Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Originator : Aaron Beck)
It is a solution-focused approach to treatment, oriented toward solving problems and learning skills. The goal is to help people get better and stay better, and its effectiveness has been demonstrated in thousands of clinical trials. The counsellor and the client work together as a team to identify and solve problems. Counsellors help clients overcome their difficulties by changing their thinking, behavior, and emotional responses. Therapy consists of educating clients in how to test the reality of their thinking by interventions such as Socratic questioning and conducting real-life experiments.
Person-centred Therapy (Originator : Carl Rogers)
Taking the view that every individual has the internal resources they need for growth, person-centred counselling aims to provide three ‘core conditions’ (unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence) which help that growth to occur.
Solution-focused Therapy (Originators : Steve de Shazer & Insoo Kim Berg)
It is future-focused, goal-directed, and focuses on solutions, rather than on the problems that brought clients to seek counselling. With this therapy, the conversation is directed toward developing and achieving the client’s vision of solutions. Specific uses of language and styles of questioning are used to encourage creativity and flexible thinking around the relevant issues.
Compassion-focused Therapy (Originators : Dr. Paul Gilbert)
It is a form of psychotherapy that emphasises the development of self-compassion, empathy and compassion for others as a means of improving mental health and well-being. The goal of this therapy is to help individuals overcome negative emotions, thoughts, and behaviours that are related to shame, guilt, and self-criticism. The therapy aims to promote a kind and understanding inner voice that supports individuals in overcoming challenges, such as addiction, and promotes self-care.
In CFT, counsellors work with the clients to identify negative self-talks, thoughts and beliefs and to replace them with more compassionate and understanding ones. The therapy also includes techniques to help clients regulate their emotions, manage stress, and develop coping skills. Furthermore, the therapy helps individuals build connections with others and develop a greater sense of social support.
Narrative Therapy (Originators : Michael White & David Epston)
It seeks to be a respectful, non-blaming approach to counselling, which centres people as the experts in their own lives. It views problems as separate from people and assumes people have many skills, competencies, beliefs, values, commitments and abilities that will assist them to reduce the influence of problems in their lives, by encouraging them to narrate and discuss the meaning of ‘thicker’ and ‘richer’ self-stories more fully representing their concrete experience.