Personal Framework Essay

In spite of the variety of approaches and therapeutic paradigms, available to professional psychologists and counselors, they often tend to prioritize one or two frameworks as â€Å"personal† ones. The present paper discusses the case of 67-year-old widow, suffering from grief and struggling with the challenges of solitude. For instance, if the professional, responsible for administering and planning therapies relies mainly on psychodynamic psychotherapy, is likely to focus on the woman’s unconscious motivations and attitudes. The recently widowed woman will attend sessions once or twice a week in case she is relatively stable emotionally and discuss her dreams, spontaneous thoughts and cognitions. Given that psychodynamic approach is based heavily upon Freudian personality structure, the specialist is more likely to focus on the woman’s relationship with her husband so that she can resolve the inner conflict and eliminate her survivor’s guilt (Boylan, Mally & Reilly, 2001, p. 68). Psychodynamic therapist will also discuss the woman’s early years in order to find out the actual destructive patterns in her attitudes and behavior and gradually remove them by explaining and elucidating the causes of her current state. If the woman suffers from acute and pervasive emotional states, the follower of schema therapy will search for the negative maladaptive pattern, which creates obstructions to accepting the loss of the spouse (Young, Klosko & Weishaar, 2003, p. 11). Schemas are â€Å"comprised of memories, emotions, cognitions, and bodily sensations regarding oneself and one’s relationships with others and are developed during childhood or adolescence† (Young, Klosko & Weishaar, 2003, p. 7). After learning the patient’s history, the therapist is likely to find a pattern of strong fear of loneliness or a similar destructive schema. Taking into consideration the woman’s temperament, the specialist will restructure this fear by teaching self-sufficiency and focusing her attention on the positive psychoemotional and sensational patterns, associated with the content with life (e. . pleasure of breathing fresh air, eating, playing with grandchildren and so forth). The follower of solution-focused perspective is likely to begin with the so-called miracle question in order to determine the aspects of life (emotions, experiences) the woman lacks (Boylan, Mally & Reilly, 2001, p. 34). The woman will need to imagine her spouse h as returned and define the first signs of the miracle, her actions, intents and feelings. Furthermore, the counselor asks questions to identify the patient’s strengths, skills, talents and abilities and begins to encourage her by phrases like â€Å"I understand your hardships, but I am really amazed by the fact that you are act as an assertive person and manage to put all your decisions to practice†. Session by session, the specialist gradually orients the patient to using her strongest points and abilities like critical thinking, determination or proficiency in certain activities and areas. Cognitive behavioral therapist is likely to employ the ABC model of psychological change and establish the relationship between the activating event (the loss of the husband), wrongful and faulty beliefs and consequences (Boylan, Mally & Reilly, 2001, p. 38). For instance, the woman might believe she is helpless without her husband or that nobody needs her any longer as she has lost her spouse. Further, the therapist is likely to challenge her wrongful beliefs for the purpose of cognitive restructuring, so the patient will soon conclude that her life continues and act more constructively. This treatment approach implies a number of assignments including behavior change plans, emotions and cognition diaries, so the patient will also develop greater self-awareness and much better understand her thoughts, expectations, beliefs and intents. As one can conclude, although different treatment perspectives imply dissimilar methods of influence, they actually pursue similar goals, which necessarily include normalization of the person’s physical and spiritual well-being as well as social functioning.