Comparing Theories

The counseling approaches offer different viewpoints on the nature of man, and how one becomes maladjusted resulting to a need to see professional help. Man is seen here as a product of the past, the choices he/she makes, his/her mentality, his/her overt behavior and the society or culture to which he/she belongs to.
The goals of counseling are seen in different lights, too. Yet they all look towards a direction of providing assistance to an individual who is unable to cope with a present problem that may have its roots in the past and in the cognitive processes of the person.
These approaches also give counselors many choices from which to handpick appropriate strategies, interventions and treatment plans for each unique client. Although counselors are to provide an atmosphere of trust and confidentiality, in which the client feels safe to self-disclose, the counselor also employs a variety of techniques and skills to enable clients to gain insight, realizations and make action plans without imposing their own vales and beliefs. For a counseling relationship to be truly productive, the counselee has to formulate resolutions in a way that will let him/her feel that he/she owns those plans and inevitably, the success.
Since every theory and approach has its own strengths and limitations, an eclectic approach in which the counselor is more concerned on meeting the needs of the client rather than sticking to his/her own perspective of counseling, is vital. Therefore, counselors-in-training need to learn and be equipped with the diversity of belief systems and strategies each approach has to offer. This is not to confuse the counselor or even the client, but to give the counselors a big box of tools from which he/she is able to draw from when appropriate for a particular client.
Approaches to counseling do not necessarily draw the line against each other. They are interconnected, supporting the other’s strength and filling in for what other’s lack. An eclectic approach in the helping relationship will not only benefit the counselor in his/her vast field of expertise, it also maximizes the benefits of the client who will surely be catered to the needs that will enable him to be well-adjusted and able to cope with the tensions and strains of life.