At Space to Tame we offer Integrative Counselling which covers theory and practice from the three main schools but what does that actually mean? Over the next few posts, we will attempt to summarise the main counselling approaches and what falls under them to help you choose the right approach. Let’s start with Humanistic.
The Humanistic approach to counselling was developed in the 1940’s and 50’s offering an alternative to the psychoanalytic and behavioural approaches of the time. Informed by humanistic psychology, the golden thread that runs through all Humanistic approaches is broadly that people are inherently good and have a drive for growth, development and self-actualisation.
The approach was developed in contrast and almost in protest to the established models at the time which were perceived by some as impersonal, anonymous and unequal, with the therapist holding the power in the therapeutic relationship.
In 1968 Abraham Maslow (who famously developed the hierarchy of needs), coined the term third force psychology to distinguish the third grouping of Humanistic approaches which did not originate from either the Freudian (Psychodynamic) or Pavlovian (Behaviouralist) traditions. There are three main models (although there are a number of less recognised models) that fall under the Humanistic approach which all share the golden thread outlined above.
The Person-Centred Approach
Developed by Carl Rogers (1961), this approach was named person centred therapy due to the focus on the person’s subjective view of the world. Central to the approach is the client’s awareness of self and their current subjective understanding rather than an unconscious motive or the therapist’s interpretation of the situation.
Therapeutic change occurs during moments of self-acceptance and integration and the therapist works to create the right environment for that change through six core conditions which include unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence. Due to its lack of theory and technique, Person-Centred therapy has been criticised as being more a set of skills than a therapeutic approach.
However, the core conditions and general approach to clients has been adopted by many other models of therapy (in counselling modalities and in other fields) to aid rapport and help build trust which is essential for any counselling relationship.
Ultimately, the client is the expert on their own life and the relationship between counsellor and client is what is integral to the therapy rather than what is discussed during a session. The therapist plays a supporting role on the client’s journey as they decide the best way forward for them.
Gestalt Therapy
Gestalt therapy was developed and popularised in the 1960’s by trained Psychoanalyst Fritz Pearls. Although the approach has foundations in Psychoanalytic theory it shares the Humanistic view that people at some level, know what is best for them, and it focuses on helping clients understand what is happening in their lives in the here and now.
The approach focuses on looking at the whole person (spiritual, physical, cognitive, emotional) and experiencing all of those parts in the moment. Instead of simply talking about past situations, clients are encouraged to experience them using creative techniques. The concept is that clients learn to become more aware of how their own negative thought patterns and behaviours are blocking true self-awareness and making them unhappy through the experiential process.
There is a focus on un-finished business, internal blocks and scripts that prevent the client from being their authentic self. Experiments and creativity are used to allow the client to experience the different parts of themselves that make up the whole, authentic self. In the here and now focus, attention is also paid to how the therapist affects the client. The underpinning of this as a Humanistic approach is that it is the client who sets the agenda for the session.
Transactional Analysis
Transactional Analysis (TA) was founded by Eric Berne in the late 1950s and is based on the theory that people have three ego-states: Parent, Adult and Child with parent behaviour copying authority figure patterns from childhood, child responding in replay modes from childhood and adult being direct responses to the here and now. Used along with other key TA concepts, tools and models the approach focuses on various models to enable the client to acknowledge and move away from unhelpful past behaviours and patterns and move to more authentic ‘adult’ ones.
Similar to the other approaches discussed above, it assumes that individuals have a basic drive for health and growth. Other key aspects of the approach are the repeating patterns of behaviour which have detrimental effects on the individual, known as psychological games.
The goal of TA therapy is to help clients gain autonomy over their own lives which would include the recovery of three vital human capacities - spontaneity, awareness and intimacy. Problem solving behaviours are a focus of therapy and the therapist would help the client develop day to day tools to provide solutions to issues.
A distinguishing feature of TA is that the client and therapist take equal responsibility for the outcomes of therapy. There are numerous procedures and models that the therapist works on with the client which makes this a more directive approach than perhaps the other two.