Psychological Counseling Techniques

Psychological counseling techniques run the gamut from the traditional psychoanalytic approaches to the more recent, client-focused methods. While each counselor often works with only one or a handful of approaches, the client often selects counselors who best suit their needs. Major schools of thought include the psychoanalytic, behavioral, cognitive-behavioral and humanistic approaches. Some paradigms more closely help clients with certain disorders or problems. However, each model appeals to the masses and is appropriate in a variety of situations.

Psychoanalytic Counseling

• Psychoanalytic counseling or Freudian psychology prompts patients to imagine lying on a couch and divulging personal information. This type of counseling relies on patients' history and an analysis of their thoughts, behavior and feelings. NYU Medical School's Psychoanalytic Institute holds that psychoanalysis is based on observations of patient behavior and recognition of symptoms and explores how unconscious factors play a role in relationships and behavior patterns. Psychoanalysts provide help to clients through the diagnosis of disorders and the utilization of talk therapy. Clients work through issues with the assistance of a trained counselor.

Behavioral Counseling

• Behavioral counseling is an excellent choice when changing behavior is the primary goal of therapy. According to John D. Krumboltz and Carl E. Thoresen, authors of "Behavioral Counseling," counselors listen with empathy but also provide clarification for the client. The counselor guides the client to a positive resolution through various methods, including the implementation of specific behavior modification techniques. For example, someone who wants to stop smoking may use the technique of avoiding places with which they associate smoking. They then replace the undesirable locale with one that does not trigger the yearning for a cigarette.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• The National Association of Cognitive-Behavior Therapists, or NACBT, explains cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, as a model that focuses on the role that thinking plays in the lives of people. NACBT holds that a shorter-than-average time element renders CBT a brief treatment modality. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is especially helpful for patients desiring to control unwanted thoughts that create negativity in their lives. It is a model that is useful for people who worry and have difficulty relaxing.

Humanistic Approaches

• Humanistic approaches to counseling allow for greater autonomy than many of the structured models of counseling. James W. Kalat, a professor of psychology at North Carolina State University, reports that humanistic psychologists focus on spirituality, abstract beliefs of the client and values. Kalat also notes that Carl Rogers' client-centered therapy is the best-known humanistic model.