Running head: PERSONAL THEORY

Personal Theory
Maranda Carter
University of South Florida

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Personal Philosophy of Counseling
View of Human Nature
My views on human nature have not always been the same and I wonder if they will
continue to change as I grow both as a counselor and as person. My current views are that people
are born neither good nor bad, but instead enter the world neutral. I believe that people have free
will, nothing is predetermined, and that things can change. People have control over some if not
most aspects of their lives and therefore have some power or control. Since we all have this
power, we are able to influence and have control over most of our outcomes.
In my view, personality and development of a person is influenced by a multitude of
factors including both the persons genetics and their environment. There is not one single thing
that makes a person who they are. It is a combination of factors, such as the environment that a
person was in, what they perceived, what was conditioned, and what was modeled. I believe in a
subjective reality. We only really know what we can actually perceive. We can only speculate
and discuss things that are outside our perceptions.
What makes someone the way they are is from their unique experiences. Everyone is
different, has different viewpoints, and perceives things differently. People navigate through their
environment perceiving and having cognitions. Through this navigation people interact with
others. An individual demonstrates their thoughts or cognitions by eliciting a certain behavior.
Based on others reactions to an individuals behavior the behavior may be reinforced or rejected.
It is through these interactions that individuals become who they are. It is an ongoing process
that never ends.
I also know that people do not have the same imaginations, desires or motivations as they
grow and develop through their unique experiences and character development. Therefore, there
are cases and situations where some can, and do, influence themselves to add or change their
experiences in some manner that also had an impact their individual development.

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How psychopathology develops is difficult to define. One way I think psychopathology
develops is from the individual having feelings of incongruence. When the individual acts and
behaves in a way that they think others want them to, instead of acting or doing what is really
true to them. Not being themselves and instead being someone else can cause someone to
develop a psychopathology. Another way psychopathology can develop is from conditioning and
modeling. The individual will most likely not be aware that these thoughts and behaviors have
been reinforced or modeled in their life. It is their norm, but unfortunately some behaviors that
are modeled or reinforced cause psychopathology to develop in an individual.
Beliefs about the Change Process
People have the power to enact change in their life. The first step of the change process is
to recognize that change is needed. Then there must be a desire for the individual to want to
change. The role of the counselor is to encourage the client in the change process. Their goal is
to guide the client through the process by questioning, focusing, and talking about the clients
options. The counselor should demonstrate empathy towards the client. The client, if they really
want to change and make progress, should be willing to hear the counselor and follow through
with the goal and planned actions. The therapeutic relationship is a relationship that should be
founded on open and honest communication from both the counselor and the client. The verbal
interaction maybe difficult in the beginning of the counseling relationship but should flow more
easily as the relationship progresses. It is usually not a quick process in that rapport and trust
must be built as a foundation to progress further toward goals and solutions that will have a
positive impact for the client.
The purpose of the counseling relationship is to better the client. To help the client better
understand themselves by gaining a better understanding of their thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors. It is important that the counselor educate the client about what counseling is. A

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counselor does not provide the answers for the client. Instead, the counselor works with the
client and guides them through the counseling process.
Therapeutic Techniques and Procedures
Empathy is a technique that I believe needs to be demonstrated with every interaction
with a client. Empathy is feeling what the client feels as that person experiences it. It is a skill
that needs to become natural and has to be authentic. By demonstrating empathy to a client I am
showing that I understood the client. I will demonstrate empathy by reflecting what the client has
shared with me. In order to get a better understanding of the situation(s) the client is going
through I will use questions and patient listening skills.
Another technique that is important to demonstrate with clients in every interaction is
unconditional positive regard. It is important that I show the client that my office is a judgement
free zone, it especially critical that I demonstrate unconditional positive regard when the client is
sharing something that is difficult to talk about. I would demonstrate unconditional positive
regard and acceptance by encouraging the client to share their story. I would also verbalize my
positive regard by praising them for sharing their difficult story and thanking them for sharing it
with me.
Relaxation training is a therapeutic technique that I will use often. I will use relaxation
training for clients that are dealing with stress, anxiety, and phobias. Many people go throughout
their life without ever making time to relax. Through counseling and relaxing training I will be
able to train clients how to relax and gain better control over their lives. Relaxation training will
also be beneficial in the beginning of the counseling relationship to help ease the anxiety that can
be present.
Identifying and challenging cognitive distortions is a technique that I will use quite often.
Many people act and behave a certain way without really knowing why they are doing so. By
working with the client and working backwards from their automatic thoughts and identifying
the clients cognitive distortions I will be able to help the client get to the root of their cognitions

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and their behavior. I would use this technique for clients that want to gain a better understanding
of themselves. It would be a great technique to use for clients that have low self-esteem to
change the automatic thoughts to more positive ones.
Indicators for Success/Effectiveness
I will know that therapy is effective when the client is self-assured and confident. When
the client enters my office looking forward to counseling instead of dreading it will be an
indicator that progress is being made. The clients manner of speech will show signs of
confidence and determination to take control of his or her own life. The client will have an
understanding of how the problem developed, will have worked with me in setting goals, and
now is well into implementing the plan. It will be obvious that rapport and trust has developed.
The client will no longer show signs of anxiety and will exhibit effective coping
strategies. Even subtle changes will be noted such as a change in posture or confidence when
speaking. I will use assessment tools such as scales to note their progress. I will share with the
client how their self-reported ratings on the scale have changed as the counseling has progressed.

Theoretical Influences
Theory That Aligns With My Own Beliefs
The theory that aligns the most with my own beliefs is cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Cognitive -behavioral therapy is the combination of both cognitive therapy and behavior therapy.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is anti-deterministic. People can grow and change. People can
challenge their thoughts and change their behaviors.
Cognitive-behavior therapy does not see people as good or bad. As I stated above, I
believe that what makes someone who they are is determined by a combination of both genetic
and environmental factors. Aaron Beck, the founder of cognitive therapy, suggests that there is a
genetic predisposition to some emotional responses. Cognitive therapy suggests a diathesis-stress
model of mental disorders which means a genetic predisposition under stressful circumstances

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may cause a mental disorder. Both behaviors and cognitions are conditioned subtly and play a
role in the development of both normal and abnormal behavior.
Cognitions and behaviors go hand in hand. Our cognitions influence how we act. If we
change the way we think, we can change our behavior or by changing our behavior we can also
change the way we think. Cognitive-behavioral therapy shows that the client has control over
their life and can enact changes. By learning techniques based in this theory, the client will be
able to identify what they think and why they act in certain ways which is the first step towards
making change. Once the client is able to identify his/her cognitions, they can challenge and
change them.
Theory That Contrasts With My Beliefs
Psychoanalytic theory is the theory that most contrasts with my beliefs. This theory is
deterministic, meaning that a persons personality is shaped at a young age and it quite difficult
to enact any change upon. The focus of this type of therapy is on the unconscious instead of
focusing on the here and now. Psychoanalysis often requires that the client come in multiple
times a week and sometimes lasts five or more years. It is difficult to know if any progress is
actually being made with the client.
An issue I have with this theory is that the client really does not have much power within
their own life. According to this theory, they are not likely to change and the only things the
client can do is try to analyze their unconscious mind or analyze their dreams. This type of
therapy does not empower the client, but instead focuses on the past. Since the focus is so much
in the past it does not allow the client to make change in order to better their future.