Introduction To Counseling Voices From The Field – Jeffrey A Kottler And David S Shepard

This is especially the case with people who are at risk for harming themselves, harming others, or suffering the effects of others’ violence or abuse. A new female client enters the office, furtively glances around for a place to sit, briefly locks eyes with the counselor, and finally, with an inward sigh, burrows deeply into the couch. The mutual assessment process has already begun. While she nervously checks out the furniture, books, and framed diplomas and wonders what sort of image she is projecting, the counselor casually yet systematically makes careful obser- vations.

The client’s dress, posture, and bearing are noted, as well as where and how she has chosen to sit. Facial expressions, gestures, body language, and other nonver- bal behavior also give valuable cues regarding her style. The interview progresses. Information about the presenting complaint, the solutions that have already been tried, and the current life situation are gathered. The counselor is searching for a summary statement of her problem, a formal diag- nosis to describe the general pattern of behavior, and a behavioral label to describe meaningfully and individually what the client is doing, feeling, and thinking.

Mak- ing these distinctions is important. In the assessment process, diagnoses are signifi- cant because they have implications for selecting a treatment strategy and because they are often required by the system. For example, the diagnosis of “cyclothymic disorder” might imply a condition involving dramatic mood swings that have been chronic throughout the client’s life and may be biochemically triggered, thus suggesting the importance of medical consultations on the case.

The diagnosis, however, gives us very little meaningful information about what the client is like as a person. Although useful for the general understanding of a behavioral syn- drome, as well as for formulating goals, predictions, and prognoses for the case, a diagnosis alone is not enough information to begin treatment with (Seligman, 2004; Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2012). There are many diagnostic decisions that counselors must continuously make, revising them as they gather more information. Imagine, for example, that a severely depressed teenager enters your office.

Dozens of diagnostic questions will likely flash through your mind: • Is he a good candidate for counseling? • Is he most suitable for individual, group, or family treatment? • Which counseling interventions are likely to be most helpful? • Is medication indicated in this situation? Should I ask for a psychiatric consultation? • Is he actively suicidal? During an assessment process such as this, there rarely is a single correct diag- nosis that accurately summarizes what is happening for a client. That is one reason why you should not rush to judgment but take your time weighing all the complex factors involved.

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Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. This is an electronic version of the print textbook. Due to electronic rights restrictions, some third party content may be suppressed. Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience.

The publisher reserves the right to remove content from this title at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. For valuable information on pricing, previous editions, changes to current editions, and alternate formats, please visit www.cengage.com/highered to search by ISBN#, author, title, or keyword for materials in your areas of interest. Copyright 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.

Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. Introduction to Counseling: Voices from the Field, Eighth Edition Jeffrey A. Kottler and David S. Shepard Product Director: Jon-David Hague Product Manager: Julie Martinez Associate Content Developer: Amelia Blevins and Sean Cronin Product Assistant: Kyra Kane Outsource Development Manager: Jeremy Judson Marketing Manager: Shanna Shelton Content Project Manager: Matthew Ballantyne Art and Cover Direction, Production Management, and Composition: PreMediaGlobal Manufacturing Planner: Judy Inouye Cover Image/Part Opener Image: Systemic therapy session (© iStockPhoto.com/nullplus) Chapter Opener Images: Middle aged man having counseling session (© iStockPhoto.com/ Mark Bowden); Girl (8 or 9) talking to a child psychologist (Stockbyte/Photos.com); Family therapy (© iStockPhoto.com/ilkeryuksel); Two women in discussion (Andrea Morini/ DigitalVision/Thinkstock) © 2015, 2011 Cengage Learning WCN: – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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