Counselling Techniques

Overview

This Counselling Techniques course from Warnborough College does not recommend one technique over another – it makes the student aware of different therapies that can be used to help clients. This is an indispensible part of training or professional development for counsellors.

Psychoanalysis seeks to make the unconscious conscious. It strives to probe into the deeper part of the psyche and get to those issues that were not resolved during cognitive development. It does not aim simply to uncover these issues, but rather to understand and experience them so that a change in character can occur.

The therapist will typically not engage in much self-disclosure and will therefore consider that most of what the client discloses will be related to significant others from the past. The relationship relies on transference and the client making projections onto the counsellor. They also seek to enable the client to deal with impulsive and irrational behaviour and to cope with anxiety, thus leading to a greater sense of self-awareness and hopefully more successful relationships.

What you will learn

• Explain the concept of dream analysis.

• Differentiate between elements of traditional psychoanalytical theory in terms of its usefulness in modern day counselling.

• Describe the modification to traditional psychoanalytical theory as prescribed by Erikson.

• Explain an object-relations interpretation of the origin of ‘narcissistic’ and ‘borderline’ personality disorders.

• Explain the difference between Freudian and Adlerian theory.

• Define the key concepts of Adlerian theory including: personality, goals and lifestyle.

• Explain the concept of superiority v inferiority.

• Describe the 4 stages of the Adlerian counselling process, i.e: -developing the counselling relationship; -exploring the individual; -encouraging self-awareness; -re-education.

• Discuss the pros and cons of Adlerian therapy as applied to the counselling process.

• Define Gestalt therapy.

• Explain the importance of elements of human nature to the Gestalt approach.

• Discuss ways in which dilemmas can be resolved using the Gestalt approach.

• Explain the ‘effect of contact’ and the ‘effect of energy’.

• Discuss the use of confrontation.

• Describe different techniques of Gestalt therapy.

• Discuss the pros and cons of Gestalt therapy as applied to the counselling process.