Person-Centered Therapy

Founded By:

Carl Rogers (1902-1987)

Key Concepts:

*"Rogers firmly maintained that people are trustworthy, resourceful, capable of self-understanding and self-direction, able to make constructive changes, and able to live effective and productive lives" (Corey p.178).
*Rogers felt that a therapist must be genuine or real, accepting and caring, and have an ability to grasp or understand the world of their clients in order to help their clients move forward and reach their full potential.

*Actualizing tendency- Striving for realization and fulfillment. 
*The therapist is not the authority and does not know best; the client should be self-aware and self-direct their change. 
*Clients are guided toward being able to successfully deal with obstacles blocking their growth.

Therapeutic Goals:

*The client becomes more independent and integrated. 
*The client realizes ways of being more authentic.  The client is more open to experience, trusts themself, can internally evaluate themself, and is willing to continue growing. 
*The therapist does not set or choose goals for the therapy the client chooses their own goals. 
*The therapist should be empathic and communicate unconditional positive regard toward the client.
*Accurate empathic understanding- The ability of the therapist to experience the clients' feelings as if they are their own without getting caught up in the feelings.  

Techniques:

*"Rogers's original emphasis was on grasping the world of the client and reflecting this understanding" (Corey p. 184). 
*Later Rogers emphasized the therapist and client relationship.  The quality of this relationship is what promotes the client's growth. 
*Techniques may be suggested when they help improve the therapist and client relationship.
*Presence- The therapist is present and attentive to the client.
*Immediacy- Addressing what is going on between the therapist and client.

Video clip of person-centered therapy: http://youtu.be/Ew8CAr1v48M

References

Corey, G. (2013). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

person-centered.org "Carl Rogers"

neetlearners.blogspot.com "Rogers Person-centered Approach"

(2006, October 22). Person Centred Therapy. Video clip retrieved from http://www.youtube.com

Existential Therapy

Founded by:

Existential therapy was not founded by one certain person or group of people.  However, Viktor Frankl, Rollo May, and Irvin Yalom are some of the key figures of existential therapy. 



Viktor Frankl (1905-1997)



Rollo May (1909-1994)




Irvin Yalom (b.1931-)

Key Concepts:

*"The existential movement stands for respect for the person, for exploring new aspects of human behavior, and for divergent methods of understanding people" (Corey p. 145).   
*Existential tradition- Recognizes limits and opportunities of human life. We have both limitations and freedom. 
*Proposition 1: The Capacity for Self-Awareness
          *"Freedom, choice, and responsibility constitute the foundation of self-awareness" (Corey       
                  p.146).
          *We have a limited amount of time.
          *We can choose between action and inaction.
          *We help creact our destiny by choosing our action or inaction.
          *We increase our responsibility for the consequences of our actions or inactions as we
          become more aware of our choices.
          *We may experience loneliness, a sense of meaninglessness, emptiness, etc.
          *We are alone but can relate to others.
*Proposition 2: Freedom and Responsibility
          *"A central existential concept is that although we long for freedom, we often try to escape 
          from our freedom by defining ourselves as a fixed or static entity" (Corey p. 147).
          *Inauthenticity- Unawareness of responsibility for own life and assumes external forces are in
          control. 
          *Freedom- We are responsible for our lives and actions.
          *Existential guilt- Awareness of evading a commitment or choosing not to make a choice.
          *Authenticity- Live by what we view is a valuable exsistence for ourselves.
          *Frankl postulates that "We are not free from conditions, but we are free to take a stand against
          these restrictions" (Corey p. 148).
*Proposition 3: Striving for Identity and Relationship to Others
          *We want to be unique but also be able to relate to others and nature.
          *We move forward even though we are aware of situations we will face in the future.
          *Aloneness is part of being human but we can gain strength from being alone. 
          *We want to experience relatedness.  We want to feel important to others have others be
          important to us. 
          *We struggle with our identity.  We do not want to be alone and therefore we sometimes let
          others design our life for us and stay trapped in an identity from our childhood. 
*Proposition 4: The Search for Meaning
          *We struggle with feeling significant and that we have purpose
          *People may discard their old traditional/imposed values and not look for any to replace them. 
          *People may feel their world has no meaning and it is pointless to struggle through it or in  
          some cases to live.
          *"Meaninglessness in life can lead to emptiness and hollowness, or a condition that Frankl calls
          the existential vacuum" (Corey p. 152). 
          * In logotherapy therapist point out that clients can create meaning for their lives even in
          struggles and suffering.
          *Meaning is not something that can be searched for and found it is achieved through
          engagement. 
*Proposition 5: Anxiety as a Condition of Living
          *Existential anxiety- Unavoidable anxiety that results from facing things such as death,
          freedom, meaninglessness, etc.  
          *Normal anxiety- Appropriate response to the situation.  We cannot survive without some
          anxiety and it is not a therapeutic goal to eliminate normal anxiety.
          *Neurotic anxiety- Anxiety that is out of proportion to the situation.  Neurotic anxiety is
          immobilizing.  In order to be psychologically healthy one needs to experience little neurotic
          anxiety but accepting existential anxiety. 
*Proposition 6: Awareness of Death and Nonbeing
          *Death is not viewed as a negative but instead is an inevitable human condition that adds
          significance to life and living.
          *Death provides the opportunity for us to appreciate the present moment. 

Therapeutic Goals:

*The main therapeutic goal is increased self-awareness.  Teaching clients to look at what they already know about themselves.
*Lead clients to see they are not living authentic lives and teach them to make choices that will lead them to their fullest potential. 
*Lead clients to become more authentic and recognize when they are self-deceiving.
*Help clients face anxiety and create a meaningful life. 
*Restricted existence- A limited awareness of self and clients experiencing this will be vague about their problems during therapy.

Techniques:

*Existential therapy is not technique oriented and incorporates many techniques from other models.
*Prefer description, understanding and exploration of subjective reality instead of diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. 
*Uses three phases:
           *Initial phase- Assist client in identifying and clarifying thier view of the world. 
           *Second phase- Assist client in examining their values.
           *Final phase- Assist client in taking what they have learned and practicing it or putting it into
           action. 



Video clip about existential therapy http://youtu.be/gathih6EgwM

References

Corey, G. (2013). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

(2010, July 27). Existential Psychotherapy. Video clip retrieved from http://www.youtube.com

rightwords.ed "Viktor Frankl"

quotezuki.com "Rollo May"

cafegradiva.ro "Irvin Yalom"

Adlerian Therapy

Founded By:

Alfred Adler (1870-1937)

Key Concepts:

*View of human nature: "According to Adler, humans are motivated primarily by social relatedness rather than by sexural urges; behavior is purposeful and goal-directed; and consciousness, more than unconsciousness, is the focuse of therapy" (Corey p.103).
* Inferiority feelings motivate us and inspire creativity.  Behavior can be influenced it is not merely at the mercy of heredity and the environment.
* Subjective perception of reality: Phenomenological- Therapists try to view things from the client's persepective.
*Unity and patterns of personality: Adler used the term individual psychology.  He stressed viewing the person as a whole indivisible person. Holistic concept says that a client cannot be evaluated in terms of parts or bits and pieces but must be viewed in their entirety. 
*Behavior is purposeful and goal oriented:  Fictional finalism is a life goal that guides a person's behavior. Adler used the terms "guiding self-ideal" and "goal of perfection."
*Social interest-Having equal concern for others that one has for themself.  This involves cooperating and contributing in one's community. 
*Community feeling-The feeling of being connected to others.
*Adlerians pay attention to sibling relationships and birth order.  "Birth order is not a deterministic concept but does increase an individual's probability of having a certain set of experiences" (Corey p.108).  More attention is paid to one's feelings of where they fit into their family than to the actual birth sequence.  (Examples to reference are oldest child, second child, middle child, youngest child, and only child).

Therapeutic Goals:

*"...Reeducation or reorientation of the client toward the useful side of life" (Corey p.109). 
*Client develops a sense of belonging in terms of community feeling and social interest.
*Therapist provides encouragement and guidance and increases the client's self awareness.

Techniques:

*Establish relationship between client and therapist.
*Perform holistic assessment of the client
*Encourage self-understanding
*Reeducate the clien on making new choices

Example of an Adlerian therapy session: http://www.youtube.com/embed/I32ehCnAcVo

References

Corey, G. (2013). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

 (2011, July 14). Classical Adlerian brief therapy. Video clip retrieved from http://www.youtube.com

psychology.about.com "Alfred Adler."

Psychoanalytic Therapy

Founded By:

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

Key Concepts:

*View of human nature: "According to Freud, our behavior is determined by irrational forces, unconcious motivations, and biological and instinctual drives..." (Corey p.65).
*Personality is comprised of three systems: the id, the ego, and the superego.
                         *Id- Ruled by the pleasure principle
                         *Ego- Ruled by the reality principle
                         *Superego- Mainly concerned with good vs. bad and right vs. wrong strives for 
                           perfection not pleasure

*Consciousness and the Unconscious: The largest part of the mind is the unconscious which stores memories and repressed materials. Neurotic symptoms and behaviors are rooted in the unconscious. 
*Three kinds of anxiety: reality, neurotic, and moral
                           *Reality- Fear of danger from world; external
                           *Neurotic- Fear instincts will get out of hand; internal
                           *Moral- Fear of own conscience; internal
*Ego-defense mechanisms: Way of coping with anxiety and prevent overwhelming
                           *Examples are repression, denial, projection, etc.

*Development of Personality: Frued's psychosexual and Erik Erikson's psychosocial stages of development from birth to adulthood. 

Goals of Therapy:

*Make the unconcious conscious
*Strengthen the ego which results in changing the individual's personality
*Analyze past experiences to gain self-understanding

Techniques:

*Maintain analytic framework:
                 *Therapist maintains relative anonymity
                 *Maintains neutrality and objectivity
                 *Consistent meetings
                 *Begin and end sessions on time
                 *Clarity on fees
                 *Therapist avoids giving advice and imposing their values
*Free association- Client encouraged to say whatever comes to mind
*Interpretation-Therapist explains the meaning of behavior
*Dream analysis:
              *Latent content- Hidden, symbolic, and unconscious contains sexual and aggresive impulses
              *Manifest content- More acceptable and less threatening content
*Analysis and interpretation of resistance- Anything working against the progress of the therapy
*Analysis and interpretation of transference- Past relationships distort the present with the therapist

References

Corey, G. (2013). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

cca1103lumofrog.wordpress.com "Freud's Theory of the Personality." 

try-therapy.com "Development of Personality."