APRIL IS COUNSELING AWARENESS MONTH

In more recent times, we have seen how the personal problems of some can adversely affect others.  This can range from a crisis situation such as the shooting at an office in Georgia to a tense office environment.  Frustration, anger and tension are all too familiar not only in the workplace but also in the society at large.  This is evident in the more recent problems we have seen in violence in certain schools across the US.

Many times, there are missed opportunities to help people to be at their best.  This is where a counseling approach can be helpful.  Why?  Well, counseling can help an individual pinpoint and come to terms with particular issues or difficulties in his/her life.  While there is no substitute for developing good social support and personal fulfillment, counseling can facilitate positive change that not only impacts upon the individual but all those who surround him/her.

But, what does counseling entail?

A mental health professional is there to listen, encourage and help individuals to find alternative ways to get through a particular issue.

However, mental health practitioners use different theories or emphasize certain things considered important to resolving difficulties.  Each counselor may have a particular orientation that guides his/her counseling, or might be what is known as eclectic, meaning that many approaches are used depending upon the issue.  Individual, couple and family counseling are guided by particular assumptions about human behavior.

So, it is useful to outline some of the most common approaches to counseling.

• Psychodynamic - This approach sees early life experiences as being pivotal to our current way of relating to others.  So, a counselor here is more likely to relate the presenting problem to how we were raised and in some cases, the unconscious mind driving behavior.  The unconscious represents a part of the mind that isn’t accessible to us but comes out in our dreams or slips of the tongue.  Drs. Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Karen Horney, Rudolf Dreikurs and Alfred Adler wrote extensively on these issues.  This perspective is seen in private practice and certain family counseling approaches.

• Behavioral - This orientation is one that focuses on our behavior patterns.  It is assumed that correcting maladaptive behaviors is essential and that insight isn’t always necessary to solving specific problems. Thus, it is goal oriented and specific in its scope.  Dr. B.F. Skinner and Albert Bandura provided the basis for this theory. This approach is often used in schools and certain drug treatment/psychiatric facilities.

• Cognitive - The premise here is that our problems stem from, as Dr. Aaron Beck said, "faulty thinking patterns." So, counselors here believe that if we can change how we view particular problems then this will affect how we relate to others.  This perspective is seen in a variety of settings.  Authors include Dr. Morita of Japan, Dr. David Burns (Feeling Good Handbook), Dr. Aaron Beck, Dr. Jeffrey Young and Dr. Barbara De Angelis.

• Cognitive Behavioral - This approach examines thought and behavior patterns of individuals.  The specific context of situations is emphasized.  Dr. Phil McGraw is a psychologist who appears on Oprah Winfrey’s Tuesday shows and models this approach.

• Humanistic and Existential - Humanistic has to do with looking at how individual values, spirituality and human relationships affect mental health. Existentialism examines how people negotiate between their autonomy and the environment around them.  Both emphasize how people form meaning in their lives.  Humanistic authors include Dr. Abraham Maslow (Hierarchy of Needs), Dr. Carl Rogers and Melanie Beatty.  Examples of Existential thinkers are Dr. Fritz Perls (Gestalt Technique) and Dr. Rollo May.

• Human Relationship Oriented and Couples Counseling - This approach emphasizes the cultivation of human relationships.  A key example of couples counseling is Dr. John Gray (Men are from Mars Women are from Venus) and Dr. Phil McGraw, who was previously mentioned.  Couples-oriented counseling, or what is also termed marriage counseling, focuses upon issues concerning the couple and how the individuals' interaction with the other affects the relationship.

• Family Counseling - Marriage and Family Counselors look at how individuals interact as individuals and with each other.  The specific orientation of the counselor can fall under any of the above mentioned categories.  A main goal is to restore the functioning of a couple and or family through changing the way that people interact.
  
• Group Counseling - This approach focuses on a particular concern or issue, such as alcoholism or maybe a specific life issue.  Groups are typically run by either mental health clinicians (i.e.,: depression or illness) or an individual who might have a certain expertise (i.e.,: a recovering alcoholic who has been sober for some time).

A final thought about these theories is that there are many clinicians who use pieces of each of these in their approach towards helping people. To some extent, a person who seeks counseling might find certain approaches to their issues more useful than others. There are many ways to get to the same place.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) can help in a variety of ways:

• Providing short-term assistance to individuals on personal matters such as substance abuse, transitional life issues such as retirement depression and anxiety, problems in the workplace and family problems.
  
• EAP is open to consult with employers and employees.  These contacts are confidential.
  
• An EAP counselor helps employers and employees to work out differences and job performance issues.  The goal is to resolve the impasse in a productive manner that helps all involved.
  
• After an issue is identified, a referral can be provided to the employee or employer.

• For more immediate problems that might be harmful or dangerous, crisis intervention is another goal of EAP. These may include suicide, bomb scares or even violence in the workplace.  This safety net can avoid the violent workplace situations that we have seen in the news over the last couple of years.
  
• Follow-up counseling is another possible use of EAP services.

• EAP can also provide referrals to community resources if long-term counseling or psychopharmacology is needed.  Referrals can be made to a variety of community resources as well (i.e.,: long-term care providers).

If you would like to obtain a referral to counseling, go to http://www.mhra.net

If you would like more information regarding this topic, please call the Civilian Employee Assistance Program Counseling and Referral Service (CEAP C/RS) at (202) 433-0087 or outside the local dialing area you may use 1-800-995-9791.

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