Counselling Approaches

Which counselling approach works best for you? The following descriptions will give you a deeper understanding of each counselling method.

Psychoanalysis/Psychodynamic Theory

Psychoanalysis or psychodynamic theory, also known as the “historical perspective,” has its roots with Sigmund Freud, who believed there were unconscious forces that drive behaviour. 

Psychotherapists and counsellors who use this approach direct much of their focus and energy on analysing past relationships and traumatic childhood experiences in relation to an individual’s current life. The belief is that by revealing and bringing these issues to the surface, treatment and healing can occur. This theory is highly researched, and as the field of neuroscience advances, counsellors are finding how psychodynamic theory can positively affect a client’s brain. Psychodynamic theory can be more time intensive in comparison to some short-term theories because it involves changing deeply ingrained behaviours and requires significant work on understanding oneself.

Behavioural Theory

Behavioural theory is based on the belief that behaviour is learned. Classic conditioning is one type of behavioural therapy that stems from early theorist Ivan Pavlov’s research. Pavlov executed a famous study using dogs, which focused on the effects of a learned response (e.g., a dog salivating when hearing a bell) through a stimulus (e.g., pairing the sound of a bell with food).

B. F. Skinner developed another behavioural therapy approach, called operant conditioning. He believed in the power of rewards to increase the likelihood of a behaviour and punishments to decrease the occurrence of a behaviour. Behavioural therapists work on changing unwanted and destructive behaviours through behaviour modification techniques such as positive or negative reinforcement.

Cognitive Theory

In the 1960s, psychotherapist Aaron Beck developed cognitive theory. This counselling theory focuses on how people’s thinking can change feelings and behaviours. Unlike psychodynamic theory, therapy based on cognitive theory is brief in nature and oriented toward problem solving. Cognitive therapists focus more on their client’s present situation and distorted thinking than on their past. Cognitive and behavioural therapy are often combined as one form of theory practiced by counsellors and therapists. Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, has been  found to help with a number of mental illnesses including anxiety, personality, eating, and substance abuse disorders.

Humanistic Approach

Humanistic therapists care most about the present and helping their clients achieve their highest potential. Instead of energy spent on the past or on negative behaviours, humanists believe in the goodness of all people and emphasize a person’s self-growth and self-actualization.

Humanistic theories include client-cantered, gestalt, and existential therapies. Carl Rogers developed client-centered therapy, which focuses on the belief that clients control their own destinies. He believed that all therapists need to do is show their genuine care and interest. Gestalt therapists’ work focuses more on what’s going on in the moment versus what is being said in therapy to help clients find meaning in their lives by focusing on free will, self-determination, and responsibility.