Jones and Butman (1991), along with Corey (2013), comment that theoretical orientations and allegiances tend to change with time and experience. Students are introduced to popular psychotherapies, and eventually gain experience working with them. During their training they interact with experienced instructors who offer their insights and preferences. Once in practice, the therapist learns what works for them and their clients, and what does not. To be sure, personality, training location, instructors, and worldview (or Weltanschauung, Ger.) all affect the counselor 's eventual orientation(s). Considerable research supports this reality (Buckman, 2006; Ciorbea and Nedelcea, 2012; Boettcher, Hoffman, …show more content…
I believe it almost essential to include dimensions of Aaron Beck’s Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, a proven, cost-effective modality. I embrace Beck’s premise that bad thinking leads to bad behaviors, and that correcting thinking can correct behavior. As Boettcher, Hofmann, and Wu (2016) put it, maladaptive cognitions lead to maladaptive emotions, which lead to maladaptive behaviors. Of course, CBT cannot meet every need. Because CBT is present-focused, some clients - like those dealing with childhood abuse-- require other treatments. I plan to incorporate CBT into my practice, but it will not be my foundational …show more content…
Outside efforts, and pressures will only produce slight, temporary change. Even the most miserable people prefer their current state over change, because of the uncertainty it brings. As Scripture says, “The dog turns to his own vomit again,” and “the sow that has washed to wallowing in the mire” (1Pet. 2:22, WEB). Fernando (2007) mentions Charles Dickens’ 1843 classic, A Christmas Carol, and how it took facing death to change Scrooge’s heart. Yalom (1980) said, “Life and death are interdependent; they exist simultaneously, not consecutively; death whirs continuously beneath the membrane of life and exerts a vast influence upon experience and conduct” (as cited in Fernando,