Counselling Psychology Flashcards

Flashcards for review based on lecture notes about counselling psychology.

Counselling Psychology

Combines psychological theory and therapeutic practice to help individuals deal with life challenges and improve their well-being, emphasizing a holistic approach.

APA Definition of Counselling Psychology

A general practice and health service provider specialty in professional psychology that focuses on how people function personally and in their relationships at all ages.

Goal of Counselling Psychology: Promote Personal Growth

Help individuals better understand themselves and their potential.

Goal of Counselling Psychology: Improve Emotional Well-being

Support people in coping with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and other psychological issues.

Goal of Counselling Psychology: Enhance Relationships

Assist in developing better communication skills, conflict resolution, and healthier relationships.

Goal of Counselling Psychology: Facilitate Decision-Making

Guide individuals in making life choices, setting goals, and overcoming barriers.

Goal of Counselling Psychology: Support Life Transitions

Help clients navigate changes such as career shifts, divorce, relocation, or illness.

Goal of Counselling Psychology: Prevent Mental Health Problems

Provide early interventions and support to prevent escalation of emotional or behavioral issues.

Goal of Counselling Psychology: Empower Individuals

Encourage self-efficacy, resilience, and the use of personal and social resources.

Role of Counselor in Educational Settings

Support students’ academic, emotional, and social development, addressing issues like stress, peer pressure, and career planning.

Role of Counselor in Clinical Settings

Provide therapy for individuals dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, and other psychological disorders.

Role of Counselor in Workplace Settings

Help employees manage work-related stress, conflict, job dissatisfaction, and personal issues affecting performance.

Role of Counselor in Rehabilitation Centers

Assist individuals recovering from substance use or disabilities, providing emotional support and facilitating recovery plans.

Role of Counselor in Community Agencies

Focus on underserved populations, working with victims of domestic violence, displaced individuals, and marginalized communities.

Role of Counselor in Private Practice

Provide individual, couple, or family therapy, specializing in areas such as marriage or grief counselling.

Role of Counselor in Correctional Facilities

Work with inmates to address behavioral issues, anger management, substance use, and rehabilitation.

Empathy (Counselor Characteristic)

Ability to understand and share the feelings of clients, connecting on a deep emotional level.

Active Listening (Counselor Characteristic)

Attentive listening, giving full attention to the client’s words, tone, and body language.

Non-Judgmental Attitude (Counselor Characteristic)

Accepting clients as they are, without criticism or moral judgment.

Patience (Counselor Characteristic)

Remaining supportive, respecting the client’s pace.

Self-Awareness (Counselor Characteristic)

Awareness of personal values, biases, and emotions to avoid interference with the counselling process.

Strong Communication Skills (Counselor Characteristic)

Communicating clearly and sensitively, using appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication.

Confidentiality and Ethical Integrity (Counselor Characteristic)

Maintaining confidentiality and adhering to ethical standards.

Problem-Solving Ability (Counselor Characteristic)

Helping clients explore options and develop effective coping strategies, guiding them to find their own solutions.

Cultural Sensitivity (Counselor Characteristic)

Respecting and understanding cultural, religious, and individual differences.

Commitment to Growth (Counselor Characteristic)

Continuous professional development to improve skills.

Building a Counselling Relationship

Creating a safe, trusting, and collaborative connection between the counsellor and the client.

Establishing Trust (Counselling Relationship Element)

Providing a consistent, safe, and confidential environment where the client feels secure sharing personal thoughts.

Demonstrating Empathy (Counselling Relationship Element)

Understanding the client’s perspective and genuinely connecting with their emotions.

Active Listening (Counselling Relationship Element)

Giving full attention to the client’s words, body language, and emotional tone.

Respect (Counselling Relationship Element)

Accepting clients without judgment, regardless of their behavior, beliefs, or background.

Clarity of Roles and Boundaries (Counselling Relationship Element)

Setting clear roles, expectations, and boundaries at the beginning of the counselling process.

Warmth (Counselling Relationship Element)

A counsellor’s authentic and warm demeanor helps clients feel comfortable.

Collaboration (Counselling Relationship Element)

The counselling relationship should be collaborative with the counsellor and client working together to set goals.

Cultural Sensitivity (Counselling Relationship Element)

Being aware of and respecting a client’s cultural background, identity, and values.

Working in a Counselling Relationship

The active phase where the counsellor and client engage collaboratively to explore issues and work toward goals.

Setting Goals (Working Relationship Aspect)

The counsellor and client work together to identify specific, realistic, and achievable goals.

Exploration of Issues (Working Relationship Aspect)

Clients are encouraged to explore their thoughts, feelings, behaviors, relationships, and life experiences in depth.

Emotional Support (Working Relationship Aspect)

The counsellor provides emotional support, validates the client’s experiences, and helps them process feelings.

Developing Insight (Working Relationship Aspect)

The counsellor helps the client recognize patterns, underlying beliefs, and emotional triggers that may be contributing to their issues.

Skill Building (Working Relationship Aspect)

Counsellors may introduce coping strategies, communication skills, relaxation techniques, or problem-solving tools.

Encouraging Change (Working Relationship Aspect)

With support, the client begins to experiment with new behaviors, perspectives, or decisions.

Monitoring Progress (Working Relationship Aspect)

The counsellor and client review progress toward goals, discuss what is working or not, and make adjustments.

Termination of Counselling Relationship

The final phase where the counsellor and client mutually decide to end their professional relationship.

Planned Termination

Occurs when the counselling process comes to a natural end after achieving goals.

Unplanned Termination

Happens unexpectedly, such as when a client stops attending sessions or the counsellor is no longer available.

Premature Termination

Takes place when counselling ends before goals are met, possibly due to lack of progress.

Review of Goals and Progress (Termination Aspect)

Counsellor and client reflect on the journey, highlight achievements, and discuss how the client has grown or changed.

Planning for the Future (Termination Aspect)

The client is encouraged to apply what they’ve learned in real life, and strategies for maintaining progress are discussed.

Insight-oriented counselling

A therapeutic approach that focuses on helping clients gain deeper self-awareness and understanding of the underlying causes of their emotional and psychological difficulties.

Client-Centred Therapy

A humanistic approach that emphasizes the client’s capacity for self-understanding and personal growth.

Unconditional Positive Regard

The counsellor offers complete acceptance and support, regardless of the client’s thoughts, feelings, or actions.

Empathy (Client-Centered Therapy)

The counsellor strives to deeply understand the client’s experiences from their perspective.

Congruence (Genuineness)

The counsellor is authentic and transparent in the relationship.

Action-oriented counselling

Focuses on changing specific behaviors and thought patterns to help clients overcome problems and improve their functioning.

Behavioural Therapy

Based on the idea that maladaptive behaviors are learned and can therefore be unlearned or modified.

Systematic Desensitization

Gradual exposure to a feared situation while practicing relaxation techniques.

Testing in Counselling

Refers to the use of standardized tools or instruments to measure specific psychological traits or functioning.

Assessment in Counselling

A broader process than testing, including both formal tests and informal methods such as interviews and observations.

Diagnosis in Counselling

The process of identifying and labeling a client’s psychological condition based on established criteria.

Child Counselling

A therapeutic process designed to help children understand and manage emotions, improve behavior, and cope with difficulties.

Counselling in Schools

Involves providing guidance and support services to students within the school setting, addressing academic and social-emotional development.

Adolescent Counselling

Addresses the unique psychological and developmental needs of teenagers, promoting self-understanding.

Counselling in College

Supports students through academic, personal, social, and career-related challenges.

Career counselling

A structured process that helps individuals understand themselves and the world of work in order to make informed career decisions.

Holland’s Theory of Career Choice (RIASEC Model)

People are more satisfied and successful when their job environment matches their personality type.

Super’s Life-Span, Life-Space Theory

Career decisions are part of broader life roles, and people adapt over time.

Group Counseling

Involves a small group of individuals who meet regularly under the guidance of a trained counsellor to discuss common issues.

Family Counseling

Focuses on improving the functioning and relationships within a family unit.

Addiction counseling

A specialized form of therapy that helps individuals struggling with substance use disorders or behavioral addictions to overcome their dependencies.

Motivational Interviewing (MI)

A client-centered approach that helps individuals resolve ambivalence and strengthen their motivation to change.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Helps clients identify and change destructive thought patterns and behaviors related to addiction.

Psychodynamic approaches

Focus on unconscious processes, childhood experiences, and internal conflicts as key influences on behavior and mental health.

Freudian Psychoanalysis

Human behavior is driven by unconscious desires and internal conflicts, especially those rooted in early childhood.

Free Association

Clients are encouraged to speak freely without censorship, revealing unconscious thoughts and feelings.

Dream Analysis

Dreams are viewed as expressions of the unconscious, exploring symbols and meanings.

Interpretation (Psychodynamic)

The counsellor helps clients understand the unconscious meanings behind their behaviors, thoughts, and emotions.

Humanistic Approach

Emphasizes the individual’s capacity for personal growth, self-awareness, and free will.

Carl Rogers’ Person-Centered Theory

Every person has an innate capacity for growth, self-healing, and fulfilling their potential.

Self-Actualization (Rogers)

The inherent tendency in every individual to develop their abilities and achieve their full potential.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Basic needs must be met before higher-level needs can be addressed, leading toward self-actualization.

Gestalt Therapy

Emphasizes awareness in the present moment and the client’s experience as a whole.

Cognitive Approach

Our thoughts influence our emotions and behaviors, so changing thought patterns can improve well-being.

Aaron T. Beck – Cognitive Therapy (CT)

Psychological distress is largely a result of negative automatic thoughts, faulty beliefs, and cognitive distortions.

Albert Ellis – Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)

It’s not the events themselves that disturb us, but our beliefs about the events.

Behavioural Approach

All behaviours are learned and can therefore be unlearned or modified.

Classical Conditioning – Ivan Pavlov

Learning occurs through association between a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus.

Operant Conditioning – B.F. Skinner

Behaviour is influenced by reinforcement and punishment.

Social Learning Theory – Albert Bandura

People learn not only through direct experience but also by observing others (modeling).

Systematic Desensitization (Behavioral)

The client is gradually exposed to the feared object or situation while practicing relaxation.

Ethical Issue: Confidentiality

Maintaining client privacy is a core principle, facing challenges with online sessions and institutional pressure.

HIPAA

A U.S. law that mandates the protection of personal health information.

Ethical Issue: Informed Consent

Clients must be fully informed about the counselling process, their rights, and the potential risks.

Ethical Issue: Dual Relationships

Counsellors must avoid relationships that could impair their professional judgment or exploit the client.

Ethical Issue: Competence

Counsellors are expected to work within their area of competence, based on training and experience.

Ethical Issue: Cultural Sensitivity

Counsellors must respect and understand clients’ cultural, racial, gender, sexual, and religious identities.

Teletherapy Ethical Concerns

Using digital platforms for counselling introduces concerns around data privacy, client identity verification, and emergency intervention.

Digital Record-Keeping

Requires secure storage and limited access to authorized persons, balancing thoroughness with client privacy.

Mandated Reporting

Counsellors must balance client confidentiality with legal obligations to report risks like child abuse or threats of violence.

Trauma-Informed Care

A growing need for counselors to be trained in trauma-sensitive practices.