Theory Comparison Chart

Theory Comparison Chart View of Human Nature Nature of Pathology (illness, dis-order) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy The way human beings make sense of situations influences how we behave emotionally. When we are upset it is the automatic thoughts that are causing the negative mood. Existential Therapy To have a full and satisfying life, people must live with the tension between opposites and embrace the paradox that we cannot have life without death, freedom without responsibility, love without hate, nor wisdom without doubt. Conflicts are constantly generated by the tensions of human existence. Our primary tasks as humans is to recognize the particular tensions that are most salient in our lives. Embrace the fundamental nature of human existence. It is about claiming personal freedom and being open to the world in all its complexity. Concerned with what is – “Why” the client is the way he/she is, is of no consequence to helping choose healthy behavior. What “caused” clients to become the way they are is assumed to be irrelevant. Distress is understood as withdrawal from awareness of our experience of body, self, and environment. This state is associated with an inauthentic The goal is awareness: awareness of the contact between our physical bodies, our environment, and our selves. Awareness allows clients to better accept responsibility for their actions and reactions, and to freely choose how Theory Name Gestalt Therapy Goals of therapy To help clients identify unhelpful thought processes and to learn new ways of thinking. Role of the Therapeutic Relationship The therapist’s role is to listen, teach, and encourage, whereas the client’s role is to disclose private thoughts, learn new ways of thinking and implement that learning. The therapist strives to be emotionally present and available to the client, to experience the client as a real person. The core of the relationship is respect, faith in the client’s potential, and the sharing of reactions with genuine concern and empathy as a coparticipant in a deeply personal process. The therapist enters fully into the session in an active. Assertive, engaged, confident, and creative manner. If the client is fully present then the therapist will not interrupt their process but if the client is withdrawing, Therapeutic Personal evaluation of Theory in context of personal style Being able to process behavioral changes and to see the result of these changes in their own lives. Realizing that sometimes the “problem” comes from something “bigger” than what the client is focusing on can be helpful to understand why the problem is occurring to begin with. With this theory I feel that a lot of the client behaviors are not wanting to accept what is or has happened and so client continues to stay stuck in the past. By being direct with them it allows them to Theory Comparison Chart Person Centered Theory Feminist Theory The client, not the therapist, was considered the expert on how therapy should proceed. Human beings have a powerful, innate capacity for growth that is constantly striving for expression. The basic tenets of feminist therapy include recognizing that everyone’s personal experiences and situations are reflective of society’s attitudes and values. existence that results in preoccupations, compulsive behavior, wariness, and self-defeating behavior. What prevents us from becoming the person we are capable of being are the expectations of significant people in our lives to be the kind of person that is incongruent with who we truly are. The individual is not seen as the source of distress. Instead, if unhealthy patriarchal social factors are removed or changed, the major source of women’s distress will be eliminated, and they will be able to grow as human beings. to live their lives. The therapist does not set goals; rather clients who are able to become more fully functioning will decide for themselves how best to cope with problems and participate in a satisfying life. The goals are not expected to soothe the client’s distress. Instead, consciousness raising is very likely to result in a disruption of the client’s life as she takes action to change the social systems of which she is a part, rather than just adjusting to them then the therapist will bring the attention to the phenomenon. The client must make their own discoveries, the therapist cannot make them. To be able to reflect the client’s subjective experience, the person of the therapist is central. The therapist must possess three qualities: 1. Genuineness 2. Unconditional positive regard 3. Empathetic understanding Sees therapy as a deep, personal, two-way communication regarding feelings, ideas, and how to start solving problems. Feminist therapist uses self-disclosure to minimize the power imbalance created when therapists avoid being vulnerable; and strives to empower clients by not oppressing their efforts to exercise their own power. hear what is affecting them and they are able to hopefully begin moving past the problem. In allowing a client to truly have the complete focus on them and them feeling they are guiding their own therapy, it can be very empowering which can be a new skill they have to learn. In the chapter this focused more on therapy with women, (I’m curious how it works with men) but with women who feel they are constantly fighting a stereotypical fight against the way society sees them this theory can be very empowering while also being a safe place to be vulnerable.