Assignment

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Therapist, Counselor or Mentor Interview

Michael Williams

Ashford University

Course: ORG 6522 Fundamentals of Coaching

Instructor: Cheryl Lentz

September 21, 2020

Introduction [Repeat title on the first text page]

Start with a thesis---a topic sentence. THEN dive into your writing objectives. Need a bit of transition first. This paper provides the findings of an interview with a therapist. The main aim of the interview was to gather information concerning the knowledge, skills, theory and techniques used by the therapist in his work. A therapist is a mental health professional who helps clients develop better emotional and cognitive skills, improve their lives and help them cope with heir situations (Anderson et al., 2016). Most of the skills and techniques used by therapists in their work are similar to that those of counselors and mentors. However, there are distinct differences that set them apart. This paper also compares includes comparison of the roles of the therapist to the role of executive coach. Finally, the paper provides a succinct conclusion summarizing the main points.

Knowledge Necessary to carry out the job Comment by Reviewer CL: Main words are capitalized?

A therapist is a highly knowledgeable individual who has extensive knowledge on emotional and cognitive behaviors. A therapist also interacts with people from different cultures. As a result, the therapist needs to have good background of beliefs and practices in different cultures that may influence the behavior of individuals (Anderson et al., 2016). In addition, a therapist needs to have good religious knowledge. In most times, religion is used to help people cope with their situations. As a result, having background knowledge on different religions helps therapists determine the approaches to use to address a certain problem experienced by a client (Anderson et al., 2016). If every sentence has proprietary information, then every sentence requires citation. Comment by Reviewer CL: Says who? Citation?

A therapist also needs to have basic knowledge on the interactions between different communities. These interactions are critical in determining the behavior of people within the community. This knowledge helps the therapist to apply the most appropriate technique when dealing with a client. Without such knowledge, it would be difficult for the therapist to determine the best way to approach the client. In addition, a therapist needs to have knowledge about government policies and regulation (Hill et al., 2017). This is critical in ensuring the therapist conducts his/her activities within the provisions of the law. Why? What is this? Comment by Reviewer CL: Says who? Citation?

Skills Set Needed

Being an effective therapist requires certain fundamental skills. Most of the skills can be leant in education while others are acquired in practice. One of the skills needed for a therapist to succeed is empathy. Empathy refers to the ability of an individual to understand and identify with the experiences of another person even if the other person has not explicitly expressed their thoughts and feelings. To be a therapist, it is critical to have the ability to empathize with a wide range of people understanding their feelings and choices even the therapist does not agree with them (Hill et al., 2017). Comment by Reviewer CL: Avoid end of paragraph only citations, this implies that ALL this information is the source; where then is your writing? Use 85/15 rule. 85% is your writing/15% support.

Listening and communication skills are also important for a therapist to succeed. In all forms of therapy, the therapist will need to actively listen to his/her clients and be able to remember the information conveyed to them. In addition, the therapist needs to have strong communication skills to help make clients comfortable even in the first meeting. Therapist need to have connections with other professionals in the field in case they need to refer clients. As a result, communication can help them expand their network and help them address client problems effectively. No proof here? How do you know this?

Boundary setting is another important skill required by therapist. Good transition! In order to provide ethical therapy, therapists must be able to establish boundaries with their clients. Why? Says who? It is important for a therapist to avoid dual relationships with the clients. In particular, sexual or romantic relationships must be avoided completely. Therapists must be able to communicate clearly the limits and nature of the therapeutic relationship (Anderson et al., 2016). This boundary must be established in the first encounter with the client. It takes a long time for people to know how to maintain these boundaries. It is the roles of the therapist to create such boundaries with the clients. And the conclusion? Comment by Reviewer CL: Says who? Citation?

Another important skill needed for a therapist is critical thinking. Good transition. The therapist has to have strong critical thinking skills to be able to diagnose the patient based on the information provided and develop effective treatment plans. Normally, initial treatment plans do not work. As a result, the therapist must be able to think out of the box and determine what is working and what is not. The therapist also needs to have a scientific knowledge. This would help him/her to keep up to date with research trends and alternative treatment approaches to the mental illnesses associated with their patients (Hill et al., 2017). Comment by Reviewer CL: Avoid end of paragraph only citations, this implies that ALL this information is the source; where then is your writing? Use 85/15 rule. 85% is your writing/15% support.

Finally, therapists need to be flexible. Nice! Effective therapists are flexible and have strong understanding of different cultural backgrounds as they relate to clinical practice. Clients come from different backgrounds. It is therefore important for the therapists to have flexibility skills while attending to each of their clients. It is also critical for the therapists to be able to indentify clients who they may struggle to fit with. Therapists should be able to communicate openly when things are not working and refer their clients to another professional. An effective therapist cannot handle all the problems of a client. But no proof? This cannot be your opinions here?

Techniques Uutilized Comment by Reviewer CL: Review use of Level 1, 2, and 3 headings per APA.

There are a wide range of techniques utilized by therapists in their work. One of these techniques is relationship building. This involves genuineness, accurate empathy, and unconditional positive regard. Numerous other relationship building techniques have also been developed to build a positive therapeutic relationship. Reflection is another important technique used by therapists. Therapists use reflection to communicate empathy to their clients. It involves identifying the feelings of the clients and respond using words that show understanding. This technique mirrors the specific feelings of the client without adding anything. No proof?

Another important technique used by therapists is paraphrasing. This technique is used to enhance the relationship between the therapists and the client. In involves repeating what the client has said in a shortened version. According to Leahy (2017), “effective paraphrases are brief, natural, well timed, tentatively expressed, focused on important topics, and used in balance with other skills” [Include a page number or paragraph number in the in-text citation for a direct quotation.] . When the therapist paraphrases the words accurately, it communicates to the client that he/she has interest and is paying close attention. In addition, this provides an accuracy check of the understanding of the therapist and provides an opportunity for the patient to correct what the therapists has said.

Therapists also use summarization to integrate the therapeutic work. Normally, this technique is used at various points of the session. It communicates to the client that the therapist is attentive and interested on what they are saying. It therefore builds a positive relationship between the therapist and the client. Therapists also use encouragement to provide a sense of support to the patient. In addition, this technique gives the client hope that they will be able to cope with their situation. As a result, encouragement focuses on optimism and solutions. When using this technique, the therapist focuses on increasing awareness of options, communicating respect, and strengths of the client. No proof? Comment by Reviewer CL: Eliminate vague pronoun references. A pronoun must refer to a specific word in the sentence. See Sec 3.09 & 3.20 (V6) and 4.16-4.21 (V7) in APA Manual. “They” is a vague pronoun reference because it does not refer to a specific word in the sentence

Therapists also use confrontation techniques for successful therapies. According to Leahy (2017), “Successful psychotherapy requires the therapeutic paradox of supporting the client and communicating caring, while at the same time confronting the client’s blind spots, faulty logic, misperceptions, and problematic behaviors” (p. ). While clients feel valued, they may make little progress if the therapist only focuses on support. On the other hand, solely focusing on conformation may send a negative message to the client and result on them leaving therapy. As a result, effective therapy needs a balance between confrontation and support. Good conclusion!

Theories that Ground Therapy

There are numerous theories that ground the work of therapists. One of these theories is cognitive theory. The theory posits that people experience both emotional and psychological challenges when their thinking does not match the reality (Schunk & DiBenedetto, 2020). When the faulty or distorted thinking is applied to solve problems, the result is a faulty solution. And how do you know? The theory is oriented towards problem solving. When therapists use this theory, they focus more on the present situation of the client and faulty thinking that the past. Therapists combine both behavioral and cognitive therapy to address certain challenges associated with their clients (Schunk & DiBenedetto, 2020). Comment by Reviewer CL: Says who? Citation?

Another theory that grounds the work of therapists is the behavioral theory. Good transition! This theory suggests that people engage in problematic thinking and behavior as a result of support from their immediate environment. When the environment encourages or reinforce these problems, people are bound to keep repeating them. The rapists use the theory to identify factors that reinforce negative behavior and act towards replacing them with other reinforcement that support positive behavior. Various therapies are based on this theory including conjoint sex therapy, multimodal therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy and behavior therapy (Nason, Bacq & Gras, 2018). Comment by Reviewer CL: Avoid end of paragraph only citations, this implies that ALL this information is the source; where then is your writing? Use 85/15 rule. 85% is your writing/15% support.

Psychodynamic Theory is another theory which grounds the work of therapists. This theory suggests that psychological problems arise from current unconscious motivations or drives resulting from past experiences or relationships. Negative thought and behavior patterns inform the client’s current thoughts and behaviors. Therapists use this theory to help their clients identify those thoughts and work towards replacing them with positive thoughts that can inform desirable behaviors. Currently, there are various therapies grounded in this theory including Adlerian therapy, object relations therapy and attachment therapy. This theory is also used for training therapist and is incorporated in therapist training process. No proof?

Humanistic approach is also another theory grounding the work of therapists. This theory posits that human beings have all the resources needed for functional and healthy lives within themselves and problems are caused by unavailable or restricted problem solving resources. “Instead of energy spent on the past or on negative behaviors, humanists believe in the goodness of all people and emphasize a person’s self-growth and self-actualization” (Lake, 2017, p. ? ). Therapists use this theory to help clients discover and access within them the resources needed for problem solving. Some of the current therapies based on the theory include Gestalt, emotion-focused, existential, positive psychology and person-centered. So? Why is this important? No takeaway here?

Comparison between the work of Therapist and that of executive Coach Comment by Reviewer CL: Review use of Level 1, 2, and 3 headings per APA.

Coaching and therapy are closely related. However, the basics of coaching are what distinguish it from therapy. Therapists diagnose their clients and suggest treatment approaches while coaches do not diagnose their clients. Executive coaches focus on identifying current problems affecting their clients while therapists analyze the past of their clients as a tool for understanding current thoughts and behaviors (Passmore & Lai, 2019). In other words, coaches focus on how to work towards a certain goal while therapists seek to determine why certain behaviors occur. Comment by Reviewer CL: Says who? Citation?

Looking at the practice of therapists and executive coaches, it is important to understand that therapists help clients to recognize and explore their unconscious and subconscious mind. They focus on evaluating the behaviors of their client and how they can be improved. On the other hand, life coaches focus on the actions of the people they work with and results. In coaching, the success of an individual is measured with specific behavioral outcomes and key performance indicators. The coach is focused on helping the client achieve the predetermined goal (Passmore & Lai, 2019). While therapists may help a client to recover from a past trauma and explores how past relationships have had a negative impacts on their lives, a coach will only focus on how the client can work to achieve certain goals. And the conclusion to consider then? Comment by Reviewer CL: Says who? Citation?

There are various similarities between the work of therapists and that of coaches. Both aim to make the lives of their clients more productive by promoting positive changes. People do not have to be struggling with psychological problems to seek the services of a therapist. As a matter of fact, many healthy people seek the services of both coaches and therapists. Similar to coaches, therapists may sometimes work with specific goals in mind. The work of executive coaches and therapist are distinct despite having certain areas of overlap. ???

Best Ppractices

One of the important best practices in therapy is to conduct continuous research on the field. Therapy is a dynamic field that requires therapist to keep learning and understanding new trends. Some approaches to therapy may be outdates. Engaging in continuous learning exposes therapist to evidence based approaches that can go a long way in improving their practice. In addition, attending to therapy workshops can allows therapist to build their network in the field. This network is critical in ensuring therapist give their clients the best services possible by referring them to competed professionals who can address their situations. ???? Comment by Reviewer CL: Avoid simply listing information. What is the conclusion that you want your reader to come to as a result of providing this information?

Therapists should also be flexible enough to accommodate clients from different backgrounds (Leahy, 2017). For instance, therapists should be able to adjust their time to align with the clients. Certain clients do not know how to keep time. They will show up late for appointments. In such cases the therapists should not reduce the time required for the therapy. It is also important for therapists to explore fundamental principles of therapy. Thos can allow them to have a better understudying of the field and be able to develop effective treatment plans for their clients.

Conclusion Comment by Reviewer CL: Sec 6.20 ( p. 179) Personal Communication: (C. Lentz, personal communication, October 16, 2017); not listed in references. References are only for published materials.

In conclusion, a therapist is a highly knowledgeable individual who has extensive knowledge on emotional and cognitive behaviors. There are a wide range of techniques utilized by therapists in their work including summarization, paraphrasing, reflection and confrontation. Coaching and therapy are closely related. It is important for therapists to engage in continuous research to learn the trends in their field. Therapists need to be flexible as it can help therapist provide quality services to their clients. However, the work of executive coaches and therapist are distinct despite having certain areas of overlap. [Your paper will benefit from a stronger conclusion. A concluding paragraph summarizes the main idea, ties the main points together neatly for the reader, and ends with a sense of finality. Avoid introducing new ideas in the conclusion.]

References

Anderson, T., McClintock, A. S., Himawan, L., Song, X., & Patterson, C. L. (2016). A prospective study of therapist facilitative interpersonal skills as a predictor of treatment outcome. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 84(1), 57. Retrieved from HYPERLINK "https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037/ccp0000060" https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037/ccp0000060https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037/ccp0000060

Hill, C. E., Spiegel, S. B., Hoffman, M. A., Kivlighan Jr, D. M., & Gelso, C. J. (2017). Therapist expertise in psychotherapy revisited. The Counseling Psychologist, 45(1), 7-53. Retrieved from HYPERLINK "https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0011000016641192" https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0011000016641192https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0011000016641192

Lake, R. W. (2017). A humanist perspective on knowledge for planning: Implications for theory, research, and practice. Planning Theory and Practice, 18(2), 291-319. Retrieved from HYPERLINK "https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/51836073/Lake_Humanist_Perspective_PTP2017.pdf?1487335602=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DA_Humanist_Perspective_on_Knowledge_for.pdf&Expires=1600610789&Signature=TNQatvJYZ-hgud~O5kMbuJPcQrKqjX-BISvHsWquxoCkeJRMD3Cmm2nBxZm2JeJcWfErRPw1VdZAi6-xAAg9aHUO0qHe3-ntwsW8Na5gX89uMg52Q-UsBV0gMvwOyEEYu6qFhgWdFrnR8VW4Xf7POsuJAHrCrgH9rb5oldsqUTASqlrKNH5km9RJBoJEVMGa~dORHDV3fs5ilB3iWKYNncOqUUyr1xzu3LklMMAz79q2GAl7KXsIs77mDLCRFY4eQxkOP12BbHLcFI1wU8dnW1HGTyUBoF3~qQFqgRj3lOTb4DFLLk2~S5SjsoDuZGv4MF9igxdqYuG6a1V4rNoCTQ__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA" https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/51836073/Lake_Humanist_Perspective_PTP2017.pdf?1487335602=&response-content-https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/51836073/Lake_Humanist_Perspective_PTP2017.pdf?1487335602=&response-content- Comment by Reviewer CL: See Chapters 8, 9 and 11 in APA Manual (V7) for proper formatting of citations and references.

Leahy, R. L. (2017). Cognitive therapy techniques: A practitioner's guide. Guilford Publications. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?hl=en&lr=&id=VLwqDgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Therapy+techniques&ots=o-kiOT6Tbl&sig=2y8JLPoJQzyo97ZR5lOMHr-M1xA&redir_esc=y

Nason, R. S., Bacq, S., & Gras, D. (2018). A behavioral theory of social performance: Social identity and stakeholder expectations. Academy of Management Review, 43(2), 259-283. Retrieved from https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/amr.2015.0081

Passmore, J., & Lai, Y. L. (2019). Coaching psychology: exploring definitions and research contribution to practice? International Coaching Psychology Review, 14(2), 69-83. Retrieved from https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/31999/

Schunk, D. H., & DiBenedetto, M. K. (2020). Motivation and social cognitive theory. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 60, 101832. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0361476X19304370