Adlerian Counseling

Adlerian Counseling: Key figures are Alfred Adler, Rudolph Dreikurs, Don Dinkmeyer, and Thomas Sweeney. This theory focuses on social interest as a primary motivator. It asserts that birth order has a major impact on individuals and assumes that future goals are major influences on growth and development. Neurosis is viewed as a failure in learning which results in distorted perceptions.  The major goals of Adlerian Counseling include bringing about client insight, cultivating social interests, correcting faulty assumption and/or mistaken goals, and bringing about behavioral change through acting “as if.”  The counselor is viewed as an equal partner in therapy, models, teaches, and also assesses the client’s situation, shares hunches, assigns homework and encourages the client. Techniques include the use of empathy, support, warmth and collaboration. The therapist focuses on the client’s strengths and responsibility through confrontation, as well as examination of the client’s memories, dreams, and priorities. Adlerian counselors ask the question “What would be different if you were well?” Strengths include the major contribution of ideas to the counseling profession, the encouragement and support of the counselor, and the partnership view of the counseling process. Limitations of Adlerian Counseling include the lack of a strong research base, the vagueness of the concepts and the narrowness of the approach.

Next post: Rational-Emotive Therapy