INTEGRATIVE COUNSELLING: Pros, Cons & All You Need

There are over 400 different approaches to counseling and psychotherapy, and integrative counseling is one of them.

Integrative counseling is when different counseling models are put together to make a new way to help a client. The word “integrate” means the combination of different parts or elements of a model to form a whole new theory. It focuses on the concept that there is no particular model of therapy for clients. This is because personalities differ and everyone is unique. This counseling model tailors different therapy models to the client rather than the therapy to the client. This means putting together different parts of different counseling models to make a new one. There is not one therapeutic model that solves all the problems of a client, like a fairy godmother’s wand.

What is the concept of integrative counselling?

A client may benefit from more than one therapy technique, and an integrative counselor is trained to recognize this diversity in treatment options. Instead, they take into account who you are as an individual as well as your circumstances and combine aspects of a number of different approaches in order to assist you in examining your issues and developing strategies for coping with them.

APPROACH

Imagine this: you walk into a fashion boutique looking for that perfect dinner dress or suit. But nothing fits both your size and personality perfectly at the same time. Remember, you’re looking for the perfect fabric texture and color. The shade just has to complement your eyes, and the pattern has to complement your body, and you can’t find that, which is really frustrating. Then the fashion designer offers to make you a dress that checks all the boxes on your list. Perhaps a few changes to one of the dresses will make it more flattering on you. You go through with it and walk out of there happily because you got what you wanted. That scenario relates to integrative counseling. It focuses on the combination of bits and pieces from different models to form a whole different model. The best one is suitable for the client’s healing.

Integrative counseling will not be effective if the therapist doesn’t understand his client. The relationship between the client and the counselor is very important to how well and how quickly the approach works. For this to happen, the client must feel secure and relaxed in revealing his mental state and problems. He mustn’t feel judged or pressured. He sets goals for how he wants his life to be. The therapist suggests new patterns that the client feels safe and relaxed enough to try, such as a change in habits, lifestyle, diet, and exercise routine. This affects the client’s mental state and leads to a better and more productive lifestyle. This agrees with the concept that the body affects the mind, and likewise, the mind affects the body.

SERVICES

Integrative counseling services are offered in situations of:

• Substance Abuse Disorders
• Sexual Addiction
• Trauma & PTSD
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Relationship Challenges

What are examples of integrative therapy?

Existential therapy, person-centered psychotherapy, transactional analysis, cognitive behavioral therapy, gestalt therapy, body psychotherapy, family systems therapy, and person-centered psychotherapy are some of the more frequent types of therapy.

PROS OF INTEGRATIVE COUNSELLING

•  The integrative counseling approach is a blend of different theories therapists adjust to suit the needs of the client. It uses models in a way that the models can easily be adjusted to achieve the desired result. That as a result is flexible.
• The integrative counselling approach focuses on the client rather than the model. It applies to clients who are more complex in behavior and personality than others. 
• Integrative counselling is a therapeutic stress management approach. It promotes healthy living and reduces the blood pressure of the client. Talk about a healthy body and mind, you got it.
• Integrative counselling approach is a model that considers the wholeness of the client. It finds a healthy balance mentally, physically, and emotionally for the client.

CONS OF INTEGRATIVE COUNSELLING

• Integrative counselling is an approach best considered for expert, experienced and licensed therapists. This is because some therapists might just merge whatever conflicting models there are. This confuses the client. 
• Integrative counselling does not go into the depth of a particular model theory. But it picks elements from the surface of each model. 
• Integrative counselling models are usually put together with the imaginative and calculative capacity of the therapist. His experience in working with other clients with behavioral complexities will help. We must know that individuals differ based on how their minds work. This can at some point lead to conflict between counselors on whose integrated therapy will be more effective for the client. The client affected if this is the case. He will eventually be used as a test subject to prove a point.

Integrative Counseling FAQs