flynn061

 The person-centered approach is based on concepts from humanistic psychology.  Roger’s basic assumptions are that people are essentially trustworthy, that they have a vast potential for understanding themselves and resolving their own problems without direct intervention on the therapist’s part, and that they are capable of self-directed growth if they are involved in a specific kind of therapeutic relationship.  Roger’s emphasized the attitudes and personal characteristics of the therapist and the quality of the client-therapist relationship as the prime determinants of the outcome of the therapeutic process.  He consistently relegated to a secondary position matters such as the therapists knowledge of theory and techniques.  This belief in the client’s capacity for self-healing is in contrast with many theories that view the therapist’s techniques as the most power agents that lead to change.  Rogers revolutionized the field of psychotherapy by proposing...

Contributors to Family Systems Theory: Family systems therapy is represented by a variety of theories and approaches, all of which focus on the relational aspect of human problems.  During the 1950s systemic family therapy began to take root.  During the early years of its evolution, working with families was considered to be a revolutionary approach to treatment. The Family Systems Perspective : Perhaps the most difficult adjustment for counselors and therapists from Western cultures is the adoption of a “systems” perspective.  Our personal experience and Western culture often tells us that we are autonomous individuals, capable of free and independent choice.  We are born into families – and most of us live our entire lives attached to one form of family or another.  Within these families, we discover who we are; we develop and change; and we give and receive the support we need for survival.  We create, maintain, and live by often unspoken rules and r...

Expressive therapy , also known as expressive arts therapy or creative arts therapy, is the use of the creative arts as a form of therapy . Unlike traditional art expression, the process of creation is emphasized rather than the final product. Expressive therapy is predicated on the assumption that people can heal through use of imagination and the various forms of creative expression. Types Some common types of expressive therapy include: Art Therapy Dance Therapy Drama Therapy Music Therapy Writing Therapy All expressive therapists share the belief that through creative expression and the tapping of the imagination, a person can examine the body, feelings, emotions and his or her thought process. Although often separated by the form of creative art, some expressive therapists consider themselves intermodal, using expression in general, rather than a specific discipline to treat clients, altering their approach based on the clients' needs, or through using multiple forms of expr...

Existential therapy can best be described as a philosophical approach that influences a counselor’s therapeutic practice.  Existential psychotherapy is neither an independent nor separate school of therapy, nor is it a neatly defined model with specific techniques.  It is more appropriate to refer to existential psychotherapies. Historical Background in Philosophy:  Existential therapy was not founded by any particular person or group; many streams of thought contributed to it.  Drawing from a major orientation in philosophy; existential therapy arose spontaneously in different parts of Europe and among different schools of psychology and psychiatry in the 1940s and 1950s.  It grew out of an effort to help people resolve the dilemmas of contemporary life, such as isolation, alienation, and meaninglessness.  Early writers focused on the individual’s experience of being alone in the world and facing the anxiety of the situation. These are some of the major f...