Individual Theory and Eclectic Approaches

A wide range of psychotherapeutic approaches have been developed and recognized as being effective in addressing a wide range of mental disorders. In clinical practice however, the decision on the most effective psychotherapy for specific conditions is a complicated affair since there are over 400 psychotherapy approaches that are defined and classified according to their theoretical model (Zarbo, Tasca, Carrafi, & Angelo, 2015). While attempts have been made within the discipline to bridge the boundaries between various theories, there remains considerable controversy amongst psychotherapists on whether a single or eclectic approach to treatment ought to be employed. In recent years, increasing number of psychotherapists have tended to define themselves as eclectic or integrative in their approach (Carlyle, 2017). Proponents of individual theory approach nonetheless still proffer persuasive arguments in favor of their approaches. Eclectic therapy is a form of therapy that employs techniques drawn from several different schools and therefore combines more than a single intervention. As an approach, it is grounded on the assumption that no one psychotherapeutic approach is effective and appropriate for all problems, patients or contexts. It thus seeks to employ the approaches best for a particular scenario. It is primarily concerned with the techniques that are going to produce the desired output for the patient. As a model, it prides itself on its flexibility and for being evidence-based. What is significant, advocates argue, is that the therapist has a firm understanding of theories whose techniques are being employed (American Psychological Association, 2018). An eclectic model is generally more responsive to patient needs thanks to its flexibility. This is because the therapist’s approach responds to the thinking, beliefs and assumptions of the patient. Eclecticism is, therefore, more likely to achieve therapeutic goals since it responds to the wide range of problems that the client may exhibit (Carlyle, 2017). By being guided by the patient’s distinct characteristics, the therapist avoids the difficulty of being caught in a single model approach and therefore adopts Evidence-Based Practice that has been adopted and recommended by many professional bodies and experts. Evidence-Based Practice is based on research evidence, client factors and clinical judgment. Consistent with this definition, therefore, an eclectic approach is more likely to treat a patient, not as a passive actor but as an active participant in therapy (Hollanders, 2007).  An Eclectic approach, however, has its demerits. Often a pernicious conclusion is drawn from the lack of evidence favoring a single theory that a counselor need not concern himself or herself so much with an orientation. In fact, a notion of therapeutic relativism that suggests that everything has value and no single way is better than the other develops. An attendant consequence is the belief that it is not important to critically examine the theoretical differences that characterize and that an entirely pragmatic approach will work. A more defeatist approach emanating from practitioners of eclecticism is that there is no need to study different therapeutic approaches since none has proven to have evident overall advantages over the other (Hollanders, 2007). In brief, the undisciplined employ of eclectic approaches can often act as an excuse for failure to come up with a rationale for systematically conforming to certain techniques and concepts that are an extension of individual approaches (American Psychological Association, 2018). Whimsical selection of techniques is likely going to lead to therapeutic methods being a reflection of counselor biases and preconceived ideas. Single theory proponents may thus be right in charging that eclectic approaches may be too permissive and therefore leads to the emergence of a hodgepodge of unamalgamated theories hastily knit together (Zarbo, Tasca, Carrafi, & Angelo, 2015).  Ultimately, eclectic approaches, unlike single theory models, have the benefit of flexibility and therefore responsive to various contexts including the specific patient characteristics. A wide range of problems is consequently addressed. Furthermore, eclecticism is more in conformity with the nature of most psychotherapeutic approaches such as cognitive behavior therapy that combines various models. Individual theories, therefore, suffer adaptability challenges. A cautionary note, however, is that effectiveness of eclecticism is dependent on an informed combination of various models. Therefore, permissiveness of the model is no excuse for whimsical pick and choose.

References

American Psychological Association. (2018). Different Approaches to Psychotherapy. American Psychological Association. Carlyle, D. (2017). Promoting Pluralism in Counselling: an Untapped Source of Relational Mapping as Therapeutic Process. International Journal for Advancement of Counselling, 39(4), 311-321. Hollanders, H. (2007). Eclecticism and integration in counseling: Implications for training. British Journal of Guidance and Counseling(4), 483-500. Zarbo, C., Tasca, G., Carrafi, F., & Angelo, C. (2015). Integrative Psychotherapy Works. Frontiers in Psychology, 6.