When using solution-focused techniques, counsellors are encouraged to be flexible in their approach. The primary consideration is to always work within the client’s frame of reference in a solution-focused manner. The use of appropriate language is an important factor in the success of solution-focused therapy. In particular, counsellors should remain enthusiastic about their clients’ ... »
There are no two ways about it: rejection is a universal experience and we will all face it multiple times over the course of our lives. But it still hurts! So what might it be helpful to keep in mind when you face that poor client that has been rejected (perhaps again)? This article offers some points to understand the experience and organises options for how to help your client with it according... »
Most therapists utilise an integrative approach towards counselling that combines approaches and methods from a broad range of theoretical orientations as they assist clients through the various challenges of life. To help counsellors come to a better place of integration in being able to “pick” the right approach at the right time, we’ll overview four widely used therapies &ndas... »
Solution focused therapies are founded on the rationale that there are exceptions to every problem and through examining these exceptions and having a clear vision of a preferred future, client and counsellor, together, can generate ides for solutions. Solution focused therapists are competency and future focused. They highlight and utilise client strengths to enable a more effective future. »
This case history details a significant time in the life of the Smith-Curtis* family. This family did not come to counselling voluntarily, but were referred by the Department of Families after substantiated allegations of abuse and neglect of their two children. The counselling agency, (a non-government service provider), is experienced in working with involuntary clients who make up two thirds of... »
Beatrice is a 40-year-old married mother of four children; she married young and over time she and her husband separated on three occasions. Her husband previously subjected her to both psychological and physical abuse. As a child she lost her mother to suicide leaving her to be raised by her father. Unable to raise his daughters and work at the same time, Beatrice was passed around to various ext... »
Mark is 28 and has been married to Sarah for six years. He works for his uncle and they regularly stay back after work to chat. Sarah has threatened to leave him if he does not spend more time with her, but when they are together, they spend most of the time arguing, so he avoids her even more. He loves her, but is finding it hard to put up with her moods. The last few weeks, he has been getting r... »
Michelle has come to counselling due to increasing feelings of hopelessness about the direction of her life. She is complaining that she is too "bogged down" in her problems to see where she should be going. This is Michelle's second session with the Counsellor. She has spent her previous session discussing the areas of her life that she is unhappy with. Within this session, the Counsellor decides... »
Chris came to counselling because he was experiencing increasing feelings of being stressed, overwhelmed and weighed down by his commitments in life. He has been particularly concerned about his negative thoughts and attitude at work and at home and would like to change this. Chris has been seeing a Professional Counsellor for three sessions and together they have been using an eclectic approach u... »
The client's name is Joan. Joan sought counselling to deal with the unexpected loss of her daughter in a car accident. She received counselling about 2 weeks after her daughter's death and continued with the counselling process over a period of 8 months. The key features of Joan's grief were her feelings of guilt and despair. In these areas, the counsellor worked mainly from a Person-Centered a... »
Jessica is a 32 year old professional executive who has recently been given the opportunity of completing her Masters in Professional Development with an organisation who value her expertise in her chosen career and have great confidence in her achievement of goals in their particular field. She has studied hard for over a third of her life and has recently married a family-orientated professional... »
Elizabeth came to counselling because she was experiencing intense anger, and was not coping with her life. She complained of failed relationships with her ex-husband, and with another man whom she left her husband to be with. Elizabeth cannot move on from the anger she feels about her failed relationships and she is feeling isolated from her family and friends. This had an effect on her abilit... »
When clients are focused on changing the negative aspects (or problems) in their lives, positive changes can often be overlooked, minimised or discounted due to the ongoing presence of the problem. The solution focused approach challenges counsellors to be attentive to positive changes (however small) that occur in their clients’ lives. Questions that presuppose change can be useful in assis... »
Personality development has always been a hot topic in realm of mental health disciplines. From Freud to Piaget, many theories of personality balance the input of natural, genetic, and environmental factors to try to explain the foundation of human behaviour. »
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