Integrative counselling

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Integrative counselling Integrative counselling / psychotherapy is an approach that integrates knowledge and skills from different therapy modalities into unified practice approaches (Boswell, Nelson. Nordberg, McAleavy & Castonguay, 2010). Clinicians have been constantly working to improve methods and techniques that can be used to bring healing, or at least alleviate clients' psychological difficulties (Sharf, 2008, p.6).  In 1919, Freud introduced the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy as an alternative to classical Psychoanalysis (Lift. 1992). Sharf (2008) argue that a significant number of psychotherapies such as Psychotherapy Integration, Integrative Psychodynamic/Behaviour Therapy and Multimodal Therapy, were developed after Psychoanalysis, and have been currently used by integrating different theories as part of the treatment process (Sharf, 2008, p.8). These theories evolved by attempting to better describe how clients' behavior can be understood and dysfunctions reduced (Sharf, 2008, p.11). The Integrative counselling is based on the "Common Factors Approach" which postulates that there are commonalities such as the client's willingness to change, positive therapeutic relationship, and the presence of an empathic therapist, that are shared by the therapies and are more important than unique characteristics that differentiate therapies (Norcross & Goldfried, 2005). Considering that client's issues vary by different degrees of intensity and categories of psychopathology (Sharf, 2008, p.14), the integration of various approaches and techniques of treatment is useful in order to meet clients' treatment needs (Sharf, 2008, p.14), to improve effectiveness and achieve positive outcomes (Norcross & Goldfried, 2005). Mrs Glaucia Barbosa, PACFA Reg. Provisional 25212  MCouns, MQCA(Clinical)   ABN: 19 476 932 9547 References Boswell, J.F., Nelson, D. L., Nordberg, S. S., McAleavey, A. A., & Castonguay, L.G. (2010). Competency in integrative psychotherapy: Perspectives on training and supervision. Psychotherapy Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 47(1), 3-11. DOI: 10.1037/a0018848 Sharf, R. S. (2008). Theories of psychotherapy & counselling: concepts and cases.USA:                Brook/Cole, Centage Learning, Inc.  (Norcross, J. C. & Goldfried, M. R. (2005).Handbook od Psychotherapy Integration.New York: Oxford University Press.