Counseling And Psychotherapy
Counseling v. psychotherapy is there a difference between the two? This
paper
will attempt to prove that there are several differences between
counseling and
psychotherapy. While counseling and psychotherapy have several
different
elements in each, the following information will also attempt to
show the reader
that there are some areas where the two overlap. At times
this was a confusing
topic to research. A fine line distinguishes the two
topics and one must look
hard to see this line. Definition of Counseling One
survey taken by Gustad
suggests a definition of counseling where he included
three key elements.
Counseling is a learning-oriented process, carried on
in a simple, one to one
social environment, in which a counselor,
professionally competent in relevant
psychological skills and knowledge,
seeks to assist the client by methods
appropriate to the latter's needs and
within the context of the total personnel
program, to learn more about
himself, to learn how to put such understanding
into effect in relation to
more clearly perceived, realistically defined goals
to the ` end that the
client may become a happier and more productive member of
his society (1957,
p. 36). In lay terms counseling can be described as a face to
face
relationship, having goals to help a client to learn or acquire new
skills
which will enable them to cope and adjust to life situations. The
focus is to
help a person reach maximum fulfillment or potential, and to
become fully
functioning as a person. Definition of Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is the
process inwhich a therapists assists the client in
re-organizing his or her
personality. The therapist also helps the client
integrate insights into
everyday behavior. Psychotherapy can be defined as
"more inclusive
re-education of the individual" (Brammer& Shostrom,1977).
Objectives of
counseling The objectives of counseling according to the
Committee on
Definition, Division of Counseling Psychology, American
Psychological
Association are to "help individuals toward overcoming
obstacles to their
personal growth, wherever these may be encountered, and
toward achieving optimum
development of their personal resources" (Arbuckle,
1967). In a paper
written by Dr. T. Millard, it is stated that "Counseling
provides clarity
and a positive and constructive venue for the individual to
sensibly examine the
instinctive-emotional and rational (or irrational)
motives which determine the
drive, content, and even the form of human
conduct." This shows the part
which counseling plays in a clients treatment.
Objectives of psychotherapy
According to Everett Shostrom (1967) , the
goal of psychotherapy is " to
become an actualizer, a person who appreciates
himself and others as persons
rather than things and who has turned his self
defeating manipulations into self
fulfilling potentials (p. 9). Shostrom also
feels that awareness is the goal of
psychotherapy, "The reason is that change
occurs with awareness!"
(1967 p. 103). Shostrom feels that awareness is a
form of non-striving achieved
by being what you are at the moment,l even if
what you are means the phony
manipulative role that we all play sometimes for
external support (1967 p. 103).
Professional opinions Not all therapists
feel that there is a distinction
between counseling and psychotherapy. C.H.
Patterson feels that it is impossible
to make a distinction, He feels that
the definition of counseling equally
applies as well to psychotherapy and
vice a versa. Donald Arbuckle (1967) argues
that counseling and psychotherapy
are identical in all essential aspects. Others
believe that there is a
distinction. Psychotherapy is concerned with some type
of personality change
where counseling is concerned with helping individuals
utilize full coping
potential. IN Donald Arbuckle's work he included Leona
Tyler's thoughts
on the differences between counseling and psychotherapy. Leona
Tyler
attempts to differ between counseling and psychotherapy by stating,
"to
remove physical and mental handicaps or to rid of limitations is not
the job
of the counselor, this is the job of the therapist which is aimed
essentially
at change rather than fulfillment (Arbuckle 1967). Differences
between
counseling and psychotherapy One of the major distinctions between
counseling
and psychotherapy is the focus. In counseling, the counselor will
focus on
the "here and now", reality situations. During psychotherapy,
the therapist
is looking into the unconscious or past. A psychotherapist is
looking for a
connection of past to undealt with problems which are now present
in the real
world. Donald Arbuckle states, "There is a further distinction
to be made.
This involves the nature or content of the problem which the client
brings to
the counselor. A distinction is attempted between reality-oriented
problems
and those problems which inhere in the personality of the
individual" (1967,
p.145). Counseling and psychotherapy also differentiate
when it comes to the
level of adjustment or maladjustment of the client.
Counseling holds an
emphasis on "normals". One could classify "normals"
as those without neurotic
problems but those who have become victims of
pressures from outside
environment. The emphasis in psychotherapy however is on
"neurotics" or other
severe emotional problems. Counseling can also be
described as problem
solving where in psychotherapy it is more analytical. In
counseling a client
may have a situation where they do not have any idea how to
handle it. There
are two types of problems, solvable and unsolvable. If the
problem is a
solvable one, a therapist may help that client by looking at the
problem with
them and helping the client draw out solutions. When thinking of
solutions
one must also think of the consequences. While counseling deals with
problem
solving, psychotherapy on the other hand deals with the analytical
view.
Here the therapist would determine the cause of ones behavior from
the results
of that behavior. An example could be if a spouse was abusing the
other spouse
it could stem from the abusive spouse's past. The abusive spouse
may have been a
victim of abuse as a child, abused in a relationship
themselves or even have
been a witness to abuse. The counselor would analyze
each act and try to link it
to something in the unconscious past. Length of
treatment also differs between
counseling and psychotherapy. Counseling is
shorter in duration than
psychotherapy. The time spent in counseling is
determined by goals set by the
client and the counselor. Once these goals are
met the client should then be
able to go back on their own. Psychotherapy
tends to last a while longer.
Sessions range from two to five years.
Psychotherapy is more of a comprehensive
re-education of the client. The
intensity and length of therapy depends on how
well the client can deal with
all of the new found information. It could take
quite sometime for the client
to be able to live with these feelings which
originated in past experiences
which are usually hurtful ones. A
-psychotherapists also needs time to modify
all existing defenses. The setting
of treatment also differs between
counseling and psychotherapy. A counseling
session usually takes place in a
non medical setting such as an office.
Psychotherapy is the term used
more in a medical setting such as a clinic or
hospital. Another difference
between counseling and psychotherapy has to do with
transference. Brammer and
Shostrom (1977) state, "The counselor develops a
close personal relationship
with the client, but he does not encourage or allow
strong transference
feelings as does the psychotherapist (p.223). The counselor
tends to find
this transference as interfering with his or her counseling
effectiveness. A
psychotherapist might feel that this transference is helpful
and the client
may be able to see what he is trying to do with the therapist
relationship. A
counselor may look at transference as "manifestations in an
incomplete
growing up process"(Brammer & Shostrom 1977), where the
psychotherapist
interprets these transference feelings as an unconscious nature
of feelings.
Resistance is another area of counseling and psychotherapy that
tends to
differ. Counselors see resistance as something that opposes or goes
against
problem solving. A counselor tries to reduce this as much ass possible.
A
psychotherapist on the other hand finds resistance to be very important.
If
the therapist can understand the clients resistance, he can then
understand how
to help the client change his or her personality. Similarities
in counseling and
psychotherapy While there are clearly many differences
between the counseling
approach and psychotherapy, there are some
similarities between the two. First,
each of these are similar in the sense
that each client brings with them the
assets, skills, strengths and
possibilities needed with them to therapy.
Secondly, counseling and
psychotherapy are similar in the way that they both use
an eclectic approach.
The counselors and therapists do not have only one
technique, they borrow
from all different techniques. Arbuckle argues that"
counseling and
psychotherapy are in all essential respects identical"
(1967, p.144) He
states that the nature of the relationship which is considered
basic in
counseling and psychotherapy are identical. Secondly, Arbuckle says
that the
process of counseling cannot be distinguished from the process
of
psychotherapy. Third of all he feels that the methods or techniques
are
identical. Arbuckle lastly states in the matter of goals and or outcomes
there
may appear to be differences but no distinction is possible. One
major
similarity between counseling and psychotherapy are the elements which
build a
person's personality. Each of these processes deal with attitudes,
feelings,
interests, goals, self esteem and related behaviors are all which
are affected
through counseling and psychotherapy. Summary and Conclusion One
can see from
the material provided that there are several differences between
counseling and
psychotherapy. The biggest difference in my opinion is the
time factor/ focus
faced in each of these approaches. Counseling primarily
deals with reality
situations versus the unconscious past focus of
psychotherapy. Secondly
counseling has been described as helping one to
develop competencies in coping
with life situations where as psychotherapy is
a re organization of one's whole
personality. Finally a last distinction is
that the counselor deals with life
adjustment problems while the
psychotherapist deals with past unresolved issues
from the family of origin.
While there are many distinguishing differences
between counseling and
psychotherapy, there are some aspects that do spill over
into each other. As
one can see by the graph provided (see figure. 1.1) there is
a section where
the two approaches cross paths. One must definitely take a close
look at
counseling and psychotherapy to distinguish whether or not there is
a
difference between the two approaches. I found this to be a very confusing
topic
at times. Just when I thought I had completely grasped a concept I
would run
across authors such as Arbuckle who speaks of the fact that one can
not
distinguish counseling from psychotherapy. Luckily, I researched part of
this
topic using my class notes, to my advantage the lecture on June 15,
1995
discussed the differences between counseling and psychotherapy. After
reading
these notes I realized that I was right on track and there is a
difference
between counseling and
psychotherapy.
Bibliography
Arbuckle, D. S. (1967). Counseling and
Psychotherapy: An Overview. New York:
McGraw Hill. Bettelheim, B. &
Rosenfeld, A. (1993). The Art of the
Obvious...Developing Insight For
Psychotherapy and Everyday Life. New York:
Knopf. Brammer, L . &
Shostrom, E. (1977). Theraputic Psychology:
Fundamentals of Counseling
and Psychotherapy Third Edition. Englewood Cliffs,
NJ: Prentice Hall.
Rogers, C. (1951). Client Centered Therapy. New York:
Houghton Mifflin.
Shostrom, E. (1967). Man the Manipulator. Nashville,
Tennessee: Abingdon
Press.