes the ego functioning. Some saw the ego as more of a need to control id impulses bother others believed the ego developed independently from the id. Theorists accept Freud’s original model of a healthy person but add that health is observed in the quality of the ego’s adaptation to the environment. They also follow the Oedipal complex but place an emphasis on the early stages of life and the environment around the infant. Object Relations focuses on Freud’s concept of the target of instincts. Melanie Klein, R.D. Fairburn, and Donald Winnicott are some of the most significant theorists with the development of Object Relations. OR differs by rejecting the classic drive theory and argues that we seek objects instead, typically other people. But it is not a means of satisfying our instinctual drives. Objects are key in this theory but the key object is the internal object which is seen as a psychological structure formed early in life through the internalization of interactions with important others. The internal representation of relationships is known as the bipolar interapsychic representation, which is broken into three categories: the image of the self, an image of the other person, and associated emotions. Self-Psychology is the development of the self and was founded by Heinz Kohut. A key term is selfobjects which refers to parts of one self and individuals in the environment that are relevant to ones self. SP rejects many of Freud’s concepts of a healthy individual such someone who is heterosexual and the Oedipus complex. According to SP, the problems people face in life is self-related and can be traced back to deficits in early experiences with caregivers. There are three key dysfunctions with SP: the psychoses, narcissistic personality disorders, and structural conflict neuroses. With Psychoses, the basic self has not been developed. With NPD, there is a basic sense of self-formed but there are significant complications with it. The individual has developed neither the idealizing nor the grandiose aspects of oneself. Those with structural-conflict neuroses are those with problem coming from the phallic stage of development. At its core, the motor of psychological disturbance is a result of anxiety from faulty parenting. Relational Psychoanalysis is the most complicated of the four and it was founded by Sandor Franzecki. Harry Stack Sullivan is also considered a key individual in its development. At times, it is used to describe a contemporary view within psychoanalysis rather than a theory itself. Other times it refers to a specific theoretical approach, psychic structure is derived from the individual’s relations with other people. RP theorists will often rely on developmental theory, this theory emphasizes that early interactions are believed to lead to the development of oneself. Analysts are usually influenced by more than one approach in the neoanalytic theory. The four areas are overall less broad than a traditional analytic theory.

Psychoanalysis session part 2

In this video, the therapist is using the psychoanalysis technique of dream analysis. The woman is describing a dream to her therapist that she had about being in a river. She spoke about how she saw her professor, whom she recently ran into, but also her family along the shore. She said that her professor was the only one calling out to her. These are all forms of manifest content. The therapist then connects these into latent content. He helps her realize she felt the same way in the river in the dream as she did in the street when she saw her professor. He also points out how her professor knew her prior to her family, indicating why he was likely the only one calling out.

Object relations family sessions

I believe Pam is showing signs of the splitting technique in the video. Pam’s brother committed suicide and is having a difficult time dealing with it. They were both very close and she feels so has no one to talk to now. Now, Pam will always sit in-between her parents in the middle. Whether it be dinner, watching TV, or even in the session shown, Pam is always in-between her parents. Pam is splitting the good and bad parts of her family life. She surrounds herself with her parents to keep herself aware that they are still there and internalizes her brother who is now gone.