Strategies Binder
Selective Counseling Strategies
Tommy Sheppard, M.Ed (counselling)
The Miracle Question
The miracle question is a well known exercise used in solution focused therapy
(brief therapy) to aid a client to envision how the future will be different when the
problem is no longer present.
The “Miracle Question” gives clients permission to think about an unlimited
range of possibilities for change. It begins to move the focus away from their current and
past problems and toward a more satisfying life. Basically what the miracle question asks
is for the client to talk about their wishes for their life after the problem is gone.
The miracle question is the opening piece of the process of developing wellformed goals. Client response may not take the form of a well-formed goal. The
practitioner’s task is to pose a series of related questions that help clients express their
vision of a more satisfying future in a more satisfying and developed manner.
When researching about the history of the miracle question on the internet it did
not seem to be as clear cut as the history of some other techniques I researched. I
eventually did find that in 1984 Steve deShazer and Insoo Kim Berg invented a way to
set a frame for goal setting. This was called “the miracle question”. In our text it states
that the miracle question originally stemmed from Erickson’s crystal ball technique that
encourages clients to imagine a future with no problems and then to identify how they
resolved the problems to create such a future.
The miracle question seems to be a rather well known technique. Many people who
are not familiar with the solution-focused approach still know the term the miracle
question.
The following is an example of how one could implement the miracle question
technique within a counseling session;
Imagine that tonight as you sleep a miracle occurs in your life. A magical momentous
happening that has completely solved this problem and perhaps rippled out to cover and
infinitely improve other areas of your life too... think for a moment and tell me... how is
life going to be different now? Describe it in detail.
What's the first thing you'll notice as you wake up in the morning?
Other follow up questions to the miracle question that may help the client develop
well-formed goals include;
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How will you know the miracle happened?
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What else would tell you that things are different/better?
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What might others (mother, father, spouse, partner, siblings,
friends, work associates, teachers, and etcetera) notice about
you that would tell them that the miracle has happened, that
things are different or better?
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How would they react?
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Then what would you do?
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What would they do next?
The Empty Chair
Gestalt therapy is a complex psychological system that stresses the development
of client self-awareness and personal responsibility. The "Empty Chair" technique is one
of the various ways in which Gestalt Therapy can be applied which is developed and
popularized by Frederick "Fritz" Pearls.
When the client expresses a conflict with another person, through this technique,
the client is directed to talk to that other person who is imagined to be sitting in an empty
chair across from the client. This helps the client to experience and understand the feeling
more fully. Thus, it stimulates your thinking, highlighting your emotions and attitudes.
The key is a long, detailed, emotional interaction (a conversation). You should shift back
and forth between chairs as you also speak for the person in the other chair. This
"conversation" clarifies your feelings and reactions to the other person and may increase
your understanding of the other person.
Gestalt therapy rose from its beginnings in the middle of the 20th century to rapid
and widespread popularity during the decade of the 1960s and early 1970s. During the
'70s and '80s Gestalt therapy training centers spread globally; but they were, for the most
part, not aligned with formal academic settings. Fritz Perls’ Gestalt first used the empty
chair to help individuals’ role play what they would like to say, or how they would like to
act toward another person.
The following is an example of how one could implement the empty chair technique
within a counseling session;
Imagine your father in this chair (about 3 feet away), see him vividly, and, now, talk to
him about how you felt when he was unfaithful to your mother."
Now switch chairs and respond as if you were your father.
Now switch chairs again, and respond to your father as yourself.
The empty chair technique is generally used with cases of interpersonal problems.
It can be useful when a client feels too submissive, lonely, left-out, or is angry at
someone else. The purpose of this counseling is to help the client to learn how to help
themselves. The client is empowered with the ability to self-heal. This is the reason that it
has gained popularity with school children. The rate of success of this technique
counseling is quite high.
Guided Imagery
Guided imagery involves picturing a specific image or goal and imagining
ourselves achieving that goal. Imagery is something we mentally see, hear, taste, smell,
touch, or feel. With guided imagery we produce active imagination where elements of the
unconscious communicate with the conscious mind.
The principle of guided imagery indicates that thoughts, feelings and physiology
are connected. Guided imagery provides a powerful strategy and a therapeutic tool used
to explore the potential for healing by utilizing the mind-body connection.
The practice of guided imagery is an ancient tradition; it is believed to have been
used as a medical therapy for centuries. These techniques even go back to the ancient
Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans. First recorded evidence is that Tibetan monks in the
13th and 14th centuries began meditating and imagining that Buddha would cure
diseases. It was not until the 1960s, however, that psychologists exploring the emerging
field of biofeedback first began to appreciate the powers of the mind on the physical
body. Through biofeedback, they could teach patients to slow heart rate, lower blood
pressure, or open lungs stricken with asthma. Then, in the 1970s, O. Carl Simonton,
M.D., chief of Radiation Therapy at Travis Air Force base in Fairfield, California, and
psychotherapist Stephanie Matthews-Simonson, devised a program--today known as the
Simonton method--that utilized guided imagery to help his cancer patients. The patients
pictured their white blood cells attacking their cancer cells. Simonton found that the more
vivid the images his patients used (for example, ravenous sharks attacking feeble little
fish), the better the process worked.
The following is an example of how one could implement the guided imagery
technique within a counseling session for a client who has self esteem issues;
Start to create an image in your mind. Imagine you feeling confident, interacting with
others positively. What would it be like if you were very confident? Imagine how you
would behave.... how you would carry yourself. See in your mind your confident facial
expression.... your self-assured posture....
How would this confident you behave? Imagine yourself if you were completely confident
and did not feel shy. See yourself feeling calm and confident.
Guided imagery has many uses. It can be used to resolve inner conflicts and
retrieve psychological symptoms, but also can help with physical problems. Evidences
and examples of medicine practice shows that patients whose use guided imagery have
decreased need for pain medication, decreased side effects, reduced recovery time,
strengthened immune system and increased self-confidence and self-control. Guided
imagery is most used to promote relaxation that can reduce stress, lower blood pressure
and reduce other similar problems. Also it is very useful for losing weight and quitting
smoking. Guided imagery promotes healing, but also can help us to prepare for some
event or situation.
Self Talk
Self talk is a technique that comes from rational-emotive behavior therapy and
other cognitive approaches to counseling. Self talk is a technique that can be used to
dispute any irrational beliefs a person may be feeling and develop healthier thoughts,
which will lead to more positive self-talk. Self-talk, then, can be a powerful tool for
gaining control over your anger-filled emotions. For example, if you are upset because
your wife is running late for a dinner date, you can re-frame your negative feelings by
changing your self talk. Exchange "She always does this! She has no consideration at
all!" to "This does not have to ruin our evening unless I allow it. We can discuss it later."
Repeating soothing statements to yourself can help prevent you from lashing out at her.
One thing to watch out for when practicing self-talk is that you need to assure that
your self-talk is in alignment with your affirmations and your goals, because your
constant repetition of negative self-talk contradicts your affirmations and will perpetuate
your low performance, sabotaging your desired goals.
Before teaching a client how to use this technique, it is helpful to develop a
positive attitude about self talk. If the client has negative attitudes towards this technique
or feels it will never work, then it probably won’t work. It is important to work on some
affirmations that the client could use. Affirmations are positive statements that an
individual says (either aloud or to himself/herself) several times during the day. These
statements empower and encourage. Repetition can become second nature, and they can
turn into self-fulfilling prophecies. Affirmations can be kept in places of prominence (on
mirrors, on dashboards, on desktops, in pockets, on computer screens, etc.).
Often times a student may have negative thoughts or low self confidence on their
ability to be a successful student. I think this would be a regular occurrence in a school
setting. Therefore as a guidance counselor I feel self talk is a strategy that could be used
often.
The following are examples of some positive self talk statements that a student could
use when dealing self esteem issues or test anxiety;
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I am a capable person.
I can do the homework if I decide to do it.
School is as meaningful as I make it.
Grades allow me to reach my personal goals.
The following is table that I came across during my research that gives great
examples of how one can transform negative self talk into positive self talk;
What we think has an effect on how we feel, which, in turn, has an effect on what we
do. I can relate this strategy to sports. Negative thinking has been shown to have a negative
effect on performance. When self-talk is negative, it produces both negative feelings, like
anxiety, as well as physical tension, which can lead to decreased motor coordination and speed.
It also takes your focus away from what you should be doing, which makes it more likely that
you will miss something important or make a mistake. So, when we talk negatively to ourselves,
it affects other important mental skills such as intensity regulation, confidence, and
concentration. When these mental skills deteriorate, performance is likely to suffer, which
serves to reinforce the self-talk creating a vicious cycle.
Thought Stopping
Thought stopping is the process by which you are able to cease dwelling on a
thought bothersome to you. This strategy is used to stop thoughts that are cues to acting
impulsively or compulsively. It gives the client the ability to break the power of these
cues that lead you into addictive or binge-like behavior.
This technique is quite simple and many people laugh when they first hear it, but I
feel it can be a very effective strategy if used appropriately and for the right reasons.
Thought stopping techniques are very useful tools to help you when you feel that
your thoughts are out of control. It is a great technique to reduce the negative impact of
stress, unhealthy emotional cues and fears. Thought stopping can be used in different
ways. For example with thought replacement, when an unwanted thought enters ones
mind, they must immediately replace the thought with a healthy, rational one. Another
way is to yelling "stop" When thinking the unwanted thought, immediately yell "stop!"
The yell can be out loud or only in the mind. Continue to yell "stop!" until the unwanted
thought ceases.
According to our text, thought stopping was first used in 1875 to treat a man who
was preoccupied with thought of nude women. However, many give credit to Alexander
Bain for introducing though stopping in his book in 1928 Thought Control in Everyday
Life. Thought stopping entered the behavior therapy domain after it was suggested by
James G. Taylor and adapted by Joseph Wolpe for the treatment of obsessive and phobic
thoughts.
The following is an example of how one could implement the thought stopping
technique;
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Imagine a stop sign.
It is red and white and has eight sides. In the middle of that octagonal shaped
sign is the word “STOP”.
Now imagine that word “STOP” being said out loud to you by either you or
someone else, or printed on a piece of paper right in front of you.
Usually you will stop what you are doing or thinking even for a second and
wonder, “What do I have to stop for?”, “What is going on?” Then you may go
back to your racing thoughts or actions you were performing just before you
heard or saw the word “STOP”.
The key here is that you just shut down that cyclical pattern of thoughts even for a
second as you pondered the word “STOP”.
As you go back to whatever you were doing just before imagining the word
“STOP”, you are still training yourself to be more in control.
What we know about anxiety is that the premise is one of fear. Fear is about
feeling out of control of what will happen to us. However, once you employ the
thought stopping technique, you were in control of stopping your racing thoughts,
even for a second.
Cognitive Restructuring
Cognitive Restructuring is a useful tool for understanding and turning around
negative thinking. It helps us put unhappy, negative thoughts "under the microscope",
challenging them and in many cases re-scripting the negative thinking that lies behind
them. In doing this, it can help us approach situations in a positive frame of mind. There
are various types of therapy that utilize the process of cognitive restructuring, such as
cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and rational emotive therapy (RET).
Cognitive restructuring helps individuals that are experiencing a variety of
psychiatric conditions. These include depression, anxiety disorders collectively, bulimia,
social phobia, borderline personality disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD), and gambling, just to name a few.
According to our text, Cognitive restructuring is a technique that emerged from
cognitive therapy and is usually credited to the work of Albert Ellis, Aaron Beck and Don
Meichenbaum.
Upon further research I discovered beliefs that Aaron T. Beck developed
cognitive therapy in the 1960s. Beck worked with patients that had been diagnosed with
depression, and found that negative thoughts would come into minds of these patients.
Beck helped his patients recognize the impact of their negative thoughts, and aided them
in shifting their mindset to think more positively—eventually lessening or even getting
rid of the patient’s depression. This process was termed cognitive restructuring.
There are many different circumstances where cognitive restructuring would be
beneficial to a client.
One example would be implementing it into a session where the client has a
problem with depression.
A client may be in the habit of thinking poorly about himself/herself whenever
he/she makes a small mistake, Ex. “This proves that I’m no good!”
We would try to have this person begin to change this habit and start saying
something like, “At least I made a start! Now I know how to do better next time!”
Another example where cognitive restructuring would be beneficial is to a client
who has a problem with their temper.
A client may be in the habit of thinking “What the hell does he think he’s doing?”
when someone does something they do not agree with.
We would try to have this person change this habit and instead say, “The person
did something I don’t like. How big a deal is it? How can I respond to it to make things
come out best?
The key idea behind this strategy is that our moods are driven by what we tell
ourselves, and this is usually based on our interpretations of our environment. Cognitive
Restructuring helps us evaluate how rational and valid these interpretations are. Where
we find that these assumptions and interpretations are incorrect, then this naturally
changes the way we think about situations and changes our moods.
This is obviously important because not only are negative moods unpleasant for
us, they also reduce the quality of our performance and undermine our working and
social relationships with other people.
Transactional analysis
Transactional analysis is a widely recognized form of modern psychology. In this
technique both client and therapist engage in a contract that outlines the desired outcome
the client strives to achieve through therapy. They then rely on their adult beings to
identify and examine various thoughts, behaviors and emotions that hinder the client’s
ability to thrive. The atmosphere that supports transactional analysis is one of comfort,
security and respect. A positive relationship is forged between the clinician and the client
in order to provide a model for subsequent relationships that are developed outside the
therapy arena. Analysts who practice this form of therapy use a broad range of tools
gathered from many disciplines including psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral and
relational therapies.
Transactional analysis was first developed by Canadian-born US psychiatrist, Eric
Berne, starting in the late 1950s. Transactional analysis is not only post-Freudian but,
according to its founder's wishes, consciously extra-Freudian. That is to say that, while it
has its roots in psychoanalysis, since Berne was a psychoanalytically-trained psychiatrist,
it was designed as a dissenting branch of psychoanalysis in that it put its emphasis on
transactional, rather than "psycho-", analysis.
Transactional analysis utilizes the ‘parent adult child’ theory and is applied
throughout many fields, including medical, therapeutic, communications, business
management, clinical, organizational, behavioral and personal. The mainstream appeal of
this technique has attracted parents, professionals, social workers, and others who strive
to achieve maximum personal development. Transactional analysis is a highly effective
method of enhancing your relationships with others and yourself.
Transactional analysis is used by counselors and clinicians who strive to address
the present problems. The focus of the therapy rests on discovering solutions to
maladaptive behaviors. The client and therapist work together in a collaborative and
respectful manner implementing various therapeutic techniques and relying on tools that
will help the client achieve his desired outcome.
Brief Solution Focused Therapy
Solution focused brief therapy (SFBT), is often referred to as simply solution
focused therapy or brief therapy. It is a type of talking therapy that is based upon social
constructionist philosophy. It focuses on what clients want to achieve through therapy
rather than on the problem that made them seek help. The approach does not focus on the
past, but instead, focuses on the present and future. The therapist/counselor uses
respectful curiosity to invite the client to envision their preferred future and then therapist
and client start attending to any moves towards it whether these are small increments or
large changes. To support this, questions are asked about the client’s story, strengths and
resources, and about exceptions to the problem.
Solution Focused Brief Therapy is one of a family of approaches, known as
systems therapies, that have been developed over the past 50 years or so, first in the USA,
and eventually evolving around the world, including Europe. The title SFBT, and the
specific steps involved in its practice, are attributed to husband and wife Steve de Shazer
and Insoo Kim Berg and their team at The Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwaukee,
USA. Core members of this team were Eve Lipchik, Wallace Gingerich, Elam Nunnally,
Alex Molnar, and Michele Weiner-Davis. Their work in the early 1980s built on that of a
number of other innovators, among them Milton Erickson, and the group at the Mental
Research Institute at Palo Alto – Gregory Bateson, Donald deAvila Jackson, Paul
Watzlawick, John Weakland, Virginia Satir, Jay Haley, Richard Fisch, Janet Beavin
Bavelas and others. The concept of brief therapy was independently discovered by
several therapists in their own practices over several decades (notably Milton Erickson),
was described by authors such as Haley in the 1950s, and became popularized in the
1960s and 1970s.
When practicing solution Focused Brief therapy it is often helpful to engage the
person in problem free talk at the beginning and throughout the helping conversation.
This means talking to the person about things in their life that are not immediately
connected with the problem or challenge they are facing. Listening actively to this can
tell you a lot about the young person’s potential, resources and competencies and shows
them that you are interested in them as a person,
Example;” I know a little about your problem but before we discuss it further I would like
to find out a bit more about you as a person. What are your interests, hobbies, tell me
about your family, etc”.
By listening very carefully you will be able to identify the things that are going well or
times in the past when things have gone better. Try not to concentrate your listening too
much at this point on the problem. Think about strengths and successes and remember
these for later use.
Example; “Tell me about a time in the past before the problem existed? What was life
like then?”
What I find very appealing about this strategy is that it is an approach to
psychotherapy based on solution-building rather than problem-solving. It explores current
resources and future hopes rather than present problems and past causes and typically
involves only three to five sessions. With the limited time a counselor may have with a
student in a school setting, this could prove to be very beneficial.
Relaxation Strategies
Stress is necessary for life. You need stress for creativity, learning, and your very
survival. Stress is only harmful when it becomes overwhelming and interrupts the healthy
state of equilibrium that your nervous system needs to remain in balance. Unfortunately,
overwhelming stress has become an increasingly common characteristic of contemporary
life. When stressors throw your nervous system out of balance, relaxation techniques can
bring it back into a balanced state by producing the relaxation response, a state of deep
calmness that is the polar opposite of the stress response.
Relaxation strategies have been around since ancient times. But in the 1970s, selfhelp books teaching relaxation techniques began to appear on bestsellers lists. In 1975,
The Relaxation Response by Harvard Medical School professor Herbert Benson, MD and
Miriam Z. Klipper was published. Their book has been credited with popularizing
meditation in the United States
A variety of different relaxation techniques can help you bring your nervous
system back into balance by producing the relaxation response. Some of these techniques
include; breathing meditation, Progressive muscle relaxation, Body scan meditation,
Mindfulness, Visualization meditation, Yoga and tai chi.
The relaxation response is not lying on the couch or sleeping but a mentally active
process that leaves the body relaxed, calm, and focused.
The following is a chart that I came across during my research that helps people choose
what relaxation technique may work best for them;
Stress Response
Overexcited
Symptoms
You tend to become
angry, agitated, or
keyed up under
stress
You tend to become
Under excited
depressed,
withdrawn, or
spaced out under
stress
Frozen (both overexcited You tend to freeze:
Relaxation Technique
You may respond best to relaxation
techniques that quiet you down, such as
meditation, deep breathing, or guided
imagery
You may respond best to relaxation
techniques that are stimulating and that
energize your nervous system, such as
rhythmic exercise
Your challenge is to identify relaxation
Stress Response
and under excited at the
same time – like pressing
on the brakes and gas
simultaneously)
Symptoms
Relaxation Technique
speeding up in some techniques that provide both safety and
ways while slowing stimulation to help you “reboot” your
down in others
system. Techniques such as mindfulness
walking or power yoga might work well
for you
I would definitely implement many of these strategies into my future practices as
a guidance counselor. Stress is a regular occurrence in the fast pace life in which we live
in. Anxiety is becoming increasingly prevalent among students as well. This is why it is
important as a counselor to learn how to not only implement these strategies into a
counseling relationship, but also give our clients the tools needed to use these strategies
on their own. I myself have used many of these strategies throughout my life when I felt I
needed relief from certain stress I may have been feeling at the time. I feel they can all be
useful if done properly. I personally find deep breathing works best for myself. The key
is finding one that works best for you.
I message
I-messages are assertions about the feelings, beliefs, values etc. of the person
speaking, generally expressed as a sentence beginning with the word "I", and is
contrasted with a "you-message", which often begins with the word "you" and focuses on
the person spoken to. In "I" messages, statements are made about ourselves, how we feel
and our concerns, and what actions of the other party has led to the concerns. "I"
messages are effective because the focus is on the issue or concern and not on the other
person. The sharing of the speaker's feelings can also lead to more trust in the
relationship as it shows the speaker is willing to look within himself or herself and take
responsibility for his or her feelings.
I-messages are often used with the intent to be assertive without putting the
listener on the defensive. They are also used to take ownership for one's feelings rather
than implying that they are caused by another person.
Generally, there are three parts to an "I" message:
I feel _________________ (express your feeling)
when you _____________ (describe the action that affects you or relates to the feeling)
because _______________ (explain how the action affects you or relates to the feeling)
The order in which the 3 parts are expressed is usually not important.
Sometimes a fourth part might be added. This states our preference for what we would
like to take place instead.
Thomas Gordon coined the term "I message" in the 1960s while doing play
therapy with children.
The goals of an "I" message in an interest-based approach:
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to avoid using "you" statements that will escalate the conflict
to respond in a way that will de-escalate the conflict
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to identify feelings
to identify behaviors that are causing the conflict
to help individuals resolve the present conflict and/or prevent future conflicts.
The following are some examples of "I" messages;
"I get very anxious when you raise your voice at me because it makes me feel like I've
done something very wrong. Could you please not raise your voice when we talk?"
"I'm so happy you're learning to cook because then I'll know you can prepare your own
meal when I'm unable to be home in time to cook."
"When you take so long talking to your friend on the phone, I'm concerned that there
might be urgent calls that cannot come through. Also, I feel frustrated as I would like to
spend more time with you. How about asking your friend to call at another time, when I
am not around."
If an "I" message contains "you-messages", it can be problematic in conflict
situations. For example: "I feel..., when you..., and I want you to..." This can put the
receiver of the statement on the defensive. This completed disputes the purpose of the Imessages which are often used with the intent to be assertive without putting the listener
on the defensive.
Deep Breathing
With its focus on full, cleansing breaths, deep breathing is a simple, yet powerful,
relaxation technique. It’s easy to learn, can be practiced almost anywhere, and provides a
quick way to get your stress levels in check. Deep breathing is the cornerstone of many
other relaxation practices, too, and can be combined with other relaxing elements such as
aromatherapy and music. All you really need is a few minutes and a place to stretch out.
The key to deep breathing is to breathe deeply from the abdomen, getting as much
fresh air as possible in your lungs. When you take deep breaths from the abdomen, rather
than shallow breaths from your upper chest, you inhale more oxygen. The more oxygen
you get, the less tense, short of breath, and anxious you feel.
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Sit comfortably with your back straight. Put one hand on your chest and the other
on your stomach.
Breathe in through your nose. The hand on your stomach should rise. The hand on
your chest should move very little.
Exhale through your mouth, pushing out as much air as you can while contracting
your abdominal muscles. The hand on your stomach should move in as you
exhale, but your other hand should move very little.
Continue to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to
inhale enough so that your lower abdomen rises and falls. Count slowly as you
exhale.
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If you find it difficult breathing from your abdomen while sitting up, try lying on
the floor. Put a small book on your stomach, and try to breathe so that the book
rises as you inhale and falls as you exhale.
Although it is unclear just exactly when the practice of deep breathing began, the
Buddha was said to have taught the important of sitting and going within to experience
the breath. Akira Hirakawa and Paul Groner write in their book, "A History of Indian
Buddhism," that it is thought the Buddha lived around 80 years old and died sometime
between 460 and 490 B.C.E.
Scaling
Scaling is a form of Solution focused brief therapy. Scaling questions are tools
that are used to identify useful differences for the client and may help to establish goals
as well. The poles of a scale are typically defined in a range from "the worst the problem
has ever been" (zero or one) to "the best things could ever possibly be" (ten). The client is
asked to rate their current position on the scale, and questions are then used to help the
client identify resources (e.g. "what's stopping you from slipping one point lower down
the scale?"), exceptions (e.g. "on a day when you are one point higher on the scale, what
would tell you that it was a 'one point higher' day?") and to describe a preferred future
(e.g. "where on the scale would be good enough? What would a day at that point on the
scale look like?")
Scaling questions invite clients to perceive their problem on a continuum and can
be a helpful way to track a client’s progress toward goals and monitor incremental
change.
Scaling is used in many ways, including with children and clients who are not verbal or who
have impaired verbal skills. One can ask about clients' motivation, hopefulness, depression, confidence,
and progress they made, or a host of other topics that can be used to track their performance and what
might be the next small steps.
Scaling originated within behavioral approaches to counseling and today also is largely used in
solution-focused brief counseling, which was started by de Shazer and arose out of Strategic Family
Therapy (Letham, 2002).
The following is a scaling example of a couple who sought help to decide whether their marriage can
survive or they should get divorced. They reported they have fought for 10 years of their 20 years of
marriage and they could not fight anymore.
Therapist: Since you two know your marriage better than anybody does, suppose I ask you this way. On
a number of 1 to 10, where 10 stands for you have every confidence that this marriage will make it and 1
stands for the opposite, that we might just as well walk away right now and it’s not going to work. What
number would you give your marriage? (After a pause, the husband speaks first.)
Husband: I would give it a 7. (the wife flinches as she hears this)
Therapist: (To the wife) What about you? What number would you give it?
Wife: (she thinks about it a long time) I would say I am at 1.1.
Therapist: (Surprised) So, what makes it a 1.1?
Wife: I guess it’s because we are both here tonight.
The way this technique that was used above gives the therapist vital information needed
to begin to work towards the proper solution, if any, to this given situation.
Behavior Rehearsal
Behavioral rehearsal is a behaviorally based procedure that involves the use of
live or symbolic models to demonstrate a particular behavior, thought, or attitude that a
client may want to acquire or change. It is a strategy which a client practices new
behavior in the consulting room, often aided by demonstrations and role-play by the
therapist.
After the success of desensitization therapy called attention to the new field of
behavior therapy in the 1950s and 1960s, behavior therapists began to branch out from
desensitization and sensitization to different types of therapy. Albert Bandura's Principles
of Behavior Modification (1967) introduced the concepts of vicarious reinforcement,
modeling, and behavior rehearsal to behavior therapists.
The technique has been used to eliminate unwanted behaviors, reduce excessive
fears, facilitate learning of social behaviors, and many more. I has also been used
effectively to treat individuals with anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder ,
specific phobias , obsessive-compulsive disorder , eating disorders, attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder , and conduct disorder .
The following is a fantastic example of this type of strategy that I found in a great article
upon my research. It is an example from Wolpe and Lazarus (1966) in which a client
appropriately dubbed "P.R." is taught to sell himself in a job interview.
Mr. P.R.. was told to pretend that the therapist was a prominent business executive who
had advertised for an experienced accountant to take charge of one of his companies. Mr.
P.R.. had applied for the position and had been asked to present himself for an interview.
The therapist instructed Mr. P.R.. to leave the consulting room, to knock on the door and
to enter when invited to do so...
At the therapist's deliberately resonant "Come in!" Mr. P.R.. opened the door of the
consulting room and hesitantly approached the desk. The therapist interrupted the roleplaying procedure to mirror the patient's timid posture, shuffling gait, downcast eyes and
overall tension.
The "correct" entry was rehearsed several times until Mr. PR's approach to the
prominent executive-behind-the-desk was completely devoid of any overt signs of timidity
or anxiety. He was then taught to deal with a variety of entries—being met at the door;
the employer who makes himself incommunicado while studying important looking
documents; and the overeffusive one who self-consciously tries to place him at ease.
Next, the content of the interview was scrutinized. Mr. PR's replies to questions
concerning his background, qualifications and experience were tape-recorded. Mr. P.R..
was instructed to place himself in the position of the prospective employer and asked to
decide whether or not he would employ the applicant on the basis of his recorded
interview. It was clear from the recording that the elimination of Mr. PR's hesitant gait
and posture had not generalized to his faltering speech. Above all, it was noted that Mr.
P.R.. tended to undersell himself. Instead of stressing his excellent qualifications he
mumbled rather incoherent and unimpressive generalities about his background and
training.
The therapist demonstrated more efficient verbal responses that the patient was required
to imitate. In this manner, Mr. P.R.. was able to rehearse adequate replies to specific
questions, and to prepare an impressive-sounding discourse for use in unstructured
interviews.
Behavior Contract
Behavior contracting is a therapeutic technique in which an agreement is reached
with a client, usually in the form of a written, signed contract. This would make clear the
consequences that would follow certain identified behaviors. For example a contract
might be drawn up with a child specifying their reward of a star for not bed-wetting.
These agreements make clear the schedule of reinforcement being applied and in signing
up to the agreement it is understood that this might motivate the client to cooperate with
the program. The contract may be seen as an adjunct to a behavior modification program
or a behavior therapy intervention.
Behavior contracts can provide the means to improve behavior. They describe the
kind of behavior you want to see, establish the criterion for success, and lay out both the
consequences and rewards for behavior.
Behavior contracts, or contingency contracts, are based upon the operant
conditioning (Mikulas 1978) principle of positive reinforcement (or punishment). The
term “contingency contract” as first used by L.P. Homme in 1966 when he reported using
contracts with high school drop out in order to reinforce academic performance (Cantrell,
Cantrell, Huddleston, & Woolridge, 1969). Although they were made popular by
behavioral and reality therapists,
As a future guidance counselor and a current teacher, behavioral contracts are
second nature. Typically a behavior contract within the school system is an agreement
between a child and his or her parents. A good behavior contract will describe the child's
behavioral expectations as well as the incentives and consequences that result from the
child's behavior. Using a behavior contract means that you have taken the first step
towards establishing firm limits. Expectations must be clearly stated and he or she then
knows what to expect when the conditions of the contract are met (or not met). Behavior
contracts are easy to enforce and can be put together with minimal effort.
The effectiveness of the contract will depend on many factors. These factors
include;
 How fair the contract is.
 How well written (detailed) the contract is.
 How consistently the contract is enforced.
 The effectiveness of the incentives and consequences that are chosen.
 How motivated the child is to meet the expectations (conditions) of the contract.
As a teacher, I have used similar contracts numerous times throughout my
teaching career. I find them, for the most part, very useful and affective. The following is
an example of a contract that I would typically use for a student;
MY CONTRACT
I _________________________________________________ agree to the following
terms:
These are my goals:
1._________________________________________________________________________
Threshold:_________________________________________________________________
2._________________________________________________________________________
Threshold:_________________________________________________________________
These are my rewards/reinforcers if I meet my goals:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
These are my consequences if I do not meet my goals:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
My contract will be reviewed
on____________________________________________________________
Signatures
Student ______________________________________________
Date______________________________
Teacher_______________________________________________
Date______________________________
Parent________________________________________________
Date______________________________
This is a fairly straight forward form that can be used for most behaviors. There is
room for only two behaviors: more than two behaviors may only confuse the student and
dissipate the effort you need to place on identifying the replacement behavior and
praising it. After each goal there is a place for "threshold." Here you define when the goal
has been met in a way that merits reinforcement. If your goal is to eliminate calling out,
you may want a threshold of 2 or fewer instances per subject or class. In these contracts,
rewards come first, but consequences also need to be spelled out. The contract has a
review date: it makes the teacher accountable as well as the students. Make it clear that a
contract does not need to be forever.
Daily Mood Log
Daily mood logs are simplified self-report techniques derived from the more
extensive Life Chart Approach. The participation of the client in proving input to the
daily documentation has been found to promote a more involved and collaborative
therapeutic alliance with the clinician. Patient participation serves to reinforce education
and information about the condition and how to manage lifestyles (sleep, habits, etc.) and
promotes active involvement in the management of the disorder.
Daily mood logs are very effective when dealing with client’s that are manic
depressive or have bipolar disorder. By gathering information about your mood, events in
your life, sleep patterns and medications you are taking, you may notice patterns that
would otherwise remain undetected.
Daily mood logs are simple to use. You should keep this sheet in a place where
you can use it every day. First, note the month and year on the sheet. At the end of each
day, take a few moments to think about your day. Reflection has great therapeutic value
not only to track your mood, but it also is a great stress relief for some people.
Narrative Therapy
Narrative therapy seeks to be a respectful, non-blaming approach to counseling
and community work, which centers people as the experts in their own lives. It views
problems as separate from people and assumes people have many skills, competencies,
beliefs, values, commitments and abilities that will assist them to reduce the influence of
problems in their lives.
Narrative Therapy is a form of psychotherapy using narrative. The term narrative
implies listening to and telling or retelling stories about people and the problems in their
lives. In the face of serious and sometimes potentially deadly problems, the idea of
hearing or telling stories may seem a trivial pursuit. It is hard to believe that
conversations can shape new realities. But they do. The bridges of meaning we build with
children help healing developments flourish instead of wither and be forgotten. Language
can shape events into narratives of hope.
It was initially developed during the 1970s and 1980s, largely by Australian
Michael White and his friend and colleague, David Epston, of New Zealand.
The term "narrative therapy" has a specific meaning and is not the same as
narrative psychology, or any other therapy that uses stories. Narrative therapy refers to
the ideas and practices of Michael White, David Epston, and other practitioners who have
built upon this work. The narrative therapist is a collaborator with the client in the
process of developing richer (or "thicker") narratives. In this process, narrative therapists
ask questions to generate experientially vivid descriptions of life events that are not
currently included in the plot of the problematic story.
Journaling
Journal Therapy is the act of writing down thoughts and feelings to sort through
problems and come to deeper understandings of oneself or the issues in one’s life. Unlike
traditional diary writing, where daily events and happenings are recorded from an
exterior point of view, journal therapy focuses on the writer’s internal experiences,
reactions, and perceptions. Through this act of literally reading his or her own mind, the
writer is able to perceive experiences more clearly and thus feels a relief of tension. This
has been shown to have mental and physical health benefits.
Journal Therapy is an effective way to treat many medical, social, developmental,
and psychological issues. This extremely beneficial therapy has been shown to help a
person manage their behavior and inner and outer conflicts. People who journal find a
higher sense of self-awareness and are able to reduce anxiety and gain a sense of
empowerment. Many people who struggle with deep emotional conflicts or traumas are
unable to express their feelings in a verbal or physical way. Journaling allows a person
the freedom of expression without fear of retaliation, frustration, or humiliation. By
putting emotionally challenging situations on paper, a person has the ability to view them
from a different perspective and gain insight into otherwise hidden facets of their
behavior and actions. They can also see extremely subjective scenarios from an objective
point of view.
Although people have written diaries and journals for centuries, the therapeutic
potential of reflective writing didn’t come into public awareness until the 1960s, when
Dr. Ira Progoff, a psychologist in New York City, began offering workshops and classes
in the use of what he called the Intensive Journal method. Dr. Progoff had been using a
“psychological notebook” with his therapy clients for several years. His Intensive Journal
is a three-ring notebook with many color-coded sections for different aspects of the
writer’s life exploration and psychological healing. The Progoff method of journal
keeping quickly became popular, and today the method has been taught to more than
250,000 people through a network of “journal consultants” trained by Dr. Progoff and his
staff.
There is no "right way" to journal. The journaling experience can be as unique as
the person doing it. It can also be adapted to suit the individual's needs. Buying an
expensive journal is not necessary. In fact, most therapists report better results when their
patients use an ordinary spiral notebook or legal pad, at least in the beginning. This
reduces performance anxiety of having to write something profound. One therapist
advised her client to write on the first page of her notebook, in large letters, "There is no
RIGHT way to do this!"
Some things that can be written in journals include;








What was covered in the last session.
What you'd like to discuss in the future.
What you're noticing about yourself this week.
What you'd wish for if you had three wishes.
Your dreams (keep the journal by your bed to get them while they're fresh)
How you feel about therapy and/or the therapist.
What you're feeling and thinking at the very moment you're writing.
Your worries. Your blessings. Your goals. Your memories. Your writer's block.
The list can go on and on. The main thing is to make it manageable or you won't do it
As a teacher I have been using journaling within my classroom for several years.
In the 1980s many public school systems began formally using journals in English
classes and across the curricula. These journals offer a way for students to develop
independent thinking skills and they give me a method for responding directly to students
with individual feedback. Although the intention for classroom journal is educational
rather than therapeutic, I, as well as many teachers, noticed that a simple assignment to
reflect on an academic question or problem often revealed important information about
the student’s emotional life. Students often report feeling a relief of pressure and tension
when they could write down troubling events or confusing thoughts or feelings.
Systematic Desensitization
Systematic desensitization is a type of behavioral therapy used in the field of
psychology to help effectively overcome phobias and other anxiety disorders. To begin
the process of systematic desensitization, one must first be taught relaxation skills in
order to extinguish fear and anxiety responses to specific phobias. Once the individual
has been taught these skills, he or she must use them to react towards and overcome
situations in an established hierarchy of fears. The goal of this process is that an
individual will learn to cope and overcome the fear in each step of the hierarchy, which
will lead to overcoming the last step of the fear in the hierarchy. Systematic
desensitization is sometimes called graduated exposure therapy.
This technique is based on the principles of classical conditioning and the premise
that what has been learned (conditioned) can be unlearned. Ample research shows that
systematic desensitization is effective in reducing anxiety and panic attacks associated
with fearful situations.
Systematic desensitization usually starts with imagining yourself in a progression of
fearful situations and using relaxation strategies that compete with anxiety. Once you can
successfully manage your anxiety while imagining fearful events, you can use the
technique in real life situations. The goal of the process is to become gradually
desensitized to the triggers that are causing your distress. This can be done In vitro – the
client imagines exposure to the phobic stimulus or In vivo – the client is actually exposed
to the phobic stimulus.
In the late 1950’s, Joseph Wolpe developed systematic desensitization, one of the
most common techniques used to treat anxiety and phobias (Corey, 2007). This
technique, originally considered to be strictly behavioral, is now considered to include
cognitive components as well.
The following is an example of Systematic Desensitization;
The fear of driving a car is removed by helping the client stay calm while looking at the
car first, then planning a car trip, then the client is asked to sit in a parked car, then to
drive on a country road at a low speed and so on. The client is returned to the previous
step if he or she can not calm down.
Systematic desensitization is used as the main method in treating different fears
and phobias strong feelings of guilt and shame, sexual dysfunction, obsessions,
depression and stammering. Systematic desensitization is often combined with other
methods of behavior psychotherapy, for example, in social skills training, in therapy of
shyness or uncontrolled aggression.
Systematic Desensitization is not effective in treating serious mental disorders
like depression and schizophrenia.
Acting As If
Acting "as if" reflects the constructivist perspective. When someone has difficulty
acting pro socially, that is, speaking assertively or responding with some measure of
empathy, the clinician might encourage them to act "as if" they were assertive or
empathic several times a day until the next session. The rationale for this reconstruction
strategy is that as someone begins to act differently and to feel differently, they become a
different person,
The idea is that if you are worried about something, take some time to pretend
like you aren't worried about it - smile, even if you are feeling down on the inside replace a negative thought with a positive one. If you smile at others, they are more likely
to smile back, raising your spirits and making you more likely to truly feel good. This
way you can trick your brain into thinking you are a certain way and over time your feel
good chemicals might just increase by creating a positive feedback loop. Your brain
doesn't know if a smile is a fake one.
Acting as if is a technique based on the Adlerian approach. The goal of the
Adlerian therapy is to increase clients’ social interest and community feelings (Carlson,
Watts, & Maniacci, 2005), as measured according to four criteria: (1) decreasing
symptoms, (2) increasing functioning, (3) increasing the client’s sense of humor, and (4)
producing a change in the client’s perspective. Acting as if helps the client change not
only his perspective but also his behavior, which in turn leads to increased functioning. It
is not enough for clients to see things differently; they must also act differently.
Acting as if can be used in a variety of situations where the client does not believe
he possesses the necessary skills to confront a challenging situation. A man struggling
with shyness can “act as if” he is assertive (Carlson et al., 2005). A woman who is scared
of her verbally abusive husband can act as if she were brave enough to stand up to him
(Seligman, 2001). In addition, children undergoing medical treatments have handled the
treatments more successfully when they have pretended to be their favorite superhero.
Reframing
Reframing is a specific counseling micro-skill used to more-or-less offer people
alternative ways of viewing things (problems/issues). It is basically putting a different
(more positive yet realistic) perspective on things that are concerning, worrying or
problematic for people.
Reframing consists of changing the way people see things and trying to find
alternative ways of viewing ideas, events, situations, or a variety of other concepts. In the
context of cognitive therapy, cognitive reframing is referred to as cognitive restructuring.
Cognitive reframing, on the other hand, refers to the process as it occurs either
voluntarily or automatically in all settings. The reframing strategy evolved from Adlerian
theory.
Clients frequently (or usually) spend a lot of time repeating the same litany over
and over again. Sometimes it is like listening to a broken record player that plays the
same scratchy record until it reaches the place where it is stuck, then resets itself and
plays again. So, week after week they come in and repeat the same exact conversation.
The therapist can try to guide the conversation, to reframe the perception of the client, to
help them focus on skills they can use to challenge these old scripts, but none of this
helpfulness will do any good until the client is ready to move. They won’t move and
cannot move on your energy or time line. Any movement that happens will have to come
from their energy and their time lines. So part of the challenge for developing the skill set
of the therapist is to learn to wait and listen patiently, reflectively and probe for the
openings.
An example would be that a counselor might hear somebody with an anxiety
disorder say something like:
“I just seem to feel so anxious ALL the time! It’s getting worse. My head seems to spin
around all the time too. It’s all too much. I just can’t cope any longer. And to make things
worse, my husband seems to be becoming even more demanding……..and everybody
else! He doesn’t do enough and I’m sick of it!”
A re-frame could be something such as:
“I hear what you are saying and it actually sounds to me like you are very important to
him, as if he may feel like he needs you. And it also sounds like others rely on you too.
Perhaps they see you as someone who is very helpful and valuable to them”.