Counselling Theories and Approaches: Case Study Analysis

This essay analyses various counselling theories and approaches that best explain the case of June. It covers strengths and weaknesses of different approaches in terms of their effectiveness in relation to the case study. The essay also discusses the theories of loss and grief proposed by psychologists and how they relate to June's case. It provides an in-depth analysis of the Kubler Ross Grief Cycle and William Worden's theory of four tasks to help individuals comprehend the journey of grief.

Coursework 2

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Counselling is known as a helping approach that takes into consideration the intellectual
and emotional experiences of an individual. It highlights what a person is feeling and what are
their thoughts about the issues they have asked assistance for (Armitage, 2022). Counselling
helps people deal with difficulties like anxiety, depression, stress and other psychological related
issues. It is a kind of therapy which aids individuals to overcome their challenges and facilitates
them to gain their self confidence. Counselling skills are the technical and interpersonal
characteristics which a counsellor utilises to better comprehend and listen to their clients.
This essay will be based on Case Study 1. This essay highlights various counselling
theories and approaches which best explain case of June. It covers strengths and weaknesses of
different approaches in terms of their effectiveness in relation to case study.
MAIN BODY
Counselling is a complex process that involves a trained counsellor assisting an
individual to search ways in order to understand their problems. Number of skills are required by
counsellors to comprehend problems of others from which most important is good
communication skills. Counsellors needs to listen properly with an open mind, dedicating their
full attention to what their client are saying. Several core counselling skills involves silence to
provide content and pace to clients. Next skills is reflecting and paraphrasing which is a art of
listening to ensure that client feels that they are being heard. Another is focus which involves
making decisions and concentrate on main issues of individuals. Next skill is building rapport
which means to create a sense of connection with client. There are also general value and
behaviours that should be encouraged by counsellors to evaluate the level of challenge they are
facing (Bacheller, 2021). Counselling values are measures to express general ethical
commitments which expresses the intention and objectives of actions. It involves respecting
individual with dignity and improve their well being. In
Counselling is a broad term which is further elaborates by number of theories and
approaches. It provides a structure for counsellors to understand an individual's behaviour,
thinking and emotions to assist them navigate from diagnosis to post treatment. There are
number of approaches used by counselling professionals. Each provides different aspect of
counselling and counsellors using these approaches problems in various ways. First approach is
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Psychodynamic Approach evolved from work of Sigmund Freud, which believes that there are
unconscious drivers that thrust certain behaviour. This approach tries to read aspects of
unconscious mind so that counsellors comprehend their patients and aid them to recover. The
approach believes that accurate knowledge of individuals and their issues is possible by
understanding areas of conscious, subconscious and unconscious of human mind. In context to
case study, counsellors can strive to bring things from June's unconscious mind where memories
of her deceased husband and daughters have been suppressed into conscious mind where she will
be aware of her feelings and emotions (Cauchi and Mifsud, 2022). Second is Behavioural
approach which is supported on belief that behaviour is learned and environment of an
individual determines their behaviour. It suggested that a person's response to a situation is result
of behaviours that was reinforced in past. Counsellors identify past behaviour of individuals that
supports problematic patterns in actions and thinking. In context to case study, counsellors needs
to evaluate June's past incidents where she suffered empty nest syndrome after her younger
daughter left home for further studies. June had a hard time after to being a couple again. This
assessment of her past behaviours will allow counsellors to better understand why is she
behaving in a certain way after her husband's death.
Third approach is cognitive which is developed by Aaron Beck. This approach intended
on how individuals thinking can alter their emotions and feelings. It suggests that individuals
experience psychological and emotional problems when their rational thinking do not match with
reality. It is brief in nature and problem solving oriented. It focuses more on current situations of
individuals who are suffering from any type of grief or loss (Eckermann and Waldemar, 2020).
This approach helps in combating number of mental issues involving anxiety, eating or substance
abuse disorders. In context to case study, counsellors can work to address June's detachment
behaviour from everyone so that she can reason out solutions of challenges she is experiencing.
This will allow counsellors to provide with reality, acceptance and commitment theory to June.
Fourth is Humanistic approach where focus is more on present to provide individuals with their
maximum potential. This approach accentuates people's ability to make rational choices and
evolve into their better being. It beliefs that people have all the resources which are required to
live healthy and functional lives and issues arises due to limited problem solving resources. In
context to case study, counsellors can have a open mind to listen to problems experiencing by
June and provides her the chance to explore as well as access within herself to find resources
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needed to cope up with problems on her own. Counsellors can be more person- centered and
emotion focused while dealing with June's emotions.
Fifth is constructionist approach which holds that knowledge is simply constructed
comprehension of real events of world. It influences that actual events of life can trigger
individual's meaning making process which ascertains how they feel, think or behave. In context
to case study, counsellors can work with June to evaluate and revise her constructions with self
and world (CHartung, 2019). They can strive to understand that the events of her daughter
leaving house and her husband's death have triggered her rational thinking capacity which she
found hard to cope up with. Sixth approach is Integrative which involves integrating several
aspects of various approaches to practice. This approach focuses on individuals problems by
utilising psychotherapy and measures that best suited with their problems. It focuses on
relationship between mind, spirit and body in order to attempt to understand as well as address
measures of issues in one dimension of individual resulted in concerns in other areas. In context
to case study, counsellors can strive to understand June's feelings when her daughters left the
house and how that emotions adds up after her husband's death.
Theories about loss and grief has been proposed by psychologists. Bereavement means to
be robbed or feel like deprived of something valuable. It is commonly referred to death of a close
person. It can be expressed by several act of mourning such as detachment from public activities
and social world. Whereas, grieving defines psychological elements of bereavement, the
emotions arises due to significant loss and the suffering that follows after a someone's close
person dies. Theory of loss and bereavement includes several theories of grief one of which is
given by Sigmund Freud, Freud's Model of Bereavement. The theory suggests that individuals
searches for bonds that has been lost. It conceived grief and mourning as processes whereby
bereaved individual adjusts to their loss and reality which enable them to withdraw from the
deceased and recreate new relationships (Levitt, Morrill and Collins, 2020).Freud term mourning
as regime of melancholia recommended that when mourning is not right, melancholia intensifies.
Melancholia can be a profound presentation of depression comprising a full loss of pleasure in
all other things from life. It suggested that in period of grieving, the bereaved withdraw from
several attachments that are included in creation of relationship. Theoretical concepts of
normality about bereavement can aid in predicting highest risk of complicated bereavement and
sometimes even diagnosis of pathological and unsolved grief. In context to case study, June took
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her time to mourn about Doug's death. She faced trouble coping with losses she had suffered and
has been signed off from her work too. She had a hard time in letting of memories and
attachment of her husband.
Psychological models of bereavement also comprises of Kubler Ross Grief Cycle which
represents a perspective to understand own and other people's emotional response to trauma or
loss. Grief is personal for every people and it can be expressed through feelings, behaviours and
thoughts. According to this theory, there are five stages which are ingrained in people's
consciousness which comes up after someone close to them pass away. In context to case study,
when June daughter left house, she suffers from empty nest syndrome where she gone through
various emotions but slowly adjusted to being a couple again with Doug and starting to enjoy as
well as reconnect with each other. But soon after Doug died because of brain tumour which left
June helpless and detached with her social life and in that grieving period she went through
various stages. As per Kubler Ross grief cycle each individual experience of loss and grief is
different. The first stage of this model is Denial, which is generally reckon as temporary defence
by a person who has suffered loss of death of their close one. Here, they refuse to accept that
things are happening for real which is a result of their conscious or unconscious thinking. At this
stage, individual usually tries to convince themselves that their close one who have passed away
is alive. In context to case study, Doug's death gives June a shock as he normally went to work
like any other day when he collapsed and died soon after. June's first response to this loss was
denial. Next step is anger where suffering people realises that denial is not a permanent solution,
thus they enter in phase of anger (Maree, 2019). In this stage, they feel like life is being unfair to
particularly them or why certain things are happening only with them. It took on many emotions
of individual that it became challenging to support them as they presents feelings of fury and
rage. The anger shown is supported by emotional endeavours which blame others for the
situations they are going through. In context to case study, June's anger starts to build up as she
worked hard on re bonding with her husband. Her emotions ranges from guilt to anger to
helplessness.
Next stage is bargaining which involves feelings of hope where a person tries to
postpone loss of someone they loved. In this phase, questions like what if which represents
regrets about what had happened and what could have been the situation before someone dies. In
context to case study, June felt extreme pain as both her daughters left house and her husband
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died. She have thoughts like what if her daughters lived with her and Doug so they all would
have lived a happy life together. She also have thoughts like what if she had somehow managed
to save Doug and timely took him to hospital. This emotion did not allow her to cope up that
Doug had passed away. Next step is depression where a person slips into phase of depression
presenting grief and sorrow taking their major part of daily life. People started to miss people
who have passed away and they became silent as well as refuse to share their feelings with
others. They denied every support from their friends and family and spend majority of their time
grieving and crying. This theory suggested that a person should take as much time as they want
to mourn the loss of their life (Mary and Costalat-Founeau, 2018). Sadness is not exact and can
strike a person at any time even after several months of death of their loved one. In context to
case study, June left with heavy heart after Doug's death. She felt trouble in coping with loss of
her husband and also stopped going to work. She cuts all kind of support from her family and
friends and spends most of her time alone. Last step in this grief cycle is acceptance where a
person starts to consider the mortality concept and understands that death is also a part of life.
This stage is related with coming in terms with new reality after a significant loss. But
acceptance can not be considered as end of grief as it just accepting reality with time. It allows
person to miss the deceased with love and not pain. This stage provides chance to slowly heal
from grief, sorrow and pain. In context to case study, June will slowly start to accept that Doug
has gone and starts to express emotions like everything will be okay over time. She can talk with
her family, friends or even take professional help to cope up with the loss. She will learn to live
with her new reality and engage in her social and professional circle again.
Psychologist William Worden provides a theory of four tasks which helps individuals to
comprehend other people journey of grief. Healing is a long process which happens step by step
as the person who is grieving addresses various tasks they go through in no certain order and
going back and forth over time. First task of this theory entails to accept the reality of loss.
Although a person rationally know that someone is dead, they may experience feeling of
disbelief. Integrating the reality of death simply defines taking it in with their whole individuality
(Ribeiro and Almeida, 2019). The reality may hit immediately after loss or even after months of
death. In context of case study, after being in denial for short period, June soon realises that her
husband has died. Second task is to process the pain of grief which describes that grief is
experienced cognitively, emotionally, spiritually and physically. This phase can be supported by
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grief groups who are going through same losses to encourage safe environment to natural
reactions. In context of case study, June can enrol in grief and support groups to process the pain
of Doug's death. There she will be able to express all her feelings which have been piling up
since her daughter left home. Processing grief is an important aspect in dealing with death of
people as it allows them to openly express what they are thinking or feeling. Third task
demonstrates to adjust in world without the deceased. It allows people to have adjustments with
external environment involving their responsibilities and learning new things. It also comprise of
internal adjustments as it allows individuals to adapt to new life after loss of their loved one. In
context of case study, June needs to adjust with her external and internal environment to learn to
live without her husband. She needs to start finding new purpose and meaning of life to
strengthen her belief system in life. Last task is to search an lasting connection with deceased
in the midst of beginning a new life. It allows individual to maintain a balance between
remembering a deceased person and living a life fully and of meaning. In context of case study,
June needs to resume her work and starts to engage in her social life again to begin a new life
after death of Doug.
Different types of counselling theories and approaches look similar things from different
perspective. The major thing to consider by all theories is they should provides with core skills
required for person centred therapy. Three different type of approaches compared are person
centred, transactional analysis and REBT. Person centred is humanistic approach which
represents present condition of people and focuses more on now. Transactional analysis is
psychodynamic approach which emphasise more on past incidents. REBT is behavioural
approach which is concerned more with how people think. In person centred, counsellors
believes that people seeking help are expert on themselves and assist them to build self
acceptance (Richardson, 2018). In transactional analysis, counsellors are expert and aid people to
realise how their past experiences impacted their current life. Whereas, in REBT counsellors aid
individual to think more rationally about their life and loss. Transactional analysis is analytical
therapy which tends to evaluate behaviours of people, REBT is based on concept that it is
assertable to alter patterns of thinking and person centred is based on approach that every
individual has the potential for empathy in therapeutic movement. Transactional analysis
approach focus on how people engage with each other whereas REBT challenges individual's
perception of themselves. On other hand, all three modals of counselling involves
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communication and exchange of thoughts between client and counsellor. Both REBT and person
centered are associated with what is occurring in here and now. Transactional analysis intended
more on past relationship and incidents. In context of case study, person centered approach is
more beneficial as it allows counsellors to believes that June can self heal if her core conditions
are in place. It will allow her to believe that her innate tendencies are sufficient to heal and grow
from loss. The weakness of this approach can be lack of therapeutic techniques and major
reliance on counsellors ability to consistently not judge and unconditionally accept as well
emphatic with individuals.
CONCLUSION
From the information presented above, it has been concluded that counselling is a talking
therapy which facilitates individuals to discuss about their issues with trained professionals
within safe environment. It helps individuals to cope up with their loss regarding death of their
loved one by expressing range of feelings and emotions they are going through. The purpose of
counselling is to enable people to form critical and rational decisions associated with another
courses of activities without external influence. It allows counsellors to accept, communicate,
give empathy and show respect for individual. It takes on combination of various skills, values
and knowledge about the subject they are handling.
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REFERENCES
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