An Assignment

On
Application of Counseling Model in
Bangladesh
Course Title: Counseling in Social Work Practice
Course No : 603
Submitted To:
Dr. Md. Golam Azam
Professor
Institute Of Social Welfare and
Research
University Of Dhaka
Submitted By:
Rehana Akter
Roll No: 5383
Session: 2012-13
Semester: 6th
Date of Submission: 06th January, 2016
Institute Of Social Welfare and Research
University Of Dhaka

Application Of Counseling Model In Bangladesh

Counseling is a process to help people use their problem
solving skills more effectively. It is the art of helping people.
Counseling is a professional guidance of the individual by utilizing
psychological methods especially in collecting case history data;
using various techniques of personal interview and testing
interest and aptitudes. Counseling is the application of mental
health, psychological or human development principles through
cognitive, affective, behavioral or systematic intervention,
strategies that address wellness, personal growth or career
development. Counseling model is a great counseling service for
the client who are affected by biological, social and psychological
problems. There are various model of counseling. These model of
counseling service are applicable in different perspectives of
human life. It can be applied in solving many bio-psychosocial
problems.
It involves helping people make needed changes in ways of
thinking, feeling, and behaving; and is a goal-based collaborative
process, involving a non-judgemental, supportive counselor who
works with a client in telling his or her story, setting viable goals ,
and developing strategies and plans necessary to accomplish
these goals. For some people this process takes a small amount of
time , in some cases as little as one or two sessions , for others ,
the process may last longer .counseling as a helping service it
uses some certain models. There are many different models of
counseling, the counselor select the models on the basis of their
clients situation.

Concept of Counseling:
According to the American Counseling Association, counseling is
defined as, "a professional relationship that empowers diverse

individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health,

wellness, education, and career goals."
According to Colin Feltham, counseling and psychotherapy are
mainly, not exclusively , listening and talking based methods of
addressing psychological and psychosomatic problems and
change including deep and prolonged human suffering ,
situational dilemmas , crisis and developmental needs and
operations towards the realization of human potential.
According to Carl Rogers , counseling is a series of direct contacts
with the individual which aims to offer him assistance in changing
his attitude and behavior .

Thus, counseling may be characterized as:

- Counseling is a scientific method of helping people to solve
their psycho-social problem.
- It is a professional service.
- It is a support, advice, and guidance.
- It involves conversation between two people including
counselor and client.
- A face to face relation with a person.
- It is a learning process.
- It involves interaction.
- It is completely based on self-guidance.
- Counseling is possible in humorous and cooperative
environment only.
- Finally, counseling is a democratic in nature to solve client
problems.

Concept of Counseling Model:

Models explain the object narrowly in counseling. It is a term
which has been given a wide variety of different meanings by

sociologists and psychologists. In cases it has been used as a

synonym of theory. But in others as a reference to a system of
abstract concept at a more general level than theory.
A model is a like mini theory and has the some nature of a
theory. It focuses on a new elements abstracted from all of
reality.
counseling model is an idealization, an abstract of some
part of real world as an incomplete representation of real thing,
an imagination of reality.
Counseling model is used by counselor to solve clients problem.
It helps the counselor to realize the patterns and relationships
that aid in bringing order to the reality with which we are
confronted to compare, evaluate and relate date Counseling
model is used by counselor for solving clients problem. It helps
the counselor to recognize.

Models of Counseling:
The many different models used to explain the nature and
treatment of mental illness compound the problems of defining
and classifying abnormal behavior. They all attempt to explain the
causes and treatment for all psychological illnesses and all from a
different approach. These are following:
-Bio-medical Model,
-Psycho-analytic Model,
-Behavioral Model,
-Cognitive Model,
-Environmental Model,
-Humanistic Model ,

These models are discussed briefly with its application in

Bangladesh.

The Bio-Medical (chemical) model:

The medical of abnormality model has dominated the psychiatric
profession since the last century . The underlying assumption of
this model is that mental illnesses resemble physical illnesses and
can therefore be diagnosed and treated in a similar way. Just as
physical illnesses are caused by disease producing germs, genetic
factors, biochemical imbalances or changes to the nervous
system, it is assumed that this is also true of mental illnesses.
Because it assumes that mental disorders arise from such
physical causes, the medical model is therefore a biological
model.

Example:
A patient presenting with symptoms of depression (e.g., extreme
tiredness, difficulty in sleeping, lack of interest in life, possible
suicidal tendencies) would be diagnosed as having a problem
resulting from an imbalance of brain chemicals. This could be
corrected by prescribing drugs to restore the balance, or in severe
cases ECT (electro convulsive therapy).

Application Of Bio-Medical Model:

This model may be used in the treatment of Schizophrenia,
Depression, Behaviour Disorders, Learning Disabilities, Bipolar
Depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Seasonal Affective
Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,

Evaluation of the Bio-Medical Model:

Assuming that psychological disorders are the result of biological
factors is not without its problems. For example, the classification
of physical illnesses involves observation and measurement of
objective symptoms such as broken bones, fever, blood pressure
etc., whereas with mental illnesses, the symptoms are much more
subjective e.g., feelings of despair, lack of energy or hearing
voices. These cannot be easily measured, so the clinician must
make a judgement based largely on experience.
A diagnosis of mental 'illness' implies that a person is in no way
responsible for the abnormality of functioning and as such is not
to blame. The concept of 'no blame' is generally thought to be
more humane and likely to elicit a much more sympathetic
response from others.
The strengths of the model are:
- The model is based on well-established sciences such as
medicine.
-There is evidence that biochemical and genetic factors are
associated with some mental illnesses: schizophrenia, for
example.
- It provides a structured and logical system of diagnosis and
treatment.
- If mental illness has a physical cause, patients cannot be
blamed the person is not responsible for the abnormal
functioning.

The weaknesses of the model are:

- The model does not explain the success of purely

psychological treatments for mental illnesses.
- For most mental illnesses, there is no definite proof of a
physical cause.
- The model does not include consideration of social and cultural
factors which do seem to be statistically linked to mental illness,
e.g., higher rates of mental illness amongst the poor.
- Even if physical changes are associated with mental disorders,
it is not clear whether they are the cause or the effect of the
illness.

The Psycho-Analytic Model:

The psych-analytic model was first formulated by Sigmund Freud
at the end of the 19th century and since that time has had an
enormous influence on the entire area of abnormal psychology. It
still offers for many therapists a preferred alternative to biological
approaches to abnormality. The core assumption of this approach
is that the roots of mental disorders are psychological. They lie in
the unconscious mind and are the result the failure of defense
mechanisms to protect the self (or ego) from anxiety. Many of
these intra-psychic conflicts involve basic biological instincts,
especially sexual ones. Many adult problems are reflections of
these earlier conflicts, particularly those stemming from infancy
and early childhood (such as the Oedipus conflict).

Example:

A patient presenting with anxiety symptoms would be encouraged

to explore his past in order to discover problems occurring during
one of the psychosexual stages (oral, anal, phallic and genital). In
order to deal with this problem the patient has used ego-defence
mechanisms, such as repression or denial. These have taken up a
lot of psychic energy, leaving the patient with fewer resources to
deal with everyday life. The anxiety itself may have become
directed towards someone or something else in the patients
world (displacement). Treatment would involve, among other
things, helping the patient to gain insight into the causes of his
anxiety.

Application of Psycho-Analytic Model:

Psych-analytic therapy was very influential in the first half of the
20th century. It involves the use of psychoanalysis, where the
therapist uses techniques such as dream analysis, free
association and hypnosis to explore the patient's unconscious
mind.
Patients are not placed in institutions, and therapists are
supposed to be compassionate and understanding, where no
judgement is made of the patient.
However, the therapy has not been found to be particularly
effective, despite being a time-consuming and expensive process.
Therefore it is limited in its usefulness.

Evaluation of the Psycho-Analytic Model:

The psycho-analytic model has a number of strengths which
account for its enduring popularity:

- Many observations of psychodynamic therapists appear to be

borne out in everyday life, e.g., defence mechanisms.
- Many people with psychological disturbances do recollect
childhood traumas.
- Freudian theory provides a comprehensive framework to
describe human personality.
- Freud rehumanised the distressed, making their suffering
more comprehensible to the rest of society.
-By developing a method of treatment, Freud encouraged a
more optimistic view regarding psychological distress. Mental
illness could, in some cases at least, be treated!

Weaknesses of the psycho-analytic model are:

- The tendency to ignore the patients current problems by
focusing on past conflicts (though this is not true of many later
versions of psychoanalysis).
- A lack of scientific evidence concerning major theoretical
assumptions.
- As the source of many of the conflicts are often parents, there
is a tendency to give a lot of responsibility to parents for the
psychological health of their children.
- Psycho-analytic theory underestimates the role of situation
and context, and overemphasises internal instincts and conflicts.

The Behavioral Model:

The behaviorist approach dominated psychology in the first half of

this century, especially in the USA. The goals of behaviorism were
to move psychology toward a scientific model, which focused on
the observation and measurement of behavior. Its assumptions
were that behavior is primarily the result of the environment
rather than genetics (or instincts) and so the behaviorists reject
the view that abnormal behavior has a biological basis. Like the
psychodynamic theorists, behaviorists have a deterministic view
of mental disorders: they believe that our actions are largely
determined by our experiences in life. However, unlike Freud, they
see abnormal behavior is a learned response (through
conditioning) and not as the result of mysterious (and they would
argue unknowable) unconscious processes. While much of our
behavior is adaptive, helping us to cope with a changing world, it
is also possible to learn behaviors that are abnormal and
undesirable. However, such maladaptive learning can be treated
by changing the environment so that un-learning could take
place.
Behaviorists believe that all behavior (good or bad) is learned
through our interaction with the environment. This applies to
abnormal behavior as well, so a psychological condition is simply
a learned response to a particular set of environmental stimuli.

Example:
A patients fear (phobia) of heights would be explained through
the process of classical conditioning. Sometime in the past, she
would have learned to associate the emotion of fear with the
stimulus of being in a high place through a chance association
between the two stimuli. As a result, she would avoid heights, and
therefore not have the opportunity to relearn the association in a
more adaptive way. Treatment would involve desensitising the
fear through conditioning techniques.

Applications of the Behavioral Model:

It is used for the treatment of compulsive disorder, mental
disorders, disturbance of socialization, depression, ADHD, OCD,
addiction, phobias, anxiety etc.
The model is a simple and effective method of explaining and
treating some psychological conditions (such as phobias).
However, for others it seems to be over-simplistic and reduce a
complex condition (such as schizophrenia) to simple processes of
reinforcement. This seems wrong.
Therapy is often cheap and easy to perform (e.g. systematic
desensitisation for phobias)
There can be ethical issues with some treatments, which
expose people to stressful environments.

Evaluation of the Behavioral Model:

Among the strengths of the model are:
- It has led to the development of specific behavioral therapies,
many of which have had high success rates.
- It is widely regarded as lending itself to scientific study and
evaluation.
- Proponents of the model argue that once the symptoms of an
illness are alleviated, the complaint disappears.

Weaknesses include:

- The model is reductionist in the sense that it reduces the

complexity of human behavior to behavioral responses to
environmental stimuli.
- Only the symptoms of illnesses are treated, not the underlying
causes.
- The model provides a limited view of the causes of mental
illness and does not explain the evidence relating to genetic
predispositions to mental illness.
- Environmental causes of abnormal behaviors are only rarely
discovered in patients.

The Cognitive Model:

The cognitive approach is both an outgrowth from, and a reaction
to, the behaviorist approach. The basic assumption of the
cognitive approach holds that mental events cause behavior in
that we interpret our environment before we react to it. In the
case of abnormal behavior, it is the interpretations and disordered
cognitions that lead to the behavior. Emotional problems can be
attributed to distortions in our cognitions or thinking processes.
These distortions are in the form of overgeneralization , irrational
beliefs, illogical errors or negative thoughts. The focus of
treatment is on understanding the disordered thoughts and
working with the patient to change these.
The cognitive model of abnormality theorizes that peoples
thoughts and beliefs are the cause of abnormal behavior. Relating
this model to stealing would lead me to believe that the thief stole
because they thought or actually believed that it wasnt wrong to
do

Example:

A patient suffering from a depressed mood after failing a driving

test may be having negative thoughts not only about that specific
failure but may be generalising those to other areas of her life.
She may believe she is a failure in all aspects of her life and will
never be successful again. These thoughts are irrational and
polarised, and the therapist would strive to teach the patient
ways of changing her thoughts. The therapist might also
emphasise the importance of increasing positive reinforcements,
and suggest ways in which this might be achieved.

Application of the Cognitive Model:

The cognition model is applied in the case of depression,
academic achievements, addiction, anxiety disorders, bipolar
disorders, low self-esteem, phobia, schizophrenia, substance
abuse, suicidal ideation, weight loss etc.

Evaluation of the Cognitive Model:

Supporters of the cognitive approach claim that the strengths
include:
- There is much evidence of maladaptive thought processes in
people with psychological disorders.
- This model promotes psychological well-being by teaching
people the means of control over their own lives.

On the other hand, weaknesses of the cognitive model:

- The disordered cognitions may be a result of the disorder, not
the cause.-

The emphasis on the individual draws attention away from

social support systems and the need to locate the causes of
psychological distress in wider social, political and cultural
contexts.

Environmental Model:
Environmental or ecological model of counseling offers an
approach to the conceptualization of human issues that integrates
personal and environmental factors through focusing on their
interaction. By doing so, the widely divergent forces that
converge through the development of a human life may be
organized into a logical and coherent narrative. This process
attempts to assist people in the recreation of their lives, as is the
case with the various forms of counseling.
The bio-psychosocial model expands on the ecological theory,
viewing disease as interplay between environment, physical,
behavioral, psychological, and social factors.
Ecological counseling seeks to understand people's ecological
niches and assist them to live a satisfying life. This is
accomplished by improving one's interactional quality, or
concordance, through counseling intervention at both the
personal and environmental levels.

Application of Environmental Model:

Environmental counseling has implications for clinical counseling
practice, counselor training, group work, career counseling, social
service delivery, research, social justice initiatives, community
intervention, consultation, supervision, and human growth &
development.

The Humanistic Model:

Sometimes referred to as the third force in psychology, the
humanistic movement was a reaction against the determinism of
the psychodynamic and behaviorist paradigms. It attempted to
focus more on the individual as a whole person. According to Carl
Rogers and other leading figures in this movement, people are
rational beings, able to make their own choices, and are
motivated toward a state of fulfillment. Psychological problems
occur when people experience an incongruence between their
real self and their ideal self. This generates a feeling of low selfworth. The humanistic model does not believe in labeling people
by diagnosing them as having specific mental disorders. Every
individuals problems are seen as unique and the therapy lies in
providing nurturing therapeutic conditions which enable the
person to find his/her own way forward in dealing with problems.

Example:
An individual with feelings of despair and a lack of motivation to
live would be understood in terms of a low sense of self-worth,
perhaps to do with the lack of a nurturing environment. This has
led to them losing touch with their true self. They are valuing
themselves in overly negative ways, and feel that they are
unacceptable and unlovable as a person. In order to get in touch
with their true self, it is necessary to experience conditions that
offer empathy, acceptance and genuine understanding.

Evaluation of the Humanistic Model:

Strengths of humanistic model are:

-There is a large body of research, particularly case histories, to

back up the claims of the humanistic model.
-The model offers an optimistic view of personality.
- It is regarded as an ethical model because it focuses on the
person rather than the diagnosis.
-The model facilitates the human capacity for self-cure.

Weaknesses of the humanistic model are:

- The focus on the individual carries the assumption that people
should be able to help themselves, and may neglect important
environmental and social factors (e.g., poverty and
discrimination).
- Some disorders requiring medical treatment may go untreated
due to the reluctance to diagnose.
- The model tends to espouse western ideals of individuality and
freedom, which may not take into account more collectively based
cultures.

Application of Counseling model in Bangladesh:

1.Mental Health Counseling; Adolescent Depression:
A common presenting problem for mental health counselors is
depression in teenegers and young adult. The Bio-Chemical model
first look at any genetic factor involve in causing or exacerbating
the depression. In keeping with the previously mentioned body of
knowledge indicating that a combination of counseling and
alleviate clinical depression of better than either counseling or
medication, a referral to a physical health care specialist is also
made to see it antidepressant medication is appropriate.

2.School Counseling:
A school counselor helping a student with failing grades first
want to look at biological issues such as the presence of learning
disability.

3. Career Counseling:
A career indecisiveness client is one who is unable to choose
potential career paths. In the psychological realm, a fear of
failure is not uncommon in career indecisive clients.

4.

College Counseling,

5.

Rehabilitation Counseling,

6.

Substance Abuse Counseling,

7.

Gerontological Counseling.

References:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org
https://examples.yourdictionary.com
www.appsychology.com
books.google.com.bd
https://landshape.wordpress.com
https://couseling.northwestern.edu
Feltham, Colin and Hortor, Lan., 2002. Hand Book of
Counseling and Psycho-Therapy. New Delhi: SAGE
Publications.
8. https:// www.counseling-directory.org.uk
9. https://psychology.jrank.org

10. Alonso, Y.(2004). The Bio-psychosocial model in

medical research: The evaluation of the health
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11. Jonson, S.K. (1998). The Biopsychosocial model
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12. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied
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13. https://simplypsychology.com