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Theories in Counselling
Introduction
Counselling is a profession entails an important aspect of psychology in trying to
understand the behaviour of human beings. It is part of a broad specialisation within
psychology that is concerned with the application of psychological principles to promote the
growth and well-being of an individual’s mental health as well as those of their families and
the society as a whole (Stanley, 2013). As part of their study of the mental well-being of
individuals in society, counselling professionals apply the use of collaboration and
multiculturalism in their research and practice.
Counselling specialists work with different types of individuals who are going through
distress, difficult transitions, big decisions, as well as their relationships (Canadian
Psychological Association, 2009). The practice adheres to certain core values, among them
are viewing individuals as agents of their own change; the assessment, diagnosis, and
conceptualisation of the case is client-centred and the process is conducted with consideration
of the diverse sociocultural issues that affect each unique individual.
These core values are founded on theoretical approaches fundamental to the practice
of counselling psychology. These theories provide counselling practitioners a framework to
be able to interpret an individual's behaviours, thoughts, and feelings. It also enables the
practitioner to guide the client seeking counselling from diagnosis to post-treatment
(Colledge, 2017) There are several integral counselling theories currently in use and each
theory works differently in understanding behaviour. This paper will analyse two of these
theories by highlighting their concepts, application and their cultural implications to an
individual.
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The Psychoanalytic Approach
Psychoanalysis, also known as the psychodynamic theory, traces its origins from
Sigmund Freud, who believed that there were unconscious forces that drive the behaviour of
an individual (Elliott, 2015). This therapy is used to explore how the unconscious mind
affects the thinking and conduct of a person and through this exploration, perhaps an insight
or resolution can be made to the issues the individual seeking counselling is going through.
The method has become quite useful in present-day counselling psychology as a
treatment for mental disorders. This is able to do through investigating or analysing the
conscious and unconscious elements in an individual's mind and how the two interact (Kabir,
2017). By seeking out these interactions, repressed fears and conflicts embedded in the
unconscious mind are brought to the conscious mind. These fears and conflicts are then
interpreted to fit what the individual is going through.
Freud, in this theory, developed techniques such as free association, which simply
means opening up to the therapist without holding back; dream analysis, which involves the
scrutiny of dreams that could highlight significant knowledge about the conscious mind
(Brandell, 2010) and transference, which refers to the literal transfer of emotions about
specific individuals in the patient’s life and let it out on the counsellor.
This theory of counselling looks into the early childhood experiences of an individual
to find a glimpse of any event that might have impacted the patient’s life or could have given
rise to current occurring issues (Fenichel, 2014). Psychoanalysis is usually conducted over a
long period of time and could last for several weeks, months or even years. The length of the
therapy, which seeks to create deep-seated changes in the personality and behaviour of a
person, depends on the depth of issues the individual seeking counselling has.
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This theory, as with most counselling theories, is dependent upon various
assumptions, among them is that human beings are influenced by early experiences – for
example, childhood trauma. Another assumption is that the present behaviour of an individual
is influenced by their unconscious motives and conflicts (Frosh, 2012). Because of this,
therapists pay a lot of attention on an individual’s past relationships, more so those related to
early childhood traumatic experiences.
It is the belief of counsellors who use the psychoanalysis theory that by revealing
these traumatic issues to light, an individual can start their path towards treatment,
understanding one's self and healing. In that regard, this therapy can be used on individuals
who have emotional issues as well as on those who simply want to explore who they are. It is,
however, important to note that this therapy is long-term and may not be suitable for
individuals seeking a quick, solution-based therapy.
Rational Emotive Behavioural Theory
The rational emotive behavioural theory is one of two of the behavioural theory,
which is based on the premise that behaviour is learned. It is also based on the assumption
that behaviour is the product of learning; therefore, individuals are both the product and
producers of the environment. The behavioural theory was established by theorist Ivan
Pavlov, who conducted research on dogs, where the dogs would salivate when they heard a
bell; hence, proving the learned response.
American psychologist and behaviourist B. F. Skinner, in his approach towards
learned behaviour, believed that behaviour is likely to be increased if there are rewards and
are likely to reduce if there are punishments (Skinner, 2011). With this premise, therapists and
counsellors seek to change unwanted, maladaptive or destructive behaviour through
techniques such as positive and negative reinforcement.
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The behavioural therapy, as a whole, works by focusing on the factors influencing
these behaviours and find solutions to them. The individuals seeking therapy then need to
actively set treatment goals for themselves with the therapist acting as a guide or trainer in
helping the client achieve better behaviours. The therapy employs techniques such as
systematic decentralisation, methods that reinforce relaxation, modelling of good behaviour,
assertion, a reversal of unwanted behaviours, cognitive reconstructing, and self-management.
The rational emotive behaviour therapy, in particular, aims to resolve both emotional
and behavioural issues by enabling an individual to lead a more happy and fulfilled life. It
was first developed by American psychotherapist Albert Ellis in the mid-1950s who
highlighted that unfortunate circumstances do not contribute to the emotional trauma or
disturbance of human beings, but rather by how people perceive these unfortunate
circumstances (Sharf, 2011). This perception is unique to each individual as it is influenced
by their language background, values, and philosophies of their environment and themselves.
Unlike the psychoanalysis theory, the rational emotive behaviour theory is usually
short-term and works well with individuals suffering from depression, addiction, stress,
sexual disorders, phobic disorders, and children’s behavioural disorders among others.
Comparison between the Psychoanalytic and Rational Emotive Behavioural Theories
Both theories analyse the functioning of the brain in being able to interpret the
behaviours, thoughts, and feelings of an individual. However, one is an unconscious push
(psychoanalysis theory), while the other is a conscious push as it is based on learned
experiences (rational emotive behaviour therapy). These theories appreciate the influence and
the contributions of an individual’s mind in the way a person conducts themselves as well as
how they respond to different stimuli.
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Major differences, however, are on the basis of what compels people to be who they
are or act in a certain way. The psychoanalysis theory states that there are unconscious forces
that drive the behaviour of an individual. Therefore, by studying what is in the unconscious
mind, a therapist can find a connection between past events and current mannerisms and
behaviour. The rational emotive behaviour therapy, on the other hand, states that behaviour is
learned; therefore, individuals are both the product and producers of the environment. With
that said, positive and life-changing behaviours that could help an individual lead a happy and
fulfilled life can also be learned.
Another difference is the effectiveness period of each theory – the psychoanalysis
theory is ideal for long-term therapy sessions as its methods require more time to fully unpack
an individual’s unconscious mind. However, the rational emotive behaviour therapy is often
used as a short-term solution for unwanted behaviours such as addictions.
Cultural Competence in Counselling
Multicultural competence in counselling refers to the ability of the therapist to achieve
positive clinical outcomes in cross-cultural encounters with their clients and patients. Cross-
culture in this regard refers to the differences between the counsellor and their patient in terms
of ethnicity, religious affiliations, gender affiliation, economic standing, and disability among
others (Lee, 2009). By putting aside these differences, counsellors can influence their patients
to trust them which is vital in the counselling process.
By understanding the concept of multiculturalism in counselling, therapists can better
understand the background of their patients, especially those who are culturally and
linguistically diverse (CALD). Different cultural backgrounds create different psychological
impacts on individuals as culture creates diversity on the attitudes of people towards life. The
first step in becoming a more CALD counsellor is by learning about the historical and social
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backgrounds of the patient. This will shed light on why, for example, some communities are
more disadvantaged than others and how this has affected the psychological development of
the individual.
Conclusion
The study of the human mind and how it influences is an important aspect of
psychology and with it, the regard to counselling as a profession. It can be concluded that the
background of an individual is core to who they are as this reflects on their behaviour. Both
the psychoanalysis and the rational emotive behaviour theories seek to get a better
understanding of an individual's background and how it affects their current state.
In the case of psychoanalysis, therapists look for any early childhood experiences or
trauma that could relate to an individual’s behaviour, while the rational emotive behaviour
theory explores behaviours learned throughout an individual’s life and how these behaviours
can be reversed or changed. The two theories are then tied by one single element – an
individual’s background, whether culturally, socially, religiously, or emotionally.
With that established, therapists should be aware and appreciative of the immense
influence of background by learning to be more multicultural in their therapy approaches
especially on culturally and linguistically diverse individuals. Therapy and counselling are
only effective if the patient trusts their counsellor and that cannot take place if the therapist is
not open to diversity in culture.
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References
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Colledge, R. (2017). Mastering Counselling Theory. London, UK: Macmillan International
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Elliott, A. (2015). Psychoanalytic Theory: An Introduction. London, UK: Macmillan
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Fenichel, O. (2014). The Psychoanalytic Theory of Neurosis. Abingdon-on-Thames, UK:
Routledge.
Frosh, S. (2012). A Brief Introduction to Psychoanalytic Theory. London, UK: Macmillan
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Kabir, S. M. (2017). COUNSELING APPROACHES. In S. M. Kabir, Essentials of
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Lee, C. C. (2009). Elements of Culturally Competent Counseling. Alexandria, Virginia, USA:
American Counseling Association.
Sharf, R. S. (2011). Theories of Psychotherapy & Counseling: Concepts and Cases. Boston,
United States: Cengage Learning.
Skinner, B. F. (2011). About Behaviorism. New York, USA: Knopf Doubleday Publishing
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Zealand Journal of Psychology, 27-34.
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