Counselling and Therapy: An Introductory Survey

In discussing psychology and psychotherapy with students in both formal and informal settings, it has become obvious to me that many professionals and trainees in health, social service and education spheres often have misinformed, erroneous and often biased views of the aims, objectives and techniques involved in counselling and psychotherapy. There is a proliferation of therapies, some old, some new, which produce a confusing kaleidoscope of treatments on offer to a bewildered public. The purpose of this text is to present in a relatively brief, objective form various current theories and practices in counselling or psychotherapy. This is difficult to do because brevity can itself bring about misunder­ standing, misrepresentation or biased perception. The writer hopes that such has not occurred. The text surveys the bewildering range of therapies available within and outside the Health, Social and Educational Services, to enable intelligent professionals in those services to be more aware of and sensitive to the treatments their clients are undergoing, may undergo or have undergone. Accounts of psychotherapeutic help are often buried in recondite journals, usually inaccessible to doctors, nurses, paramedics, social workers and teachers functioning at 'the coal face'. Few articles ever attempt a comprehensive surveyor rapprochement; most simply argue for one therapy in a biased promotion.