Part of being prepared for my role as a counselor includes taking the 

information presented in class and figuring out what types of theories and techniques 

work best for me and my clientele. At this point, the grade level I have the most 

interest in working with is high school students, but I am also open to all grade levels 

as my student teaching experience was in a middle school setting and I grew up 

volunteering in elementary schools. While learning about different approaches over 

the course of my two years at IUPUI, there wasn’t one specific theory that I felt I would 

utilize 100%. There were bits and pieces from multiple theories that resonated with 

me and that I thought would work well with students at almost every age.  

In a school setting there is one glaring negative that always seems to get in the 

way: time. There is only so much time in a school day, in a week, in a year, and there is 

so much that has to get done. Typically, you also have a large group of students you 

are assigned, so managing time in an efficient and productive manner is key. The 

solution-focused therapy model provides the resources to do more with less time. It 

puts responsibility on the client to create solutions for their problems, stating 

“...client problems are not puzzles to be solved by the clinician.” (Jones-Smith, 2016, 

p. 496). In high school, students are one step closer to the “real world” where there 

will not be the same teachers, counselors, and coaches within easy reach for 

assistance, so they need to develop the tools to solve their own problems. It isn’t going 

to help if I create their goals for them or develop solutions for them because I am not 

always going to be there. The hope would be that when faced with a similar problem in 

the future, the client could utilize the techniques employed previously to create their 

own solutions independent of the counselor (Elsie-Jones, 2016).  

 While a goal-oriented, more so focused approach is beneficial, I also believe it 

to be important to understand the importance of the perspective of the student, and 

that is why I was attracted to person-centered therapy. At the core of person-centered 

therapy are the components of empathy, unconditional positive regard, and 

congruence. These are critical aspects that can be found in many elements of 

counseling. Developed by Carl Rogers, the theory was unique at the time due to the 

humanistic quality to it. Rogers believed that the relationship developed between the 

therapist and the client was important. He looked at how the client viewed the event or 

problem because it is their perspective that matters. “The essential role of the 

person-centered therapist is in ​being, not doing​…” (Jones-Smith, 2016, p. 270). When 

a student walks into my counseling office, I want them to feel safe, welcomed, and 

accepted so they not only at ease but motivated to continue on with me. It is important 

for students and adults to be able to accept themselves, and if their counselor accepts 

them, that may help them as they go through the process of trying to do the same 

(Elsie-Jones, 2016).  

Building up to the point where an individual accepts themselves and believes 

they are capable to solving their own problems come from a place of strength. This is 

why I believe strengths-based therapy would also be useful in a school setting. As the 

author of our text, Elsie Jones-Smith states, “Find your strengths and act on them 

with focused attention, and the world will beat a path to you” (2016, p. 557). What I 

personally found beneficial, and what I believe students will find helpful, is the way 

strengths-based therapy approaches weaknesses. It was a revolutionary idea to me 

that you should spend your time on your strengths and only manage your weaknesses. 

Understanding that I can only do so much to improve my weaknesses gave me 

permission to focus on what I do well, and I think many students would benefit in the 

same way I did. As a counselor, it is important to focus on the student’s strengths 

because it creates a positive framework before addressing areas of concern. It can also 

help them build their confidence level. Again, with this approach, the client has their 

own responsibilities like participating in homework assignments and agreeing not to 

fall into the “victim mentality” (Elsie-Jones, 2016, p. 571-572).  

 
References 
 
Jones-Smith, Elsie. (2016). ​Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy: An Integrative 

Approach​ (2nd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.