What is counseling psychology?

Counseling psychology is a branch of professional psychology. (
Psychology
is the science or study of the mind and behavior.) Psychologists are mental health experts who seek to understand and explain the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors of different populations.

Overview

Counseling psychologists are mental health professionals who work with individuals, couples, families, or groups who are dealing with emotional, physical, and/or mental health problems across the life span. Counseling psychologists help people and organizations deal with personal issues and/or professional concerns. They focus on assisting patients in developing healthy intrapersonal (within the self) and interpersonal (with others) relationships.

Counseling psychologists provide assessment, diagnosis, and treatment services. Some of the issues that these professionals might deal with include the following:

• Mental disorders




• Emotional problems




• School or work issues




• Life transition adjustments (school, work, family, etc.)




• Marriage and/or family problems




• Physical disabilities, disease, or injuries




• 
  Stress management




• 
  Grief or difficult life events




• Relationships with others




• Organizational concerns

Practice Types

Counseling psychologists help patients to identify their issues and deal with them more effectively. These problems may be related to the home, workplace, or larger community. These issues may have to do with what people think of themselves, or the problems may have to do with how people interact with others. The goal of this type of therapeutic practice is to help patients to identify their problems and learn how to resolve or better manage them.

Many counseling psychologists practice as general mental health practitioners. They deal with a variety of mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, uncontrolled stress, grief, and suicidal thoughts or impulses. They may work with all populations, or they may focus their practice on specific populations, such as children, adolescents, couples, the elderly, etc. Some counseling psychologists specialize in a particular area of practice. Common specialties include marriage and family counseling, substance abuse counseling, and behavioral disorder counseling.

Marriage and Family Therapists

Marriage and family therapists counsel families, couples, and individuals. Their work is centered on the family. They assess the client's role in the family and evaluate how the family's structure and interactions affect the client's mental and emotional health. They also work directly with couples who are having marital difficulties.

These therapists can treat a variety of issues, including addiction and self-esteem issues, but always do so in the context of the family unit. They may work in a variety of settings, including university and college research centers, mental health centers, hospitals, and independent practices.

Substance Abuse/Behavior Disorder Counselors

Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors evaluate and treat individuals who are suffering from drug addiction, alcoholism, eating disorders, and sex-related addictions. They work closely with these patients to help them recover from their addictions and eliminate or manage problem behaviors. Substance abuse and behavior disorder counselors can be found in many different settings, including hospitals, mental health institutions, prisons, and private practices.

Therapeutic Techniques

Counseling psychologists use a variety of techniques in their practices. One of the mainstays of counseling psychology is
psychotherapy
(talk therapy). Therapists use psychotherapy to help patients better understand themselves and their conditions. During a psychotherapy session, the therapist asks questions, listens attentively, helps to direct the patient, and then reflects appropriate content and emotion back to the patient. Psychotherapy is a useful tool to teach strategies for daily living as well as communicate ways to deal more appropriately with unhealthy thoughts and behaviors. The ultimate goal of psychotherapy is to teach patients to break patterns of problematic or damaging behavior and replace them with more productive ones.

Many forms of psychotherapy exist. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a popular form of psychotherapy that focuses on the relationship among thoughts (cognitions), feelings, and behaviors. CBT is based on the idea that thoughts affect the way people feel and behave, so helping people to understand their thinking patterns can help them to respond more appropriately. CBT sessions may include a variety of techniques, such as questioning and disclosure, education, modeling of appropriate behaviors, role-playing, and stress management techniques. Patients may be given "homework assignments" to complete between sessions.

Another popular form of psychotherapy is family-focused therapy (FFT). Therapists who use FFT identify the difficulties and conflicts that exist with patients and their family. Therapeutic sessions include the members of the family and are designed to help each person interact more effectively. Family therapists often provide education to family members so they better understand the patient's condition and can participate more meaningfully in the individual's care.

Requirements

Counseling psychologists are highly educated. Most positions require either a master's degree or a doctoral degree in psychology along with an extended period of supervised clinical experience. Additionally, all counseling psychologists must be licensed or certified to practice in their state.

Marriage and family therapy positions typically require only a master's degree plus experience in a supervised clinical setting. These workers must also be licensed or certified, depending on the regulations in the state in which they practice.

Substance abuse counselors sometimes have lower educational requirements. Some of these positions are available to individuals with a high school diploma. They undergo an intensive on-the-job training program before they start working with individuals. They are supervised closely by psychologists who have been licensed or certified by the state. Regulations vary by state, setting, and type of work.

Bibliography

"Counseling Psychology." American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association. Web. 16 Jan. 2015. http://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/counseling.aspx

"Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 16 Jan. 2015. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/mental-health-counselors-and-marriage-and-family-therapists.htm

"Psychologists." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 16 Jan. 2015. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/psychologists.htm

"Psychotherapies." National Institute of Mental Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Web. 19 Jan. 2015. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/psychotherapies/index.shtml

"Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 16 Jan. 2015. http://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/substance-abuse-and-behavioral-disorder-counselors.htm