INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELING

Introduction to Counseling

Essay on Introduction to Counseling

Introduction

Philosophical counseling is not a form of art like some people think. However, the talk-therapy in this counseling is like an art. According to the Preamble of the NPCA Standards of Practice, “a philosophical practitioner helps clients to clarify, articulate, explore and comprehend philosophical aspects of their belief systems or world views…Clients may consult philosophical practitioners for help in exploring philosophical problems related to such matters as mid-life crises, career changes, stress, emotions, assertiveness, physical illness, death and dying, aging, meaning of life, and morality” (ASPCP, 2000, pp. 01). Many people studying English as a foreign language need counseling. It acts as a motivating factor for them. The time I moved to America, I knew very little English. Due to this, I had to face a lot of difficulty. Everything was new for me like environment and language. There are two theories that can be used to describe the transition. I will discuss two theories that I can relate to for the time, I faced most difficulty; personal centered and psychodynamic. These two perspectives helped me a lot during my tough time.

Discussion

Philosophical counseling is newer than other forms of counseling. It comprises of how things affect the life of an individual (Sparkes, pp. 141). It is seen as a form of counseling that relates to developing wisdom (Raabe, 2002, pp. 12). This is true in my case as my wisdom increased greatly from counseling. I see things differently now and understand them in depth. Almost everything is based on philosophy and its theories can benefit almost anyone. Before counseling, I did not see the deeper meaning of situations and did not understand people well. But now I observe my surroundings and use techniques I learnt from counseling in everyday life. This type of counseling is different from psychiatric and psychological counseling. They are different, because there are no medicines involved. According to Marinoff (1993, pp. 31), medicines cannot help if the root of a problem is philosophical. The difficult part of philosophical counseling is that the healing process takes time and surroundings need to be changed. I had to interpret events for the healing process to be effective. In Plato, not Prozac, Marinoff has invented the acronym “PEACE” for a five step program: “Problem identification,” “Expressing emotion,” “Analyzing options,” “Contemplation,” and “Equilibrium.” These five steps are the key to philosophical counseling.

Looking back at the past years, I see a good amount of change in myself. This is, because of the counseling I got. The counseling helped me to become a confident person. The time when I moved to America, I felt scared to communicate with people. I was scared they would laugh at me, and some did. The place where I lived had other people who were learning to write and speak English. This was a good thing for me, because I could relate to their problems.

The person centered counseling is more like two friends talking to each ...