Integrative counseling approach

Extract

[...] Without trust and respect, the client will be resistant to many of the techniques. Techniques and Procedures Techniques will be borrowed mostly from REBT, including cognitive, affective, and behavioral interventions. The most important cognitive intervention is disputing irrational beliefs and teaching the clients to be able to do these themselves. Other interventions might include cognitive homework, where clients are assigned ways to confront their problems behaviors and irrational beliefs in between sessions. They may also be assigned to record their problems, or fill out the REBT Self-Help form, as well as recording their successes and their feelings as they work to change their thoughts and behaviors (Corey, 2005). [...]

[...] Another concept of Christian counseling I will adopt is the need for repentance. While therapy is often thought to have the basic goal of helping a client feel better about every aspect of their life (McMinn, 1996), a Christian counselor should recognize the need for confessing and forsaking sin, which often involves guilt and change. This is very different from the concept of learning to accept and feel good about every action we take. Key Concepts Beliefs and thought patterns as well as emotional and physical responses are learned in childhood and reinforced as similar events occur with similar outcomes. [...]

[...] Conclusion While my values and religious convictions are not subject to change, I am open to changing my therapeutic approach in order to improve my methods and most effectively help my clients in the future. Right now I hope to maintain flexibility. There are many counseling theories and even more personality types. No one theory could work for every person, despite its truth and validity. As I continue in school and in my career, I will always be reading and learning more about counseling techniques, integration techniques, and working to increase my understanding of religious concepts and the Bible. [...]

[...] Postmodern therapy's philosophy that truth is subjective is in stark contrast to my counseling technique and personal beliefs, as part of using religious and spiritual interventions requires the belief in an absolute truth created by God that we can always strive to discover. The discovery of truth can come from direct revelation or empirical methods (Entwistle, 2004). Revelation is always possible, and counseling relies on the truth that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth (James 1:5). My preferred techniques are most similar to REBT, which addresses cognitive, emotional, and behavioral elements, as a person's problems can be manifest in any of these areas. [...]

[...] Instead of maintaining a strict policy on the nature of the counseling relationship, my counseling style will include flexibility where, after an accurate assessment of the client, I may decide to take a more directive role. In a more directive role, I will integrate concepts of behavior therapy, such as positive and negative reinforcement (Corey, 2005). Another modification to the REBT model I would like to make is to incorporate childhood experiences and relationships into discussion, as I believe an understanding of these things can provide beneficial insight to current behavior, and the origination of many of the client's irrational beliefs. [...]