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Aims of Counselling

The document outlines various aims that counselors may espouse for counseling and therapy, including: gaining insight into the origins of emotional difficulties; improving relationships with others; increasing self-awareness and acceptance; achieving self-actualization; solving problems or acquiring skills like social skills, cognitive changes, and behavior changes; and enabling empowerment, generativity, and social action. Some counselors may aim for enlightenment, psychological education, systemic family changes, or helping clients make amends.

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Aayushi Pillai
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2K views2 pages

Aims of Counselling

The document outlines various aims that counselors may espouse for counseling and therapy, including: gaining insight into the origins of emotional difficulties; improving relationships with others; increasing self-awareness and acceptance; achieving self-actualization; solving problems or acquiring skills like social skills, cognitive changes, and behavior changes; and enabling empowerment, generativity, and social action. Some counselors may aim for enlightenment, psychological education, systemic family changes, or helping clients make amends.

Uploaded by

Aayushi Pillai
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Aims of Counselling

Underpinning the diversity of theoretical models and social purposes discussed above
are a variety of ideas about the aims of counselling and therapy. Some of the different
aims that are espoused either explicitly or implicitly by counsellors are listed:

• Insight. The acquisition of an understanding of the origins and development of


emotional difficulties, leading to an increased capacity to take rational control over
feelings and actions (Freud: ‘where id was, shall ego be’).

 • Relating with others. Becoming better able to form and maintain meaningful and
satisfying relationships with other people: for example, within the family or workplace.

 • Self-awareness. Becoming more aware of thoughts and feelings that had been blocked
off or denied, or developing a more accurate sense of how self is perceived by others.

 • Self-acceptance. The development of a positive attitude towards self, marked by an


ability to acknowledge areas of experience that had been the subject of self-criticism and
rejection.

 • Self-actualization or individuation. Moving in the direction of fulfilling potential or


achieving an integration of previously conflicting parts of self. 

• Enlightenment. Assisting the client to arrive at a higher state of spiritual awakening. 

• Problem-solving. Finding a solution to a specific problem that the client had not been
able to resolve alone. Acquiring a general competence in problem-solving. 

• Psychological education. Enabling the client to acquire ideas and techniques with which
to understand and control behaviour. 

• Acquisition of social skills. Learning and mastering social and interpersonal skills such
as maintenance of eye contact, turn-taking in conversations, assertiveness or anger
control.

 Cognitive change. The modification or replacement of irrational beliefs or maladaptive


thought patterns associated with self-destructive behaviour.

 • Behaviour change. The modification or replacement of maladaptive or selfdestructive


patterns of behaviour. 

• Systemic change. Introducing change into the way in that social systems (e.g. families)
operate.

 • Empowerment. Working on skills, awareness and knowledge that will enable the client
to take control of his or her own life.
 • Restitution. Helping the client to make amends for previous destructive behaviour. 

• Generativity and social action. Inspiring in the person a desire and capacity to care for
others and pass on knowledge (generativity) and to contribute to the collective good
through political engagement and community work.

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