Behavioural, Cognitive, Systemic and
Constructivist Counselling
EDPY 442: Intro to Counselling
Sophie Yohani, Ph.D. R. Psych
Behavioural Counselling
 John Watson (1878-1958) & BF Skinner (1904-
1990)
 Psychology as a natural science (i.e., empirical)
 Focus on the prediction and control of behaviour
 Precision valued
 Rationale
 “The systematic application of common sense”
 Desired and undesired behaviours are learned
 Change behaviour then thoughts and feelings will
follow
Behavioural Counselling
 Goals
 Elimination of unwanted behaviours
 Increase of wanted behaviours
Role of Counsellor
 teacher, adviser, reinforcer, consultant, and
facilitator.
 Sample Techniques
Reinforcement: positive and negative
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Systematic desensitization
Implosion and flooding
Time- out
Shaping
Cognitive Counselling
 Albert Ellis (1913-2007); William Glasser (1925-);
Aaron Beck (1921-)
 Ellis frustrated with pace of psychoanalysis
 Beck empirically tested psychoanalysis
 Computer as metaphor, Albert Bandura allowed
cognitions to be considered empirically
 Rationale
 Humans are inherently rational and irrational
 Problems arise from irrational and inaccurate thinking
Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy
(REBT)
 View of Human Nature—People have both rational
and irrational beliefs, humans are gullible, but they can
control their thoughts.
 Major Concepts
 ABCDE model of REBT
A (activating event), B (belief), C (emotional
behavioral consequences), D (disputing
intervention), E (effect, new personal philosophy)
and F (new feelings)
REBT(Contd.)
 Role of the Counselor: teacher (active, direct), correct
cognitions, challenge irrational beliefs.
 Goals: restructuring thoughts
 Techniques
 Cognitive disputation
 Imaginal disputation (imagining a situation,
analyzing irrational thoughts)
 Behavioral disputation (e.g., Role playing)
 Confrontation, encouragement
Cognitive Therapy (CT) - Beck
 View of Human Nature: Dysfunctional behavior is caused by
dysfunctional thinking. Client should change beliefs to
change symptoms.
 Role of counselor: Active, make covert thoughts overt, gain
awareness of automatic thoughts.
 Goals: Change negative thoughts and cognitive distortions
such as all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralization, selfcriticism.
 Techniques: Challenging, countering mistaken beliefs, selfmonitoring exercises, increase positive self-statements,
HMW.
Systemic Counselling
 Gregory Bateson (1904-1980)
 Individual experience product of social forces
 Cybernetic Theory ~ homeostasis
 General Systems Theory ~ circular causality
 Rationale
 Problems are efforts to adapt to system
 Change in system  change in individual
 Systems tend toward full functioning
Systemic Counselling
 Goals
 Clear interactions between individuals
 Individuals become fully-functioning
 Techniques
 Reframing  new information into system
 Enactments  individuals act-out problems
 Circular Questioning  see circular causality
Brief (Constructivist) Counselling
 Steve de Shazer (1940-2005,); Michael White
(1950-2007)
 Grew out of Systemic Therapy
 Post-modernism applied to therapy
 Solution-focused therapy and narrative therapy
 Rationale
 Human beings actively construct meaning
 Problems stem from unsatisfying meanings
 Power of language to create meaning
Solution-Focused Counseling
 Steve deShazer, Insoo Kim Berg, & Bill O’Hanlon
 View of Human Nature— Focuses on strength, people
have the ability to solve their own problems.
Constructivist (reality is based on observation and
experience).
 Do not pay attention to the cause of maladjustment
 Determine client’s commitment
 Client types: visitor, complainants (not interested in
resolving the problem), customer
Solution-Focused Counseling (Contd.)
 Role of the Counselor: Facilitator, clients are
experts, do not blame or ask why, help clients
access resources that they already have.
 Goals: Notice exceptions, find a solution which
already exists, focus on positives.
 Sample Techniques
 Scaling
 Giving written compliments/praises
 Miracle question
 Homework
Crisis Counseling
 Erich Lindemann & Gerald Caplan
 View of Human Nature—Loss is an inevitable
part of life. There is a crisis when the loss is sudden
or traumatic, when grieving is overwhelming.
 Major Concepts
 Types of crises: Developmental (e.g. birth,
retirement), Situational (e.g. unpredictable
events), Existential (inner conflicts and
anxieties about life and death), and
Environmental (e.g. disasters)
Crisis Counseling (Contd.)
 Role of the Counselor: mature and calm, active
and direct intervener and accurate assessor
 Goals: Correcting temporary affective, behavioral,
and cognitive distortions. May require follow up.
Crisis Counseling (Contd.)
 Techniques
 1) Define the problem 2) ensure client safety 3)
provide support 4) examine alternatives 5)make
plans 6)obtain commitment.
 A six-step model (see p. 248)
 Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD): Seven
stage group approach to help clients deal with
their feelings. Stages: introduction, facts,
thoughts, reactions, symptoms, teaching, and
reentry