Term Paper on "Advanced Counseling Theories and Therapies"

Term Paper 10 pages (3890 words) Sources: 8 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

The implication of this assertion is that basically the therapists should ensure that they select for their patients the therapy that can best address the patient's personal characteristics as well as their view of the problem.

Effectiveness of therapies/interventions

The effective therapies have been noted to seek to disrupt or even remove the symptoms altogether; enhance the level of agency as well as competence of the clients; increase the level of tolerance for the patient's emotional experience; provide a form of dramatic relief as well as a restoration of certain level of self-efficacy. The problematic arousal might also be rendered extinct (Bentler, 2000; Walmpold, 2001).

In regard to the outcome of the counseling interventions, Walmpold (2001) pointed out that the proponents recognize the existence of a relationship between the client and the therapists as a critical factor but one that is insufficient. The relationship has been indicated to account more in terms of the variability in regard to outcome than to the cumulative effects of the specific ingredients (Walmpold ,2001,p.158). The work of Walmpold further indicate that about 8 percent of the outcome can be attributed to the model employed while 70 percent is attributed to the general features that are common to all other good therapies.

Literature review

Extant literature has been dedicated to the effectiveness of counseling theories. Abramson (2010) carried out a study on the treatment of psychoses using principles that are applicable in real world situations. In his work, he explained that the treatment of psychoses should be tailored to include the psychological treatment of the patient's mind in conjunction with the conventional treatment of the brain. He pointed out that several schools of psychotherapy exist but the psychoanalytic treatment is the only one that is classified as a Western principle that is devoted to the comprehensive exploration of the subjective mind. Abramson (2010) further indicated in his work that the existing psychoanalytic authorities have extensively explored the psychodynamics that are in action in the treatment of psychoses. The approaches of which are constrained by the realities of resource limitation as well as the smaller number of trained therapists. It has also been pointed out in Abramson's (2010) work that therapist who lack broad theoretical background can never effectively implement the techniques as well as comprehend the strategies advanced by distinguished authors. According to Abramson (2010), there are five main principles that are necessary for the effective treatment of patients with psychotic problems. The principles include; the level of safety that exists in therapeutic situations, the existence of empathy as a way of effectively understanding the patient as well as avoidance of problems associated with counter-transference. The other factors include the validation in situations that are therapeutic and this includes the enhancement of safety, bolstering of ego in those with fragile egos. Anthony (2011) on the other hand discussed the latest advancements in Anxiety Disorders therapy. His work provided some backgrounds on various advancements that have been made in Anxiety Disorder therapeutics. In regard to the effectiveness of counseling therapies , Anthony (2011) indicated that despite the fact that there are evidence-based interventions for all forms of anxiety disorders, several patients only receive partial relief from these interventions. Some patients on the other hand don't benefit at all. It is therefore necessary for researchers to come up with improved and better interventions that have sound theoretical backings in order for the to comprehend the factors that can assist in the prediction as well as determination of who is most likely to respond to the interventions.

Berghout and Zevalkink(2009) on other hand have studied the significance of the long-term psychoanalytic interventions. Their work evaluated the level of clinical significance of the long-term psychoanalytic treatment in 4 groups of sixty patients in various phases of treatment (prior to, during, after as well as follow up stages). This was done with highly normative comparisons of a total of four symptom questionnaires (SCL-90, STAI, BDI-II, IIP-64) as well as 2 personality assessment instruments (Rorschach-CS, MMPI-2). In each of the groups, the percentage of patients having clinically elevated scores was effectively evaluated through the comparison of their scores with the clinical and the nonclinical reference groups for all of the instruments that were used. The combined percentage for the clinically elevated scores was calculated on the basis of six instruments. This was done as a conservative estimate of the level of improvement that was observed on the nonclinical levels post-psychoanalytic treatment. In comparison to the pretreatment levels, it was found that there was a significant decrease in the proportion of clinical cases post-treatment. This study served to indicate that in the evaluation of the degree of clinical significance at a group level, an examination of level of changes must be conducted at an individual level.

Dowd (2010) on the other hand conducted a study on the specialty practice of both the cognitive and behavioral therapies. In their work, they indicated that cognitive and behavioral psychology is a very distinct area of practice within the larger profession of psychology. The discipline is however based on the counseling theories that explain basic learning as well as developmental principles, social and cognitive theoretical principles as well as psychotherapeutic treatment. The most important and widely applied elements of the specialty are; the use of interventions that have undergone further scholarly inquiry, the application of specialized treatment strategies that are formulated to aid in the modification of cognition as well as behaviors; the employment of empirical outcome indicators that are formulated to aid in the tracking of the impact of client treatment. This study therefore supports the fact that counseling theories are effective in the correction of cognitive as well as behavioral psychology.

Hart and Hart (2010) explored the future of the now popular cognitive behavioral interventions within the context of behavioral medicine. Their work cast some element of doubt on the effectiveness of certain counseling theories. His specific doubt was directed towards the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in the treatment of cognitive and behavioral deficits.

Newman et al (2011) o the other hand conducted a randomized controlled trial of the concept cognitive-behavioral therapy for a population that had generalized anxiety disorder using integrated techniques that ranged from emotion-focused to and interpersonal therapies. Their work indicated the potency of CBT as an intervention having both long-term as well as short-term impacts on a large number of clients suffering from with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This work indicated that for the counseling theories to work the prescribed interventions must be intertwined with experiential and/or interpersonal interventions.

Salzer et al., (2010) studied the patterns of interpersonal unrests /problems as well as their improvement in patients who are both depressed and anxious. The patients in their study were subjected to psychoanalytic therapy. This work indicated the effectiveness of counseling theories (psychoanalytic therapy) in solving the dissatisfaction that is experienced within the interpersonal relationships among mental disorder patients.

Tizón (2010) in his work on the psychoanalytic perspective of mourning and psychosis attempted to come up with a conceptual framework/model as well as concepts that relate directly and indirectly to the process of mourning in patients who are psychotic. In his work, he indicated that the situations of morning as well as loss are integral moments for psychotherapy, psychoanalysis as well as therapeutic approaches. His work therefore excelled in differentiating the roles of various counseling theories as well as their interrelatedness.

Witkiewitz & Marlatt (2010) conducted a study on behavioral therapy that explored a wide range of subjects. His study indicated that there are several instances in which behavioral therapies have been effectively used in bringing treatment to the patient as opposed to taking the patient to the treatment. The evaluated behavioral therapy techniques can provide effective treatment for a wide spectrum of conditions including but not limited to alcohol abuse disorders, couple and family therapy, individual therapies as well as in contingency management. This work indicated the effectiveness of counseling therapies in the management and treatment of various psychological conditions.

Wubbolding et al (2004) on the other hand provided an overview of Reality Therapy with a global perspective. Their work evaluated the employment of Reality Therapy with persons as well as groups from dissimilar/multiple cultures. The work explained the misconception that the concept of Reality Therapy is one that can never be applied on non-Western cultures. This work therefore discussed the universality and effectiveness of some of the counseling theories that are noted to be very important for correcting some of the most common cases of psychological disorders/conditions.

Methodology

The process of evaluating the effectiveness of the counseling theories in use at the Main Street Counseling Center involved interviewing of clients after treatment in… READ MORE

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