Archive for April, 2009
Making the Case for Premarital Education
Posted by Nick Roy in Theories of Counseling Thursday, 30 April 2009 18:48 No Comments
I am a firm believer in premarital education. Being better prepared for any venture, will to some degree, make for a more successful outcome. In many cases, divorce has been prevalent among families throughout the second and third generations; therefore young people may need a greater understanding of what a healthy marriage should look like. Hollywood’s romanticized portrayal of marriage may cause young couples to have an unrealistic view of what marriage requires. Marriage scholars have cited evidence that the decision to marry has been trivialized in our culture (Stanley, 2001).
Individuals that understand their personality type will gain greater insight into their behavior. Family structure and values, religious views, outlook on children, and moral issues are all areas that can cause discord, if not discussed and evaluated in premarital counseling. Instructions on how to prepare a budget, being a good steward, and management of family finances are all relevant issues, as money problems are often listed as the number one reason for marital difficulties. Skills such as conflict resolution, and positive communication styles can be effective tools during marital discord. The important, but not always addressed differences between male and female characteristics might circumvent a huge amount of marital crisis, if properly understood. Stanley (2001) notes, that if premarital education is done correctly, it will facilitate the understanding that a successful marriage is not a matter left to fate, but decisions and actions by the couple will affect the marriage’s outcome, with long-term results.
Reference
Stanley, S.M. (2001). Making a case for premarital education. Family Relations, 50,
272-280. [Electronic Version].
Popularity: 44% [?]
The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Life of a Professional Counselor
Posted by Nick Roy in Theories of Counseling Thursday, 30 April 2009 18:39 1 Comment
The Holy Spirit guides, teaches, convicts, and heals God’s children. A Christian counselor needs to be attuned to the Holy Spirit in order to assist in God’s work through the counseling sessions. In order to be able to allow the Holy Spirit to move the counselor should have attributes of a competent Christian counselor. These attributes were defined by Bufford (1997) in Clinton and Ohlschlager (2002). One such attribute is for the counselor to be skilled in “spiritual interventions and resources” (Clinton and Ohlschlager, 2002). In order to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit the counselor should have an intimate relationship with the Lord and to seek His wisdom. The Lord says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). The Holy Spirit can reveal itself through scripture, other people, in prayer or events. This is why it is important to be able to discern the “voice” that is speaking. Spending time in prayer, reading and studying the Word, and consulting with other Christians on the Word supply the counselor with the resources and skills that will assist with the helping relationship. The Lord says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you” (Psalms 32:8, NIV).
References
Bufford, R. (1997). Consecrated Counseling: Reflection on the Distinctives of Christian counseling. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 25(1), 111-122.
Clinton, T. & Ohlschlager, G. (2002). Competent Christian counseling (Vol. 1). Colorado Springs, CO: Water Brook Press.
Popularity: 43% [?]
Journal Summary: Client Stages of Change
Posted by Nick Roy in Theories of Counseling Wednesday, 15 April 2009 15:54 No Comments
Satterfield and Buelow (1995) discuss a trans-theoretical model of change that is believed to be common to individuals both in and outside of counseling. The model consists of four stages that include the pre-contemplation stage, contemplation stage, action stage, and maintenance stage. The pre-contemplation stage is characterized by people who are in denial. They do not think that they have a problem. The contemplation stage is characterized by people who realize that they have a problem and are beginning to look for possible solutions. In the action stage, people are characterized actively working to change their behavior. The maintenance stage is characterized by the prevention of relapse.
The authors conducted a study to investigate the relationship between clients’ expectations of counseling and the four stages of change. They conducted their study at a medium-sized university with a sample size of 88 clients who were seeking services at the university based clinic. The first variable used was a composite score measuring the four stages of change as measured by URICA. The other variable was the expectations of counseling as measured by the EAC-B factors of personal commitment, facilitative conditions, counselor expertise, and nurturance.
Canonical Correlation was used as an additional procedure for assessing the relationship between the two sets of variables. The authors evaluated the significance of all canonical roots combined, then of the roots remaining after removing the first root and the second root. The results of the study showed that this testing procedure will detect strong canonical correlations most of the time, even with samples of relatively small size such as the one at the university clinic. The authors recommended that the weaker canonical correlations require larger sample sizes.
The results of the study showed that personal commitment and facilitative conditions were significantly correlated. The pre-contemplation stage was negatively correlated with the expectation factors. The contemplation, action, and maintenance stages were highly related to the expectation factors.
The idea behind the stages of change model is that behavior change does not happen in one step. People tend to progress through different stages on their way to successful change. So expecting someone to change by simply telling them that he or she must go to counseling can be considered counterproductive because they are not ready to change. This stage of change model is perfect for clients who are addicted to substance such as alcoholics.
However, most critics of this model will say that people do not progress through this model in a linear fashion. Some clients may begin at the contemplation stage, realizing that they have a problem and want to change, but revert back to the pre-contemplation stage. If the therapist doesn’t appear to be trustworthy as perceived by the client, they can become resistant and have low expectation of counseling.
Clients in the pre-contemplation stage would be considered to have low expectations of counseling. This is understandable since they are currently in denial that they have a problem. Alcoholics need to realize that they have a problem instead of being forced into counseling. As a result, the counselor will meet the most resistance from a client who is still in the pre-contemplation stage as they do not want to be in counseling. Examples of clients in the pre-contemplation stage would be court-ordered clients and adolescents, and people with addictive behaviors such as alcoholics and the super obese.
References
Satterfield, W., & Buelow, S. (1995, October). Client stages of change and expectations about counseling. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 42(4), 476. Retrieved April 11, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.
Popularity: 26% [?]
Master Therapist Construction of the Therapy Relationship
Posted by Nick Roy in Theories of Counseling Wednesday, 1 April 2009 21:38 No Comments
A master therapist according to Sullivan (2005), is one that exhibited the following criteria: the person is considered to be the “best of the best” when referring a close family member or friend, and this person has superior skills as a psychotherapist. As Sullivan (2005) states “a therapist’s therapist.”
Under the safe relationship domain, a master therapist exhibits a heightened sense of responding, collaboration, and joining. This equates to Carl Rogers three criteria of genuineness, unconditional positive regard, and empathic understanding. In my opinion, empathy is a gift that is given to certain people by God through the Holy Spirit. However, not all therapists are given the gift of empathy. The gift must be earned.
Using self, engaging, and objectivity are characteristics of the challenging relationship domain. Since most clients use their therapists as a model for changing their behavior, master therapists know this by using themselves as an example in being an agent of change. Sullivan talks about engaging by intensely engaging the client in the relationship. Gladding (2004) uses the term confrontation which also means challenging the client to examine, modify, or control an aspect of behavior.
Based on the information presented by Sullivan (2005), in order form me to become a master therapist, I would need to adhere to four principles in my own life. First, I would need to become dedicated and committed the lives of the people that I will be helping. Second, I would need to demonstrate a mastery of psychotherapy skills and knowledge. Third, I would need to make significant contributions to the advancement of the specialty that I would be specializing in, which would be substance abuse and addictive behaviors. Fourth, I need to become dedicated to delivering high quality work and adhere to the highest ethical standards. Not just to my profession, but to God as I answer to a higher power.
References
Sullivan, M., Skovholt, T., & Jennings, L. (2005, January). Master Therapists’ Construction of the Therapy Relationship. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 27(1), 48-70. Retrieved April 1, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.
Gladding, S. T. (2004). Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession. Pearson: Columbus, Ohio.
Popularity: 23% [?]