Counseling Techniques
Fun twists can help people make progress in therapy: Here are 3 examples
For the last 40 years, I have been a therapist devoted to serving and assisting many different types of people, from children to adults, individuals, families. Due to my many years of experience, people are constantly asking me for my outlook on different theories....
Humor linked to positive counseling therapy outcomes (Video)
Humor can improve the client-therapist relationship and overall success in therapy. A study from The American Journal of Psychotherapy surveyed 110 clients and their therapists about the use of humor in therapy. It found that clients who reported more humor in their...
Externalizing the problem: A technique used in narrative therapy to help clients separate themselves from their problems
Many of us make our problems out to be much bigger than they are; fortunately, a counseling technique called externalizing the problem can help. Externalizing the problem helps us gain a better perspective: rather than personalizing it, clients in therapy are able to...
Using engagement and encouragement as a therapy technique: A licensed marriage and family therapist walks you through her therapeutic process
It’s important the client feels engaged right away, in that the therapist feels welcomed and receives dedicated care from the get-go. Once the client and counselor have decided they’re a good match, the counselor can help them feel more comfortable by explaining...
Motivational Interviewing: What is it and why is it effective in counseling? What skills are involved?
Motivational interviewing is a method counselors use to help their clients work through their feelings and find the motivation to make desired or necessary changes. This technique is meant to take the pressure off and in turn make for a relaxed dynamic that makes the...
What is a working alliance in counseling? What does a healthy therapeutic relationship look like?
A working alliance in therapy, otherwise known as the therapeutic relationship, is simply the relationship that exists between the client and his or her therapist. In this alliance, both parties have the same goal: for the client to make improvements and benefit from...
Is it important to trust your counselor? How do counselors make their clients feel comfortable enough to open up?
A key to finding success in therapy is building a positive relationship with your therapist and feeling comfortable enough to open up to them. Counselors use different techniques to help their clients feel more comfortable in therapy, and in turn, make for a...
What does a healthy therapeutic relationship NOT look like? Here are five types of therapists you should avoid
When exploring different options for therapy and therapists, it’s important that you acknowledge the importance of a healthy therapeutic relationship and therefore avoid several types of therapists. The first kind of counselor you should avoid is the Conflict of...
Empathic responding (or active listening) in counseling: A basic, yet essential response for counselors to master in their practice
Therapists possess and utilize many skills, but a very important response for them to master in their practice is empathetic responding or active listening. Empathic responding is when the counselor clearly communicates the feeling their client has expressed as well...
