Adlerian therapy is a growth model which emphasizes on positive view of human nature and that human beings are in control of their own fate and not victims of the fate. Adlerian theory stresses on birth order, individual way of life, social interest and concept pertaining principles of superiority and inferiority.
People start at their early age creating their unique style of life which is relatively consistent with their entire life. People are motivated by their set goals; how they handle tasks they face in their life and social interest. The main goal of Adlerian therapy is to challenge and encourage premises and goals of clients. They encourage useful goals to socially help clients feel equal.
These goals may include marital skills, parental skills and ending substance-abuse. Therapists mostly focus on clients’ way of life examines it and tries to establish a mutual respect and trust for each other.
Therapists and client mutually sets goals then therapists encourages client on achieving the set goals. Therapists may also give some homework, set up agreement between him and client and make proposal on how the client can reach the set goals (Scharf, 1999, p. 34).
Goals of Adlerian Therapy and Counseling
Adlerian therapy and counseling has central goals which helps clients in identifying and changing their mistaken assumptions, beliefs, goals about self and their life thus participating more on social world. Adlerian therapy focuses mainly on feelings of oneself (ego) which comes as a result of firm interactions and conflicts.
The sense of self (ego) is the main core of personality. Adlerian therapy starts from psychotherapy stressing on social contact and enthusiasm. It is a phenomenological approach that put emphasis on on social interest. This therapy focuses on teaching, informing and encouraging clients. The basic mistake in this therapy is clients’ private sense with therapeutic relationship in establishing a mutual partnership.
It is based on exceptional enthusiasm of individuals and importance how each person perceives his or her role in the society. Adlerian therapy focuses on the directness of human nature which is a teleological facet. It is concerned with social conditions which require one to take preventive actions to keep away from interruption of personality (Scharf, 1999, p. 37).
Adlerian therapists try to view the world from client’s one-sided reference framework. It considers how in veracity life is less important on how individuals believe it is and it is not. Childhood experience is important but this focuses more on how people present their events. Unconscious nature and the past don’t determine people’s behaviors.
The most distinct and considerable idea of Adlerian therapy is individuals feelings towards and consciousness of being part of human community. Mental health is measured by the level to which people share with others successfully and they are concerned with their wellbeing. Success and happiness are greatly linked with social connectedness.
In Adlerian and counseling encouragement is the most powerful means available for changing one’s beliefs. This helps in establishing self-confidence and it kindles courage. Dissuasion is the main condition which hiders people from performing.
Clients are encouraged to realize that they have the ability to make choices and respond differently. Individuals have inferiority complex which is a normal feeling of ineptitude and overstresses making them unable to attain their goals. Superiority complex is a very high opinion of self-bragging and quick to urge personal solutions to problems which are right for one to convince others for being valuable to them (Scharf, 1999, p. 42).
Adlerian therapy is done using comprehensive evaluation of early reflection of single incident from childhood. In family gathering it uses questionnaires and social evaluation. In lifestyle evaluation it develops targets for therapy by recognizing main successes and mistakes in life of the client.
In Adlerian and counseling clients explore their private reasoning identifying concepts about them, others and their life. This is a philosophical based lifestyle. They discover reason of behaviors and signs and the basic mistakes associated with their coping.
Clients try to learn how to correct faulty assumptions and conclusions. For Adlerian therapy and counseling to work client and therapists has to establish a relationship based on their mutual trust, confidence, respect and alignment of goals.
They should establish a mutual relationship developing beneficial agreement which is the goal for the therapy. They should emphasize on responsibility of clients for their own behavior (Scharf, 1999, p. 47)
Adlerian therapy and counseling establishes relations, discover emotional dynamics operating in client-assessment. They encourage growth of self-understanding –insight into purpose.
This helps client in making new choices through reorientation and reeducation. In establishing their relationship therapists should get to know client as a person and collaborate on goals of therapy. It is the work of therapists to make client feel deeply understood and accepted.
Client should focus on what it is required to change in the therapy. Adlerian approaches are applied in education, marriage counseling, parent education, group work and family counseling. Social contribution in Adlerian therapy increases through decrease of false beliefs which often results in maladaptive feeling of superiority and inferiority (Scharf, 1999, p. 48).
Adlerian therapy view personality as being one unit that requires study and constant determination for superiority. Human behavior is purposeful and goal oriented.
There in counseling Adlerian therapy is used to focus more attention on the future of clients than their past events although perception of client on past is very important. The main goal and personality is all about Adlerian.
Adlerian belief that people are social animals and those who feel they are part of the community they have less feelings of inferiority and should be best attuned. Our siblings are the people we have established longest relationship so birth order has influenced people’s development of personality (Scharf, 1999, p. 52).