Prospective clients have formed their expectations of counseling based on what they have heard from other people, read, and seen on television and in the movies. When a client comes to counseling, all of these previous experiences lead the client to have a certain set of expectations about what the experience will be like. If a person has watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Some clients come to counseling expecting the counselor to be a judge in settling relational conflicts. Clients who come with this expectation attempt to present their case in a convincing way, expecting the counselor to rule in favor of one or another. Other clients come to counseling expecting that counseling will involve the counselor listening only. This expectation has been fostered by the writings of Carl Rogers in his humanistic psychology. Most clients today find the client-centered non-directive approach disappointing, and do not find it satisfactory. Others who have read Jay Adams work Competent to Counsel, expect that the counselor hunt down “the sin” that is the cause of the problem.
The Christian Family Institute model of counseling involves listening to clients tell their story. Clients are asked in the early phase of the first counseling session what brings them to counseling. Clients are encouraged to share the distress of their life that has caused them to seek professional services. Clients are also encouraged to bring other involved family members to the counseling session when possible. Unlike individual approaches to counseling, a family systems approach attempts to respect each person’s unique perspective on the problem. Family and marital counseling also encourages family members to talk to one another and to resolve their disputes with one another. Individual counseling sometimes fosters a belief that the counselor is siding with one person against another and may put the counselor in a position of operating with only half of the facts.
As counselors listen to each family member’s perspective on the problem, the counselor attempts to establish counseling goals in collaboration with family members that meet their needs and expectations. In a marriage counseling session, one partner may complain that there is not enough communication while another partner complains that there is not an adequate sexual relationship. The counselor attempts to establish mutually agreeable goals for the resolution of the problem to both partners’ satisfaction.
An individual may come to counseling expressing a desire to overcome problems with depression. A counselor needs to hear their client’s own theory about what may be contributing to their depression. The counselor also may help the client investigate new areas they have not considered. In counseling, clients may be helped to discover their blind spots about the problem that brings them to counseling. After goals are established, the counselor then helps the client plan a strategy for resolving the problem.
(Adapted from our corporate web site.)
