Counseling and psychological services can take on a myriad of different looks depending on the needs and goals of a client. The job of a counseling psychologist is to work with his or her clients to assess which techniques will be the most fruitful to pursue and make adjustments based on the progress of the client.
Counseling psychologists use many techniques and tactics, including the three outlined below, to draw back the curtain on what different types of treatment may be needed.
What is counseling psychology?
As a quick refresher, counseling psychology is a field that aims to help individuals overcome mental health challenges in order to improve their quality of life. Counseling can take place for clients and patients at any age or stage.
The American Psychological Association, the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States, defines counseling psychology as a field that “addresses the emotional, social, work, school, and physical health concerns people may have at different stages in their lives.” To learn more, check out our article “Everything you need to know about counseling psychology.”
Counseling psychology techniques
Psychologists, clinicians, and therapists work with their clients to provide assessment, diagnosis, and treatment (depending on the severity). Given the complexities of human beings and life, this involves considering all the aspects of their clients’ lives that have led them to their current state of being—this includes strengths, weaknesses, relationships, environment, social aspects (race, gender, class, etc.), and career.
Considering this, some techniques counseling psychologists utilize include the following:
Psychoanalysis
Psychology Today describes psychoanalytic therapy as “a form of in-depth talk therapy that aims to bring unconscious or deeply buried thoughts and feelings to the conscious mind so that repressed experience and emotions can be brought to the surface and examined.”
Sigmund Freud developed the psychoanalysis technique. It originally involved Freud sitting behind his patients while he took notes on their recollections of childhood memories and dreams.
Today this type of treatment might look different depending on the clinician but largely still involves digging into childhood memories in order to help people uncover how these experiences have influenced their present.
Group Therapy
Group therapy, as described by VeryWellMind, involves one or more therapists working with several people at the same time. These groups meet once or twice a week for one to a few hours and can take place in private practices, clinics, community centers, and more.
In utilizing a group tactic, patients and clients are able to feel the safety of a group of people who may be suffering from something similar and can serve as role models for one another as they strive to reach their goals. On top of this, some find affordability as a major benefit of group therapy because the therapist or counselor is splitting time with several people rather than focusing on one. The power in this technique is allowing patients and clients to connect, share their experiences, and learn as a group.
Behavioral
Behavioral counseling and therapy focuses on changing unhealthy behaviors and replacing them with healthier ones. This therapy can also be thought of as an umbrella term for several types of therapy that treat mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, panic disorder, anger issues, and more.
Within behavioral therapy, some techniques include play therapy, system desensitization, or aversion therapy. A registered clinician or therapist will decide whether this type of therapy will be most effective for their client as some disorders may not best suit this technique.
These techniques only scratch the surface of instruments in a counseling psychologist’s tool belt. Every client will require an individual technique and treatment. The training of counseling psychologists equips them to navigate these needs.
Learn more about counseling at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Interested in starting a career as a counseling psychologist? Learn more about training and education with The Chicago School of Professional Psychology by completing the required information below.