Managerial Counselling 

U N I T I I
Approaches to Counselling
• Introduction to the Important Schools of Counselling, 

• Psychoanalytic Approach

• Behaviouristic Approach

•  Humanistic Approach or Person-centered Approach to Counselling

•  Transactional Approach

• Gestalt Approach

• Rational Emotive Therapy 

• An Integrated Model
Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic counselling

• Psychodynamic counselling evolved from the work of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). During his
career as a medical doctor, Freud came across many patients who suffered from medical
conditions which appeared to have no ‘physical cause’.

• This led him to believe that the origin of such illnesses lay in the unconscious mind of the
patient.

• Freud therefore started to investigate the unconscious mind, so that he could understand his
patients and help them recover. 

• Over time, many of Freud’s original ideas have been adapted, developed, disregarded or even
discredited. 

• They have therefore been used in a number of different schools of thought and practice.
View of Human nature
Areas Details

The Conscious things that we are aware of, including feelings or emotions, such as
• Psychodynamic counselling is based on anger, sadness, grief, delight, surprise, and happiness.

Freud’s idea that true knowledge of

The Subconscious these are things that are below our conscious awareness but fairly
people and their problems is possible easily accessible. They may include, for example, events that we have
forgotten, but will easily remember when asked an appropriate
question
through an understanding of three
particular areas of the human mind. The Unconscious this is the area of the mind where memories have been suppressed and
is usually very difficult to access. Such memories may include
extremely traumatic events that have been blocked off and require a
highly skilled practitioner to help recover. 
Psychoanalysis.
Freud's main interest and aim was to bring things from the unconscious into the conscious. This practice is
known as psychoanalysis.

Psychoanalysis is used to encourage the client to examine childhood or early memory trauma to gain a deeper
understanding of events. 

This in turn may help the client to release negativities associated with these earlier events.

Psychoanalysis is based upon the assumption that we can only progress psychologically by becoming aware of
earlier dilemmas that have been repressed into our unconscious because of painful associations.
 Freud maintained that the personality consists
of three related elements:
• The Id is the part of our personality concerned with satisfying instinctual basic needs of food, comfort and pleasure. It is therefore present from (or possibly before) birth.

• The Ego is defined as “the realistic awareness of self”. It is the logical and common-sense side to our personality. Freud believed that the Ego develops as the infant becomes
aware that it is a separate being from its parents.

• The Superego develops later in a child’s life, from about the age of three. The Superego curbs and controls the basic instincts of the Id, which may be socially unacceptable.
It therefore acts as our conscience.

• Freud believed that everybody experiences tension and conflict between the three elements of their personalities. For example, desire for pleasure (from the Id) is restrained
by the moral sense of right and wrong (from the Superego). The Ego balances the tension between the Id wanting to be satisfied and the Superego being over strict.

• The main goal of psychodynamic counselling, therefore, is to help people to balance the three elements of their personality so that neither the Id nor the Superego is
dominant.

• It is rooted in exploring and understanding past experience to identify repressed issues that are affecting current behaviour. Psychodynamic counselling is therefore a long
and ongoing process, and is mainly used when people are experiencing severe problems that are not resolved using other methods.
Defense Mechanisms

• Defense mechanisms are psychological strategies that

are unconsciously used to protect a person from anxiety
arising from unacceptable thoughts or feelings.

• We use defense mechanisms to protect ourselves from

feelings of anxiety or guilt, which arise because we feel
threatened, or because our id or superego becomes too
demanding.
Behaviouristic Approach

• The behavioural approach to counselling focuses on the assumption that the environment determines an individual’s behaviour.

• How an individual responds to a given situation is the result of past learning, and usually behaviour that has been reinforced in
the past.

• For example, suppose that a child picked up a spider and took it to their mother. If she was frightened of spiders, she might
scream. The child would then learn that spiders are frightening. Next time, instead of picking up the spider, the child will
probably scream and run to their mother, who may say ‘ooh, I hate spiders, they’re so creepy’, reinforcing the child’s
behaviour. As a result, the child may develop a fear of spiders and run away screaming (response) at the sight of a spider
(stimulus).

• Behavioural therapies evolved from psychological research and theories of learning concerned with observable behaviour, i.e.
behaviour that can be objectively viewed and measured.

• Behaviourists believe that that behaviour is ‘learned’ and can therefore be unlearned.
The Nature of People
• Behaviourists see human behaviour as a function of heredity and environment. This view is often called
deterministic, because both elements that shape behaviour are largely beyond the individual’s control.

• Constructs such as the self-concept, the ego and the unconscious have no meaning in describing human
nature in a strict behavioural system.

• Behaviourists do not necessarily deny that such mechanisms exist but say that, if they do exist, it is
impossible for the counsellor to observe or manipulate them.

• The description of humans as capable of learning is sufficient to behavioural counselling.

• A lot of knowledge about how people learn exists, and it makes sense to use it to influence them toward
effective behaviour.
Types Description
1. Classical Conditioning  Classical conditioning (respondent conditioning) refers to what happens prior to learning what
creates a response through pairing.

2. Operant conditioning Operant conditioning is a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for
behavior.

3. Aversion Therapy This process pairs undesirable behavior with some form of aversive stimulus with the aim of
reducing unwanted behavior. Aversion therapy involves associating such stimuli and behavior
with a very unpleasant unconditioned stimulus, such as an electric shock.

4. Flooding Flooding (also known as implosion therapy) works by exposing the patient directly to their
worst fears. (S)he is thrown in at the deep end. For example a claustrophobic will be locked in a
closet for 4 hours or an individual with a fear of flying will be sent up in a light aircraft.

5. Systematic Desensitization First, the patient is taught a deep muscle relaxation technique and breathing exercises.
Second, the patient creates a fear hierarchy starting at stimuli that create the least anxiety (fear)
and building up in stages to the most fear provoking images.
Third, the patient works their way up the fear hierarchy, starting at the least unpleasant stimuli
and practising their relaxation technique as they go. 
Same Chime as your
Cell Phone’s
• Whenever we are around someone’s
cellphone and hear their phone ringing
as same as our phone, we reflexively
reach to our phones and this is due to
classical conditioning. Our body shows
an unconditional response to the
conditional stimulus.
Aversion therapy
• Aversion therapy works by pairing together the stimulus that can causes deviant behavior
(such as an acholic drink or cigarette) with some form of unpleasant (aversive) stimulus such
as an electric show or nausea-inducing drug. 

• Nail biting is a rather common, habitual behavior that affects many people of all ages. Some
can stop the habit at the outset of the resolution to do so. On the other hand, many others can
really struggle to stop the habit.

• Aversion therapy here typically involves the introduction of some unpleasant element to the
process. Some people apply a bitter or foul-tasting substance to the nail area so as to remind
and deter the habitual offender.
Flooding
 Humanistic Approach
• Humanistic therapies evolved in the USA during the 1950s.  

• He is known as the founder of the person-centred approach to counselling.

• Two other names, nondirective counselling and client-centered counselling,

were attached to this approach in Rogers’ earlier writings, and a majority of
the references to the system are to be found under client-centred counselling
or client-centred therapy.

• Carl Rogers ( (1902-1987))  proposed that therapy could be simpler, warmer

and more optimistic than that carried out by behavioral or psychodynamic
psychologists.

• He suggested that clients would be better helped if they were encouraged to

focus on their current subjective understanding rather than on some
unconscious motive or someone else's interpretation of the situation.
Rogerian approach
The Rogerian approach to counseling and psychotherapy is best stated by Rogers himself:

"It is that the individual has within himself or herself vast resources for self-understanding, for
altering his or her self-concept, attitudes and self-directed behavior - and that these resources can
be tapped if only a definable climate of facilitative psychological attitudes can be provided" (1980,
p.115-117).

Rogers developed his theory based on his work with emotionally troubled people and claimed that
we have a remarkable capacity for self-healing and personal growth leading towards self-
actualization. 

He placed emphasis on the person's current perception and how we live in the here-and-now.
• Rogers noticed that people tend to describe their current experiences by referring to themselves in some
way, for example, "I don't understand what's happening" or "I feel different to how I used to feel".

• Central to Rogers' (1959) theory is the notion of self or self-concept.  This is defined as "the organized,
consistent set of perceptions and beliefs about oneself".  It consists of all the ideas and values that
characterize 'I' and 'me' and includes perception and valuing of 'what I am' and 'what I can do'. 

• For instance, a woman who perceives herself as strong may well behave with confidence and come to see
her actions as actions performed by someone who is confident.

• For example, a person might be very interesting to others and yet consider himself to be boring.  He
judges and evaluates this image he has of himself as a bore and this valuing will be reflected in his self-
esteem.  

• The confident woman may have high self-esteem and the man who sees himself as a bore may have low
self-esteem, presuming that strength/confidence are highly valued and that being boring is not.
Goals of Rogerian Therapy

• Rogerian Therapy seeks to decrease the client’s guilt, insecurities, defensiveness, and even
close-mindedness by allowing them to think about life in new ways, thus warming up to
different levels of experience.

• The goal is to let the client tell his or her story without the therapist asking questions, agreeing
or disagreeing, offering reassurance or advice, pointing out contradictions, or diagnosing the
client.

• Rogerian Therapy tends to increase the client’s self-esteem, learning abilities from making
mistakes, trust in themselves, positive relationships, and idea of who they are.

• Clients should be able to express and experience their emotions better in real time as well.
Person Centered Approach

• A person enters person centered therapy in a state of incongruence.  It

is the role of the therapists to reverse this situation.

•   Rogers (1959) called his therapeutic approach client-centered or

person-centered therapy because of the focus on the person’s
subjective view of the world.

• One major difference between humanistic counselors and other

therapists is that they refer to those in therapy as 'clients', not
'patients'.  This is because they see the therapist and client as equal
partners rather than as an expert treating a patient. 
 • Self image is the way we see ourselves.
Self-Image
• Self-image includes what we know about ourselves physically (e.g. brown hair, blue eyes, tall), our social
roles (e.g. wife, brother, gardener), and our personality traits (e.g. outgoing, serious, kind).
• Self-image doesn’t always match reality. Some individuals hold an inflated perception of one or more of
their characteristics.

• Self-esteem is the value we place upon ourselves. Individual levels of self-esteem are dependent on the way
Self-Esteem
we evaluate ourselves. 

Ideal Self • The ideal self is the self we would like to be.
• There’s often a difference between one’s self-image and one's ideal self.
• This incongruity can negatively impact one’s self-esteem.

Carl Rogers’ Components of Self-Concept

• Unlike other therapies, the client is responsible for improving his or her life, not the therapist.  This
is a deliberate change from both psychoanalysis and behavioral therapies where the patient is
diagnosed and treated by a doctor. 

• Instead, the client consciously and rationally decides for themselves what is wrong and what should
be done about it.  The therapist is more of a friend or counselor who listens and encourages on an
equal level.

• According to Rogers, if people are permitted to develop freely, they will flourish and become
positive, achieving individuals. Because of the faith in human nature expressed in Rogers’ theory, it
is considered a humanistic approach to counselling.

• Person-centred counselling is based on a theory of personality referred to as self-theory.

• One’s view of oneself within the context of environment influences one’s actions and personal
satisfactions. If provided with a nurturing environment, people will grow with confidence toward
self-actualization—becoming all they can be.
• An important principle of self-theory is the belief that person’s perceptions of himself or herself
in relation to the environment including significant others are reality for that person.

• Thus, if an individual sees himself or herself as incompetent or parents as mean, he or she will
act on that belief, even if others view the person as brilliant or the parents as kind.

• Rogers attaches enormous importance to helping relationships. These may often be looked upon
as nurturing and uplifting contacts among people. This can be exemplified by enumerating the
basic characteristics of all helping relationships. The main characteristics of the helping
relationship are as follows:

• 1. Helping relationship is meaningful to the persons involved—it implies mutual self-

commitment.

• 2. It has a marked tone of feeling, i.e., the individuals who are involved experience certain
emotional states.
• 3. It implies integrity—the persons involved are intellectually and emotionally honest with each other. 

• 4. It can exist by mutual consent only, i.e., there is no compulsion. No one can be compelled to be helpful and similarly no
person can be compelled to receive help.

• 5. It comes into existence or becomes necessary when one is in need of some kind of help, which another can reasonably
provide. For instance, an individual may need information, advice or assistance in a particular situation while another
individual may have the necessary knowledge and capacity to provide him with the required help owing to his experience,
position or situation. 

• 6. It involves communication and interaction. This may involve non-verbal behaviour, such as facial expressions, gestures and
the like and also direct verbal communication.

•  7. It is often structured, i.e., it is not vague and amorphous. The helping individual knows what sort of help he could possibly
provide and the individual receiving help knows what kind of help he is in need of. 

• 8. It is sustained through mutual co-operation and collaboration. If a certain kind of help provided is not useful, the receiver
will indicate the same, and the helping person will naturally modify his approach.

• 9. The helping person must have a sense of security. An insecure person obviously cannot be of much help to the individual
who is in need of help. 

• 10. The goal or the object of the helping relationship is to change the client positively.
Transactional Analysis

• Transactional analysis is a type of psychotherapy developed by

Canadian psychiatrist Eric Berne in the 1940s.

• Berne believed that communication with others comes from three

distinct parts of self which he called ego states.

• The ego states are:

• Parent

• Adult

• Child
The 3 Ego States

• Parent (behaving in ways which we learn and react out our

parent’s behaviour as adults)

• Adult (using logic and evidence to guide our behaviour, not

becoming emotional)

• Child (replaying childish behaviours as adults)

• The goal of TA is to help clients strengthen their Adult Ego

State and enhance their communications with other people.
When interacting with someone or when engaged in internal monologue, a person may assume any of these roles, which are linked to their
usual English definition. Instead:

Parent consists of recorded external events both experienced and observed by a child from birth until roughly their 5th birthday. The child is
incapable of analyzing or filtering the recordings. They accept them without question. These events tend to involve their own parents or adults
in a caregiver role, which is why Berne referred to this ego state as “the Parent.” Instances of recorded observations in this state include:
             Do not cross the road unless you are holding my hand.
            Never forget to respond with “thank you” after someone helps you with something.
            Never play with sharp objects.

Child consists of recordings in the brain of all internal events (emotions or feelings) that are precisely related to any external event a child has observed
through his/ her initial five years of life. Examples of recorded events during this state include:
          Anytime mum hugs me, I feel loved.
          When mum is sad, I feel sad.
          The movie I watched yesterday afternoon with mum was frightening.
Adult refers to the period when a child acquires the ability to notice and comprehend situations that differ from what they felt (Child) or observed (Parent). As
the final ego state, Adult acts like a data processing centre that takes information from the different ego states and uses them to reach a decision. The Adult is
responsible for validating data that has been stored within the Parent. Examples include:

• Max cut his finger and needed stitches when playing with a knife. Mum was right when she said Max shouldn’t play with any sharp objects.
Transactional Analysis in Therapy
• When used in therapy, transactional analysis’s goal is to help a person reach and retain their autonomy by building up their
Adult state. 

• Usually, the therapist and client create a contract detailing what they hope to achieve during therapy. 

• This could make it easier for the client to take responsibility for anything occurring during therapy sessions.

•  Then, the client will become more capable of depending on their Adult ego to recognise and evaluate different behaviours,
thoughts, and emotions that may be preventing them from thriving.

• An ideal therapeutic environment for transactional analysis is comfortable, provides security, and ensures respect. 

• A client and therapist should build a helpful relationship, which will often serve as an example for relationships the client makes
outside of therapy.
Gestalt Approach

• Gestalt Therapy was developed in the 1940’s by Fritz and

Laura Perls and further influenced by the likes of Kurt
Lewin and Kurt Goldstein (Corsini & Wedding, 2000).

• It was developed as a revision to psychoanalysis and

focuses on an experiential and humanistic approach rather
than analysis of the unconscious which was one of the
main therapeutic tools at the time Gestalt Therapy was
employed.
• Gestalt Therapy rejects the dualities of mind and body, body and soul, thinking and feeling,
and feeling and action.

• According to Perls, people are not made up of separate components, this is, mind, body and soul,
rather human beings function as a whole. In doing so, one defines who one is (sense of self) by
choice of responses to environmental interactions (boundaries). 

• The word “Gestalt” (of German origin) refers to a “whole, configuration, integration, pattern or
form” (Patterson, 1986).

• The form of Gestalt Therapy practiced today utilises ideas, data and interventions from multiple
sources, as well as some of the original techniques known to be ‘Gestalt Therapy techniques’. 

• It is noted that Gestalt Therapy has a history of being an approach which creates or borrows specific
techniques that are focused on assisting the client to take the next step in their personal growth and
development.
  key concepts of Gestalt Therapy:

Key Concepts Description

Wholeness and Integration: Gestalt Therapy is about Wholeness refers to the whole person or the individual’s mind and body as a unit rather
facilitating clients to integrate themselves as whole than as separate parts (Seligman, 2006). 
persons and help restore balance in their  Integration refers to how these parts fit together and how the individual integrates into the
environment. environment. 

Awareness Awareness is one of the most important elements in Gestalt Therapy as it is seen as a
“hallmark of the healthy person and a goal of treatment” (Seligman, 2006). 
When individuals are “aware”, they are able to self-regulate in their environment.
two main causes lacking awareness: • Preoccupation with one’s past, fantasies, flaws and strengths that the individual
becomes unaware of the whole picture.
• Low self-esteem.
There are three ways people may achieve awareness through therapy:

• Contact with the environment: This is through looking, listening, touching, talking, moving, smelling, and tasting. This enables
the individual to grow in his or her environment through reacting to the environment and changing.

• Here and now: This is the individual living in and being conscious at the present moment rather than worrying about the past or
the future.

• Responsibility: This refers to the individual taking responsibility for his or her own life rather than blaming others.

• Energy and blocks to energy: Gestalt Therapists often focus on where energy is in the body, how it is used, and how it may be
causing a blockage (Corey, 2005). Blocked energy is a form of resistance, for example, tension in a part of the body, not breathing
deeply, or avoiding eye contact. Gestalt Therapy is about finding and releasing the blockages that may be inhibiting awareness.

• Growth Disorders: Growth disorders refer to emotional problems that are caused by people who lack awareness and do not interact
with their environment completely. In doing so, people are unable to cope with the changes in their lives successfully and, instead
deal with the problems in a defensive manner (Seligman, 2006).

• Unfinished business: Unfinished business refers to people who do not finish things in their lives and is often related to people with
a “growth disorder” (Seligman, 2006). People with unfinished business often resent the past and because of this are unable to focus
on the here and now. One of the major goals of Gestalt Therapy is to help people work through their unfinished business and bring
about closure.
some of the common methods used.
Role play: Role play can help individuals to experience different feelings and emotions, and to better understand
how they present and organise themselves.

The ‘open chair’ technique

The open chair technique involves two chairs and role play, and give rise to emotional scenes. The client sits
opposite an empty chair and must imagine someone (usually themselves or parts of themselves) sitting in it. Next,
they will communicate with this imaginary being - asking questions and engaging with what they represent.

Then they must switch chairs so they are physically sitting in the once-empty chair. The conversation continues, but
the client has reversed roles - speaking on behalf of the imagined part of their own problem. This technique aims
to enable participants to locate a specific feeling or a side of their personality they had previously disowned or
tried to ignore. This helps them to accept polarities and acknowledge that conflicts exist in everyone.
• Dialogue: A gestalt therapist will need to engage the client in meaningful and authentic dialogue in order to
guide them to a particular way of behaving or thinking. This may move beyond simple discussion to more
creative forms of expression such as dancing, singing or laughing.

• Discussing dreams: Dreams play an important role in gestalt therapy, as they can help individuals to
understand spontaneous aspects of themselves. Fritz Perls frequently asked clients to relive their dreams by
playing different objects and people in the dream. During this, they would be asked questions such as, ‘what
are you aware of now?’ to sharpen self-awareness.

• Attention to body language: Throughout therapy, a gestalt therapist will concentrate on body language,
which is considered a subtle indicator of intense emotions. When specific body language is noticed, the
therapist may ask the client to exaggerate these movements or behaviours.

• This is thought to intensify the emotion attached to the behaviour and highlight an inner meaning. For
example, a client may be showing signs of clenched fists or frowning, to which the therapist may ask
something such as, ‘what are you saying with this movement?’.
Rational Emotive Therapy 

• Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is a type of therapy introduced by

Albert Ellis in the 1950s.

•  It’s an approach that helps you identify irrational beliefs and negative thought
patterns that may lead to emotional or behavioral issues.

• REBT can be particularly helpful for people living with a variety of issues,
including: Depression, anxiety, addictive behaviors, phobias, overwhelming
feelings of anger, guilt, or rage, procrastination, disordered eating
habits, aggression, sleep problems
• REBT rest on the belief that the way we think influences our emotions and behavior, it
attempts to help clients change the way they think to reduce negative symptoms and
improve their quality of life (Albert Ellis Institute, 2014).

• “People are not disturbed by things but rather by their view of things.” – Albert Ellis

• As this quote from Ellis shows, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy assumes that many
people with emotional or behavioral problems struggle due to the way they perceive their
experiences rather than simply the experiences themselves. REBT aims to facilitate
change in core beliefs and thought patterns that will clients more effectively deal with
their problems and improve their ability to function and feel in a healthy way (Good
Therapy, 2015).
• Ellis hypothesized that irrational beliefs are the result of a person’s goals or desires being inhibited or blocked. When
we don’t get or accomplish what we wanted to, we may develop irrational beliefs about ourselves or the world that
help explain what happened.

• For example, imagine you are  set on getting a job you applied for. You study up on the company, practice your
interview answers, and make sure you’re looking extra sharp the day of the interview. Although you prepared
extensively, the hiring manager decided to go with another candidate.

• You may accept that this just wasn’t meant to be, or that you just weren’t the right fit for the job. However, you may
also be heavily impacted by the decision and develop an irrational belief about why you didn’t get the job.

• You might think, “I didn’t get this job because they can see that I’m a loser. I’m not good at anything and I never will
be.”

• Or, you might think, “The only reason I didn’t get this job is because the hiring manager had it out for me. It’s like
the universe has it out for me!”

• Both of these are thoughts that can help you explain why you didn’t get the job, but they are irrational and can lead to
negative emotions and behavior down the road.
The ABCDE Model of Emotional Disturbance

A – Activating Event / Adversity

• An activating event or adversity is something that triggers you to form an irrational belief, such as being
turned down for the position. It is the first step in developing an irrational thought because the irrational
thought is formed to help you deal with the event.

B – Irrational Belief

• The “B” stands for the irrational belief that is formed in response to the activating event. This is a belief
that you use to cope with the event, such as “I’m a loser, I’m useless, and I wouldn’t be able to do the
job anyway.” While this is, of course, an incredibly hurtful thought, it can still be more comforting than
having no idea why you didn’t get the job. Irrational beliefs are surprisingly easy to develop.
• C – Emotional and Behavioral Consequences

• The third component is the consequences of this irrational belief. Irrational beliefs always have
consequences, sometimes emotional, sometimes behavior, and sometimes both. In this case, the
consequences may be that you lose your self-confidence or frequently feel sad (emotional) and
stop applying to any jobs (behavioral).

• D – Disputes or Arguments

• At some point, you may realize that you have an irrational belief that is causing you problems. You
notice your loss of self-confidence and negative thoughts about yourself and begin to argue against
your irrational belief. If you’re working with a therapist, the therapist may help guide you in
developing arguments against the belief and help you come up with evidence to the contrary, such
as “I have an amazing spouse. My spouse wouldn’t be with a ‘loser’ so I must not be a loser.”
E – New Effect

• When you have successfully countered the irrational belief, you will notice new (hopefully
more positive!) consequences or effects. In our scenario, these effects might be increased
confidence, applying to more jobs, and feeling good about your abilities. These effects are
the positive outcomes of holding more rational thoughts, like “I just wasn’t a good fit for that
job, but I’ll find another” or “Maybe the hiring manager really didn’t like me, but that’s her
loss” (McLeod, 2015).

• The ABCDE model can be extremely helpful in tracing the development of irrational thought
and providing a high-level outline of how to challenge and replace it.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps
people learn how to identify and change destructive or disturbing thought patterns that
have a negative influence on behavior and emotions.

• Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on changing the automatic negative thoughts that
can contribute to and worsen emotional difficulties, depression, and anxiety. These
spontaneous negative thoughts have a detrimental influence on mood.

• Through CBT, these thoughts are identified, challenged, and replaced with more
objective, realistic thoughts.
CBT Strategies

• Identify Negative Thoughts

• Practice New Skills

• Set Goals

• Problem Solve

• Self Monitor

• Progress Gradually
Integrative Model
• Integrative therapy is a progressive form of psychotherapy that combines different therapeutic tools and
approaches to fit the needs of the individual client. 

• With an understanding of normal human development, an integrative therapist modifies standard

treatments to fill in development gaps that affect each client in different ways. 

• By combining elements drawn from different schools of psychological theory and research, integrative
therapy becomes a more flexible and inclusive approach to treatment than more traditional, singular
forms of psychotherapy.

• Integrative therapy draws its theories and tools from the three main schools of psychotherapeutic
thought – psychoanalytical (which includes psychodynamic), humanistic, and cognitive behavioural.
• An integrative approach can be used to treat any number of psychological problems and
disorders, including depression, anxiety, and personality disorders. The therapist matches
evidence-based treatments to each client and each disorder.

• Integrative therapy is more inclusive of the client than traditional forms of therapy, where
the client plays a less active role in treatment.

•  Integrative psychotherapists consider the individual characteristics, preferences, needs,

physical abilities, spiritual beliefs, and motivation level of their clients and use their
professional judgment to decide the best approach to therapy for each client.
• The so-called “integrative perspective” indicates a general flexible and inclusive attitude toward the different
psychotherapeutic models.

• Integration in psychotherapy involves four possible approaches: theoretical integration (i.e., transcending diverse
models by creating single but different approach), technical eclecticism (i.e., using effective ingredients from
different approaches), assimilative integration (i.e., working primarily from within one model but integrating
aspects of others when needed), and common factors approach (i.e., focusing on effective therapeutic practices
that are common to all approaches.

• Integrative counselling maintains the idea that there are many ways in which human psychology can be explored
and understood - no one theory alone holds the answer. All theories are considered to have value, even if their
foundational principles contradict each other - hence the need to integrate them.

• The integrative approach also refers to the infusion of a person's personality and needs - integrating the affective,
behavioural, cognitive, and physiological systems within one person, as well as addressing social and spiritual
aspects. 
How does integrative therapy work?

• The counsellor’s role within integrative therapy is to cater the therapeutic experience for each
individual client, by using specific techniques and key concepts drawn from various approaches - all
of which are deemed appropriate for the client and their needs.

• If an integrative therapist is working with a client that has behavioural problems, they may want to
start the therapy by working on adjusting behavioural functioning and reducing symptoms. This may
involve applying cognitive behavioural techniques to help the client establish some control over their
functioning before moving on to the next stage of therapy (i.e. working on improving, and gaining
insight into the client's behaviours, emotions and thoughts).

• In this stage, the therapist may employ psychoanalytic techniques that recall childhood experiences
and interpretation, dream analysis or analysis of transference.
Benefits of integrated counselling

• A key advantage of integrative therapy is its flexibility and focus on the whole of an
individual.

• The integration of different approaches means therapy can be tailored to meet a variety of
needs and concerns, making it arguably a more flexible and inclusive approach to
treatment than more traditional, singular forms of psychotherapy.