Significant Things of Adlerian Counseling.

Significant Things of Adlerian Counseling

Significant Things of Adlerian Counseling

Alfred Adler is the founder of Adlerian theory which focuses on the development of individual personality while understanding and accepting the interconnectedness of all humans. Adlerian theory refers to the practice and belief that people as individuals should be validated, connected, and made to feel significant. Adler believed that the individual begins to form an approach to life somewhere in the first six years of life. He focused on the person's past as perceived in the present and how an individual’s interpretation of early events continued to influence that person's present behavior.  According to Adler, humans are motivated primarily by social relatedness rather than sexual urges. Behavior is purposeful, goal directed, and consciousness more than unconsciousness is the focus of therapy. Alfred Adler considered human beings as an individual whole, therefore he called his psychology "Individual Psychology" (Fall, Holden, & Marquis, 2017). Although Alfred Adler had various principles and ideals, the phases of treatment were of significance to me in this chapter.

In the first phase, developing a therapeutic relationship between the counselor and client, the counselor lays the foundation for an egalitarian working relationship. Adler believed if a therapist constructed a cooperative environment, a client would more openly and actively challenge faulty assumptions and would experience the benefits of collaborating instead of competing (Fall et al., 2017). A trusting therapeutic relationship is built between the therapist and the person in therapy working together to effectively address the problem. Ways to build this relationship are for me to stay focused and give each patient the full attention they need, and I need, to gain insight to make an accurate assessment, and ultimately develop a suitable therapy plan. Another is to help clients feel understood and respected. I would also want to set clear boundaries with clients.

The second phase is investigating the lifestyle (Assessment). The therapist invites the individual to speak about his or her personal history, family history, early recollections, beliefs, feelings, and motives (Fall et al., 2017). They are composed of an extensive series of questions aimed at identifying the way you understand the world and your underlying values. This helps to reveal the person's overall lifestyle pattern, including factors that might initially be thought of as insignificant or irrelevant by the person in therapy. Lifestyle assessments explore your family of origin; your birth order; early memories; your beliefs about gender, achievement, significance, and belonging. One perception I did take as a kid was that all women were supposed to stay home, clean, and cook. I watched this daily, so this was in my belief system. I must admit that it was this belief that led me to be a home maker most of my life and barely now be in pursuit of my own career path.