Assignment ten
Describe how the use of counselling theory underpins the use of counselling skills. Counselling theory is a structured method the purpose of theory is to ensur the counsellor can explore the client and measure progress.
This can also help new and inexperienced counsellors giving guidance, as theory is a tried and tested concept and an ongoing topic of research urging counsellors to examine relationships that could otherwise be overlooked; operational guidelines to follow and to help evaluate own professional development ; giving you the opportunity to use and evaluate old and new approaches to counselling.

There are several theories and approaches within counselling, the psychodynamic approach, the behavioural and cognitive behavioural approaches and the humanistic approach.
• The Psychodynamic approach stem from the work of Sigmund Freud. Freud believed that everything we do and think has a goal. There is no such thing as an accident or chance event, he believed mental activity existed in three domains: unconscious, pre- conscious and conscious.
• The Behavioural and Cognitive Behavioural Approaches, this approach is based on

the work of a group of behavioural psychologists who were interested in the nature

of human learning.
• The Humanistic Approach, this approach was developed by several psychologists (Maslow, Rogers, May). They believe humans are motivated by the human needs and to realise as much as their potential as possible.
Theories of counselling are the building blocks of the profession.
There are many ideas in counseling about how people thrive and about how things go wrong for some people and how to help with people and their healing. Each of these theories produces a set of techniques. Different counsellors chose different styles depending on the type of person they are. Before a counsellor decides which style of counselling they are going to work with they must become