Counselling Theory & Practice

Therapeutic and Counselling Groups

The main purpose of all counselling and therapeutic endeavours is to bring about change. When a person joins a counselling group, it is usually to learn new ways of being, interrelating, and interacting. In a therapeutic small group the specific goals for each member can be varied but would include the expectation that change will occur (Conyne, 1997b). »

Eric Berne and Transactional Analysis

Transactional analysis (TA) is a form of psychotherapy, counselling and education, based on cognitive and personal values. Its aim is to lead clients through pre-determined steps to achieve personal growth and change. Transactional analysis was pioneered by Eric Berne (1910-1970) and it has developed into a strong theory of personality and communication. The traditional psychoanalytic approach was... »

Evoking Change in a Client

There are several therapeutic approaches which are useful to improve clients’ readiness to change. It is important, however, to realise that all these strategies are based on the same suggestion: motivation to change is elicited from the client and not imposed from without. Using coercion, persuasion or constructive confrontation will achieve little if the client is simply “unready&rdq... »

Child Abuse and Neglect: Case Planning and Review

With the assessment complete, the next step to ensure that the needs of the child and family are met is case planning. Essentially case planning is the process of setting goals and building in strategies to meet those goals. The counsellor must work with the child and/or family to decide upon the goals that are necessary to achieve to bring about desired change. Involving the family in case planni... »

Child Abuse and Neglect: Intervention

There is not a clear cut off line from where the assessment ends and the intervention begins in child and family work. »

Series: Working with Children at Risk

As stated in The Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2004 edition of Identifying and Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect, the sad facts are: »

Planned vs Unplanned Terminations in Counselling

Not every end is the goal. The end of a melody is not its goal, and yet if a melody has not reached its end, it has not reached its goal. A parable.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche »

Book Review: Conflict Resolution for the Helping Professions

Barsky, A. E. (2007). Conflict resolution for the helping professions (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole. 364 pages. ISBN: 0-495-09225-8 »

Book Review: Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods

Nichols, P., Schwartz, R. (2006). Family Therapy — Concepts and Methods (7th Edition). USA: Pearson Education Inc. 497 pages. ISBN: 0-205-47809-3 »

Supervision: Ethical and Legal Considerations

Bernard and Goodyear, (1998) describe the major legal issues for clinical supervisors as malpractice, the duty to warn, and direct and vicarious liability. »

Relationships: Love Is All You Need

Love is a particular kind of need and expectation in a relationship. For many people approaching marriage, love will be the foundation of their entire future together. Committed and passionate love is an important predictor of a relationships success and satisfaction (Hecht et al., 1994). »

Relationships: Myths and Expectations

Separate to the issue of needs and wants, a counsellor may find that clients are expressing unrealistic notions about married life. Strong correlations have been found between certain unrealistic notions that are believed or maintained by married people and their levels of marital dissatisfaction (Tysoe, 1994). It is worth looking at some of these areas and being prepared for them when they arise.... »

Relationships: Needs and Wants

In 1972 Carl Rogers surveyed the changing marriage scene of his day and said “It is becoming increasingly clear that a man-woman relationship will have permanence only to the degree to which it satisfies the emotional, psychological, intellectual and physical needs of the partners”. »

Goals of Pre-Marriage Counselling

To achieve a ‘satisfactory outcome’ a counsellor will need to establish a goal with the clients at the outset of counselling, but the goals will generally fall into one of three categories: »

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