12 Most Common Counselling Approaches 
                  Source : https://positivepsychology.com/popular-counseling-approaches/ 
                                       
                                                    
           INDEX 
             1. Psychodynamic Counselling .........................................................................................................2 
             2. Interpersonal Counselling ............................................................................................................2 
             3. Humanistic/Client-Centered Counselling .....................................................................................3 
             4. Existential Therapy .......................................................................................................................3 
             5. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy ......................................................................................................4 
             6. Mindfulness-based Counselling ...................................................................................................4 
             7. Rational Emotive Therapy ............................................................................................................5 
             8. Reality Therapy .............................................................................................................................5 
             9. Constructionist Therapy ...............................................................................................................5 
             10. Systemic Therapy .......................................................................................................................6 
             11. Narrative Therapy ......................................................................................................................6 
             12. Creative Therapy ........................................................................................................................6 
             13. Key Points of Counselling Approaches .......................................................................................8 
            
            
                                       
                             
                              
        1. Psychodynamic Counselling 
        Psychodynamic Counselling is probably the most well-known Counselling approach. 
        Rooted in Freudian theory, this type of Counselling involves building strong therapist-patient 
        alliances. 
        The goal is to aid clients in developing the psychological tools needed to deal with complicated 
        feelings and situations. Freud also was concerned with the impact of early experiences and 
        unconscious drives on behavior. This focus is evident in the following quote: 
            The conscious mind may be compared to a fountain playing in the sun and falling back 
            into the great subterranean pool of subconscious from which it rises 
                                   Sigmund Freud, Brainyquote.com 
        Some of the ways in which these drives are uncovered include dream interpretation, projective 
        tests, hypnotism, and free association. 
        Historically, psychodynamic therapy was a lengthy process, but nowadays, it also is applied as 
        a relatively short-term approach. Research has indicated effectiveness for both long- and short-
        term psychodynamic treatment for the treatment of psychiatric issues (e.g., Bögels, Wijts, & 
        Oort et al., 2014; Knekt, Lindfors, & Härkänen, 2008; Leichsenring, Salzer, & Jaeger, 2009). 
          
        2. Interpersonal Counselling 
        Interpersonal Counselling is a diagnosis-focused approach in which the client’s disorder is 
        regarded as a medical illness that requires intervention (Markowitz & Weissman, 2004). 
        In this sense, any fault or self-blame is diminished for the client. The role of interpersonal 
        relationships and attachment on mental health outcomes are also important targets for this type 
        of Counselling. 
        It is a time-limited approach during which clients learn that their psychological issues are linked 
        to environmental stressors. Interpersonal counselors are supportive and compassionate, serving 
        as client allies. 
        Such therapists suggest ways for clients to deal with situations in a way that promotes self-
        efficacy and reduced symptoms (Markowitz & Weissman, 2004). Based on clinical trials, 
        Interpersonal Therapy has been effective for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, especially 
        depression (Markowitz & Weissman, 2004). 
                      
         3. Humanistic/Client-Centered Counselling 
        Humanistic  Counselling  is  based  on  the  assumption  that  individuals  already  possess  the 
        qualities needed to flourish. This approach encourages curiosity, intuition, creativity, humility, 
        empathy, and altruism (Giorgi, 2005; Robbins, 2008). 
        Humanistic Counselling was first developed by Carl Rogers, who later founded Client-centered 
        Therapy—a humanistic Counselling style that helps clients reach their full potential as human 
        beings. 
        Client-centered Therapy promotes a safe climate in which the therapist is both empathetic and 
        nonjudgmental.  In  this  way,  the  client  experiences  a  sense  of  acceptance,  openness,  and 
        unconditional positive regard. 
        These ideas are beautifully articulated by Rogers, who noted that: 
           People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be. When I look at a sunset, I 
           don’t find myself saying, ‘Soften the orange a bit on the right-hand corner.’ I don’t try 
           to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds. 
                                  Carl Rogers, Goodreads.com 
        Carl’s words also convey the importance of allowing the client to make his/her own discoveries 
        rather than providing a lot of therapist direction. Therefore, with a client-centered counselor, 
        the client usually does most of the talking. The therapist’s role is to guide clients in an accepting 
        way—helping them to see the beauty within themselves. 
          
        4. Existential Therapy 
        Existentialism is a philosophy aimed at examining the question of human existence. It is often 
        associated with 19th and 20th-century writers and philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Soren 
        Kierkegaard, Albert Camus, and Friedrich Nietzsche. 
        Existential thinking is also inherent in ancient Greek philosophy going as far back as Socrates—
        469-399 BCE (Flynn, 2009). 
        Existential Therapy does not attempt to cure a person or diminish specific symptoms, but rather, 
        it seeks to explore and question aspects of the human predicament (Corbett & Milton, 2011). 
        The client is viewed as ever-changing and always in the process of becoming (Dryden, 2007). 
        The existential therapist operates from the client’s perspective to explore what it means to be 
        alive. He/she works with the client to examine unfulfilled needs and potential; and how to make 
        rational  choices.  While this  Counselling approach is still evolving, research has indicated 
        significant reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms following short-term existential 
        therapy (Rayner & Vitali, 2015). 
          
        5. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy 
        Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is grounded in the assumption that “emotional disorders 
        are maintained by cognitive factors, and that psychological treatment leads to changes in these 
        factors through cognitive and behavioral techniques” (Hofmann & Smits, 2008, p. 621). 
        In other words, by combining both cognitive and behavioral approaches, CBT is focused on 
        how thoughts AND behaviors dictate a person’s feelings in a given situation. 
        The following principles guide Cognitive-behavioral Therapy: 
         1.  Mental health disorders involve key learning and information processing mechanisms. 
         2.  Behaviors are better understood by exposing their true functions. 
         3.  New adaptive learning experiences can be used to substitute prior nonadaptive learning 
           processes. 
         4.  Therapists use a scientific approach to therapy by creating hypotheses about patients’ 
           cognitive and behavioral patterns; by intervening and observing outcomes; and by 
           reframing original hypotheses as needed (Hazlett-Stevens & Craske, 2004). 
        A variety of different techniques and components may be included in CBT therapy, such as 
        exposure, social skills training, cognitive restructuring, problem-solving training, journaling, 
        and relaxation training—among others. 
          
        6. Mindfulness-based Counselling 
        Mindfulness-based Counselling is grounded in mindfulness philosophy which “refers to a 
        process that leads to a mental state characterized by nonjudgmental awareness of the present 
        moment experience, including one’s sensations, thoughts, bodily states, consciousness, and the 
        environment while encouraging openness, curiosity, and acceptance” (Hofmann, Sawyer, & 
        Witt et al., 2010, p. 169). 
        During mindfulness-based therapy, the client pays attention to his/her feelings and thoughts in 
        the moment, and without judgment. Following Buddhist traditions, it is an openminded and 
        accepting way of responding to thoughts (Kabat-Zinn, 2005). 
        Mindfulness-based Counselling is an increasingly popular approach aimed at helping clients to 
        increase relaxation while removing negative or stressful judgments. This technique helps to 
        teach clients how to deal with emotional stressors reflectively instead of reflexively (Hofmann 
        et al., 2010). 
        Different types of mindfulness meditation approaches may be applied as part of mindfulness 
        Counselling such as yoga, breathing meditation, sitting meditation, bodyscan, and soundscan. 
        Bodyscan involves attending to different parts of the body in a gradual format while tensing 
        and then relaxing muscles. With soundscan, responses to sounds are adjusted such that their