COUNSELLING AND THERAPY. An Introductory Survey

Transcription

1 COUNSELLING AND THERAPY An Introductory Survey

2 COUNSELLING AND THERAPY An Introductory Survey Robert B. Burns Chairman, School of Education University of Bradford 1983.MTP PRESS LI.MITED ~. a member of the KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS GROUP " BOSTON / THE HAGUE / DORDRECHT / LANCASTER

3 Published in the UK and Europe by :-'1TP Press Limited Falcon House Lancaster, England British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Burns, Robert B. Counselling and therapy. 1. Counselling 2. Psychotherapy I. Title '14 BF637.C6 Published in the USA by MTP Press A division of Kluwer Boston Inc 190 Old Derby Street Hingham, MA 02043, USA Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Burns, R.B. Counselling and therapy. Bibliography: p. Includes index. 1. Counseling. 2. Psychotherapy. I. Title. [DNLM: 1. Psychotherapy. 2. Counseling. WM 420 B967c] BF637.C6B ' ISBN-13: DOl: / e-isbn-13: Copyright 1983 R. B. Burns Softcover reprint of the hardcover I st edition 1983 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from the publishers.

4 CONTENTS Foreword SECTION I INTRODUCTION 1 Some background and issues SECTION II PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACHES 2 Psychoanalysis 3 Neo-Freudian approaches 4 Primal therapy SECTION III BEHAVIOURIST APPROACHES 5 Behaviour therapy: an overview 6 Operant conditioning and token reinforcement 7 Systematic desensitization 8 Modelling 9 Aversion therapy 10 Behaviour modification: a panacea or an evil? 11 Cognitive restructuring SECTION IV HUMANISTIC APPROACHES 12 Humanistic-existential therapies - an overview 13 The existential approach 14 Rogers' client-centred therapy 15 Encounter groups 16 Gestalt therapy 17 Transactional analysis SECTION V SOME ECLECTIC APPROACHES 18 Group therapy 19 Family and marital therapy 20 Social and environmental therapy SECTION VI SOME ISSUES IN EVALUATION 21 Effective psychotherapies or effective therapist? References Index v Vll

5 FOREWORD In discussing psychology and psychotherapy with students in both formal and informal settings, it has become obvious to me that many professionals and trainees in health, social service and education spheres often have misinformed, erroneous and often biased views of the aims, objectives and techniques involved in counselling and psychotherapy. There is a proliferation of therapies, some old, some new, which produce a confusing kaleidoscope of treatments on offer to a bewildered public. The purpose of this text is to present in a relatively brief, objective form various current theories and practices in counselling or psychotherapy. This is difficult to do because brevity can itself bring about misunderstanding, misrepresentation or biased perception. The writer hopes that such has not occurred. The text surveys the bewildering range of therapies available within and outside the Health, Social and Educational Services, to enable intelligent professionals in those services to be more aware of and sensitive to the treatments their clients are undergoing, may undergo or have undergone. Accounts of psychotherapeutic help are often buried in recondite journals, usually inaccessible to doctors, nurses, paramedics, social workers and teachers functioning at 'the coal face'. Few articles ever attempt a comprehensive surveyor rapprochement; most simply argue for one therapy in a biased promotion. The overall aim then is to acquaint the professional reader with the principal forms of therapy employed to alleviate personal emotional, social and educational difficulties, thereby enabling the professional to make decisions and recommendations about clients who may be undertaking one of a variety of therapies. The purpose of the book is certainly not to teach readers how to become do-it-yourself therapists. It would be very dangerous for anyone to use the book in this way. Only formal training and practice under strict supervision can provide the necessary skills, knowledge and experience. I would like to express my grateful thanks to my wife and family for Vll

6 Vlll COUNSELLING AND THERAPY their support and encouragement during the writing of this book. My gratitude also goes to my three typists, Eleanor Gordon, Margaret Butler and Helen Szutka. RobertB. Bums Gippsland Institute of Advanced Education Victoria Australia