Philosophical Schools of Theory
1. Modernist: CBT, Psychodynamic
2. Humanistic: Gestalt, Person Centered (Rogerian), Emotionally Focused, (Satir, Whitaker).
• Philosophical Schools of Theory
3. Systemic: Systems theories, Strategic, MRI Problem-Focused Approach, Cybernetics
system theory, Structural Theory
4. Postmodern: Constructivism, Social Constructionism, Feminist Theory,
Narrative Therapy (Societal, Political).
Chapter 1: Counseling Theory, Competency, Research and You: Connecting the Dots
• Competencies:
– Diversity and multicultural competence
– Research and the evidence base
– Ethics (and Law)
– Person-of-the-counselor/Person-of-the-therapist
• Research and the Evidence Base: Reframing and Redesigning Theory
– Two main Research Approaches:
• Common factors (across theories) research
• Most concensual common factors:
• (1) clients positive expectations
• (2) therapeutic relationship (12%+)
• Rogers’ Facilitative Conditions
• Therapist is congruent or genuine.
• Therapist relates with (unconditional)
positive regard.
• Therapist expresses accurate empathy.
• Lambert’s Common Factors Model
• Client Factors = Client motivation and resources (40%).
• Two types:
• Client characteristics: Client
motivation to change, attitude about
counseling/change, commitment to
change, personal strengths and
resources (e.g., cognitive, emotional,
social, financial, spiritual), duration
of complaints, and so on.
• Extratherapeutic factors: Social
support, community involvement,
fortuitous life events, and so on.
• Therapeutic Relationship = How the client views the relationship (30%).
• Therapeutic Model/Techniques = The theory or model used (15%).
• Hope and the Placebo Effect (Positive Expectancy) = Does the
client believe it will help?(15%).
• Other Common Factors
• Hawthorne EffectThe tendency to perform or perceive differently when
one knows they are being observed
• Catharsis (Emotional discharge)
, • Choosing (New Alternatives, self-liberation)
• Contingency Control (Reinforcement increases response)
• Evidence-based practice and treatments
• empirically supported treatments (ESTs) meet the following criteria:
• Subjects are randomly assigned to
treatment groups.
• In addition to a group receiving the
treatment being studied, there must also be
• a no-treatment control (usually subjects
are on a waiting list) or
• an alternative treatment (for
comparison; may be an
unspecified approach: “treatment
as usual”) or
• placebo treatment.
• Advantages of ESTs and Efficacious Treatments
• Greater scientific support
• Written manuals to guide treatment; highly structured
• Target a specific population with a specific problem
• Disadvantages of ESTs and Efficacious Treatments
• Limited applicability: targets a specific and therefore
limited population
• Expensive: counselors need highly specific training in the
model and need to be trained in a number of models to function
effectively in most work environments
• evidence-based practice (EBP) refers to using research findings
to inform clinical decisions for the care of individual clients.
• practical and practice-friendly approach for using research
to enhance the practice of counseling
• Law, Ethics, and Competency
– Confidentiality
• Secret unless written releases or state law permit
– Diversity
– Scopes of competence and practice
• practice only within their scope of competence, areas in which they have
been adequately trained, or they obtain supervision in areas of growth
• The scope of practice refers to what one’s specific license allows one to do
– Dual relationships
– Defining the client
– Children’s rights to confidentially
– Personal concerns
– Mandated reporting
• Person-of-the-Counselor and Competency
– Personal characteristics:
– Identify and manage countertransference
– Therapeutic presence
– a quality of self considered to have intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal
elements, including elements of empathy, compassion, charisma, spirituality,
transpersonal communication, patient responsiveness, optimism, and
expectancies
THE ROLE OF THEORY and PYSCHOTHERAPY POWERPOINT
, • Psychotherapythe informed and intentional application of clinical methods and interpersonal
stances, derived from established psychological principles, for the purpose of assisting people
to modify their behaviors, cognitions, emotions, and/or other personal characteristics in
directions that the participants deem desirable
• Theory Is Used To:
– Develop a specific form of helping relationship
– Articulate more useful understanding of clients’ situation
– Identify effective means to resolve clients’ presenting problems
• Theories describe clinical phenomena, delimit and organize mass of information, and
integrate knowledge that directs psychotherapy.
– Provides Direction
– Provides a system of understanding information
– Conceptualizes health, pathology, reality and the therapeutic process
SOCW 740: Introduction
The Beginning Family Therapist
• Common Issues:
– Anxiety
– Academics versus competence
– Difficulties with integration
– Necessary Skills
– Interventions???
What do I do?
• Managing Anxiety Includes:
1. Normalizing it
2. Share with others
3. Identify faulty cognitions
, 1. Client-Therapist Relationship
2. Realize learning curve takes
time Therapist Development
• Learning Essential Skills
• Case Conceptualization
• Therapist as Self
Six Domains:
Admission to Treatment
Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis
Treatment Planning/Case Management
Therapeutic Interventions
Legal Issues, Ethics and Standards
Research and Program Evaluation
Competencies in Family Therapy (Gehart, Ch. 1)
Five Subdomains of MFT Core Competencies:
1) Conceptual - Knowledge, facts
2) Perceptual - “What's going on?”
3) Executive - “Skills”
4) Evaluative - Assess own abilities (Accurately)
5) Professional – Ethics, standards,
policies Who should come to therapy?
• Individuals? 54%
• Couples and Family? 35-42%
– Marital and Family problems most common
– Relations trumps individual
• Need to emphasize power of relationship in the influence of others thoughts, feelings and actions.
Gehart Ch. 2 (Skim 15 and 16)
Chapter 2: Treatment Planning
Treatment Planning and Creative Planning
◦ Treatment Plans
▪ Help counselors think through which dynamics need to be changed and how
▪ provide counselors with a clear understanding of the client situation
▪ give counselors a sense of confidence and an increased clarity
▪ ground counselors in their theory
Brief History of Mental Health Treatment Planning
◦ Treatment planning needed to receive third-party payment
▪ Derived from a medical model
◦ Symptom-based treatment plansmost extensive treatment plan models focused solely on clients’
medical symptoms
▪ Focus on “presenting problem” symptoms
▪ Danger: the counselor will underutilize counseling theories to conceptualize and
over focus on symptoms
◦ Theory-based treatment planningUses theory to generate clinically relevant treatment plans
Types of Treatment Plans
◦ Clinical Treatment Plans
▪ separate out treatment tasks, the treatment elements the counselor is responsible
for, from client goals, the specific aspects of the client’s life to be changed
▪ Clinical Treatment Plans Include:
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