This paper focuses on counseling psychology. The analysis of counseling psychology stems from the need to become a marriage and family counselor. Counseling psychology traces its origin to the 1940s. The American Psychologists Association (APA) recognized counseling psychology under division 7 in 1946. Since its inception and formal recognition, several pioneers in the field, including Milton E. Hahn and others, have put in efforts to ensure counseling psychology grows through research (History of Counseling Psychology, 2019).
Counseling psychology is a segment of psychology that focuses on guiding people through different situations in life through the use of psychological theories to ensure they live the best lives by getting rid of several psychological hindrances. Therefore, a relationship counseling job entails helping people improve their personal relationships, which include marriages and intimate relationships. This field is related to the larger psychology discipline through its use of a variety of psychological theories to understand how humans behave and hence guide people accordingly.
Relevant Theories
One of the key relevant psychology theories in the field of counseling psychology is psychoanalytic theory. Sigmund Freud coined the psychoanalytic theory, which argued that people have subconscious preconceived notions and beliefs that guide how they behave and look at things. The subconscious beliefs stem from previous experiences, mostly childhood experiences (Safran & Hunter, 2020). For instance, the experiences one goes through as a kid are engraved in one’s subconscious mind, influencing their perception, behaviors, and personality. This theory helps counseling psychologists assess several behaviors which people portray and help them change and heal from them by uncovering the origin guiding towards the change. A counseling psychologist who deals with relationship counseling is bound to come across couples who go through issues that relate to subconscious beliefs and notions that relate to prior incidents in their lives. As a result, this theory has been relevant in the counseling psychology field.
Skinner, an American psychologist, came up with the behaviorism theory, which has played a significant theory in the counseling psychology discipline. In the behaviorism theory, Skinner suggests that human behaviors result from interactions with the environment (Verhaegh, 2019). Therefore, through the process of punishment and reward, individuals learn behaviors from their environments. Psychologists have been using the theory to understand how people learn several behaviors by assessing their external environment. As a result, counseling psychologists use the theory to assess how people behave and the origin of their behaviors. Afterward, the psychologists help them do away with negative behaviors that affect their relationships with others hence improving interpersonal relationships like marriages.
Research Methods
Researchers in the counseling psychology discipline use qualitative and quantitative research methods to obtain data and test hypotheses. Researchers use qualitative research methods to enable them to understand human behavior that cannot be quantified. They assess human behavior in an effort to understand the dynamics behind it. Examples of qualitative research methods include observations whereby the researchers observe how the subjects behave under certain conditions. Additionally, the researchers can use qualitative research methods like interviewing respondents and noting down patterns in behaviors from the responses (Frost, 2021).
Furthermore, researchers in counseling psychology also use quantitative research methods whereby they collect and analyze quantifiable data. The researchers use quantitative methods like polls and questionnaires. Through the numbers they collect, they are able to conduct statistical analysis and test hypotheses. The correlations and other variables that researchers obtain from quantitative research enable them to understand human behavior better hence improving the counseling psychology field (Appelbaum et al., 2018).
Empirical Studies
Hanley and Reynolds (2009) conducted an empirical study to determine the effectiveness of using the internet as a medium to conduct counseling sessions. The researchers identified a gap in studies assessing the effectiveness of counseling psychologists using the internet as a medium to administer their studies. As a result of the gap, counselors had no research to refer to before making the decision to administer their services through an internet platform. Therefore, the researchers gathered quantitative data on the effectiveness of the text-based counseling sessions. After conducting the research, which was limited by the scarcity of online-based research sessions and previous literature on the subject, they found that the internet medium, which psychologists had not well utilized at the time of the research, is promising. The empirical study findings have helped the counseling psychology discipline diversify the means of offering to counsel. As a result, humans can easily access the services of professional counseling psychologists despite geographical constraints. A decade later, from the research’s time, the findings’ benefits are evident as most psychologists opt to operate on online platforms. Furthermore, the covid-19 pandemic highlighted the need for online counseling sessions and the efficiency they offer.
Gazzola et al. (2011) conducted an empirical study on the identity crisis and stress revolving around the counseling psychology career. The research was based on the research question, “What experiences and conditions do counseling psychology doctoral students perceive as contributing to their professional identities? And What experiences and conditions do counseling psychology doctoral students perceive as hindering their professional identity?” (Gazzola et al., 2011). The research design of the study consisted of qualitative research methods. Through the data collected from the interviews, the researchers found several factors that hinder the professional identity among doctoral students and those that fostered it. The study’s contribution to the counseling psychology field is the recommendations for adjustments to the training of counseling students.
Occupation
The specific occupation in counseling psychology I plan to is marriage and family therapy. The core responsibility of a marriage and family therapist is to diagnose different emotional and mental disorders that impact the individual’s relationships in a marriage or family setup. Afterward, the therapist uses theories in counseling psychology to help the patient overcome the identified issues. The therapist collects information from the client through interviewing, listening, and observing them. They keep a tab of the information to ensure they keep track of their progress and hence determine whether they should continue with the prescribed treatments or adjust. The treatments include cognitive behavioral treatments to help them improve their relationships with others in their families (Marriage and Family Therapists, 2022).
Several skills are crucial for marriage and family Therapists to perform their duties effectively. These skills include technical skills like operating various computer software that will be necessary for keeping track of the client’s details and progress. These include Microsoft word and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations. Additionally, marriage and family therapists should have interpersonal relations skills to enable them to carry out their duties effectively. These include keen and effective listening, proper speaking skills, and empathy. The keen and active listening skills ensure they can listen to the clients speaking out their issues and noting the issues. Proper speaking skills enable therapists to talk to clients convincingly and encourage them to open up.
Furthermore, the therapist should clearly explain the identified issues and solutions. An empathetic therapist can get crucial information from the client, enabling them to accurately diagnose the issue. Other than interpersonal relations skills, the therapist must have problem-solving skills since the job entails helping clients solve marriage and family problems (Marriage and Family Therapists, 2022).
A marriage and family therapist should be knowledgeable in certain fields to effectively administer counseling services to clients. One of the knowledge areas includes psychology. A vast and clear understanding of psychological theories and principles enables the therapist to understand human behaviors, identify behavioral issues, and offer appropriate solutions. A fluent understanding of the English language is important since the therapist will primarily communicate with clients in English and keep records in English. Furthermore, the therapist ought to be knowledgeable in customer service to enable them to relate with the clients appropriately. Additionally, therapists should be knowledgeable about the laws regulating the marriage and family therapy field to avoid getting into legal scuffles when administering their duties(Marriage and Family Therapists, 2022).
Several personal characteristics guarantee success in the marriage and family therapy occupation. For instance, an individual who is capable of coming up with creative and original ideas has a higher probability of excelling in the field (Marriage and Family Therapists, 2022). The original ideas come in handy when formulating solutions to help clients solve marriage and family issues. A fluent communicator in speech and writing is guaranteed to effectively administer their duties as a marriage and family therapist. This characteristic is crucial since the better part of the career entails frequently communicating with the clients to identify problems and further communicate solutions. Problem sensitivity is also important in the field (Marriage and Family Therapists, 2022). An individual capable of identifying an underlying problem will effectively help clients identify what is wrong with their marriage and relationship issues. Furthermore, deductive and inductive reasoning is a necessary characteristic of a marriage and family therapist.
Use of Curricular and Extra Curricular Activities
Exposure to curricular and extra-curricular activities through my undergraduate studies has helped me amass most of the necessary skills, knowledge, and characteristics to help me perform effectively as a marriage and family therapist. Through the course of my studies, I have had the opportunity to learn a wide range of theories that explain human behaviors, what influences the behaviors, how to identify the behaviors, and possible solutions to aid the change from negative to positive behavior. Other than the knowledge of psychological theories, the assignments have also equipped me with knowledge of how to communicate efficiently. Furthermore, I have learned how to use several computer software that will be useful in my career as a marriage and family therapist. I have also interacted with my classmates both online and offline. The interactions have equipped me with a variety of interpersonal relations skills that will help me relate with clients effectively.
Additionally, I have taken part in an internship whereby I practiced some of the learned theories by helping people solve their marriage and family issues. The internship gave me a hands-on experience with the unique nature of different real-life problems compared to the textbook examples taught in school. The unique, original, and real problems helped me to apply my problem-solving skills by applying the learned theories in real life to help come up with solutions to the identified solutions. More so, the internship helped me practice how to communicate with clients effectively and create an environment for them to be open to sharing and implementing solutions. In conclusion, the curricular activities like learning in class equipped me with the theoretical aspect of being a marriage and family therapist, whereas the extra-curricular activities gave me an opportunity to practice the knowledge in real life and build on my skills and character as a marriage and family therapist.
References
Appelbaum, M., Cooper, H., Kline, R. B., Mayo-Wilson, E., Nezu, A. M., & Rao, S. M. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for quantitative research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board task force report. American Psychologist, 73(1), 3.
Frost, N. (2021). Qualitative Research Methods in Psychology: Combining Core Approaches 2e. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Gazzola, N., De Stefano, J., Audet, C., & Theriault, A. (2011). Professional identity among counseling psychology doctoral students: A qualitative investigation. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 24(4), 257–275. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515070.2011.630572
Hanley, T., & Reynolds, D. (2009). Counseling psychology and the internet: A review of the quantitative research into online outcomes and alliances within text-based therapy. Counselling Psychology Review, 24(2), 4–13.
History of Counseling Psychology. Psychology. (2019, November 12). Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/counseling-psychology/history-of-counseling-psychology/#:~:text=Counseling%20psychology%20emerged%20as%20an,of%20application%20for%20specialty%20recognition.
Marriage and Family Therapists. O*NET OnLine. (2022). Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1013.00
Safran, J. D., & Hunter, J. (2020). Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapies (2nd ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000190-000
Verhaegh, S. (2019). The behaviorisms of Skinner and quine: Genesis, development, and Mutual Influence. Journal of the History of Philosophy, 57(4), 707–730. https://doi.org/10.1353/hph.2019.0074
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