INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELLING

AND PSYCHOTHERAPY.
BY FR GEORGE MAINA.

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 Content
Introduction
Definition of Counselling
Psychotherapy
Goals of Counselling & Psychotherapy
Counselling & Therapy approaches
Schools influencing contemporary Individual counselling &
Therapy
Counselling & Therapy Theory
Specific functions of the Theory
Philosophy & Theory of Counselling
Guideline to help you choosing a therapy orientation.
Integrative Psycho-Spiritual Counselling & Therapy
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 Cont.………………………………………
 Religious and spiritual practices as therapeutic interventions
 Praying with a Client in a session
 Some reservation about praying with a client
 Resources

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Introduction
Counselling and Psychotherapy are mainly, though not completely:

 Listening and talking based methods of addressing psychological and

psychosomatic problems and change.

Including:

Deep and prolonged human suffering

Situational dilemmas

Crisis and developmental needs

And aspirations towards the realization of the human potential.

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 Cont……………………………………………….
• This intervention therefore:
 Requires specific methods and skills that
enhance productive interpersonal relationship
between the individuals involved.

• The qualities of the professional encounter

depends largely on:
 The ability of counselors/therapists to
adequately employ appropriate theoretical
approaches
 Techniques and skills for particular concerns.
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 Definition Of Counseling
• Garry 1988 – Counseling is a process of
assisting and guiding a client especially by a
trained person on professional basis to resolve
especially social or psychological problems.

• Gichinga 2003 – Counseling is a relationship,

in this relationship one person helps another
understand and solve their problems.

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 Cont……………………………………….
• Rodgers 1985 – Counseling belongs within the context of
helping relationship in which at least one of the parties
has the intention of prompting growth and development,
maturity improvement to function and improved ability to
cope with life.

• Inskipp & John 1984 – Counseling is a way of relating and

responding to another person so as the person is helped
to explore her thoughts feelings and also behavior to
reach a clearer self understanding and then is helped to
find and use her strength so that he/she cope with life by
making appropriate decision or taking relevant action.
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 In a nutshell
 Counseling is a helping process aimed at enabling a
client to reach an informed choice among many
alternatives.
 It therefore builds confidence on matters that
otherwise would have been impossible to handle.
 The process involves counselor as facilitator and
client.
 Counselor does not make a decision for client but
guides him or her on various alternatives and
consequences if any.
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 Psychotherapy
• Is generally a longer term treatment which
focuses more on gaining insight into Chronic
physical and emotional problems.
• Its focus is on the patient's thought processes
and way of being in the world rather than
specific problems.

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Goals of Counseling & Psychotherapy
• Support
Some clients may primarily need and benefit
from a form of therapy that upholds current
ego strength and coping skills. Support may
be in form of warm, non- judgmental listening
and encouragement.

• Problem solving and decision making

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 Cont……………………………………………
• Symptom amelioration or elimination
A majority of people who seek counseling /therapy
for the first time want their symptoms of certain
crisis to go away so that they can return to their
normal mode of functioning

• Insight and understanding

Some people ask themselves many questions about
themselves and may wish to pursue the search for
historical causes and reasons for persistently
counter productive behavior in life.
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 Cont……………………………………………..
• Self actualization
Helping a person to come better, having greater
self- awareness or self-knowledge and attaining a
state of fully functioning personhood.

• Personality Change
A number of client claims and give testimonies
based on dramatic disappearance of distressing
symptoms or limitations have suggested major
life changes as a desired outcome for some
clients
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 Cont……………………………………………..
• Crisis intervention and management

This is intervention and support of professionals in

aftermath of large scale, e.g. plane crash, small-group
e.g. bank raid or personal disasters e.g road accidents.

Survivors and witnesses of critical incidents or

breakdowns of many kinds are offered immediate
help which includes debriefing, support, practical and
active- directive help, referral to specialist resources,
and gradual restoration of normal functioning.
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 Cont………………………………………………
• Discovery of meaning and transcendental
experience
Where there is no support from spiritual, moral
mentors, therapy has become for many a place for
the exploration of existential, spiritual meaning
and transcendental experience.

• Systemic, organizational or social change

In some forms of therapy, change within domestic
partnership, families, task groups, and other
grouping is clearly a goal.
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 COUNSELLING AND THERAPY APPROACHES
• There exists a distinction between schools of
counseling and therapy and theoretical approaches
to counseling and therapy.
 A theoretical approach presents a single position
regarding the theory and practice of counseling and
therapy.
 A school of counseling and therapy is a grouping of
different theoretical approaches that are similar to
one another in terms of certain important
characteristics that distinguish them from
theoretical approaches in other counseling and
therapy schools
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 Main schools influencing contemporary individual
counseling and psychotherapy practice
The psychodynamic school
• The term psychodynamic refers to the transfer
of psychic or mental energy between the
different structures and levels of
consciousness within people’s minds.

• Psychodynamic approaches emphasize the

importance of unconscious influences on how
people function.

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 Cont…………………………………………..
• Analysis or interpretation of dreams can be a
central part of therapy.

• Therapy aims to increase clients’ abilities to

exercise greater conscious control over their
lives.

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 Cont………………………………………………
The humanistic – Existential school
• The humanistic school is based on humanism, a
system of values and beliefs that emphasizes the
better qualities of humankind and people’s abilities to
develop their human potential
• Humanistic therapists emphasize enhancing clients’
abilities to experience their feelings and think and act
in harmony with their underlying tendencies to
actualize themselves as unique individuals.
• Therapy emphasizes a relationship characterized by
accurate empathy, respect and non-possessive
warmth.
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 Cont…………………………………………….
The Cognitive-behaviour school
• Traditional behavior therapy focuses mainly
on changing observable behaviors by means
of providing different or rewarding
consequences.
• The cognitive behavior school broadens
behavior therapy to incorporate the
contribution of how people think to creating,
sustaining and changing their problems.

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 Cont…………………………………………..

• In cognitive behavior approaches, therapists

assess clients and then intervene
to help them to change specific ways of thinking
and behaving that sustain their problems.

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 Postmodern school, comprises some more recent
approaches
• The postmodern therapies adopt a social
constructionist viewpoint, assuming that how
people process and construct information
about themselves and their world is central to
their existence.

• Rather than conceptualizing progress as a

departure from and rejection of the past,
postmodernism draws on the past to serve the
present.
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 Cont…………………………………………….
• People’s experience of emotions depends on
the names that they give to these emotions.
• People’s beliefs about their relationships affect
how they interpret the reactions of others and
how they respond to them.
• Personal behavior results from cognitive
processes and is therefore open to change

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 Some Counseling and Therapy
Approaches
1. Psychodynamic school
a) Classical psychoanalysis
• Originator: Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)
b) Analytical therapy
• Originator: Carl Jung (1875–1961)

2. Humanistic school
a) Person-centred therapy
• Originator: Carl Rogers (1902–87)
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Cont……………………………………………
b) Gestalt therapy
• Originator: Fritz Perls (1893–1970)

3) Cognitive behaviour school

a) Cognitive therapy
• Originator: Aaron Beck (1921– )

4.Postmodern school
a) Solution-focused therapy
• Originators: Steve de Shazer (1940–2005) and Insoo
Kim Berg (1934–2007) 24
 Counseling and therapy Theory

• A theory serves as a conceptual map and the

fundamental foundation of a counseling
practice, meaningfully relating therapeutic
constructs, counseling intentions, and client
outcomes.

• The theoretical approach is important because it

informs how the counselor/ therapists works.
• Counselors/therapists vary greatly in their
theoretical approaches.
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 Cont……………………………………………….
• For instance, a therapist or counselor who takes a
cognitive-behavioral approach will be:
 Very directive in his interactions,
 Using short-term interventions,
 And often will assign "homework" meant to give the
client a chance to practice new behaviors.
• In contrast, a counselor/therapist who takes a
psychoanalytic approach is likely to use techniques that
include:
 Using free association and dream interpretation
 And may concentrate on the client's childhood
relationships.
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 Cont………………………………………………
 Christian counselor/therapist seeks to
stimulate spiritual growth in clients and help
them become disciples of Christ.
They use many techniques developed and used
by no- Christian counselors to help clients
develop values and live lives based on biblical
teaching. (E.M.Gichinga 1995)

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 Specific Functions of the Theory
• It helps counselors find unity and relatedness
within the diversity of existence.

• It compels counselors to examine relationships

they would otherwise overlook.

• It gives counselors optional guidelines by

which to work and helps them in evaluating
their development as professionals.
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 Cont………………………………………………..
• It helps counselors assist clients in the
effective modification of their behavior.

• It helps counselors focus on relevant data and

tells them what to look for.

• It helps counselors evaluate both old and new

approaches to the process of counseling

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 PHILOSOPHY AND THEORY OF COUNSELLING
• Having our own theory of therapy helps the
client who seeks our services.
• No single model can explain all the facets of
human experience
• Humans are relational beings-relating with self,
others, God and environment.
• For the most part, I concur with Brooks-Harris
(2008), multitheoretical framework for
developing an integrative approach to therapy.
This takes into account humans are made up of
body, mind, soul & spirit.
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 Guideline to Help You in Choosing a Therapy
Orientation
• Have a working knowledge of the particular
theories from which you will draw, and a basic
description of why each theory is important
and relevant to you as a therapist.

• Your approach to therapy should be informed

by your training, formation, personality, faith
experience, clinical experience, and research.

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 Cont………………………………………………
• It helps to write out your own theoretical
approach to counseling and psychotherapy.
• You should demonstrate a balance between
your knowledge of the particular theories
from which you select and a genuine
description of why each theory is important
and relevant to you as a clinician or therapist

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 Cont………………………………………………
• A statement of the basic concepts or
assumptions underlying the theory;
• An explanation of the acquisition of helpful
and unhelpful behavior;
• An explanation of the maintenance of helpful
and unhelpful behavior; and
• An explanation of how to help clients change
their behavior and strengthen their gains
when therapy ends.

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Questions designed to help you think about the core
counseling theory that you are initially adopting
1. What are four basic concepts from the theory
you are adopting as your core or base
theory?
2. What constitutes a problem in your core
counseling theory?
3. What are the goals o f counseling for the
theoretical approach you have chosen?
4. Who establishes the goals in counseling?
5. What is the nature of the relationship
between you and the client?
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 Cont……………………………………….
6. What competencies must you have to carry
out your Role as therapist/counselor?
7. What are the responsibilities of clients during
counseling? What is expected of clients?
8. What can the client expect from the Therapist
—from you?
9.What is your position on therapist self-
disclosure?
10. What are some of the main values held by
counselors with your theoretical approach?
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 Cont………………………………………………….
11.Using the theories you have selected to integrate in
your therapy approach, how do you want to be as
counselor/therapist?
12. How comfortable are you in expressing your
emotions during counseling?
13. What is it about your personality and your personal
history that leads you to believe that a particular
theory or group of theories form a goodness of fit for
you?
14. How have your personal ground, Personal attributes,
and life experiences affected your choice of a personal
theory of counseling?
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 Cont……………………………………………….
15. What techniques will you use from your
chosen theory or group of theories?
16. How does your theory take into account
diverse cultural and Religious groups?
17. How does your theory take into
consideration political, social, environmental
and economic factors that lie outside the
client—external factors?

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 WORLDVIEW OR WAY OF UNDERSTANDING CLIENTS
AND THE WORLD
18. What is your view of human nature? Which
Counseling theory best suits your view of
human nature?
19. In the area of free will/determinism, to what
extent do people direct their own actions, or
are we governed by other forces outside of
our awareness or control?
20. Nature/nurture: To what degree are people
influenced by heredity (nature) and/or by
their environment (nurture)?
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 Cont………………………………………
21. Past/present orientation: To what degree are
people controlled by early events in their lives
and/or affected by later life experiences? What Is
the significance of the past, present, and future in
governing human Behaviors? Are we prisoners of
our past, or can we work to free ourselves from our
past?

22. What are some of the basic assumptions you

have about people, and what theoretical approach
to therapy best deals with your views on this topic?
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 COGNITION, AFFECT, AND BEHAVIOR

23. How do people’s thoughts (cognitions) and

affect (feelings) influence their behavior?
Which counseling theories best reflect your
views on the, role of cognitions and affect on
clients’ behavior?
24. How are these three dimensions interrelated?
25. What motivates people?
26. What cognitive strategies do you use to
encourage functional or positive thoughts with
your clients?
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 Cont………………………………………….
27. What kinds of experiential interventions do
you feel comfortable in using with clients to
explore their feelings?
28. Where Do clients ‘maladaptive thoughts,
feelings, or behaviors come from?
29. What are some basic assumptions /beliefs
about change underlying your approach?

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VIEWS OF DEVELOPMENTAL PERIODS, ADAPTIVE AND
MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR

30. Are there critical periods in a person’s life

development? If so, what are they?
31. How do individuals develop mental or
emotional Disorders?
32. What causes mental or emotional disorders
and healthy development?
33. Using your current theoretical approach,
what constitutes a problem for clients?

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 INTEGRATIVE PSYCHO- SPIRITUAL COUNSELLING and Psychotherapy

•  Integrative Psycho- Spiritual Counseling and

psychotherapy can be describes as a
relationship of one or more persons to another
or more persons.

• This relationship helps to explore the thoughts,

feelings, values and general behavior of the
client/s. in this way they reach a better
understanding of how they relate to
themselves, to others, to the environment and
to God.
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Cont.……………………………………………..
• They are helped to find and to use all their strengths and
resources, physical, psychological and spiritual, so that
they can cope more effectively in their lives and ministries.
• They learn to make enlightened decisions and take
relevant action.
• It is a relationship in which all members are invited to
invoke the help of the Holy Spirit in order to be open and
authentic and to grow into the person God wants them to
become.
• The integrative Psycho- spiritual counselor will use any
approach familiar to him/her which is most suited to the
client at any given moment. (Len Kofler, MHM)
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 RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL PRACTICES AS
THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS
• Religious oriented psychotherapists regard prayer,
meditation, scripture reading, forgiveness as spiritual
interventions which can be brought into therapy/counseling.
• These practices are believed to have therapeutic potential
in ecumenical therapy and across a variety of
denominational situations.
• They express and respond to people’s deepest needs,
concerns and problems.
• If these practices are done effectively, they have the healing
power and can assist clients to cope, heal and grow into the
people God wants them to become.
 
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 Praying with clients in session

• Clients and therapists may pray together only

if they fulfill the following conditions:
• The client requests in session prayer
• There should be no confusion in therapeutic
role boundaries
• Prayer should not substitute competent
psychological care

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 Some reservations about praying with clients:

• Role boundaries may be confused i.e.

therapist/religious leader.
• Transferential issues may come up such as
unresolved issues of anger or dependency of
God and religious authorities may project
these onto the therapist.
• These issues can be used as a therapeutic
advantage but the risks may outweigh
potential benefits e.g. the God representation,
relationship with significant others.
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Cont.…………………………………………………
• Therapists need to work within the client’s
religious belief system so as not to impose
their beliefs about prayer on the client.
 

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 Resources
Corsini, R.J. and Wedding, D. (eds) (2008)
Current Psychotherapies (8th edn). Belmont, CA:
Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Emerson, Gordon, (2006), Advanced Skills and
Interventions in Therapeutic Counselling.
Crown House Publishing Company Ltd, Bethel,
USA.

Jung, C.G. (1961) Memories, Dreams

Reflections. London: Fontana Press.
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 Cont.…………………………………………….
Mearns, D. and Thorne, B. (2007) Person-Centred
Counselling in Action (3rd edn). London: Sage.
Nelson-Jones, R. (2011) Theory and Practice of
Counselling and Therapy(5th edn). London: Sage.
Ngozi E. (2019) Counselling & Psychotherapy
Skill. A practical Guide for Spiritual Direction:
Pauline publics Africa.
Rogers, C.R. (1957) ‘The necessary and sufficient
conditions of therapeutic personality change’,
Journal of Consulting Psychology, 21: 95–104.
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