In times of adversity and challenges, families and couples face several stressors that require intervention from a counselor professional. Therapists work with clients who describe their feelings of loss, fear, disconnection, confusion and heightened anxiety as they respond to stressful situations. Counsellors need to select the most compelling theoretical approach that addresses the issue in a broad context. Family therapists look broadly into the family, relationships, personal meaning, and communication when helping the client understand, assess, and alleviate psychological suffering (Larner et al., 2013). My theoretical approach to family therapy is Integrative Psychotherapy, which applies a combination of various theories to formulate a personal approach. The approach takes into consideration the feelings of the client, behavioural dimension, and cognitive dimension pattern. The integrative theoretical approaches involve a combination of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Humanistic Theory of Existential, and psychodynamic theory of Adlerian.
Key Concept
My basic family/couple counseling philosophy is that therapists are responsible for helping clients develop healthy coping skills in an empathetic and supportive environment to ensure they productively handle stressors. As a family counsellor, I believe in helping people make the right decision and choice regarding their current situation and environment. Life and situation change; it is up to the individual to establish coping strategies to adjust to the changes (Larner et al., 2013). As a counsellor, I take time to understand my clients' worldview before developing structures and strategies to help them make a positive change in their lives. When people enter into a relationship or after getting into marriage, they realize some flaws in their lives; however, they do not know how and where to begin to make positive changes. Failure to break the patterns of negative behaviours leads to unconstructive emotions and behaviours which break the family or relationship. A counsellor's role in such situations is to guide partners, educate them, help them address family issues, formulate goals, express their feelings, and develop action plans to satisfy their lives and families (Kabir, 2017) . Therefore, in my theoretical orientation, I believe that integrating Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Humanistic Theory (Existential) and psychodynamic Theory (Adlerian) provides a theoretical base for counselling family and couples ( Seligman & Reichenberg, 2013) .
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The basic view of human nature as seen through your theoretical lens
In my theoretical orientation, the integration of the three therapies provides a solid foundation for my family and couple therapy. An existential approach will be essential in helping the client achieve self-fulfillment. The theory views human beings as basically good and positive with the freedom to choose actions and behaviours that impact their lives ( Seligman & Reichenberg, 2013) . Human beings have the ability to make choices that maintain good health and meaning full relationships for others and themselves. The theory deals with various basic dimensions that view human life; freedom and responsibility, the capacity of self-awareness, search for meaning, purpose, and goals, creating identity and establishing healthy relationships and awareness of death and not being (Miars, 2002). Existential theory helps the client's balance awareness of their limitations while emphasizing the possibility of life. A person needs to be aware of themselves before deciding on the path to take.
The Adlerian approach will evaluate the past of the client to find their true self in the present. The Adlerian theory views human nature as likely to flourish when living in a supportive environment ( Watts, 2016) . However, negative supports affect individuals. Cognitive-Behaviour argues that human psychological problems have roots from childhood experience and are reinforced in the present life (Corey, 2013). I will apply the CBT concept when addressing the clients' past experiences and solve issues arising from faulty internal dialogues. CBT views human nature as prone to erroneous thinking, which affects the ability to adopt positive changes. According to Grohol (2019), CBT focuses on changing irrational or faulty individual thinking by reinforcing positive experiences that lead to behaviour change.
Key factors that account for changes in behaviour;
My theoretical approach to personality involves a combination of factors of cognitive behaviour therapy and humanistic approaches. Alfred Adler suggests that an individual's past and present play a vital role in developing an individual's behaviour. Adler argues that from the age of six, children begin to form personal characteristics that form an approach to life ( Watts, 2016). Experiences and decisions made by children from that age onwards mold their future development (Corey, 2013). The Adlerian theory argues there is s purpose for every individual; the behaviour is goal-oriented and more conscious when focusing on therapy. The theory also stresses choice and responsibility, creating meaning in life and striving for success and perfection. More so, the theory argues that the client is in full control of their life and is not helpless in life.
In Existential approach, self – actualization and growth are significant factors that account for behaviour change. Self-actualization is used to describe as an individual's expression of their full potential and a desire for self-fulfilment (Miars, 2002). This therapy focuses on helping gain freedom from disabling assumptions and attitudes to live healthy lives. Existential theorists argue that an individual need to take full responsibility and provide authenticity. Self-awareness is an essential factor that helps an individual to cope with life changes. The past experiences provide both positive and negative experiences which promote individual’s self-growth. According to Ivtzan et al. (2013), existential therapy argues that human psychological issue arises from the failure to be true to oneself. Also, the factors of responsibility and freedom discussed in existential therapy are essential in changing behaviour on substance abuse.
Similarly, factors present in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy helps an individual helps the counsellor address past experiences and thoughts to tackle the issue of clients and achieve self-inner growth. CBT focuses on changing maladaptive thoughts or might challenge a feeling that is unconstructive. When working with family or couples, CBT allows the counsellor to challenge and change faulty belief patterns with clients facing several life struggles like inequality. According to Kabir (2017 ), CBT has proven effective in addressing issues related to intimacy in coupes, forgiveness, relationships, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, obesity and insomnia. CBT seeks to change irrational behaviour and reinforce positive behaviour changes that help individuals cope with life stressors without affecting their mental wellbeing.
An explanation of how your theory conceptualizes mental health
The Adlerian theory argues that an individual flourishes when they get adequate support that helps them to stabilize emotionally and get an adequate connection. The theory argues that the mental status of an individual is affected by the nature of support. When an individual is surrounded by negative support, they tend to withdraw, isolate and act in a mentally unhealthy manner (Corey, 2013). Adlerian therapy is successful in addressing mental issues related to substance use, issues of social injustice, diversity, social skills problems and cooperative cultural problems. According to Strong & Busch (2013), psychopathology process causes individuals to withdraw from self which harms their self-identity. Also, the individual withdraws from the family and other societal members since they cannot bear the consequences of lying. The theory shows that the essence of humanity lies in searching and finding the meaning and purpose of life. Existential therapy is successful when addressing mental issues related to substance use, grief, marital issues, loss, uncertainty, career problems and anxiety (Corey, 2013). The two humanistic theory argues that human beings can achieve good mental health by making the right choices and engaging in activities that promote their growth and well- being.
Cognitive-behaviour therapy argues that individual psychological issues are rooted in childhood and reinforces in the present life. An individual is labelled healthy when maladaptive thought ceases having a strong pull on their functioning. According to Grohol (2019), CBT conceptualizes mental health based on functional and dysfunctional ways of coping with stress and life problems. The theory argues that individuals' learned irrational or unhealthy patterns of thinking affect their mental status. Individuals who grew up in a maladaptive or unhealthy family environment and failed to learn coping skills reveal mental disorders later in life (Strong & Busch, 2013). CBT has proven effective in my therapist profession, especially in clients facing various disorders like anxiety, phobia and depression (Strong & Busch (2013). In my therapeutic approach, I use CBT to challenge the maladaptive thinking of a client and help them replace it with realistic and effective thought.
Key factors that contribute to healthy family/couple relationships
In Adlerian theory, health family or couple relationship is based on healthy communication. The couples need to show good communication technique shown by the ability to listen and support each other (Larner et al., 2013) . Every family member should be allowed to express their feelings to maintain healthy communication. Another factor of a healthy family is trust and a feeling of security. When in a relationship, trusting the other partners is essential for a healthy relationship. The existential theory asserts that a healthy family and couple relationship is rooted in the factor of freedom and responsibility (Spinelli, 2014). Every individual should be granted the freedom to participate in family affairs and take full responsibility. Similarly, CBT asserts that healthy family/couple relationship is based on sharing feelings and emotions and establishing a collaborative conflict resolution conflict (Kolko et al., 2014). Conflicts and misunderstanding are inevitable in a relationship; however, the way the parties solve the problem determine whether the relationship is healthy or unhealthy.
A description of the skills necessary within this theoretical orientation to meet the agreed-upon goals and outcomes for couples and families
The focus of my Integrated Theoretical Approach is to help couples experiencing a combination of Humanistic and Cognitive Behaviour counselling (Norcross et al., 2016). My goal in counselling practises helping clients realize their worth and develop healthy coping skills in the face of hardship or stressors. I seek to empower my clients to make positive choices for self-growth and that of society. As a therapist, I believe that it is vital to assess the behaviour of an individual since it has a huge connection to the inner feeling and role in understanding self-image. I want to provide clients with an environment where they can effectively assess the different environment and chose one that promotes genuine, empathy and positive regards.
My role as a family counsellor is to guide the partners and teach them effective ways of addressing concerns, exercising their feelings and formulating family or relationships goals to satisfy their lives. When providing my counselling services, I approach every client with empathy, support, compassion and understanding of physical, mental and emotional status ( Seligman & Reichenberg, 2013). Building trust is an essential skill in the counselling profession, especially at the beginning of the counselling session. I focus on building trust by engaging the client in an open counselling session. From the beginning, I will disclose appropriate information that will be useful in enhancing therapeutic relationships. According to Larner et al. (2013), when working with family or couples, the counsellor needs to follow therapeutic ethics to the later . The existential theory asserts that the therapist needs to have confidence and competency when working in family therapy (Marseille & Messias, 2020).
Counsellors need to apply a Solution-Focused Approach in their family therapy sessions since it allows clients to engage in conscientious expansion and awareness. The Adlerian theory asserts that solution-focused-approach is effective in addressing both past, present and future family problems (Watts & Pietrzak, 2000). The therapist should possess the skills required to provide support and reflection of real-life situations. The therapist needs to guide the client in decisions making that lead them into happiness and fulfilment of the purpose of life (Corey, 2013). Since I will be working with diverse clients with different needs, the skill of empathy is essential in every therapeutic session. Responsibility is an essential skill that helps in the progression of the therapeutic session. Responsibility is essential since it helps the therapist take control and provide a direction of the therapeutic experience ( Watts, 2016). When working with couples, I focus more on empowering them by teaching them how to manage their issues and handle family and relationships conflict in a healthy manner. As a counsellor expert, I intend to take full responsibility in teaching and guiding clients on how to solve real-life issues in the future. Lastly, it is my responsibility to provide the client with an environment that allows the two to experience the world from the client’s perspective leading to positive life change.
The nature of the practitioner-client relationship and its relative importance
My Integrative Theoretical Approach to counselling value therapeutic relationship with clients. I believe that the nature of the practitioner-client relationship determines the success of any therapy. Based on the existential approach, the client-customer relationship should be genuine, respectable, warmth, a caring environment and non-judgement. The approach also stresses on the immediacy of the client-therapist relationship, which is essential in building a practitioner-client relationship. The existential theory argues that counsellor-client relationship should be based on respect, empathic understanding and clarification of helping role (Miars, 2000). Also, when working with the client, I will ensure I strive to understand the worldview to serve the client and me positively. I will also re-evaluate my values and beliefs to ensure I remain objective when working with my client. Besides, I will ensure excellent self-care to be effective throughout the session and ensure I remain valid when serving my client.
Based on Adlerian theory, the counsellor-client relationship should focus on establishing a long-term relationship which allows close exploration of all facets of couple or family dynamics. In CBT therapy, the relationship between the practitioner and the client is that of teacher-student (Grohol, 2019). In this therapy, the counsellor is highly directive and teaches the clients several models of changing their cognition. A collaborative relationship is established where the therapist assists the client to identify dysfunctional beliefs and come up with alternative rules for better living (Kabir, 2017). My theoretical approaches focus on providing insight into the problems affecting clients and there and how to positively change their thinking.
An explanation of the evidence to support your theoretical orientation as an appropriate intervention for couples and families in need
My theoretical orientation is useful when working privately with African-American couples from low and middle-class. Also, I will apply the same theoretical approached when working with a diverse population in a community centre. Having a range of theories and techniques will help me select the most appropriate tool to serve different clients. My integrative theoretical orientation of Adlerian, existential and cognitive-bahevior therapies allow me to address diverse issues affecting couples and families (Norcross et al., 2016). Existential therapy allows counsellors to select numerous techniques and approaches to help couple solve issues related to “freedom and responsibility, isolation and relationships, meaning and meaninglessness, and living and dying” (Corey, 2008). I will couple the open-ended view of existential theory with CBT techniques that help to address issues related to emotions, cognitive and behavioural perspective. I intend to use CBT techniques like a homework assignment, forming alternative interpretations, changing internal thinking, learning new coping style and confronting faulty beliefs. All these techniques will help my clients think about values, beliefs. Express their feelings and empower them to have positive thinking of life. I will measure the treatment success of my client using the Outcome Rating Scale, which suits clients aged 13 years and above. The scale seeks to understand how the client feels about themselves on issues related to close relationships, family relationships, personal wellbeing and social relationships. Application of CBT in family counselling has been published in peer-reviewed journals as effective family therapy ( Seligman & Reichenberg, 2013) . I selected CBT theory since it is an empirically tested method which has been proven to be useful in solving family issues.
An example of a case study to support my theoretical framework is when working with couples where the woman is married with children. During my therapeutic session, I will work with every partner to understand their worldview and by building a collaborative therapeutic relationship. Most of my clients are stay-at-home mothers with children who struggle with family roles and have issues with self-identity. Before getting married, these women had their full independence; later they decided to quit their jobs and stay at home taking care of the children. From the beginning of my counselling session, I will work on building trust to allow the client to express their feelings. I will apply CBT by performing the role of guiding, teaching and supporting to give the client room to express their emotions. The existential theory will be effective when working with such clients since it allows exploration of the issue and provides better ways for coping, thinking and behaving. These stay-at-home women have a feeling of lost identity, stagnant and feeling of anxiety which can be explored through existential therapy. Although every session is different depending on the need of the client, they all have a common strategy and goal of inviting the client to explore options and chose one that fits them best.
Conclusion
In Summary, my theoretical orientation to counselling is an integrated theoretical approach involving a combination of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Humanistic Theory of Existential, and psychodynamic theory of Adlerian. There is no one single theoretical framework that addresses every aspect of counselling; thus, the therapist needs to create a comprehensive approach that meets the needs of a variety of population. I will integrate CBT, Existential and Adlerian therapy in my counselling practise to serve a range of family and couple clients. Combination of these three therapies will allow the client to explore the world, their thought and feelings and find meaning in life. My goal as a family counsellor is to help clients overcome obstacles and make the right choices to create a happy and meaningful life. Also, I seek to teach clients about the best techniques for coping with internal and external pressures.
References
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