Counseling: Strengths and Weaknesses Essay

Counseling Techniques

In general, counseling techniques may be regarded as particular methods used by counselors in order to address clients’ problems and solve them efficiently. Techniques allow specialists to form relationships with patients on the basis of their individual features and needs. Moreover, using various techniques, counselors influence patients’ worldviews and attitudes toward themselves. There are three major counseling techniques that include directive, non-directive, and eclectic counseling. All of them have specific features that distinguish them from each other.

Difference Between Directive and Non-Directive Counseling

1. Directive counseling is counselor-centered – it is controlled by a counselor who decides the therapy’s pace, direction, and termination. In turn, non-directive counseling is client-centered, and all aspects of the therapy are determined by him, while a counselor serves as a follower and tracker.
2. Directive counseling presupposes a counselor’s choice of topic, the interpretation of a client’s responses, and recommendations that aim to impact a client’s decision-making. Nin non-directive counseling, a client is provided with freedom of choice in relation to topics and expressions. Although a counselor record and interpret a client’s responses, he does not provide ready solutions. Instead, it helps create suitable conditions for a patient individual working on an issue.
3. Direct counseling is more distinct in diagnosis on the basis of well-established and evidence-based categories. Non-direct counseling avoids reliance on diagnosis, admitting that every person is highly complex and unique.
4. In direct counseling, a counselor is regarded as an expert with particular experience, knowledge, and skills who aim to offer help. In non-direct counseling, unconditional positive regard, a patient’s personhood, and understanding are essential.
5. Direct counseling is based on a strict application of a particular model and following it step by step. Non-direct counseling focuses on the equality of a client and a counselor, deep empathy, and psychological assistance. In other words, a counselor does not provide direct guidance but helps a client find inner directives for efficient solutions.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Eclectic Counseling

In general, eclectic counseling may be regarded as a therapeutic approach that presupposes the application of different psychological theories and strategies in order to meet the patient’s needs to the fullest extent. In addition, eclectic counseling combines both directive and non-directive approaches – in other words, aiming to meet a person’s expectations in accordance with his specific features and the aspects of an issue, a counselor is neither too passive nor too active (Peterson & Fuller, 2022). Thus, while eclectic counseling has a particular structure, it is not limited by the strict guidelines of one model’s framework. Both client and counselor have freedom of expression on the basis of the most appropriate chosen techniques without the rigidity of a directive approach, and it may be regarded as the method’s major advantage. In addition, using an eclectic approach, a counselor may personalize therapy, apply different strategies depending on a problem, and approach it from various angles.

On the other side, eclectic counseling has several serious disadvantages – first of all, it cannot be efficiently applied to all patients as some of them require a more directive approach for efficient intervention. In turn, the switch from one theory to another and the use of various approaches simultaneously may be confusing (Peterson & Fuller, 2022). In addition, eclectic counseling may be regarded as a complicated method that requires the involvement of a highly skilled therapist who is able to detect the correct approach to a client’s particular issue.

Reference

Peterson, T. J., & Fuller, K. (2022). Eclectic therapy: How it works, types, and what to expect. Choosing Therapy. Web.