Theoretical Orientations and Me

How choosing your theory can enhance your counselor identity

Some theories choose the counselors, but most counselors choose the theory. What happens if you're not one of the lucky ones?

From my new favorite Insta, @counseling_memes

I was one of the lucky ones

I was lucky enough to fall in love with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in my first semester of grad school. It just made sense to me. When I learned about Existentialism, things made even more sense. And coincidentally, both of these theories work really well together.

My love for these theories taught me two things. First, I think behavioral changes are most effective when motivated by a person's values. Second, I think life is inherently meaningless and that's a beautiful, wonderful thing.

From my connection to these theories, I also learned that I like a balance of insight-oriented and solution-oriented techniques and to assign homework between sessions. I think hopelessness is something to embrace, not shy away from and that it's okay to be human with my clients.

Essentially, I found the theories I resonated with and learned about myself as a result.

Okay, that's good for you, but what about me? :,)

If you aren't fortunate enough to be magnetically drawn to a theory like I was, don't despair! I actually think it's a really cool opportunity to learn about yourself.

It might be helpful to identify parts of your style that you're already aware of, for example, assigning homework between sessions. You can match these parts of your style to existing theories to see which ones you overlap with the most.

Another approach is to think back to your personal experiences as a client. I actually emailed my previous therapists to see which approaches they used so I could match what worked and what didn't with a name. The therapists that I liked best were the ones who used ACT and existentialism (go figure!).

Some people like using theory sorters, so that could be a good avenue to try. I'd recommend researching the theories before taking it, however, as my results changed pretty drastically after I learned about different approaches to human behavior and wellness.

At the end of the day, try reframing the way you approach choosing a theory. For starters, you can always change. But more importantly, this is a chance to get to know yourself in a really unique way. So take off some of the pressure and have fun!

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What has your theory taught you about yourself? Let me know in the comments!