Development of Counseling Theory

During my undergraduate experience, I had developed a beginner's understanding of psychoanalytic and behaviorist perspectives to human functioning. I was also introduced to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) through my own experience as a client, which gave me a basic familiarity with its ideas and interventions. However, during my counseling theories course, I found my eyes opened to the variety of theoretical approaches and counseling philosophies that I could integrate. I felt pressured to a degree, and continue to feel this same pressure, to select the “right” theory for me to apply to my counseling approach and conceptualize my clients through. In my integrative theory paper, I elected to write about Beck’s cognitive therapy while integrating ideas from Gestalt; during my theories class, I found many of the Gestalt experiments fascinating and felt they might add texture to my future counseling sessions. While I still hold many of these same ideas outlined in this paper, my philosophy to theoretical application has shifted. 

During my internship experience, I have discovered that I draw from a wider range of theories than I initially anticipated. In addition to CBT, I frequently incorporate dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and narrative techniques into my sessions. What continues to draw me to CBT is the primary model of the cognitive triangle, as I believe that modifying one’s thoughts can meaningfully influence emotions and behaviors. I have found, though, as I progress through internship, that it is necessary to tailor my treatment approach to the individual client and their primary concerns. I initially thought that CBT would be enough to achieve this, and while CBT is flexible in a variety of ways, utilizing interventions and client conceptualizations from other theories has proven to be far more effective than applying CBT alone. 

I still regard CBT as my primary theoretical foundation, and I have begun reading Judith Beck’s Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and Beyond to further my understanding of the CBT approach. However, I now better realize that taking a more eclectic approach and utilizing the strengths of a variety of theories will prove more beneficial to my clients than relying on CBT alone. I will remain forever committed to ongoing learning and refinement of my personal counseling philosophy, with the goal of integrating theory in ways that are both responsive and effective.