Human Nature
There is no flawless entity in the world, especially among humans. Human nature has endless possibilities as it is able to facilitate both good and bad qualities. Although I believe that people are inherently innocent, the environment and experience ultimately result in the inclination towards a certain side of righteousness. The contemporary environment attempts to resolve the legacy of mistakes made in history, but there is still much room for progress as for some, the experience of life is tremendously painful or difficult. There are regions that are affected by war, famine, poverty, or corruption, leading to the proliferation of evil in humanity.
Therefore, I am inclined to believe in the existence of determinism in consideration of human actions and their predictability. However, it is difficult to conclude the existence of free will or determinism. Determinism argues that people are guided by a combination of internal and external factors without the ability to control them (Willoughby et al., 2019). At the same time, free will considers that people have causal control over each cation they undertake (Willoughby et al., 2019). My argument is that both are plausible accounts of the truth. Situationally for the consideration of moral responsibilities, free will is necessary, and determinism rejects the notion completely. Nevertheless, in my view, determinism is more plausible while discussing the likelihood of a person committing evil since their actions would be based on experience and surrounding circumstances. Furthermore, I believe that even without a change in circumstances, it is possible to expect a person to change from evil to good due to the existence of free will and imagination.
In the discussion of nature vs nurture, I concede with the modern understanding that both are indispensable in the formation of personality and behaviour. The responses towards the majority of actions are environmental as they come from the establishment of long-living habits in the person. However, intelligence and various other cognition determinants are genetic as such, come from nature. People’s future actions and their planning are affected by the ability of the person to retain information and make critical decisions that are inherently natural. Therefore, I cannot separate the two completely.
In the discussion of past and present experiences and their effect on humans, it is impossible to disregard the importance of the past as a guide for the future. People learn from their past and try to develop themselves in a way that could surpass past experiences. The present allows one to reflect on the past and decide the goals to attain in the future. The relationship between the past, present, and future is that of continuous improvement and reflection.
The “Big 5” personality qualities are the five basic aspects of personality, according to many modern personality psychologists. Extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, and neuroticism are the five main personality qualities. Despite these underlying commonalities, each person exhibits different attributes depending on the circumstances. Since uniqueness cannot be categorized into predefined categories, it is an incontrovertible reality.
Since each person is unique, the belief allows viewing equilibrium and growth as both desirable outcomes for an individual. One may struggle to keep up with the changing environment of the world and may prefer to maintain a physiological balance. Others could be in constant pursuit of personal development and search for ways to improve their mental health and behaviour. Nevertheless, I believe that counselling could guide people towards the desire for growth as change is the only constant in the world.
Humans are rational creatures as their intelligence and cognitive ability allow them to make reasonable choices. However, there is a problem with rationality when personal desires or emotional well-being is taken into the equation. Humans may start acting in perceived irrational behaviour such as substance abuse and drinking. These actions could be triggered by various issues but ultimately refer to the difficulty of living in a social world. Consequently, some behaviours could be perceived as irrational by some and rational by others. Some authors differentiate rationality into several categories that prioritize survival through cognitive perception and practical reasoning as rationality. Others elicit the process in which one’s ideas and behaviors are consistent with their respective justifications. Both in my opinion convey the truth about rationality in human beings.
In the discussion of motivation, I consider the theory of behaviourism as the primary example of human motivation. The theory suggests that people are motivated by external stimuli such as punishments and rewards (Watson & Kimble, 2017). However, it is possible that a person may choose what constitutes punishment and reward. Therefore, one may be motivated to indulge in inappropriate behaviours because they have a perceived personal value for the individual.
Counseling Process
In general, counselling is the offering of support or direction that finally aids in resolving psychological, social, or personal issues. It is often administered by qualified personnel specialized in the specific course of counselling. Individual, group, and couples counselling are some of the typical approaches. The purpose of individual counselling is to assist clients in improving their decision-making abilities, interpersonal relationships, and overall self-understanding in order to facilitate positive transformation.
In contrast, group counselling enables a person to comprehend their emotions and alter behavioural issues with the assistance of others. Couple counselling is typically used by couples who seek to enhance their close connection in general. There are several reasons why counselling could be helpful. It can help one have a better grasp of things and develop new management techniques. With the aid of the counsellor, an individual can approach issues from many angles. Counselling is all about altering one’s life and sharing internal thoughts, which helps in this process.
The problem in counselling is commonly presented via three main components such as the client’s mental state, associated triggers and environment. The client’s feelings could be physical or emotional, such as heaviness, discomfort, or restlessness, or they may be mental, such as confusion, overload, or loss (Corey, 2020). The client turns to a therapist for assistance mostly because of such abnormalities in their mental condition (Corey, 2020). The second element indicates that, regardless of the client’s mental condition, it is often centred on someone or something. This might be a specific person, circumstance, activity, or result. The third element deals with the time frame during which the client experiences these changes. It could be triggered by anything they hear, perceive, or think, by the time of day, or something else entirely.
The client’s difficulties are addressed in the session. As a result, each counselling may have different objectives. For some, it could involve enabling behaviour change and strengthening the client’s efficacy and capacity to deal with and sustain relationships. For others, fostering client potential and encouraging the decision-making process. However, ultimately the goal of counselling is the positive development of the client.
Effective counsellor behaviours involve respectful and non-judgmental conduct. Counsellors should exhibit patience as it is possible to encounter clients who find it difficult to progress or who make poor decisions (Corey, 2020). In order to help clients find their way over their difficulties and toward a healthier lifestyle, a counsellor must demonstrate patience and compassion. The counsellor should be respectful and non-judgmental because, inevitably, one will come across clients whose decisions may not align with one’s beliefs (Corey, 2020). However, the counselling sessions are not a place for debates but a place of shelter and help. The counselor must address the personal issues that the client sees as important and is prepared to investigate and alter (Corey, 2020). A scheduled, organized conversation between a counsellor and a client constitutes the counselling process (Corey, 2020). A qualified expert works collaboratively with a person known as the client to assist them in pinpointing the causes of any problems or worries they may be having. Together, they come up with solutions to these issues, giving the individual new abilities and a deeper self-awareness and others.
There are various barriers to counselling that could be internal or external. They are often referred to as blocks, an unrecognized or unacknowledged behaviour that inhibits someone from positive change. The internal blocks refer to the inability to recognize and express discomfort, stigmatizing attitudes, guilt, a preference for independence, and the expectation that help would be difficult to come by. Distractions, signs of mental health difficulties, and substance misuse are examples of external impediments. They have the power to divert someone’s focus from the fundamental problems that must be resolved in order to experience true healing. Until symptoms and drug abuse are adequately treated so that the attention may return to the underlying issues, it may be essential to change the focus of treatment temporarily.
The internal block could be worked with via a combination of counselling and emotional freedom techniques (EFT). Exposure, cognitive therapy, and somatic stimulation of acupressure sites on the body and face are all components of the short intervention known as EFT (Bach et al., 2019). Typically, participants choose a problem or issue they want to solve with the approach and assess how distressed they are on a scale of 1 to 10 (Bach et al., 2019). In a Setup Statement, participants express their worry and help convert it into their level of anguish (Bach et al., 2019). The setup statement’s second half frames the traumatic incident in terms of self-acceptance, while the first half stresses exposure. The participant then performs somatic tapping on bodily acupoints while continuously repeating a brief sentence to maintain attention (Bach et al., 2019). After the issues with the emotional state are resolved, it is possible to continue counselling with the client being in a more relaxed and appreciative state.
Brief, standardized questionnaires, checklists, and worksheets called mental health outcome measures are used to track client progress, make it easier for clients and clinicians to communicate, and raise the level of mental health care. Clinical results might be linked to shifts in symptoms for certain diagnoses such as depression using questionaries. For example, the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), anxiety using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) or posttraumatic stress disorder using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5). In addition, global mental health status is not tied to a specific diagnosis using scales. For instance, the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales, the Pediatric Symptom Checklist, and the Daily Living Activities Scale. They are standardized approaches to measuring counselling outcomes.
The goals are set as a collective effort of the clinician and the client. One of the primary duties of the counsellor is to assist clients in creating attainable and realistic objectives. In order to achieve these objectives, the client must first decide what they want to achieve and what particular ideas, behaviours, and circumstances would need to change or become apparent in order for these goals to be fulfilled. Furthermore, it is necessary to discuss what specific activities the client would need to carry out in order to start the change.
Professional counsellors work to increase self-esteem, encourage behaviour change, and maintain optimal mental health. They also assist clients in identifying objectives and potential solutions to issues that cause emotional distress. The counselling process is essentially dependent on the therapeutic connection. It can promote self-assurance, openness, honesty, and confidence, enabling clients to accept themselves as they are. The minute a therapist and a client first meet, a therapeutic relationship is established. Initial impressions of “the other” can be formed when both parties exhibit who and how they are at first encounter. Building a strong relationship with the counsellor might encourage clients to explore their problems more deeply and “open up” emotionally.
Effective counsellors could be identified via several key characteristics related to their work. The effective counsellor is an active listener and communicates with the client rather than providing pure guidance. They demonstrate empathy and have no personal agenda in relation to the client. Effective counsellors also set SMART goals for the clients to attain and clearly define the healing process.
References
Bach, D., Groesbeck, G., Stapleton, P., Sims, R., Blickheuser, K., & Church, D. (2019). Clinical EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) improves multiple physiological markers of health.Journal of evidence-based integrative medicine, 24, 2515690X1882369. Web.
Corey, G. (2020). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy, enhanced (10th ed) Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks Cole Publishing.
Watson, J. B., & Kimble, G. A. (2017). Behaviorism. Routledge.
Willoughby, E. A., Love, A. C., McGue, M., Iacono, W. G., Quigley, J., & Lee, J. J. (2019). Free will, determinism, and intuitive judgments about the heritability of behavior.Behavior genetics, 49(2), 136-153. Web.