Solution focused therapy is most closely associated with Steve de Shazer and colleagues. SF therapists are optimists.Counselors always believe that clients have strengths and resources. SF Therapists believe that clients are often too consumed by their difficulties to remember their strengths. According to SF therapy, it is the counselors role to help the client remember their strengths and help them realize their resources as well. SF counselors strive to maximize client potential, and they remind their clients that change is constantly occurring. SF therapists help clients to set small attainable goals. However it is important to note that it is the clients role to define the goal.
There are various ways to apply this theory to a PK-12 setting. One way is with students who are struggling with bullying. Students may feel like they are small or insignificant. This approach will help the students to focus on his/her strengths and use them to solve their own issue. The student can set small goals, such as ignoring the bully for one day.
Video: Dr. Berg With Robyn: Winning the Battle
Client is picking battles with husband and sister, and with everything in life. Counselor focuses on what she is doing well. Because the client is picking her battles, she has control. Suggestions for the client to try: pay attention to signals that tell the client that she can win that battle. Pretend that what her husband and sister do doesn't bother her anymore. In accordance with the theory, the counselor is suggesting that the clients language will create and define a new reality.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Chapter 13 Family Systems
Family Systems theory is most closely associated with Virginia Satir. According to this theory, a family is seen as a system. A family is a system of interrelated people and how they function together. What affects one part of the system affects another. Therefore, to understand an individual it is important to understand the entire system. It is impossible to fully understand one individual without the others. Despite resistance to change each family system constantly adapts to maintain itself in response to its members and environment.
Systems change through the family life cycle. Changes in family systems are caused by both nominative (predictable life cycle changes) and non-normative (crisis) stresses.
Video: Family Session: Pam, Judy, and Adrian
In this video session the daughter client talks about how it is hard fir her to be with her mom. She wants to do things on her own, but she feels like her mother tries to control her. The father often asks daughter to be nice to the mother. The father tries to push the mother and the daughter together. Then the mother gets angry because he tells her to change her tone of voice. The counselors suggests that the father and daughter work together to avoid having the mother tell them what to do. According to family systems all three clients are affecting each other. Perhaps the tension between the father and mother is related to the tension between the mother and daughter. However, it would be silly (according to the chapter) to infer causation.
Chapter 12 Feminist Therapy
No single individual is coined as the founder of FT. Instead, it emerged from feminist political philosophies. However, two early therapists who demonstred feminism in counseling early on include Alfred Adler and Karen Horney. Seemingly the main focus of Feminist Therapy is gender equity. Femist Therapy aims to eliminate patriarchy and end inequites based on gender. Feminists believe that gender is socially constructed and sex is biological. One saying that helps me with this concept is: "Gender is what it between your ears, sex is what is between your legs." Feminist counselors emphasize that clients have the power to define themselves. The oppression of women is a huge focus.
One scenario that I could imagine using this approach is with domestic abuse. Many teens experience violence from their partner. In American culture we are very patriarchal. We believe that males dominate and females should be pleasing to males. As a school counselor I would work with students who are experience violence and help them gain a sense of power and educate them on these very serious and real issues. Women can be strong and powerful. A glass ceiling may make it more difficult, but not impossible to succeed.
Video: Feminist Session: Dr. Moore and Helen
In this video the client discusses instances when she feels mad and takes it out on her kids, even though she knows it is inappropriate. She talks about how her whole life is about getting things done for everyone else, and at first she was not aware that it was like that. However, when became aware, she resented it. The counselor talks with the client about her role as a mother and how that role is valuable. But, it isn't seen as valuable in our culture. The counselor helps the client to feel like she isn't alone in her struggle. She talks about how many mothers feel powerlessness, and they too feel that what they're doing isn't valued. The two of them then discuss the lack of support in American culture for women, which is a feminist belief.
One scenario that I could imagine using this approach is with domestic abuse. Many teens experience violence from their partner. In American culture we are very patriarchal. We believe that males dominate and females should be pleasing to males. As a school counselor I would work with students who are experience violence and help them gain a sense of power and educate them on these very serious and real issues. Women can be strong and powerful. A glass ceiling may make it more difficult, but not impossible to succeed.
Video: Feminist Session: Dr. Moore and Helen
In this video the client discusses instances when she feels mad and takes it out on her kids, even though she knows it is inappropriate. She talks about how her whole life is about getting things done for everyone else, and at first she was not aware that it was like that. However, when became aware, she resented it. The counselor talks with the client about her role as a mother and how that role is valuable. But, it isn't seen as valuable in our culture. The counselor helps the client to feel like she isn't alone in her struggle. She talks about how many mothers feel powerlessness, and they too feel that what they're doing isn't valued. The two of them then discuss the lack of support in American culture for women, which is a feminist belief.
Chapter 11 Reality Therapy
William Glasser developed Reality Therapy. Although Reality Therapists believed that humans are essentially positive, they acknowledge that humans can also demonstrate negativity. This approach allows people to be in complete control of their own lives. People choose their own behaviors, behaviors are motivated to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. The gap between what we want and what we have is what motivates our behavior. Humans have five basic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom and fun.
As a school counselor I will definitely be incorporating Reality Therapy. One situation that I could apply this approach is with students who are making destructive decisions, such as students who are caught drinking and using drugs. Through this approach I would work the student to help him/her make better choices in the future. I would work with students to change what they want, change what they are doing, or change both. Perhaps a student is acting out for a specific reason, through RT I could help them change. Empowering students is very important. Instead of focusing on the past and focusing on bad memories, a school counselor could help a student look to the future and think of ways to make better choices.
Video: Individual: Re-framing Perceptions
This video is a perfect example of Reality Therapy. The therapist took a story that the client was trying to portray as negative, and turned it around to focus on the positives. The client crashed the reunion, he wasn't invited, so the counselor pointed out his determination to attend the party. The counselor then suggested that the client spread that determination to other aspects of his life such as his career. Instead of focusing on the negative and the past the counselor asked the client what would he like to be doing in the future.
As a school counselor I will definitely be incorporating Reality Therapy. One situation that I could apply this approach is with students who are making destructive decisions, such as students who are caught drinking and using drugs. Through this approach I would work the student to help him/her make better choices in the future. I would work with students to change what they want, change what they are doing, or change both. Perhaps a student is acting out for a specific reason, through RT I could help them change. Empowering students is very important. Instead of focusing on the past and focusing on bad memories, a school counselor could help a student look to the future and think of ways to make better choices.
Video: Individual: Re-framing Perceptions
This video is a perfect example of Reality Therapy. The therapist took a story that the client was trying to portray as negative, and turned it around to focus on the positives. The client crashed the reunion, he wasn't invited, so the counselor pointed out his determination to attend the party. The counselor then suggested that the client spread that determination to other aspects of his life such as his career. Instead of focusing on the negative and the past the counselor asked the client what would he like to be doing in the future.
Chapter 10 Cognitive Therapy
Cognitive Therapy is most closely associated with Aaron T. Beck. Cognitive Therapy focuses on the premise that emotions and behaviors are the product of our perceptions of situations. How you think and what you think are two big focuses for Cognitive Therapists. There are three levels of cognitive process according to this approach: pre-conscious, conscious, and meta-cognitive. The pre-conscious is the basis survival instincts which are out of awareness, the conscious is what we think, and meta-cognitive is thinking about the thought process. Cognitive Therapists focus on individuals schema's. Schemas are how individuals create meaning of information, and use the schema to drive actions.
One situation in school counseling that this applies to is testing. Cognitive Therapists have proven the impact of stereotype threat. As a school counselor, academics is one of the top three focuses. It will be important to educate teachers and administration about the effects of stereotype threat. If a female is reminded how much better males are at math right before taking a math exam, she will likely not perform as well. Also, it is important to remind educational professionals the importance of saying what you mean and meaning what you say. If a teacher calls a student a lazy dummy, the student may take on that schema and follow it.
Video: Cognitive Session
In this video session, the counselor talked with the client about the cognitive model. They discussed the process of how everything works. They discussed beliefs and automatic thoughts. The counselors presented a situation of a person walking down the street and they wave at a friend and she doesn't wave back, the person could have various different reactions. The client could either think, shes mad at me or maybe she didn't see me. The counselor points out the possibility of different behaviors for the same situation based on feelings and thoughts. Thoughts affect actions, the counselor wanted to focus on the evidence, is that thought accurate. This is a very clear example of a cognitive therapy session.
One situation in school counseling that this applies to is testing. Cognitive Therapists have proven the impact of stereotype threat. As a school counselor, academics is one of the top three focuses. It will be important to educate teachers and administration about the effects of stereotype threat. If a female is reminded how much better males are at math right before taking a math exam, she will likely not perform as well. Also, it is important to remind educational professionals the importance of saying what you mean and meaning what you say. If a teacher calls a student a lazy dummy, the student may take on that schema and follow it.
Video: Cognitive Session
In this video session, the counselor talked with the client about the cognitive model. They discussed the process of how everything works. They discussed beliefs and automatic thoughts. The counselors presented a situation of a person walking down the street and they wave at a friend and she doesn't wave back, the person could have various different reactions. The client could either think, shes mad at me or maybe she didn't see me. The counselor points out the possibility of different behaviors for the same situation based on feelings and thoughts. Thoughts affect actions, the counselor wanted to focus on the evidence, is that thought accurate. This is a very clear example of a cognitive therapy session.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Chapter 9 Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy(REBT) is closely associated with Albert Ellis. According to REBT people are responsible for their own behaviors. People know what is "good" or "bad" based on community standards. However, it is important to note that a person's behavior doesn't define the person. Sometimes, good people make bad choices. There are ABC's of REBT; the activating event, the person's beliefs, and the consequence. Sometimes the ABC's don't happen in order, a believe may trigger an activating event for one person but not another. REBT has two goals: to eliminate irrational thinking and to teach the client unconditional self-acceptance.
REBT is used a lot in the K-12 setting. One situation that I would use REBT as a school counselor would be through role reversal. In congruence with REBT I would use role-reversal with humor and exaggeration to help the student gain perspective. This technique can help clients express and understand their feelings. Also, this technique and general approach can help students understand the perspective of others.
REBT is used a lot in the K-12 setting. One situation that I would use REBT as a school counselor would be through role reversal. In congruence with REBT I would use role-reversal with humor and exaggeration to help the student gain perspective. This technique can help clients express and understand their feelings. Also, this technique and general approach can help students understand the perspective of others.
Chapter 8 Behavior Therapy
Behavior Therapy is most often associated with the famous B.F. Skinner. This theory is based on the premise that individuals learn from their environment. Behaviors are reinforced. During therapy it is the counselors role to focus on the reinforcement of desirable behaviors and elimination unwanted behaviors. The counselor is expected to help the client learn new, better behaviors. Behavior therapists focus on the current causes of behavior rather than focusing on client history. Extinction is a common technique used by Behavior Therapists, a prime example of this technique is time-outs.
It is obvious that this approach can easily be applied to a PK-12 setting. One situation that it can be applied is through a token reward system with a struggling student. As a future school counselor, it will be my role to help students with various issues. One issue may be academics. If a student is struggling academically, a counselor may opt to use a token reward system. For example, if the student receives grades above 70 for one week, the student can choose a token such as a toy or piece of candy. The student could also lose tokens for bad grades. This is a classic example of Behavior Therapy that is used very frequently in schools.
Video: Cognitive-Behavior Approach with a Couple
Told a story about flying planes - as if they were John Wayne. For the pilots, acting as if they were confident helped to literally decrease the mortality rates. The counselor talked to the clients about acting as if they were attached to each other. They would feel as though they were on a second date, if they acted as though they were on a second date. The counselor suggests that the clients can get back their emotional bond if they act as if they already had it. The clients are in turn creating their own environment to learn from. This is a very beneficial and useful tool within the BT approach.
It is obvious that this approach can easily be applied to a PK-12 setting. One situation that it can be applied is through a token reward system with a struggling student. As a future school counselor, it will be my role to help students with various issues. One issue may be academics. If a student is struggling academically, a counselor may opt to use a token reward system. For example, if the student receives grades above 70 for one week, the student can choose a token such as a toy or piece of candy. The student could also lose tokens for bad grades. This is a classic example of Behavior Therapy that is used very frequently in schools.
Video: Cognitive-Behavior Approach with a Couple
Told a story about flying planes - as if they were John Wayne. For the pilots, acting as if they were confident helped to literally decrease the mortality rates. The counselor talked to the clients about acting as if they were attached to each other. They would feel as though they were on a second date, if they acted as though they were on a second date. The counselor suggests that the clients can get back their emotional bond if they act as if they already had it. The clients are in turn creating their own environment to learn from. This is a very beneficial and useful tool within the BT approach.
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