Traditional Counselling for Anxiety
Traditional counselling for anxiety typically involves a focus on the past and present problems, aiming to reduce distress by exploring underlying issues and patterns of behavior. This approach often uses a pathology model, viewing the client as someone who needs fixing. Here are some aspects of traditional counselling:
Focus on Problems
- A counsellor often begins by exploring the client’s past and the origins of their anxiety, as well as examining what the client doesn’t want.
- There is often an emphasis on identifying and analysing the client’s problems.
- The counsellor may take the position of an expert with special knowledge about anxiety, and may provide advice.
Focus on Negative Emotions
- The aim is to reduce negative emotions by solving problems.
- The focus tends to be on reducing distress.
- This approach may involve the client being labelled as a patient.
Therapist-Led Approach
- The therapist may follow a pre-determined plan for treatment.
- The therapist is often seen as the expert with a theory of change.
- The therapist defines the end of treatment.
Newer Approaches: Solution Focused Therapy, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, and Coaching
More recent approaches like solution-focused therapy (SFBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and coaching offer a different perspective on managing anxiety. These methods prioritise increasing positive affect and living a valued life.
Solution Focused Therapy (SFBT)
- SFBT is future-oriented and focuses on solutions rather than problems.
- It emphasizes increasing positive emotions and building on existing strengths and resources.
- The client is seen as the expert and is encouraged to construct their own solutions.
- SFBT is a client-led approach in which the therapist asks questions to elicit the client’s expertise, working in a collaborative fashion.
- The focus is on what the client wants instead of their problems, and works towards helping them achieve their preferred future.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- ACT aims to help clients accept their anxious thoughts and feelings without struggling against them, while focusing on living a valued life.
- It emphasises that attempting to control anxiety can become the problem.
- The goal is to increase psychological flexibility, enabling the client to be open to the present, focus on the present moment, and take action toward what matters most to them.
- It uses mindfulness and experiential exercises to help clients relate to thoughts and feelings in a different way.
- ACT encourages clients to commit to taking action that aligns with their personal values, even when experiencing anxiety.
Coaching
- Coaching, especially when solution-focused, is similar to SFBT and focuses on the client’s strengths and resources to enable them to reach their goals.
- It emphasises the client’s motivation and helps to build hope and optimism for the future.
- The approach is action-oriented, focusing on what the client can do now to move forward.
- A coach helps clients to construct solutions and to move towards their preferred future.
- Coaching prioritises an increase in positive affect.
Benefits of Newer Approaches
These newer methods offer several potential advantages over traditional counselling:
- Empowerment: They empower clients by viewing them as resourceful and capable of creating their own solutions.
- Focus on Living Well: Instead of simply reducing anxiety, these approaches help clients focus on living a fulfilling life.
- Increased Flexibility: ACT, in particular, fosters psychological flexibility, allowing clients to respond to anxiety in more helpful ways.
- Client-Driven Change: Clients are actively involved in setting goals and driving the direction of therapy, leading to increased motivation and engagement.
- Positive Outlook: By focusing on strengths, resources, and the future, these methods encourage hope and optimism.
- Practical Application: These approaches tend to provide clients with concrete tools and techniques they can immediately use in their daily lives.
- Reduced Focus on Problems: The focus on solutions rather than on the details of the problem may be more lighthearted for clients, leading to a more positive experience.
- May Be Briefer: Solution focused therapy can produce results in less time, as it does not require an in-depth analysis of problems.
- May reduce resistance: These approaches do not view clients as resistant to change, seeing them as always motivated, although their goals may differ from the therapist’s.
Summary
Traditional counselling for anxiety tends to focus on past problems and reducing negative emotions, often viewing the client as a patient in need of fixing. Newer approaches like solution-focused therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and coaching offer a different path. They emphasize client empowerment, personal strengths, a positive outlook and a focus on building a valued life rather than simply reducing symptoms. These methods encourage a client-led approach, emphasising action and psychological flexibility. These approaches are more future-oriented and encourage clients to create their own solutions, with an emphasis on what is working and what they would like to achieve, rather than dwelling on difficulties.
Tags: anxiety, counselling, solution focused therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, life coaching, personal development, wellbeing, client-led, positive psychology