Psychological counseling

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Psychological counseling (American-English Psychological Counseling , British-English Psychological Counseling ) describes psychological measures and activities that serve to deal with and overcome problems or conflicts. It is a central intervention technique in the field of non-medical psychology (advisory psychology).

In Germany, “activities that only deal with dealing with or overcoming social conflicts or other purposes outside of medicine ” are “not part of the practice of psychotherapy ” according to Section 1, Paragraph 2, Clause 3 of the Psychotherapists Act (version September 2020) . The situation is similar in Austria and Switzerland, even if the legal regulations there differ in detail.

The term psychological advisor is not one of the legally protected professional titles in Germany ; he is not to be confused with the psychologist , the licensed psychotherapist or the alternative practitioner in the field of psychotherapy . Under Counseling Psychology a specialized field of psychology is made primarily in the English language, which deals with the application of consulting processes in various fields (eg. As supervision, training, career development, prevention and health).

Definition and legal basis

It must be assumed that there has not yet been a specific, unambiguous and sufficiently widely accepted definition ; the experiments differentiate depending on the area of application and interest in knowledge .

The professional association of German psychologists has presented a general definition in its professional policy guidelines:

“Psychological counseling is a process based on interrelationships between people or groups to promote psychological competence and the ability to act (changing patterns of thinking, feeling and acting), to activate existing and develop new resources, to reduce disruptive factors. There is an agreement between the participants (psychologist, person / group seeking advice) about the need for advice. The consultation process is carried out towards the goals described. Methods are used that are based on the findings of scientific psychology. "

Counseling and psychotherapy

Definitions such as these are also attempted, especially to distinguish it from psychotherapy :

In Germany, Section 1 PsychThG defines counseling psychology as "psychological activities that deal with dealing with and overcoming social conflicts or other purposes outside of medicine." In Austria and Switzerland, it is also the case that all psychological interventions are classified as counseling that do not serve the purpose of medicine. This means that psychological disorders must not be treated as part of psychological counseling. The law regulates the limits of psychological counseling, in particular how it is differentiated from therapeutic psychology (psychotherapy). However, their content and procedures themselves are not subject to any state supervision or regulation.

As a rule, psychological and psychotherapeutic techniques are used here, some of which are also known from psychotherapy. While psychotherapy is an activity to identify, heal or alleviate disorders with a disease value, psychological counseling is about assistance for mentally healthy people with specific life problems.

Other forms of advice

Psychological counseling as a branch of counseling psychology must be differentiated from other forms of psychological counseling (e.g. psychoeducation , business psychological methods, communication training). In contrast to the German-speaking area, in many countries these distinctions are made through legal regulations and measures for psychological counseling are regulated. In the USA , for example , social workers and pastors who work in an advisory capacity are licensed as counselors , while psychological counseling is only possible as a licensed counseling psychologist , which is a license as a psychologist and thus a relevant university psychology degree with at least a master's degree or even a doctorate requires.

Advisory psychologists are rarely found in Germany outside of institutions. Due to the healing system of psychotherapeutic care in Germany, psychological counseling outside of psychotherapy is only economically feasible in rare cases. The profession of a classic counseling psychologist has therefore hardly been able to establish itself in Germany so far. The main reason for this development is the lack of economic integration of psychological counseling into health care systems.

Subject areas

Psychological counseling can be given wherever it is a matter of solving and overcoming personal and social conflicts. Methods of psychological counseling are therefore used - independently or integrated into other measures - in a wide variety of areas of social and psychological work. These include life counseling , pastoral care , career and study counseling, educational counseling, marriage and partnership counseling , parenting counseling , family counseling , youth counseling and drug counseling , genetic counseling, counseling for coping with specific diseases and counseling for people with disabilities , personnel and management counseling , conflict counseling , Decision-making advice, bullying advice, victim counseling and, if necessary, advice on possibilities and planning of psychotherapy.

Advice concerns

The general, overarching goal of psychological counseling is to improve subjective satisfaction and quality of life . Possible counseling goals are the resolution of conflicts, the clarification of unclear personal or social situations as well as the learning of preventive measures. Difficulties in making decisions, from problems perceived as ethically or morally unclear, from questions about a change in life, those about general, professional or family reorientation, about educational opportunities and aptitudes, about career planning, about general professional questions, problems at or with the workplace, improving the Working and learning, improving communication and optimizing leadership behavior can also be the subject of psychological counseling measures. Psychological counseling is increasingly being sought to clarify and work through existential (meaning) questions. In this context, well-founded research results on the psychology of happiness can now also be used.

Financing the consultation

Since psychological counseling does not serve the treatment of illnesses (and is not allowed to serve by law), its costs are usually not covered by health insurance companies in German-speaking countries. In Germany, however, psychological counseling is also provided free of charge as part of extended health care, mostly in counseling centers, crisis centers or the social-psychiatric service. In the case of advice centers run by non-profit organizations and recognized youth welfare organizations in Germany (for example, according to §28 ), the advice recipient usually does not incur any costs or donations are asked for the advice provided. In the case of freelance psychological counselors and online or telephone counseling offers, the counseling often has to be paid for entirely privately. In individual cases, private health insurances can apply for reimbursement of costs if the psychological advisor has a license to practice medicine as a psychotherapist or an authorization to practice medicine as an alternative practitioner or alternative practitioner for psychotherapy .

Education and qualifications

On the German “consulting market” there are many psychological advisors, some of them also working part-time, with very different educational backgrounds. Since psychological counseling includes many different psychological methods and the training path is not regulated by law, there are a large number of different qualifications of the providers. A university degree in psychology , social work , communication studies or theology can, often after additional training, enable application, as can courses at private institutes. The quality of the training varies accordingly.

There are also state-certified courses as "Psychological Consultant / Personal Coach" in accordance with the Recognition and Admission Ordinance for Continuing Education (AZWV), some of which are carried out by distance learning . The terms "psychological consultant" or "personal coach" are not protected in Germany - in contrast to the title "qualified psychologist" and the stand-alone term "psychologist". While the use of the latter job titles requires the successful completion of a university degree with a major in psychology, neither the courses mentioned nor any other training are required to appear as a "psychological advisor". For this reason, the danger is occasionally pointed out that, due to a lack of specialist knowledge, dubious providers may appear who are less effective or, in the worst case, even harbor risks for clients. Unlike in the case of state-regulated professional groups, the person seeking advice is asked to check the qualifications of the psychological advisor himself on the basis of his completed training and further education and to check his seriousness.

In Germany, training courses are also offered by professional associations, non-profit training providers and privately organized training institutions (also in cooperation with some universities of applied sciences). These courses usually consist of the imparting of theoretical content and a practical part in which the methods and techniques learned are practiced.

Advisory process

What happens during psychological counseling depends on the specific method used. As with psychotherapy, behavioral and depth psychology , as well as communication psychology and other techniques, are used here. Usually the procedure is cooperative and on an equal footing with the client. The psychologist or counselor and client are equal personalities and look for clarification and possible solutions to existing problems and conflicts together.

Supportive psychological counseling resumes the interrupted development process in the sense of lifelong learning and continues it. The prophylactic value of early psychological counseling is also sometimes pointed out. From empirical studies it can be deduced that problems and crises can favor the development of mental disorders and physical illnesses (cf. e.g. research on the diathesis stress model ). However, psychological counseling does not replace medical treatment or psychotherapeutically indicated assistance. As the mildest, low-threshold form, it belongs to the field of psychosocial care, but it also has a much broader effect. Another feature is the outpatient feasibility, such as in local advice centers or in psychological practices. Psychological telephone counseling, however, enables anonymous counseling, which reduces any inhibition threshold that may exist in the person seeking advice to open up to a stranger.

Areas of application

literature

  • A. Aichhorn: Educational advice and educational assistance. Huber, Bern 1959.
  • Luitgard Brem-Gräser : Handbook of advice for helping professions. Volume 1-3. Reinhard, Munich / Basel 1993
  • H. Bommert, U. Plessen: Psychological educational counseling. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1978, ISBN 3-17-004890-2
  • G. Dietrich: Special counseling psychology. Hogrefe, Göttingen 1987.
  • G. Fatzer, Claus D. Eck (ed.): Supervision and advice. A manual. Edition Humanistic Psychology, Cologne 1990.
  • F. Nestmann, F. Engel, U. Sickendiek (Ed.): The manual of advice. Volume 1 and Volume 2, dgvt-Verlag, Tübingen 2007, ISBN 978-3-87159-050-4 .
  • M. Perrez, F. Büchel, N. Ischi, JL Patry, B. Thommen: Educational psychological counseling and intervention to help people help themselves in families and schools. Huber, Bern 1985.
  • E. Narrow-eared: Clarify instead of blaming. Counseling Psychology with Parents, Children and Teachers. Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1995.
  • Ch. Steinebach: Handbook of Psychological Counseling. Stuttgart, Klett-Cotta 2006.
  • MR Textor: Divorce Cycle and Divorce Counseling. A manual. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1991.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ James A. Patterson, Irina N. Lipschitz: Psychological Counseling. Research Focus. Nova Science Publishers, New York, 2007.
  2. ↑ Gelso, CJ, Williams, EN & Fretz, B. (2014). Counseling Psychology (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  3. ↑ Keyword "Psychological Counseling" in the DORSCH Lexicon of Psychology
  4. ↑ Psychological counseling. Technical and professional policy guidelines of the Professional Association of German Psychologists. As of February 2000
  5. ↑ §1, Paragraph 3 (1) (2) (3) Psychotherapists Act of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1999.
  6. ^ Tara L. Kuther, Robert D. Morgan: Careers in Psychology: Opportunities in a Changing World. Wadsworth 2007.
  7. ↑ Elizabeth M. Altmaier, Jo-Ida C. Hansen: The Oxford Handbook of Counseling Psychology. Oxford University Press, New York 2012.
  8. ↑ Ch. Steinebach: Handbook of Psychological Counseling. Stuttgart 2006.
  9. ↑ CJ Gelso, B. Fretz: Counseling Psychology. 2nd Edition. Brooks Cole, 2001.
  10. ↑ Sheelagh Strawbridge, Ray Woolfe, Windy Dryden include: Handbook of Counseling Psychology. 3. Edition. 2010.
  11. ↑ Susan Van Scoyoc, Vanja Orlan: A Short Introduction to Counseling Psychology. SAGE Publications, London 2009.
  12. ↑ § 1 Paragraph 3 (3) PsychThG
  13. ↑ Susanne Nussbeck: Introduction to Counseling Psychology . Munich 2006.
  14. ^ Ronny Teschner: Counseling versus psychotherapy. Norderstedt 2001.
  15. ↑ Charles J. Gelso, Bruce R. Fretz: Counseling Psychology. Harcourt College Publishers, 2000.