Adlerian Counseling and Psychotherapy: A Practitioner's Approach Book

List of Figures xiii

List of Tables xv

List of Forms xvii

Acknowledgments xix

Introduction xxi

Part I Foundations for Understanding Human Nature

1 Individual Psychology: The Man, the Movement, and the Psychology of Alfred Adler 3

The Man 6

The Movement 7

Basic Concepts 9

Socio-Teleo-Analytic 9

Early Human Development 12

Family Constellation 14

The Five Major Life Tasks 17

Function of Emotions and Feelings 19

Holistic View 20

Philosophy and Value System 21

Low Social Interest 24

Validation 24

Multicultural Considerations 25

Gender Considerations 27

Adler and Beyond 30

Summary 31

Study Questions 32

2 Wellness Through Social Interest: The Goal of Helping Jane E. Myers 33

Definitions of Wellness 34

Positive Psychology 35

The Wheel of Wellness 36

The Indivisible Self: An Evidence-Based Model of Wellness 37

Wellness Research 41

Wellness Counseling 42

Summary 43

Study Questions 43

Activities 44

Part II What We Learn From Life

3 Life's Rules Are for Everyone: Natural and Logical Consequences 47

Action Dimensions 48

Natural Consequences 48

Logical Consequences 48

Encouragement 48

Experiencing Natural Consequences 48

Practical Implications 49

Self-Study Situations 49

Logical Consequences: Social Living Lessons 52

Comparisons of Consequences and Punishment 53

Aspects of Logical Consequences 54

Attitudes 54

Choices 54

Action, Not Words 55

New Rules 56

Summary 56

Study Questions 57

Activities 57

Examples 59

4 Encouragement: The Essential Element of Helping 61

On Believing in One's Self 63

Self-Esteem 64

Consequences of Self-Esteem 65

Assessment and Intervention66

Readiness for Change 66

Interventions by Readiness Stage 66

Self-Development Application 69

Definition and Assumptions 72

Essence of Encouragement 74

Communicating Encouragement 77

Discrimination Categories and Response Examples for Communications 79

Discrimination Exercises for Communications 80

"I" Messages 83

Further Application 84

On Being Encouraging 86

Summary 89

Study Questions 90

Activities 90

Part III First-Versus Second-Order Change: Counseling and Psychotherapy

5 Lifestyle Assessment: Uncovering the Unconscious 97

Data Gathering 98

Sources of Data 98

Family Constellation 100

Early Recollections 102

Observations 107

Summary 108

Study Questions 109

Activities 109

6 Adlerian Counseling and Psychotherapy Practice 115

Stages of Adlerian Counseling and Psychotherapy 117

Relationship 118

Psychological Investigation 120

Interpretation 125

Reorientation 137

Specific Techniques 139

Spitting in the Soup 141

Antisuggestion 141

"If Only I Could ..." 141

Push-Button Technique 141

Adding Significant Modifiers 142

Assessing Probabilities 142

Task Setting 142

Summary 143

Lifestyle and Early Recollection Session Excerpts 143

Lifestyle Assessment Information 143

Early Recollection/DCT Assessment 151

Conclusion 159

Study Questions 160

7 Using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Diagnosis for Adlerian Outcomes Todd F. Lewis 161

The DSM and Diagnosis 162

Strengths of Diagnosing and the DSM 163

Criticisms of Diagnosing and the DSM 164

An Adlerian Perspective on Psychopathology 165

Adlerian Theory, the DSM, and Diagnosing 166

Using the DSM Within the Context of an Adlerian Counseling Approach 168

Case Study 170

Adlerian Lifestyle Assessment 172

Specific Diagnosis 173

Treatment Planning and Change 176

Specific Foci and Issues of Adam's Treatment 177

Conclusion 179

Study Questions 180

Part IV Applications of Individual Psychology

8 Career-Style Counseling Mark L. Savickas 183

The Matching Model 183

Adlerian Enhancement of the Matching Model 185

Elaboration 1 From Fit to Belongingness 185

Elaboration 2 From Similarity to Uniqueness 186

Elaboration 3 From Inventorying Interests to Creating Interest 186

Elaboration 4 From Matchmaking to Meaning-Making 187

Adlerian Career Counseling 189

Career-Style Interview 190

Question 1 Models 190

Question 2 Magazines 192

Question 3 Favorite Story 193

Question 4 Mottos 194

Question 5 School Subjects 194

Question 6 Leisure Activities 195

Career-Style Assessment 195

Practice Case 197

Career-Style Counseling 201

Summary 206

Study Questions 207

9 Guiding Children Through Social Interest and Cooperation 209

Principles of Child Guidance 210

Goals of Disruptive Behavior 212

Attention Seeking 213

Power Seeking 213

Revenge Seeking 213

Inadequacy or Assumed Disability 213

Example: Charles 213

Identifying Goals of Children's Disruptive Behavior 214

Attention Deficit Disorder 216

Typical Faulty Goals of Adolescents 218

Superiority, Conformity, and Popularity 219

Defiance, Promiscuity, and Inadequacy 220

Charm, Beauty, and Sexism 221

Intellectuality and Religiosity 222

Summary 222

Violence and Substance Abuse 223

Corrective Action 224

Catch Yourself 225

Assess Goals 225

Respond With Consequences and Encouragement 226

Execute With Consistency, Friendliness, and Respect 239

Summary 240

Study Questions 241

Activities 241

10 Love: Counseling Couples 255

Love: The Antecedent and By-Product of an Intimate Relationship 256

Choosing a Mate 258

Couples Counseling 260

Establishing the Relationship 261

Assessment 262

Lifestyle Assessment for Couples 264

The Case of Nel and Mark 264

Interpretation 266

Reorientation 267

Summary 270

Study Questions 270

11 Consulting With Families 273

Adlerian and Systems Theory 274

Underlying Assumptions of Adlerian Consultation 277

Characteristics of Strong Families 278

Interview 279

Establishing Rapport 280

Parent Interview 281

Children Interview 285

Consolidation 289

Typical Recommendations 289

Alarm Clock 290

Dress Before Breakfast 290

No Reminders 291

Bedtime 292

Establishing New Agreements 293

When Recommendations Fail 294

Talking 294

Inconsistency 296

Overcorrecting 297

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy 297

Follow-Up 298

Further Applications 298

Summary 299

Study Questions 300

Activities 300

12 Working With Groups 305

Types of Groups 307

Discussion Groups 308

Discussion Groups for Children 308

Family Meeting or Council 319

Marriage Discussion Groups 321

Consulting Groups 323

Counseling Groups 324

Lifestyle Groups 324

Starting Lifestyle Groups 325

Lifestyle Sessions 325

Summary 327

Study Questions 327

Activities 327

13 Passing on the Adlerian Legacy 333

Teaching 334

Modeling and Mentoring 335

Co-Counseling and Supervision 336

Peer Supervision 337

Consulting 337

Summary 337

Study Questions 338

Activities 338

Interviewer's Lifestyle Script 338

Lifestyle Assessment Interview Script 338

Family Constellation 339

Early Recollections 342

Concluding Lifestyle Interview 343

Summing Up the Lifestyle 343

Appendix A Family Counseling 351

Parent Interview 351

Children Interview 363

Parent Interview Resumed 369

Appendix B Family Council 371

References 385

About the Author 393

About the Contributors 395

Index 397