THEORETICAL APPROACH TO COUNSELING 2
BENCHMARK PROFESSIONAL THEORETICAL APPROACH TO COUNSELING
Introduction
In the Psychotherapy realm, a transformative approach that focuses on an individual's
strengths and life experiences in order to develop self awareness, social integration, and life
changes within a collaborative setting, this approach is known as Adlerian therapy. Developed
by Alfred Alder in the early 1900s, Adlerian Therapy aims to assist clients in gaining insight into
their subjective experiences, exploring their goals and values, and cultivating a sense of purpose
and belonging. Many counselors and therapists and therapists believe that Adlerian therapy is an
effective tool in addressing and understanding human behavior and psychological challenges.
Human Nature and Change
The Adlerian theory resonates with my own values and beliefs about human nature and
change, because it provides a framework that guides therapeutic practices and enhances positive
self-change and goal-setting. The holistic perspective of the Adlerian approach is influenced by
many factors like family dynamics, social interaction, and experiences that can influence the
future. Being able to recognize these factors can in return help shape human behavior and
development. The main concepts that Adler applied were specific to individuals who work in the
school setting. As I want to become a school counselor, I feel that this approach is beneficial to
my practice and the students whom I would be working with. I admire that Adler did not have a
cookie-cutter approach, and he noted that interventions that work for one student, may not work
for all students. A 2023 study showed positive results of Adlerian therapy with school-aged
children. The positive effects on participants' self encouragement, social interest, and peer
relations cultivate a strong community feeling (Joe & Jin, 2023).
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Personal Background
I was drawn to Adlerian therapy because I feel that it aligns with my personality and
upbringing. I am a very open-minded person and feel that all humans should do what makes
them happy, regardless of what others think of them. Adler’s model also suggests that our
childhood experiences have a strong impact on personality development and adult life choices. I
have spent my career thus far working with children, which is another reason why I feel drawn to
Adler’s approach. I had always wanted to become a teacher when I was growing up. I always
wanted to work with the kids who are in the most need, at schools that are underfunded, full of
children who live in poverty and need the most support. While I was in high school, I was able to
join the Youth Tutoring Youth Program where I worked in an elementary class every afternoon
for my entire senior year. I was paired with a wonderful teacher who was so loving to all of her
students. I was not only in awe of her passion for learning, but also her passion for helping those
in need. She bought snacks for her students every day, as most of them could not afford to bring
one. She knew her students so well and built a relationship with every single kid in that
classroom. She knew who had a good home life and which kids had already experienced trauma
and needed that extra school momma love that she gave them. Mrs. A was so inspiring to me that
I went on to become a teacher, and now I am working towards helping those students who are in
the most need and need someone in their corner.
Relationship Building and Assessment
Creating a positive relationship using Adler's theory involves fostering collaboration,
empathy, and mutual respect between the therapist and the client. I would first always get to
know my client before deep diving into any type of therapeutic relationship. The Adlerian
Therapists' role, according to the text, is to help clients become aware of their faulty world-view
THEORETICAL APPROACH TO COUNSELING 4
and to help provide clients with a new “Cognitive map” that enables them to change their
feelings and their behavior (Corey, 2023). Making a person-to-person connection is more
important than starting with the problems that the client is having. All clients come to therapy to
feel better, so even in the first session, I would never want my client to leave unhappy or sad
about what we discussed.
Alder's doctrine supports the hypothesis that personality development begins at a young
age and is a consequence of experiences during infancy. (Cedeno & Torrico, 2024). It is
extremely important to explain the assessment process to a client so that they will be honest
about their childhood experiences, especially about their family structure. The initial assessment
is completed with two interview methods, the subjective interview, where the counselor helps the
client tell their life story as completely as possible. The second interview is the Objective
interview, and this seeks to discover information about the clients history and how life problems
began (Corey, 2023). As a counselor, I would assist clients with setting up wellness and
prevention-related goals in collaboration so that I can empower the client to take an active role in
their overall therapeutic well-being.
Adler's approach does have a few limitations, as research has shown that there is very
little empirical evidence to show that Adlerian therapy is effective in the counseling realm. It is
also better suited for students who are highly verbal and intelligent, and is not recommended for
the English Language Learners population (Dollarhide & Lemberger-Truelove, 2018). Many
articles that I have viewed state that the future of Alderian therapy is unclear since it is not an
evidence-based strategy. According to a 2020 article by Len Sperry, he states that the Alderian
approach will join other non-evidence-based approaches and will not survive (Sperry, 2020).
THEORETICAL APPROACH TO COUNSELING 5
Ethical and Biblical Principles
It is essential that the counselor or therapist practice beneficence and nonmaleficence, in
order to act in the best interest of the client and to provide competent and effective therapy. As a
professional, counselors and therapists should always avoid actions that may cause harm or
exploitation of their client. As a Christian, I feel that there are many biblical teachings in the
bible that also correlate to Adlerian theory and practice. Alfred Adler emphasized the self-worth
and dignity of each and every individual, regardless of their background, treating every person
with equality and equity no matter where they came from or what mistake they have made along
the way. Adlerian theory aligns with how God sees all human beings as stated in the Book of
Genesis 1:27. Recognizing and respecting others and their worth is both a foundational piece of
Adlerian theory and Christian ethics. I will integrate biblical principals as a counselor by using a
non-biased and open mind in order to help my clients in a non-judgmental fashion.
THEORETICAL APPROACH TO COUNSELING 6
References
Cedeno, R., & Torrico, T. J. (2024). Ststpearls. StatPearls Publishing.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK599518/
Corey, G. (2023). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy (mindtap course list)
(11th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Dollarhide, C. T., & Lemberger-Truelove, M. E. (2018). Theories of school counseling for the
21st century (1st ed.). Oxford University Press.
Joe, J., & Jin, M. (2023). Development and application of an adlerian adventure play therapy
program: Increasing community feeling among elementary school students. International
Journal of Play Therapy, 32(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000187
New king james bible online. (n.d.). https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/new-features.php
Sperry, L. (2020). Adlerian therapy yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The Journal of Individual
Psychology, 76(1), 79–83. https://doi.org/10.1353/jip.2020.0019
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