Chapter 3 why are there so many counselling theories

 
In this article/episode, I am going to discuss the functions of various counselling theories and approaches. This episode is based on my notes of Chapter 3 of John Mcleod’s textbook An Introduction to Counselling. In this series of articles/episodes, I will introduce this book in as much detail as possible. Hope we both enjoy the process.
In chapter 3 Counselling Theories: diversity and convergence, John explains why theories are needed in counselling and why there are so many different theories. Firstly, if you have used counselling service, did you know what theoretical approach the counsellor used in your sessions? Well, I did not know at all and only through later learning that I could guess in what school the counsellors were trained. There are some clues in how the counsellors made sense of what I shared. For example, there used to be a counsellor who used homework and specific techniques to help me achieve a goal, so I guess she came from a CBT training. Another counsellor asked me in the early sessions about me being a single child and how that affects my growth. I found this a bit tricky as it can be a stereotype to decide what being a single child mean for this person, regardless of other social support this child got in their childhood. Although the counsellor invited me to a reflection, not just casting a judgement on my experience, it was still not a comfortable feeling as although I grew up with a lot of social support and close friends during which I did not feel lonely at all, I am still the single child! And it might have still affected me in some way even if I did not feel lonely. More importantly, I can’t do anything about it to change it.
Now with hindsight I guess this counsellor was trained in psychodynamic approach, which will be discussed today in this episode. But now I just use this example to show that theories are used as a tool to organise experience shared by the client and making sense of it. They also help the counsellor to helping the client to make sense of their own experiences and guide the direction of analysis. Some counselling approaches find it helpful for clients to learn the theory and use the theory themselves to make sense of their difficulties and find a way out.
As Rapaport and Gill wrote in 1959, theoretical propositions help the counsellor to connect different observations and forming and understanding as a whole. The theories always contain philosophical assumptions, which is called metapsychology. In this way John Mcleod shows that theories in counselling are not about precise prediction and understanding the cause of an event, but about ways of interpreting events for understanding them. No certain predictions are made, but the theories can provide a capacity to anticipate what might happen. This tendency to understand theories brings some softness to theories because of the autonomy and flexibility of people’s subjectivities, but it does not mean that any random or frivolous explanations can count as a theory and we should be careful about relativist tendencies in theorisation.
John Mcleod also acknowledges that counselling theories serve to establish professional status and create knowledge communities with a threshold, thus prolonging theoretical schools. The various theories are like different brand names and similar products with specialised ingredients in the mental heath industry.
However, there are also underlying unities of various theoretical approaches. Frank points out in 1974 that all counselling relationships are about creating supportive relationships, the provision of a rationale that the client can understand themselves and the sessions are a healing ritual participated by the counsellor and the client. Some research also shows that for positive outcome, what matters more than theory is building up a trusting, safe, confidential and positive relationship. As I shared in last article/episode, from the client’s viewpoint, all counselling approaches are quite similar.
John Mcleod also points out there is a movement towards theoretical integration. The counselling theories form a tool kit for the counsellor to choose the most suitable for each client. This is considered eclecticism in contrast to a ‘pure’ approach. Alternatively, many therapists are trying to build up an integrative approach to counselling and from 1982 there have been systematic training in integrative therapy. In this approach of integrationism, some try to build new theories out of old ones or make an effort to find a common language or transtheoretical concept. This means that they want to find the commonalities among different theories and identify similar concepts to structure the theories and understand them more thoroughly.
Personally I am interested in the integrationism and I think constant comparisons through thinking and practicing are beneficial for a counsellor to grow in their skills and insights. Further, what I like about counselling is that in it theories are applied and the clients are the ultimate standard for evaluating effectiveness of a theory in a certain context. For me counselling as theory in practice is more encouraging than pure philosophies or other literary theories as the practice and effectiveness provide a ruler close to the spirit of science.
So, to summarise, Chapter 3 of the book presents various reasons for the existence and need for theories in counselling practices. It also introduce the dynamics and tensions between efforts to maintain pure theoretical traditions, to use eclectic methods, and to walk towards integration of theories. In next episode I will turn to Chapter Four: Themes and Issues in the Psychodynamic Approach to Counselling. Chapter Four gives quite a thorough and detailed account of the psychodynamic approach in counselling theories. I hope you have enjoyed this episode and I will see you in the next.
Reference
Frank, J. D. (1974) Psychotherapy: the restoration of morale. American Journal of Psychiatry, 131, 272–4.
Mcleod, J. (2003) An Introduction to Counselling. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Rapaport, D. and Gill, M. (1959) The points of view and assumptions of metapsychology. International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 40, 153–62.