METHODS IN

COUNSELING
 Three Classic Theories of
Sigmund Freud

• The first part focuses on the

three classic theories of Freud
(Psychoanalytic), Adler
(Individual Psychology), and
Jung (Analytic Psychology).
Psychoanalysis has three goals.

A. To help clients gain insights about

themselves.
B. To help clients work unstuck issues,
through a developmental stage, not
settled in the past, and
C. To help clients cope with the stresses of
the society (Gladding 2000).
Classic Theories
1. Classic Theories
The psychological theories
developed by Sigmund Freud, Alfred
Adler, and Carl Jung are considered
as the classic schools for the
reason that they primed the
underpinning of clinical practice.
A. Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory
The approach of Freud in counseling
and psychotherapy is popularly known as
pyschoanalysis which is an analysis of
the mind.
It’s objective is to restructure the
personally by resolution of intra psychic
conflict, which focuses on the internal
forces such as unconscious processes.
• It focuses on personal adjustment
through reogranization of internal
forces within the person to help
him/her become aware of his /her
personality.
b. Adler’s Individual Psychology
• The Approach of Adler in counseling
and psychotherapy focuses on the
role of cognition in psychological
functioning. Its objective is to gain
an understanding of the clients and
assess why clients behave and think
in certain ways.
Psychoanalytic counselor may utilize the following
methods/techniques
METHODS /TECHNIQUES DESCRIPTION
Free Association A method to encourage the
patient to discuss whatever
comes to his mind in order to
release suppressed emotions.
Dream Analysis A method to explore
unconscious processes using
dreams.
Confrontation and Clarification A form of feedback procedure
for patients to become aware of
what is happening to him/her
and to determine areas for
further analysis.
Interpretation A process of giving insights t
the patients about the inner
conflicts which can be reflected
in resistance, transference, and
other processes.
Counselors use certain techniques to help clients
reorient themselves towards positive functioning.

Adlerian focuses on four goals.

a. Establishment and maintenance of an
egalitarian relationship,
b. Analysis of client’s lifestyle,
c. Interpretation of client’s lifestyle in a way that
promotes insight, and
d. Reorientation and reeducation of the client
with accompanying behavior change
(Gaddings 2003).
• According to Nystul
(2003), Adlerian techiques
can be explained in four
phases of Adlerian
psychotherapy.
Phases Description

Use of listening skills Effective listening skills are

necessary to promote mutual trust
and respect.
Winning respect and offering hope Winning the respect of clients and
offering hope can increase the
client’s motivation towards
becoming involved in couseling.
Encouragement Encouragement gives the feeling
of support to the clients which can
help believing in them

FIRST PHASE: Establishing the Relationship

SECOND PHASE : Performing Analysis and
Assessment
Lifestyle analysis Identify client’s strengths that
may be utilized to overcome the
client’s problems.

Dream Analysis may A method see

be used to conduct dream as an attempt
lifestyle analysis to deal with
difficulties and
changes of life.
THIRD PHASE :
Promoting Insight
Insight Process A method that allow
clients to understand
the dynamics of self-
defeating patterns
and utilize the insights
to rectify the said
patterns during the
orientation process.
FOURTH PHASE : Reorientation
Catching Oneself A method used to avoid old
defeating patterns such as humor
when the clients catch
themselves. Counselors may
encourage clients to learn to laugh
at their self-defeating tendencies
Acting as -if A method that advances “can-do”
spirit and a se

Task Setting and commitment A method that provides a structure

as homework assignment which can
be useful in instilling the value of
“effort to change”
FOURTH PHASE : Reorientation

Spitting in the Client’s Soup A method that involves

determining the pay-off of the
game and interpreting it to the
client; this can be used for
clients that engage in
manipulative games
Push button Techniques A method (based on Ellin’s
(1962) rationale emotive theory)
which includes focusing on
pleasant and unpleasant
exeperiences
Jung’s analytic psychology
• The counseling and psychology approach of Jung
is referred to as psychotherapy. Jung’s approach
highlights the task of the unconscious process in
“psychological functioning.” of personality and to
enhance mental health and wellness. Its over-all
goal is to work for the client’s transcend and move
towards self-realization by helping the self
emergence.
(Nystul 2003).
• Jungian counseling believes that the method of
treatment must be flexible and has to be
established by the character and personal of the
clients.
• Jungian Archetypes
• Archetypes (Jung, 1947) are images and thoughts which have universal meanings across cultures which may show up I dreams, literature, art
or religion.

• Jung
believes symbols from different cultures are often very similar because they have emerged from archetypes shared by the whole human
race which are part of out collective unconscious.

• For
Jung, our primitive past becomes the basis of the human psyche, directing and influencing present behavior. Jung claimed to identify a
large number of archetypes but paid special attention to four.

• The
“persona” (or mask) is the outward face we present to the world. It conceals our real self and Jung describes it as the “conformity”
archetype. This is the public face or role a person presents to others as someone different to who we really are (like an actor).

• Another
archetype is the anima/animus. The “anima/animus” is the mirror image of our biological sex, that is, the unconscious feminine side in
males and the masculine tendencies in women. Each sex manifests attitudes and behavior of the other by virtue of centuries of living together.
The psyche of a woman contains masculine aspects (the animus archetype), and the psyche of a man contains feminine aspects (the anima
archetype).

• Next
is the shadow. This is the animal side of our personality (like the id in Freud). It is the source of both our creative and destructive
energies. In line with evolutionary theory, it may be that Jung’s archetypes reflect predispositions that once had survival value.

• Finally,
there is the self which provides a sense of unity in experience. For Jung, the ultimate aim of every individual is to achieve a state of
selfhood (similar to self-actualisation), and in this respect, Jung (like Erikson) is moving in the direction of a more humanist orientation.

• That
was certainly Jung’s belief and in his book “The Undiscovered Self” he argued that many of the problems of modern life are caused by
“man’s progressive alienation from his instinctual foundation.” One aspect of this is his views on the significance of the anima and the animus.

• Jung argues that these archetypes are products of the collective experience of men and women living together. However, in modern Western
civilization men are discouraged from living their feminine side and women from expressing masculine tendencies. For Jung, the result was
that the full psychological development both sexes was undermined.

• Together
with the prevailing patriarchal culture of Western civilization this has led to the devaluation of feminine qualities altogether, and the
predominance of the persona (the mask) has elevated insincerity to a way of life which goes unquestioned by millions in their everyday life.
2. Experiential Theories
• The experiential theories fall under the
affective theories which are concerned
about generating impact on the emotions
of clients to affect change. The well –
known experiential theorist include
Rogers (Person-Centered-Theraphy) and
Peris (Gelstalt Therapy).
Cognitive-Behavior Theories: Rational Emotive
Behavior and Transactional Analysis

• The cognitive- behavioral theories highlight the

task of cognition in psychological functioning.
According to Holden (1993), Gladding (2000),
cognitions are thoughts, beliefs, and internal
images about event in their lives. Cognitive
counseling theories underscore mental
processes and their effects on mental health.
• The renowned cognitive theorists include Rational
Emotive Behavior Therapy of Ellis, Cognitive Theory
of Beck, and the Transactional Analysis of
Berne.

A. Ellis’s Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy

• The Rational Emotive Behavior Theory
(REBT) highlights the role of cognitions on
emotions with assertion that person can be best
appreciated in terms of internal cognitive
dialogue or self-talk. REBT views that
emotional disorder is associated with cognitive
proceses that are not rational.
• The main goal of REBT is to reform the
self-defeating cognition of the client and
assist him/her in obtain a more reasonable
viewpoint in life.

• The REBT techniques that Ellis identified

comprise of cognitive, emotive, and
behavioral.
Techniques Description

Cognitive Focuses on helping clients conquer

“defeating cognitions.” The method
it involves reforming ideas that are
unreasonable and irrational. Other
techniques include reframing from
an unconstructive stance to a more
positive view point.
Emotive-Techniques Focuses on the client’s “affective or
emotional domain . “This helps in
assisting clients learn to
acknowledge themselves
Behavioral Techniques Focuses on the full array of
behavioral methods such as
assertiveness training, relaxation
therapy, self-management, self-
monitoring, and homework
assignments
 Beck’s Cognitive Therapy
• Cognitive Therapy highlights the vitality of
cognitive thinking particularly disfunctional
thoughts. This counseling approach is
appropriate for people suffering from depression
and anxieties. Clients are led to be more
practical in their understanding and explanation
of events by “projecting less (anxiety) and
generalizing less (depression). “ According to
Beck (Gladding 2000), he does not try to
invalidate “beliefs” but let his clients investigate
“beliefs functionality.”
Techniques Description
Decatastrophizing This method is referred to as “what
if” and includes priming clients for
results that may strongly affect the
client.
Redefining This method assists to drum up
clients who have a lost sense control
on an obstacle Ex. I am ugly. I am
beautiful.

Decentering This method comprise of instructing

the clients to observe and get a
practical appreciation of other
people’s response. This will help
clients apprehend that they are not
the “center of attention”

Behavioral techniques This method applies a broad

selection of methods to assist clients
in obtaining “essential skills, relaxing,
preparing for difficult situation.
Berne’s Transactional Analysis
• Transaction Analysis (TA) approach refers to examine
and dissections between people. It includes evaluating
the “three ego state of parent, adult, and child of
each person. This is to detect if the transactions are
balanced and harmonized. The fundamental goal is
assist clients to reach a stage of being “autonomous”,
self-aware, spontaneous, and have the capacity for
intimacy’ (Tylus 2003).
Berne’s Techniques
Technique Description
A method that assists clients be
Structural Analysis conscious of their “three ego”

Trasactional Analysis A method that assists clients to

“learn to communicate with
complementary transactions (i.e.
adults to adults).
Script Analysis A method that looks into the “type of
life script the client has developed
and how it can be re-written.
Analysis of Games A method that comprise of
determining “what games the clients
play and how the games interfere
with interpersonal functioning.”