Counseling theory & practice in the Therapeutic Community program

COUNSELING THEORY AND PRACTICE IN THE THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY PROGRAM

Abdullah Baniyameen
baniyameen@aol.com
May 18, 2009

SCOPE OF COUNSELING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY;

COUNSELING:

• Educational,
• Supportive,
• Situational & developmental,
• Problem-solving,
• Conscious awareness,
• Emphasis on “normal’s”,
• Focus on present.

PSYCHOTHERAPY:

• Reconstructive,
• Supportive (more focused),
• Depth emphasis,
• Analytic,
• Unconscious dynamics,
• Emphasis on “dysfunction” or severe emotional problems,
• Focus on past patterns.

COUNSELING THEORIES:

• Psychoanalytic Approach,
• Phenomenological Approaches,
– Carl Roger’s Person-Centered Therapy,
– Gestalt Therapy.
• Behavioral and Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches,
• Systems Approaches.

SOME HELPFUL CONCEPTS:

• Resistance (Denial),
• Confrontation,
• Identification,
• Projection,
• Projective Identification,
• Transference,
• Counter-transference,
• Corrective Emotional Experience.

COUNSELING ISSUES IN THE TC PROGRAM:

• Individual counseling within the context of “community as method”,
• Confidentiality issues in counseling within the TC,
– Individual needs vs. Community needs,
– Adolescent issues, family, developmental issues, etc.,
– Taboo behaviors and confidentiality,
– Ethical issues.
• Integrating other therapeutic approaches into the TC,
• Gender Issues,
• Counselor’s unresolved issues,
• Transference and counter-transference issues.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE--INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING IS PROVIDED IN THE TC TO:

• Ensure a constant source of client information and accountability,
• Provide a constant source of guidance and support to the client,
• Help surface complicated and troubled feelings,
• Provide direction and assist in problem solving,
• Address issues that need special attention i.e. learning problems, family issues, etc.

THE GOALS OF COUNSELING ARE:

• Establish rapport,
• Elicit information,
• Provide feedback,
• To implement interventions that promote insight, build self-esteem, provide support, increase self-help behavior, explore new behaviors or responses,
• Experience intimacy through therapeutic relationship,
• Coordinate treatment around unique client needs.

BASIC COUNSELING SKILLS:

• Establishing Rapport,
• Facilitating Insight,
• Increasing Motivation.

ESTABLISHING RAPPORT:

The three conditions counselor must establish:
Accurate Empathy,
Warmth,
Genuineness.

ACCURATE EMPATHY:

• Non-confrontational (personal attack),
• Skillful reflective listening.

WARMTH:

• Non-possessive warmth,
• Unconditional positive regard.

GENUINENESS:

• Honest feelings,
• Authentic responses.

FACILITATING INSIGHT:

• Establish trust,
• Reinforce self-disclosing behavior,
• Provide emotional support,
• Provide information.

INCREASE MOTIVATION:

• Bolster self-esteem,
• Create dissonance,
• Get commitment to try new behavior.

BOLSTER SELF-ESTEEM:

• Acknowledge past successes,
• Recognize strength,
• Challenge erroneous beliefs about lack of abilities or capacity to do better.

CREATE DISSONANCE:

• Contrast between verbalized goal and current behavior,
• Realistic and unrealistic expectations of self and others.

GET COMMITMENT TO TRY NEW BEHAVIORS:

• “Confrontation” (resolving discrepancy between expectation and actual behavior) and holding a person accountable,
• Create scenarios or images of possible outcome for a series of alternative behaviors,
• Provide feedback on how well the person is doing,
• Get commitment on what he/she will do different.

*******************************