Unit K/601/7629 Professional Organisational Issues In counselling assignment

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1. Understand what is meant by counselling.

1.1 Define what is meant by the term counselling.

BACP definition of counselling and psychotherapy:-

'Counselling and psychotherapy are umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies. They are delivered by trained practitioners who work with people over a short or long term to help them bring about effective change or enhance their wellbeing.’ (BACP [online]).

The BACP states that “counselling takes place when a counsellor see a client in a private and confidential setting to explore a difficulty the client is having, distress they may be experiencing or perhaps their dissatisfaction with life or loss of a sense of direction and purpose. It is always at the request of the client as no one can properly be ‘sent’

for counselling. In the sessions the client can explore various aspects of their life and feelings, talking about them freely and openly in a way that is rarely possible with friends and family. Bottled up feelings such as anger, anxiety, grief and embarrassment can become very intense and counselling offers an opportunity to explore them, with the possibility of making them easier to understand.”(BACP Guidelines 2010)

Oxford dictionary definition of counselling:-

A person trained to give guidance on personal or psychological problems.

counselling is a helping process with the overriding aim of helping clients to help themselves” (Richard Nelson-Jones 1989).

counselling is a collaborative relationship between client and a trained counsellor and by incorporating theory, research and practice counsellor’s aim is to accomplish client’s self-awareness, acceptance and ultimately progression to change so as to function well and resourcefully but also feel happier within a society” (McLeod, 2008).

The function of counselling is to help people to resolve problem areas in their life. Counselling provides an opportunity for the person to explore the difficult feelings, thoughts and behaviours that have blocked the way to satisfying relationships, personal happiness. The purpose of counselling is to help clients achieve their personal goals, and gain greater insight into their lives. Living in the modern world, surrounded by confusion and at times chaos, we are often exposed to difficulties and challenging situations. We all have problems such as relationship difficulties, work demands, unemployment and other pressures we all face every day.

The US psychologist Carl Rogers (influenced by Maslow, Alfred Adler and  Otto Rank) established the person centred approach, which is at the heart of most current practice. The person centred approach is now listed under the 'humanistic' therapy.

Carl Rogers developed the person-centred approach to therapy from four (pre war) distinctive philosophical beliefs, Existentialism, Phenomenology, Behaviourism and Psychoanalysis.

This form of humanistic therapy deals with the ways in which people perceive themselves consciously rather than having a therapist try to interpret unconscious thoughts or ideas. There are many different components and tools used in person-centred therapy including active listening, genuineness, paraphrasing.  The real point is that the client already has the answers to the problems and the job of the therapist is to listen without making any judgements, without giving advice, and simply help the client feel accepted and understand their own feelings.

Rogers has stated the basic hypothesis and the therapeutic conditions that define the person-centred approach as follows:

The central hypothesis of this approach can be briefly stated. It is that the individual has within him or her self vast resources for self-understanding, for altering her or his self-concept, attitudes, and self-directed behaviour--and that these resources can be tapped if only a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided.

There are three conditions which constitute this growth-promoting climate, whether we are speaking of the relationship between therapist and client, parent and child, leader and group, teacher and student, or administrator and staff. The conditions apply, in fact, in any situation in which the development of the person is a goal (Rogers, 1959, 1961).

Here is a brief summary from the point of view of psychotherapy, but the description applies to all of the foregoing relationships.

The first element has to do with genuineness, realness, or congruence. The more the therapist is him or herself in the relationship, putting up no professional front or personal facade, the greater is the likelihood that the client will change and grow in a constructive manner.

The second attitude of importance in creating a climate for change is acceptance, or caring or prizing--unconditional positive regard. It means that when the therapist is experiencing a positive, nonjudgmental, accepting attitude toward whatever the client is at that moment, therapeutic movement or change is more likely. . . .

The third facilitative aspect of the relationship is empathic understanding. This means that the therapist senses accurately the feelings and personal meanings that are being experienced by the client and communicates this acceptant understanding to the client. (Rogers, 1986).

Additional assumptions, beliefs and hypotheses that are central to the person-centered approach are the following:

  1. Belief that human nature is basically constructive.
  2. Belief that human nature is basically social.
  3. Belief that self-regard is a basic human need and that self-regard, autonomy and individual sensitivity are to be protected in helping relationships.
  4. Belief that persons are basically motivated to perceive realistically and to pursue the truth of situations.
  5. Belief that perceptions are a major determinant of personal experience and behavior and, thus, to understand a person one must attempt to understand them empathically.
  6. Belief that the individual person is the basic unit and that the individual should be addressed, (not groups, families, organizations, etc.), in situations intended to foster growth.
  7. Belief in the concept of the whole person.
  8. Belief that persons are realizing and protecting themselves as best they can at any given time and under the internal and external circumstances that exist at that time.
  9. Belief in abdication of the pursuit of control or authority over other persons and, instead, a commitment to strive to share power and control.
  10. A commitment to open mindedness and humility in respect to theory and practice.

The basic hypothesis the theory of therapy and the additional beliefs stated above describe the person-centred approach.

Rogers believed that the principles he developed could be applied in a variety of contexts and not just in the therapy situation. As a result he started to use the term ‘person-centred approach’ later in his life to describe his overall theory.

The philosophy of the person-centred approach views the client as their own best authority on their own experience and as being basically good; it views the client as being fully capable of fulfilling their own potential for growth and self-awareness. The philosophy sees human beings as being:-

  • Optimistic
  • Trusting
  • Trustworthy
  • Basically good
  • Forwards moving
  • Social
  • Motivated to strive towards self fulfilment of potential
  • Wanting to seek truth, wholeness and open-mindedness
  • Wanting to be the best they can (self-actualisation)

At the heart of this approach is the basic trust in human beings and in the movement of every organism toward constructive fulfilment of its, his, or her possibilities’. (Carl R. Rogers.1980).

The person-centred approach makes every attempt in its non-directive approach to foster an environment in which clients can encounter themselves and become more intimate with their own thoughts, feelings and meanings, while feeling free from threat, both physically and psychologically. Rogers stated that 'Individuals have within themselves vast resources for self-understanding and for altering their self-concepts, basic attitudes, and self-directed behaviour; these resources can be tapped if a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided.' (Carl R. Rogers. 1980).

 For a client to move forwards and reach the goal of self-actualisation Rogers developed the ‘core conditions’. He felt that a counsellor in order to be effective in moving a client forwards must have the qualities of:-

  • Congruence - genuineness, honesty with the client.
  • Empathy - the ability to feel what the client feels.
  • Unconditional positive regard - accept the client unconditionally and non-judgementally.

In creating these conditions seen as both necessary and sufficient for therapeutic movement to occur (the counsellors ‘way of being’) the counsellor creates a supportive environment in which the client is encouraged to reach their full potential (self-actualisation).

The main concept of the person-centred approach is that the person has an innate desire and drive for self improvement.

Rogers coined the term “Actualisation”. The concept is that human beings have the desire and drive to actualise their potential, to developing in a complete way, to be the best they can be.

The person-centred approach also works on the premise that clients are capable and trustworthy and the focus is on the client’s ability to make changes for themselves.

 Today professors in the field of Person Centred Counselling such as David Mearns and Brian Thorne continue the work established by Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow, Rollo May and others. Mearns and Thorne pioneers of the person centred approach in Britain and prolific authors and co-authors of the best seller ‘Person Centred Counselling in action’ have both given inspirational seminars here. Their reputation as practitioners, teachers, trainers and writers is of the highest merit and regard in the field of counselling and psychotherapy.

As Mearns and Thorne (1988) point out, we cannot understand person-centered counselling by its techniques alone. The person-centered counsellor has a very positive and optimistic view of human nature. The philosophy that people are essentially good, and that ultimately the individual knows what is right for them, is the essential ingredient of successful person centered therapy as “all about loving”.

In the successful process of personal change the client learns to become their own therapist such that their self concept moves and achieves to that of the fully functioning individual.

1.2 Explain their own philosophical approach to counselling.

I love the optimistic view of Carl Rogers about human nature and his basic assumption that people are essentially trustworthy, that we have a vast potential for understanding ourselves and resolving our own problems without direct intervention and that we are capable of self-directed growth. It’s very motivating to learn that individuals have a natural potential that we can actualize and through which we can find meaning. 
My aim is to be a counsellor, a fully functioning counsellor and in turn, help my clients to be equally fully functioning human beings or at least more fully functioning.

Person centred therapy is appealing to me because it emphasises choice and responsibility, but within the confines of a warm and caring relationship with the counsellor. I think that all client/counsellor relationships should be based on the Rogerian principles of positive regard, empathy and congruence (the core conditions). Without a caring relationship, trust is not established. A foundation of trust is necessary for the client to be able to accept the potential confrontation of the counsellor, and to believe that the counsellor has the well-being of the client at heart.

Therapy seems to be most effective when based on a warmly genuine and caring relationship. Rapport is built through empathy, which is demonstrated through active listening skills, attentiveness, non-verbal cues, patience and consistency. Respect and acceptance are vital aspects of the client-counsellor relationship. A safe environment is necessary for therapy to be effective. The physical location where therapy takes place is more conducive to therapy when it is private, secure and comfortable. Gathering information such as why the client is there, family situations and identifying internal and external factors is another step toward effective therapy.

I believe effective therapy occurs when the therapist knows their theoretical orientation very well.

It is important for me to work within the limits of my competence and to understand the basic philosophy of the therapeutic model and to follow the guidelines set out by the BACP as failure to do so could do more harm than good.

I understand that the aim of this model is to create a trusting and deeply empathic relationship. Not only must the client learn to trust the counsellor, but also the counsellor must trust the client, with the overriding aim of helping the client help themselves, thus promoting change, growth, and self- actualisation.

In understanding the model it is important to consider that:-

  • The counsellor must always work within their competence.
  • The counsellor must always work in the best interest of the client.
  • The counsellor should be aware of his/her own issues and problems so as not to bring them into the counselling environment.
  • The counsellor must protect the privacy and confidentiality of the information their clients share with them during therapy sessions.

All practising counsellors must be a member of the BACP and are bound by a code of ethics. The intention of the ethical framework is to offer professional counsellors a framework for sound ethical decision making and assist in considering all relevant circumstances and be accountable for decisions made.

The philosophy of the person-centred approach views the client as their own best authority on their own experience and as being basically good; it views the client as being fully capable of fulfilling their own potential for growth and self-awareness. The philosophy sees human beings as being:-

  • Optimistic
  • Trusting
  • Trustworthy
  • Basically good
  • Forwards moving
  • Social
  • Motivated to strive towards self fulfilment of potential
  • Wanting to seek truth, wholeness and open-mindedness
  • Wanting to be the best they can (self-actualisation)

1.3 Explain the impact this approach has on their practice as a counsellor.

The person centred approach provides a platform for me by helping to convey an attitude of unconditional positive regard in the context of an accepting, non-threatening, non-judgemental, non-directive relationship with my clients. It helps by clarifying and rephrasing - believing that people are capable of identifying the sources of their own emotional problems and working out solutions once freed from feelings of anxiety and insecurity.

The approach helps me reach a deep empathic understanding with my clients, to perceive the client’s world as the client sees it, to grasp it from their perspective, to have the ability and skill to relate to the client in a sincere and undefensive manner while being able to communicate that understanding tentatively and sensitively. It involves me being with a client in their vulnerability and experiences whilst having the ability to lay aside my own judgments and perceptions, values beliefs and attitudes.

The approach informs me to be genuine to myself, to be congruent. When interaction takes place with a client the approach informs me to have the skill and ability to be real and genuine with no pretence or facade, which means that I need to know myself first and be willing to be who I am in the relationship. Being congruent makes it easier for the client to trust me and the counselling process thus helping interaction.

All of the above informs me and are known as the core-conditions and contribute to my way of being.

I agree with Rogers concerning the core conditions, in my experience with clients all I have been able to offer my clients is the core conditions and this seems to be enough for change to take place, it’s amazing to witness.

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2. Understand the need to work within an ethical framework.

2.1 Evaluate the need for an ethical framework for counselling and psychotherapy.

In order for counselling to be effective and purposeful it must be conducted in an ethical way. The very act of seeking counselling predisposes that the seeker is vulnerable/troubled and needs assurance that the main focus of counselling will be their well-being and promote for them a greater sense of autonomy and not to serve any other purpose. Therefore the foundation of good counselling must be an ethical relationship, hence the need for an ...

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