HSV203 Introduction to Counseling: Unit 6 DB: Theory in Practice
Alex is a 28-year-old client seeking counseling for persistent feelings of anxiety and low self-esteem. They recently ended a long-term relationship and are struggling with the transition. Alex reports feeling overwhelmed at work, where they are often criticized by their boss, leading to increased self-doubt. They also feel isolated, as they have recently moved to a new city and have few friends. Alex’s primary goal for counseling is to build their self-confidence and reduce anxiety.
In your initial post, choose one counseling theory from your reading this week.
“This section describes four of the main postmodern approaches, solution-focused brief therapy, motivational interviewing, narrative therapy, and feminist therapy. In these approaches, the therapist disavows the role of expert, preferring a more collaborative and consultative stance. Solution-focused brief therapy, motivational interviewing, and narrative therapy are based on the optimistic assumption that people are healthy, competent, resourceful, and possess the ability to construct solutions and alternative stories that can enhance their lives. Feminist therapy focuses on issues of diversity, the complexity of sexism, and the centrality of social context in understanding gender issues.” (Corey, M. S. & Corey)
Be sure to summarize the theory and then explain how you would use this theory to address Alex’s concerns and guide your work.
1. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT):
Focus:
SFBT focuses on identifying client strengths and resources to create solutions, rather than dwelling on problems. It's a brief, goal-oriented therapy that emphasizes the present and future.
Role of the Therapist:
Therapists act as collaborators, helping clients explore exceptions (times when the problem was not present) and identify existing solutions.
2. Motivational Interviewing (MI):
Focus:
MI aims to strengthen a client's intrinsic motivation to change by exploring ambivalence and building a collaborative relationship.
Role of the Therapist:
Therapists act as guides, helping clients explore their own reasons for change and empowering them to take action.
3. Narrative Therapy:
Focus:
Narrative therapy views individuals as experts in their own lives and helps them deconstruct dominant problem-saturated narratives and create new, more empowering stories.
Role of the Therapist:
Therapists act as facilitators, helping clients explore their life stories, identify unique outcomes (instances where the problem was not present), and co-construct new narratives.
4. Feminist Therapy:
Focus:
Feminist therapy addresses power imbalances and social inequalities that impact individuals' well-being, particularly women and marginalized groups.
Role of the Therapist:
Therapists act as allies, promoting social justice and challenging oppressive structures while empowering clients to develop self-awareness and agency.
Identify and describe at least two specific techniques or strategies from the chosen theory that you would use in your work with Alex.
In narrative therapy, problems are viewed as external to the individual, not as defining features of their identity. Clients are seen as experts in their own lives, capable of re-authoring their stories and choosing alternative narratives that align with their values and goals. This approach emphasizes collaboration between the therapist and client, fostering a safe and supportive environment where clients can explore their stories and challenge unhelpful narratives.
1. Separating the Person from the Problem:
- Narrative therapy assumes that problems are separate from the individual's identity.
- This allows clients to distance themselves from their problems, seeing them as external forces rather than defining characteristics.
- This separation helps clients recognize that they are not their problems and that they have the capacity to change their relationship with them.
- The client realizes that the difference is how they respond to the world around them, and your own life is different and takes a different path than what goes on around you.
- Find hobbies and outlets of energy and focus beyond the day-to-day routine.
2. Storytelling and Meaning-Making:
- Narrative therapy recognizes that people construct their lives through stories, which shape their experiences and interactions with others.
- These stories, influenced by societal discourses and beliefs, can become dominant narratives that influence how individuals see themselves and the world.
- Therapists explore these dominant narratives with clients, helping them to identify the power of these stories and challenge unhelpful ones.
- This also includes keeping a journal for the client to write down every day what is happening and allows them to work things out
- This also gives the client a place to work on external stories to give them an outlet to create stories around their lives or other subjects they choose.
Discuss the potential outcomes you would hope to achieve by using this approach with Alex.
I would recommend to Alex that he look into developing some hobbies or outlets of his energy to get his focus away from the day-to-day schedule. I would ask Alex if there are any hobbies or things he has been wanting to take up and work on but just hasn’t had the time. Does he like crafts or volunteer work or maybe a pet would be a great outline for his focus. Pets allow us to turn ourselves away from our own daily needs and learn to take care of and focus on the needs of other living beings. Depending on how much time he has, these can be animals like rabbits or rodents or reptiles who basically stay in their own habitat. Does he have the time for a dog who needs training and walking every day? Maybe a cat who can be independent, and yet still thrive on human companionship every day.
References
Corey, M. S. & Corey, G. Becoming a helper (8th ed.). Cengage.
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