1. Mario De La Garza, M.Ed. University of North Texas
Theoretical Models of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 3rd Edition Chapter 1: Introduction
Mario De La Garza, M.Ed.
University of North Texas

2. Counseling Theory (Advantages)
Provides
Order and meaning
Internally consistent concepts and terms
Rationale
Explains
How individuals develop
Problems individuals face
How counseling can help

3. Similarities among Counseling Theories
People are born with certain innate tendencies and psychological functions.
People are influenced by their environments.
People develop due to an interaction of innate tendencies, environment, and other factors.
People can function in preferable or unpreferable ways.
People can develop further – to a more preferable mode of functioning.
Counseling can help people develop toward more preferable functioning.

4. Differences among Counseling Theories
How people are innately endowed
How people are influenced by their environments
How people develop
What constitutes preferable functioning
How people change
How counseling helps people change toward more preferable functioning

5. Why not one theory?
Blind men and elephant picture:
Hologram diagram:

6. Disadvantages of Counseling Theory
Each theory is a reflection of the theorist’s understanding of human experience and behavior.
Each theory, then, becomes a filter that may
Miss certain data
Dismiss certain data
Misinterpret certain data
Deny certain data

7. Reconciling Advantages & Disadvantages
Decide to be atheoretical.
Decide to be polytheoretical.
Decide to identify YOUR theory of counseling and use resources from other theories that align with YOUR theory.

8. Is there a superior theory?
No one counseling approach has emerged superior to other approaches.
Intelligent, insightful people disagree on how they see the world.
Currently, the largest percentage of counselors identify with cognitive-behavioral, existential, and psychodynamic theories.

9. Identifying Your Guiding Theory of Counseling
Even now, you would respond to a client in a counseling session based on some rationale.
You already have ideas about human nature, role of the environment in personality development, healthy and unhealthy functioning, and personality change processes.
Thus, you already have a counseling theory, and it probably matches one of the existing theories better than the others.

10. The Seven C’s of Counseling Theory
Complete
Clear
Consistent
Concrete
Current
Creative
Conscious

11. Watts’s Four-stage Model of Theory Identification
Exploration stage
Examination stage
Integration stage
Personalization stage

12. Nature/Nurture Question
For most personality traits
Genes explain 30% – 50% of variance
Environment explains 50% – 70% of variance
Non-shared, unique experiences have more influence than shared factors.
Caregiver behavior may be the result, rather than the cause, of a child’s behavior.
Genes may be expressed at different ages or under specific circumstances.

13. Nature/Nurture Question
A person’s destiny is NOT determined by one’s genes.
Genetics has been linked to schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, antisocial behavior, anxiety disorder, extreme introversion, and other phenomena for which individuals seek counseling.
Prevailing view in mental health: Distressing psychological symptoms are the result of a combination of genetic vulnerability (diathesis) and environmental factors (stress).

14. DSM 5 Diagnosis
American Psychiatric Association published the first edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1952.
Purpose
Identify categories of mental disorders
Establish nationally acceptable nomenclature and descriptions of mental disorders
Determine incidence rates of mental disorders

15. Pharmacotherapy Has been found to be less effective than psychotherapy
Has been found to be as effective as psychotherapy
Has been found to be more effective than psychotherapy
…depending on the particular study.

16. Managed Care and Brief Therapy
Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)
Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs)
Medicaid and Medicare
Favor approaches that are brief and have been validated, in particular, cognitive-behavioral approaches

17. Technical Eclecticism
Eclecticism: selecting what seems best from various systems
Impossible to be atheoretical
A polytheoretical approach is inconsistent
Theoretical eclecticism versus technical eclecticism

18. Diversity Issues Ethnic diversity Religious diversity
Sexual orientation
“Respecting diversity means that [counselors] are committed to acquiring the knowledge, skills, personal awareness, and sensitivity that are essential to working effectively with diverse client populations” (Herlihy & Corey, 1996, p. 295).
Respecting diversity is an ethical mandate of the American Counseling Association.

19. Effectiveness of Psychotherapy
At least 50% of clients will achieve beneficial outcome in 5 – 10 sessions.
20% – 33% of clients will need more than 25 sessions for positive outcome.
Lower likelihood of success:
Poor motivation
Hostility
History of poor relationships
Passivity

20. Effectiveness of Psychotherapy

21. Purpose of Your Theories Text
Help you learn about the most prominent theories of psychotherapy
Help you compare and contrast the theories to determine what is
Similar between two or more theories, and
Different between theories / unique to given theories
Help you comparatively evaluate the research supporting the various theories
Help you compare your views about how people are innately endowed, develop, and change with the views of each theorist
…all so that you can identify the guiding theory that best reflects your identity – that is a “best fit” for you as a developing mental health professional.

22. References
Fall, K. A., Holden, J. M., & Marquis, A. (2016). Theoretical models of counseling and psychotherapy (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.