Adlerian Therapy Paper

This paper will carry out a comparative analysis of the two most important psychological therapies, the Adlerian Therapy and the Gestalt Therapy.

It is my goal to become a school counselor in a local high school. As a school counselor, it is also important to try and understand the different experiences that children go through in order to get through to them. After studying the different counseling theories, I have discovered that each theory is valid and there are ideas and techniques that I would use out of each of them. However, there are some theories more than others that I would use to guide me daily as a school counselor. Modern day counseling is equipped with a wide variety of therapies, techniques and approaches. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast three approaches of therapy. Also in this essay the views of the person and the Therapeutic process will be

Following this study Watkins (1992) analyzed the research activity with Adlerian theory appearing in the Journal of Individual Psychology during the years 1982 to 1990. 103 studies appeared during this nine-year period. This was a significant increase over the previous 12 years that he had reported on earlier (Watkins, 1983). Although he did not attempt to evaluate the quality of the studies reported, Watkins (1992) does conclude by stating that the research into Adler's theory is still on the increase and suggests it is a vital theory that lends itself to empirical inquiry. Since 1990, the reported research has continued to grow with the Journal of Individual Psychology publishing additional studies on marriage, children, substance abuse, class room management, behavioral problems in children and youth, and offenders. A number of other professional journals have included research articles on Adlerian theory as well.

Bang! You door just got broken down by German officers. They yell at you and treat you with disrespect. They accuse you as a Jew and take you to a concentration camp. Well that's what it was like during the Holocaust. Hearing things about the bloodshed history makes you not wanna be alive during that time period, but a boy named Zigmond had to deal with the compelling plans of Hitler.

Adlerian theory and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) may be thought to have many similarities. This may be because CBT is rooted in Adlerian theory (Sperry, 2017). This paper discusses Adlerian theory, then Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Both of these sections include the theoretical basis for, and interventions or techniques used, within each approach. Also discussed are key points specific to counseling in schools pertaining to, and skills necessary for counselors utilizing, each approach. This paper then explains the similarities and differences between Adlerian theory and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Adlerian psychotherapists often ask their clients about early recollections. What are the assumptions of this technique and how does it facilitate the therapeutic process?

Adlerian therapy can be best described as an art form. There are many ways for a therapist to use Adlerian techniques in practice. In regards to a general outline of this type of therapy, there are twelve main stages. According to Henry Stein (Stein &Edwards, 1998), these twelve stages are the empathy-relationship stage, information stage, clarification stage, encouragement stage, interpretation and recognition stage, knowing stage, missing experience stage, doing differently stage, reinforcement stage, community feeling stage, goal-redirection stage and the support and launching stage.

Adlerian, Cognitive Behavioral, and Solution Focused Brief Therapy are three major theories that are used today. All three theories have things that make them similar as well as different.

Alfred Adler was the founder of Adlerian Counseling. He was born in 1870 in the country of Austria. who gave his theory the name Individual Psychology, because he wanted people to see that his theory and methods were designed to help clients help themselves. He believed that everyone had and internal need to be a part of society, and a desire to contribute to that society. That everyone strives for perfection, and everyone initially feels inferior to everyone else. He believed that when that feeling is not overcome, inferiority complexes develop, and if a person tries to overcompensate for inferiority, the develop superiority complex.

For this client system assessment, I have chosen a client I engaged with while at work, my client’s name is Keith. Keith is 34 years old and has had many unfortunate circumstances surrounding his life, beginning with his birth. Keith’s family system consists of himself, his mother and two step siblings. Keith was unfortunately the product of a rape, witnessed repeated domestic abuse situations with his mother’s boyfriends and husbands, was abused himself and to this day, Keith continues to suffer in all domains: emotionally, mentally and physically. I will assess Keith’s family system as well as Keith as an individual utilizing Erikson’s Psychological Stages of Development, Bowman’s Family System Theory and Marcia’s Identity Status Model.

Gestalt therapy is very much focused on the present, however I think that Christian’s early life has led to unfinished business. Christian has remarked to me as a teenager he was very angry and had a lot of outbursts. He has stated that BDSM has taught him a way to control his emotions and anger into a positive direction. After I heard that comment I felt like he was using projection and he is trying to disown aspect of

The counseling style of Adlerian therapy is based on creating a positive therapeutic relationship. Establishing this relationship with Stan, is created in the initial phase. “A positive relationship is created by listening,

I feel that our perception of the past influences the way we act in the present. However, I do think that it should be taken into account that I, nor my client, will be able to change the past. Early experiences play a significant role in who we are but do not determine us as a whole. I believe Adler’s idea of a subjective reality, individual to each person, is similar to how people operate. People create and interpret their own experience, which means that a sense of reality is individual to each person. It is my goal as a counselor to do my best to try and understand each of my client’s realities and cater to them that would seem fit, since we are not all molded the same in our thought processes. People have the capacity to interpret, influence and create events. In order to understand people we must first understand the systems of which they are part. Adler’s life style assessment is holistic and systemic. In any beginning counseling relationship, I would try and gather as much information as I can about their attitudes and come to find an understanding of the lives that they live through their own personal perspective. This subjective reality is described as phenomenological and includes the individual’s perceptions, thoughts, feelings, values,

Understand, interpret, direct. This statement is an oversimplification of sorts, but defines the essence of Adlerian psychotherapy. From this minimal overview of Adlerian theory, we can begin to elaborate and explore the intricacies of individual psychology. Adlerians are concerned with understanding the unique and private beliefs and strategies of the individual (private logic and mistaken notions) that we create in childhood, and which serve as a reference for attitudes, private views of self, others and the world, and behavior (lifestyle). Therapeutic work with clients involves short-term and intensive work to increase social interest, to encourage a greater sense of responsibility for behavior, and to support behavioral change.

The Adlerian therapy is a basic goal to help clients identify and change their beliefs about self, others, life and to participate in the social world. This counseling session will be approached by using the Adlerian perspective, to proceed with helping Javier’s and Alice’s family issues. The responsibility of being Javier’s and Alice’s counselor is coming to a solution how they could understand each other morals. During the counseling session, I would apply the lifestyle questionnaire to get a better understanding of each individual point of view in their marriage. However, I would question each individual at different duration of time. Then bring the two together to discuss their differences about each question I provide them with. To emphasize with this questionnaire, it could amplify with advantages and disadvantages with Javier and Alice’s marriage. The advantage with this procedure is Javier and Alice could benefit from this exercise, in a way of helping their marriage and family. The disadvantage of this procedure is when Javier and Alice hear each other, answers about the questionnaire that was provided to them. However, this could raise other issues within the marriage.