NCE

empathy

the ability to understand and communicate another person’s experience from their perspective

sympatny

feelings of concern or pity for another person’s situation

congruence

being genuine, authentic, and consistent in the counseling relationship

unconditional positive regard

accepting and valuing the client without judgement or conditions

active listening

fully attending to the client’s verbal and nonverbal communication and demonstrating understanding

paraphrasing

restating the client’s message in the counselor’s own words

reflection of feeling

identifying and communicating the emotions expressed or implied by the client

reflection of content

restating the factual information or main ideas communicated by the client

summarization

bringing together important themes, thoughts, feelings, or information discussed during counseling

immediacy

addressing what is happening in the counselor-client relationship in the present momentc

confrontation

pointing out discrepancies or inconsistencies in a client’s thoughts, feelings, or behaviors in a therapeutic manner

interpretation

offering a possible explanation or meaning underlying a client’s thoughts, feelings, or behaviors

person-centered therapy

a humanistic approach developed by Carl Rogers that emphasizes empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regardC

arl Rogers

founder of person-centered therapy and developer of the three core therapeutic ocnditions

therapeutic conditions

empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard

cultural competence

ability to work effectively with clients while understanding and respecting cultural differences and influences

cultural humility

an ongoing process of self-reflection, recognizing one’s limitations, and remaining open to learning from clients and their cultural experiences

working stage

phase of counseling in which the counselor and client explore concerns, identify patterns, work toward goals, and facilitate change

relationship/iniital stage

the beginning phase of counseling focused on establishing rapport, trust, safety, and understanding the client’s concerns

termination stage

final phase of counseling involving reviewing progress, addressing remaining concerns, and preparing the client for continued growth after counseling ends

psychoanalytic theory

Freud’s theory emphasizing unconscious processes, early childhood experiences, internal conflict, and how the past influences present behavior

unconscious

thoughts, memories, wishes, and conflicts outside of conscious awareness that influence behavior

id

primitive part of personality driven by immediate gratification and the pleasure principle

ego

rational part of personality that operates according to the reality principle and mediates between the id, superego, and environment

superego

moral component of personality representing internalized rules, values, and ideals

adlerian therapy

approach emphasizing social interest, feelings of inferiority, lifestyle, purpose, and the individual’s ability to choose and change

inferiority feelings

feelings of inadequacy that can motivate individuals to strive for competence and improvement

inferiority complex

exaggerated or persistent sense of inadequacy

birth order

adler’s concept that a person’s position among siblings may influence personality development and lifestyle

lifestyle assessment

exploring family constellation, early recollections, relationships, and beliefs to understand the client’s worldview

paradoxical intention

encouraging a client to intentionally exaggerate or perform a feared behavior to reduce its power

existential therapy

an approach focused on freedom, responsibility, meaning, choice, authenticity, and confronting the realities of existence

existential freedom

the ability to make choices and take responsibility for one’s life despite limitation

personal responsibility

accepting ownership of one’s choices, actions, and responses

existential anxiety

anxiety associated with fundamental human concerns such as freedom, responsibility, isolation, meaning, and death

logotherapy

Viktor Frank'l’s meaning-centered approach emphasizing the search for meaning as a primary human motivation

self-acutalization

the process of developing one’s potential and becoming the fullest version of oneself

actualizing tendency

the innate tendency toward growth, development, and fulfillment

self-concept

an individual’s perception and understanding of themselves

nondirective counseling

a counseling style in which the counselor does not direct the client toward particular decisions or solutions

reflection

responding to the client’s content and feelings to demonstrate understanding and encourage exploration

gestalt therapy

a humanistic approach emphasizing awareness, personal responsibility. present-moment experience, and integration of thoughts, feelings, and beahviors

here and now

focusing attention on the client’s current experience rather than primarily analyzing the past

awareness

recognizing one’s current thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and behaviors

unfinished business

unresolved feelings or experiences from the past that continue to affect present functioning

contact

interaction between an individual and their environment through which experience and growth occur

empty chair technique

having the client imagine another person in an empty chair and engage in a dialogue to explore unresolved feelings

classical conditioning

learning through association in which a previously neutral stimulus becomes associated with a response

operant conditioning

learning in which behavior is influenced by its consequences

positive reinforcement

adding a desirable stimulus after a behavior to increase that behavior

negative reinforcement

removing an unpleasant stimulus after a behavior to increase that behavior

positive punishment

adding an unpleasant consequence to decrease a beahvior

negative punishment

removing a desirable stimulus to decrease a beahvior

shaping

reinforcing successive approximations toward a desired behavior

extinction

decreasing a behavior by consistently removing the reinforcement maintaining it

systematic desensitization

gradually exposing a client to an anxiety-provoking stimulus while using relaxation or another incompatible response

exposure therapy

repeatedly confronting feared stimuli or situations in a controlled manner to reduce anxiety and avoidance

flooding

intensive exposure to a feared stimulus without graduatl progression

cognitive behavioral therapy

an approach that connects thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and seeks to change dysfunctional patterns

automatic thoughts

immediate, often habitual thoughts that influence emotions and behaviors

cognitive distortions

systematic errors or biases in thinking that contribute to emotional distress

cognitive restructuring

identifying, challenging, and replacing inaccurate or unhelpful thoughts

socratic questioning

using guided questions to help clients examine evidence and evaluate their assumptions

cognitive triad

concept involving negative views of the self, world, and future, particularly associated with depression

REBT

cognitive-behavioral approach that focuses on identifying and changing irrational beliefs

irrational beliefs

rigid, unrealistic, or absolutistic beliefs that contribute to emotional distress

disputing

changing irrational beliefs through logical, empirical, and practical questioning

rational beliefs

flexible, realistic beliefs that allow individuals to respond more effectively to life events

reality therapy

Glasser’s approach focusing on present behavior, personal responsibility, choices, relationships, and meeting basic needs

choice theory

theory that people are primarily motivated by internal needs and have control over their choices and behaviors

quality world

an individual’s internal picture of the people, things, and beliefs that are mot important to them

WDEP

Wants, Doing, Evaluation, Planning

SFBT

future-oriented approach emphasizing solutions, strengths, exceptions, and client resources rather than extensively analyzing problems

miracle question

asking clients to imagine a miracle has occurred and describe what would be different

scaling question

asking clients to rate their situation, progress, confidence, or motivation on a numerical scale

exception question

exploring times when the client’s problem was absent, less severe, or more manageable

coping question

asking how clients have managed to continue functioning despite difficult circumstances

narrative therapy

an approach emphasizing the stories people construct about their lives and helping clients develop more empowering narratives

externalization

separating the person from the problem by treating the problme as something outside the client’s identity

deconstruction

examining the assumptions, beliefs, and cultural influences underlying a client’s dominant story

unique outcomes

experiences that contradict or fall outside the client’s problem-saturated story

reauthoring

helping clients develop alternative stories that emphasize strengths, values, abilities, and preferred identities

feminist therapy

an approach emphasizing gender, power, social context, oppression, equality, and empowerment

gender-role analysis

examining how societal expectations about gender influence a client’s beliefs, behavior, and problems

acculturation

the process of adapting to or adopting aspects of another culture

enculturation

individuals learn and internalize the norms, values, and practices of their own culture

family systems theory

the view that individuals are best understood within the context of their relationships and a family system

homeostasis

tendency of a family system to maintain stability and resist change

differentiation of self

Bowen’s ability to maintain one’s individuality while remaining emotionally connected to others

triangles

a three-person relationship system that develops when tension exists between two people

enmeshment

excessively close family boundaries with limited individual autonomy

disengagement

excessively rigid family boundaries and emotional distance between members

structural family therapy

Minuchin’s approach focusing on family structure, boundaries, subsystems, and patterns of interaction

strategic family therapy

an approach emphasizing specific problems and deliberate interventions designed to change dysfunctional interaction patterns

Bowen family systems therapy

an approach emphasizing differentiation, emotional systems, triangles, multigenerational patterns, and family projection

eclectic counseling

selecting techniques from different theories based on the client’s needs

technical eclecticism

choosing techniques from different theories without necessarily combining their underlying theoretical explanations

theoretical integration

combining concepts from multiple theories into a unified theoretical framework

critical period

limited period when a particular experience or environmental input is especially necessary for normal development

secure attachment

trust in the caregiver’s availability and responsiveness; the child uses the caregiver as a secure base for exploration