Vignette Analysis I - Counseling Theories and Strategies

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family situation, it would be beneficial to review proposition #3. This Proposition is “Striving for Identity and Relationship to Others” (Corey, 2013, p. 149). Each person is trying to discover themselves and create their own identity. Juan, the father, appears to be showing the same traits as his father did. As the existential therapist, the goal is to get each person to answer their own questions as to who they are, and search for questions and answers to their own conflicts. One of the discoveries some patients make is that they will discover that there is no core, no self, no substance, and they are merely reflections of everyone’s expectations of them (Corey, 2013, p. 150).

What is needed with this family is to help them create a self or identity that has meaning and substance for each family member. The therapist can begin by asking each family member what their expectations are and point out that the feelings we exhibit are the interjects of their parents and parent substitutes. It is important to illustrate to each family member that everyone wants to feel significant especially to each other. Yet, at the same time, the existential therapist must try to establish each family member’s individual identity. There are many positive aspects of the family. The father needs to accept his own identity, not his fathers, and the mother needs to allow her son to experience some independence. And of course, the child needs to feel loved from both parents as they both want the best for him.

Person-Centered Therapist

In the person-centered therapist model, the idea is that the client know best. This form of counseling is very similar to existential approach. People are view as capable of self-directed growth if they are involved in a specific kind of therapeutic relationship (Corey, 2013, p. 174). The goal of this therapy is to help the client achieve a greater degree of independence and integration (Corey, 2013, 179). The focus is on the person more than the person’s problems. When using the person-centered approach to therapy, the therapist must be genuine or congruent. This means that the therapist must not use any facades or hidden agendas like psychoanalysis. The therapist must be authentic and show empathy. “Empathy is a deep and subjective understanding of the client with the client” (Corey, 2013, p. 184). The ability to understand what the client is felling and trying to express. The therapist must always show the clients that they, the therapist, is listening and are present in the moment the patient is expressing their opinions (McLeod, 2008).

With this family, another strategy that can be used is motivational interviewing. “Motivational Interviewing is a humanistic, client-centered, psychosocial, directive counseling approach…” (Corey, 2013, p. 191). In short, motivational interviewing is a form of collaborative conversation between the patient and therapist to strengthen a person’s own motivation and commitment to change ("MINT excellence in motivational interviewing," 2013). Motivational interviewing has shown successful to help clients explore and resolve ambivalence. And that is the very issue that is happening with Juan and Maria’s son.

Another effective model in the person-centered therapy is using the stages of change. These are five identifiable stages a therapist uses in the counseling process. The five stages are precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. The 5 stages of change model is useful to describe the various stages a person goes through to change their lifestyle habits. The philosophy is that individuals do not go through a change in just one step but several. These steps can be predictable and may help a patient(s) realize the stages of change they are in to better succeed in dealing with change (Corey, 2013, p. 193).

Conclusion

Therapy is very helpful for many individual seeking to improve their life. Therapy can address many purposes and help patients come to a resolution in dealing with depression, grief and anxiety. Many stresses can harm and damage the family unit. This paper addressed four different therapy styles to assist Juan and Maria, a Hispanic-American couple, who have 3 sons. They are seeking therapy to deal with their middle child, who they describe as having a behavior problem. Four different therapies were discussed. The concepts of each therapy were discussed directly and specifically as it related to the vignette. The four different therapies are Psychoanalytic, Adlerian, Existential and Person-Centered.

References

Cal Southern University. (2015). Vignette analysis I. In Assignment 8. [University course website]. Retrieved from https://learners.calsouthern.edu/Course/?id=104181

Corey, G. (2013). Psychoanalytic therapy. In Brooks, & Cole (Eds.), Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (9 ed. (pp. 10-100). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Durbin, P. G. (2004). Who was Alfred Adler? Retrieved July 19, 2015, from http://www.alfredadler.org/alfred-adler

Existential therapy: goals & techniques. (2015). Retrieved from http://study.com/academy/lesson/existential-therapy-goals-techniques.html

McLeod, S. (2008). Person centered therapy. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/client-centred-therapy.html

What is motivational interviewing? (2013). Retrieved from http://www.motivationalinterviewing.org/