Counselling

2 Key approaches

Counselling is a process designed to help individuals overcome personal challenges, explore emotional issues, and foster mental and emotional well-being. The techniques and approaches used in counselling can vary, but they often include listening, providing feedback, helping the client clarify their thoughts, and offering tools to manage emotions or behaviours.

Uses of Counselling:
Mental Health Support: Managing anxiety, depression, stress, and trauma.
Life Transitions: Assisting clients in coping with major changes such as loss, career changes, or relationship difficulties.
Personal Growth: Helping individuals improve self-awareness, set goals, and develop more effective coping mechanisms.
Crisis Intervention: Offering support during times of acute distress, such as suicidal ideation or breakdowns.
Two Key Approaches in Counselling:

1. Person-Centred Counselling (Rogerian Therapy)

This approach, developed by Carl Rogers, is grounded in the belief that individuals have the inherent ability to achieve personal growth and self-healing when provided with the right conditions. The core of this technique is creating a non-judgmental and empathetic space for clients to explore their feelings and experiences.

Techniques:

Unconditional Positive Regard: The therapist offers acceptance and support, regardless of what the client shares. This helps clients feel safe and free from judgment.

Empathy: The therapist strives to deeply understand the client’s feelings and perspective. This is conveyed through active listening and reflective feedback, ensuring the client feels heard and understood.

Congruence (Authenticity): The therapist is genuine and transparent with the client, fostering trust in the relationship.

Non-directive Approach: The client is seen as the expert in their own life. The therapist avoids directing or advising, instead empowering the client to find their own solutions.

Benefits:

Fosters self-awareness and emotional growth.

Encourages a sense of autonomy and self-acceptance.

Builds a strong, trusting therapeutic relationship that facilitates healing.

2. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is a goal-directed approach that focuses on solutions rather than problems. It assumes that clients already possess the skills to solve their issues and aims to help them recognize and use these abilities.

Techniques:

Miracle Question: The therapist asks the client to imagine how their life would be different if their problem was miraculously solved. This helps the client visualize positive change and set concrete goals.

Scaling Questions: Clients rate their current situation or progress on a scale (usually 0 to 10), which helps them evaluate where they are and what steps they can take to improve.

Exception-Finding: The therapist helps the client identify times when the problem is less severe or absent, thus focusing on the strengths and strategies that are already working.

Focus on Strengths and Resources: SFBT emphasizes the client’s past successes, strengths, and resources rather than the problem, helping them recognize what they’re already doing well.

Benefits:

Goal-oriented and time-efficient, often used in short-term therapy.

Builds on the client’s strengths and abilities, boosting self-efficacy.

Focuses on what works, helping clients achieve quick, tangible results.

Insights into Combining Person-Centred and Solution-Focused Approaches:

A therapist may blend person-centred techniques with solution-focused strategies to provide both a supportive environment and a structured path toward change. This hybrid approach can foster emotional healing through empathy while also helping clients achieve specific, actionable goals.

For example, the therapist may begin with a person-centred stance to build trust and help the client explore their feelings. Once a strong rapport is established, solution-focused techniques can be introduced to encourage goal-setting and progress. This combination allows for deep emotional work without losing sight of practical outcomes.