I used a person-centered approach to help Lizzie feel understood and loved in this counseling session. Understanding the significance of nonverbal communication in therapeutic discovery, I introduced art-based activities like coloring, drawing, and playing with dolls. This creative method fits with Carl Rogers’ ideas about person-centered therapy, which stresses the client’s autonomy and self-exploration (Yao & Kabir, 2023). Offering Lizzie different ways to express herself, I wanted to make a secure and encouraging area for her to genuinely deal with her feelings and relationships. By incorporating creative arts therapies, the workshop aimed to help Lizzie dig deeper into her experiences, letting her participate in the healing process naturally and essentially.
Additionally, I used a developmental model to help Lizzie choose the figurines that reflect essential people in her life as the first step in her therapy. This deliberate process showed the intricate web of roles and relationships and stressed the natural connection between growing and understanding how complex relationships work between people (Main, 2022). Lizzie slowly peeled back the layers of her inner world as she thought about the feelings that each figure made her think of. This careful study, which helps us understand Lizzie’s thoughts in more depth, is the basis of our case outline. By carefully looking at them, we can build on emotional events and relationship patterns for deeper therapeutic exploration. As we go deeper into counseling together, this helps us gain understanding and sets the stage for real progress.
Moreover, as the counselor, I am aware of how much Lizzie is hurting and what is causing her distress. She discovers a web of themes as she reads the stories that go with the figurines. These include family relationships, the weight of illness, and the reverberation of mixed messages, especially from her grandmother (NIH, 2019). These new details are essential pieces in putting together our case because they shed light on the main things that stress Lizzie out and the mental problems she faces every day. Understanding all the subtleties in her words allows for a more targeted and understanding therapeutic method that can better deal with the specifics of her struggles.
As the counselor, I also have to be very aware of how much the client needs to feel safe and protected, which is especially clear when I look at how certain toys were placed so they are close to Winnie. These carefully placed objects are potent images of the support system Lizzie naturally wants. This insightful finding perfectly fits what I know about how change happens in therapy. By recognizing and supporting the client’s need for a stable base, I create an atmosphere where Lizzie feels free to explore and deal with her feelings (NIH, 2019). Focusing on safety and support becomes a guiding principle, creating a therapeutic place where healing exploration can happen naturally.
Value and Impact of the Emerging Knowledge
For Lizzie’s case, it is essential to understand how her mental health is complicated by combining neurobiological knowledge with therapy theory and practice. During our sessions, I use what I am learning about Lizzie’s emotions, especially how they show up in her relationships with the figurines, to help me understand her better. I want to understand better howzzie’s brain works and how her emotions affect it by figuring out the neural processes accompanying her reactions. This neurobiological view helps me shape my therapeutic approaches, letting me target the specific neural dynamics that are causing Lizzie’s emotional problems (Strait & Meagher, 2020). Neurobiology is an integral part of counseling because it helps counselors understand Lizzie’s needs better and help her get better results in her therapy.
Through Lizzie’s counseling, I go beyond a fixed neurobiology view by accepting the idea of neuroplasticity. Because Lizzie’s brain has a fantastic power to reorganize and change for the better, treatments are carefully planned to use this power for growth and healing (Cherry, 2022). As the counselor, I use techniques that help Lizzie’s brain make changes that are good for her by learning how neural pathways change over time. This helps her get better and be more resilient. It is essential that, as the counselor, I recognize the powerful effect neurobiology has on trauma, taking a whole-person view of Lizzie’s events that includes both the mental and physical aspects (Cherry, 2022). This all-around method shows that the professional knows how the mind and body are connected and work together. This lets them customize their help to address all parts of Lizzie’s health, making the healing process more complete and adequate.
As Lizzie’s counselor, I use somatic and experiential methods to make our sessions more effective. My therapy fits perfectly with a neurobiological view. Realizing that the mind and body are connected in both directions, I use art-based treatments that involve Lizzie’s sensory and motor functions and her cognitive processes (Kuhfuß, Maldei, Hetmanek, & Baumann, 2021). For this reason, I want to explore the complex relationship between brain networks and the autonomic nervous system, considering how these physiological factors significantly affect her emotions. Utilizing art-based activities, I give Lizzie a way to share and control her feelings, which helps her become more resilient when facing problems. Incorporating neurobiological insights into our therapy makes it more effective, and this whole-person method also gives Lizzie the freedom to explore her feelings in various ways, making the counseling experience more complete and adequate.
However, when I use neurobiologically informed methods in therapy, I am cautious not to oversimplify or take a deterministic view that could limit Lizzie’s subjective experiences. Recognizing and keeping each client’s unique story is very important to me. Understanding the moral issues connected to using neurobiological data, I am committed to ensuring it is used responsibly, based on principles like client liberty, informed consent, and stopping any possible misuse of this information (Cherry, 2022). As I combine my knowledge of neurobiology with a strong sense of ethics, I create a therapy space that respects Lizzie’s autonomy, giving her the strength to handle the challenges of her mental health journey. This pledge makes the counseling process fair and moral, which builds trust and makes it easier for Lizzie and I to work together.
Importance of Counselling Ethics and the Application
It is impossible to overstate how critical ethical principles are in counseling, especially regarding confidentiality. As a psychologist, my dedication to these moral standards helps me create a safe space where clients can readily deal with their problems (Ewuoso, 2021). A solid moral obligation to maintain privacy drives my commitment to keeping the private information clients share with me during meetings safe. This commitment creates a strong base of trust, allowing clients to talk about their feelings and thoughts without worrying about being judged or having private information shared without their permission. Browsing into private information puts the client and me at risk of losing trust, which could harm the therapy relationship (Ewuoso, 2021). Maintaining ethical standards, especially regarding privacy, is not just a formality but also a responsible action necessary to ensure the client’s well-being and growth in counseling.
Additionally, the concept of beneficence, which emphasizes my duty as a counselor to actively support my clients’ well-being, is fundamental to the ethical counseling framework. This ethical obligation must prioritize the client’s best interests, driving interventions and recommendations to promote favorable results (Varkey, 2021). This ethical commitment acknowledges the critical role that diversity and cultural competence play in customizing counseling approaches. I make sure that my interventions honor each client’s individuality and value their variety of requirements by embracing and incorporating cultural sensitivity. Maintaining these ethical standards not only complies with the professional code but also makes the counseling process far more successful overall. It supports the notion that ethical issues are crucial components that improve the caliber and effectiveness of the therapeutic interaction rather than only serving as regulatory requirements.
Furthermore, informed consent is one of the most important ethical principles in counseling that stresses how important it is for me as the counselor and the client to talk openly with each other. Based on this moral imperative, clients have the fundamental right to know all the essential details, such as the nature and purpose of counseling, qualifications, the possible risks and benefits of therapy, and the precise limits of confidentiality (Varkey, 2021). By ensuring clients have access to much information, I make sure that they can make their own decisions about whether or not to go to therapy. This process follows the rules of ethics and sets the stage for a partnership based on cooperation and empowerment. When clients give informed consent, the therapy relationship changes into a partnership, and they are involved in making decisions, which gives them a sense of control over their mental health journey.
Lastly, the ethical aspects of counseling show how important it is for the counselor to be self-aware and keep learning as an expert. Because I must follow social standards, I must keep learning, getting supervised, and thinking about myself. This pledge is not just a job requirement but also crucial to giving my clients the best care possible. By actively continuing to learn, I aim to improve my skills, keep up with new therapeutic approaches, and deal with personal biases or limits that might affect my work without meaning (Grover, Avasthi, & Nischal, 2022). This dedication to professional growth shows how committed I am to greatness and is also a proactive way to ensure I am well-equipped to handle the challenges of the counseling field. Through this ongoing process of self-awareness and growth, I aim always to provide the best care and keep the trust and well-being of those who come to me for help.
References
Cherry, K. (2022, November 8). What is Neuroplasticity? Retrieved from Verywell Mind website: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-brain-plasticity-2794886
Ewuoso, C. (2021). Patient confidentiality, the duty to protect, and psychotherapeutic care: perspectives from the philosophy of ubuntu. Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, 42(1-2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11017-021-09545-0
Grover, S., Avasthi, A., & Nischal, A. (2022). Ethical and legal issues in psychotherapy. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 64(7), 47. https://doi.org/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_50_21
Kuhfuß, M., Maldei, T., Hetmanek, A., & Baumann, N. (2021). Somatic experiencing – effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy: a scoping literature review. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), 1929023. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023
Main, P. (2022, December 2). Carl Rogers’ Theory. Retrieved from www.structural-learning.com website: https://www.structural-learning.com/post/carl-rogers-theory
NIH. (2019). Chapter 4—Therapeutic Issues for Counselors. Retrieved from Nih.gov website: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64902/
Strait, J., & Meagher, S. (2020). Trauma-Informed Care in Pediatrics: A Developmental Perspective in Twelve Cases with Narratives. The Permanente Journal. https://doi.org/10.7812/tpp/19.045
Varkey, B. (2021). Principles of clinical ethics and their application to practice. Medical Principles and Practice, 30(1), 17–28. https://doi.org/10.1159/000509119
Yao, L., & Kabir, R. (2023, February 9). Person-Centered Therapy (Rogerian therapy). Retrieved from PubMed website: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK589708/
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