Incarnational Method - Research Paper Example

?I. Introduction to Incarnational Method In this postion paper, the proponent is invited to create an own method of counseling that will render assistance and healing to another person that may be struggling from psychological conditions, or is directly or indirectly affected by his/her present, past, or future percieved environment. There have been various methods from different counselors that have been generated, passed on, and modified to fit various clients for the help that can be offered in the field of Counseling and Psychology. With this in mind, the method that will be discussed in this paper may be an improvement of an existing method, a fusion of some, or a new breed altogether. The author’s method will be another invitation for other counselors to participate in, to examine upon, and to criticize and/or strengthen it, that it may also have the opportunity to inspire another method that will fit in the future cultural context. The sprawling upon of various methods have been a necessity because of the changing cultural, traditional, and socio-economic environments that the community continuously face. The abrupt and rapid change of the community’s environment leads people into numerous new psychological dilemma’s that people a decade ago have never imagined of experiencing. Such cases have led the Counseling field unto new demands of nurturing people of the present day society. At this point, the methodology of the proposed topic is partly inspired by the basics of Experiential Theraphy widely used by Psychoteraphist Mark Felber, L.P.C. of Plano, Texas. Some of it’s methods may also be an infusion of pronciples from Reconciliation Ministries affiliated with Grace Communion International rooted from it’s incarnational idea of service toward a target person, or community. The method requires a very engaged professional in the healing process of a client. The concept is for the professional to be not just putting in mind he is in the client’s shoes but directly engaging himself in the client’s day to day struggle by being a part in the environment of the client. At the same time, he is still to be mindful of the end goal of having the client become responsible of his/her future thinking, actions, and beliefs even without the help of the counselor. This will require thorough and unselfish dedication of time, effort and resources from a trained professional in general term. This may mean the possibility of the professional earning nothing but experience but the life impact that is percieved should be worth it for people whose main interest is to really uphold and offer assistance in healing for those labeled as victims in the community. This may/will also require a certain emotional or spiritual engagement and familiarity in the part of the professional which may broaden the horizons of the theraphy as well. The method also invited not just the client but also the theraphist to embark into a journey of transitions wherein the theraphist aids the client to move on to the next phase in a person’s life (in this case, the client) by being involved in the life of the client directly. II. The Human Nature 1. Self-preservation Theory Humans, in general are selfish beings. This is a statement that can be debated upon but cannot be denied. The idea of humans thinking first for themselves, for their own kin’s benefit, or for the organization they are part of is an inclination of every man. Even our historical forefathers have warred against each other for the survival of the fittest. They have to preserve the clan that they belonged to. This story never becomes new, it only changes in characters and in civilizations. When this happens, there will be the virtual creation of the elite versus the subservient, this may be applicable in individuals or groups. Usually this may lead in the belief that one is more powerful than another thus creating a psychological friction that may effect to various complications. 2. Relational Theory Humans learn best in the constructs of relationships. They are influenced best within the walls of a trusting relationship. This may be a relationships within a loving family, constructive peer influences, and/or social engagements, and the such. At the same pace, humans also hurt the deepest within the bounds of relationships. An evident example may include domestic abuse, gender abuse, social and political abuse, and the like. With this in mind, to connect its idea with the birthed method creates a tremendous outcome not only for the client but for also the counselor as well. The healing process that will be taken into consideration, founded in a trusting relationship, may hopefully produce lasting impact for all, and/or most parties involved. 3. Theory of Adaptation Science have discussed the idea of living creatures to adapt in an environment where they are assigned to. This may be a beneficial fact at some extent, especially when the discussion of how certain species have managed to evolve and live today. The same ideas is taken into consideration when talking about human beings. The idea that they should be adapting in a new environment is a natural and should be a normal reaction. Meanwhile, a vast minority of people suffer from psychological and mental cases due to their failure to adapt in a new or given event, or environment. These unadapted events lead to negative responses. II. The Therapeutic Process The process will include the following stages: 1.)Introduction of the parties- an in-depth profile of the case will be discussed and the expectations the model will be going through upon, it’s aims and the things the client and the therapist may plan to do together during the whole duration of the healing process. 2.)Interception of the Therapist into the Client’s life—this will be the active phase where the mentor-friend relationship will be established aiming to influence the slient by the theraphist during the whole process by doing daily activities and hobbies together. The teraphist will have to get to know the client by being a direct part of the client’s lifestyle and for the therapist to really be involved and be familiarized with the client’s personality and temperament, and also the client’s beliefs. This is also a crucial moment for the therapist to incept values and life principles that would directly deal with the client’s situation. 3.) Cleaving phase—at this stage, the therapist formulate recommendations for the client, this will also be the phase wherein their meetings would have longer duration in between their sessions. This aims to prepare the client for him to continue the remaining of the process in long terms. This will ready the client for him/her to manage his/her own way of thinking and percieving things around him. 4.) Follow-up—lastly, the client is then followed-up instead of the once active phase of the process. If there would be questions that should arise, the therapist whould be there to aid. IV. Therapist’s Function and Role This model introduces the therapist as a mentor friend who would guide the client throughout the whole process of the Incarnational Model. He will be accompanying the client in daily activities and routines while finding out about the client’s personality and temperament during the active phase of the process. This may mean accompanying the client to the grocery, to gasoline stations and to leisure and work experiences and the like. The first part of the therapist role is to get to know him a lot before making any kind of recommendations that will be needed in the later stages of the process. The cleaving and follow-up phase of the model will require the therapist to stitch the background of the client and how he percieves his present condition as a reference to the pyschological aspects that would be dealt upon with. V. Relationship of the Therapist and the Client In this model, the theraphist and the client will have a mentor, mentee relationship; the mentor being the therapist and the mentee the client. The whole process can be seen as a personal life instructor with a disciple with him as they identify the clients inner thoughts and desires as both discovers how it could be managed. The pair will cater a rather sentimental realtionship that would be rooted in relational influencing and the like. The therapeutic odel presented in this paper STRONGLY recommend the same sex to be a therapist to the other. This hopes to alleviate cartain existing sexual malices prevalent in the culture today which a lot of times brings more psychological factors to consider. VI. The Therapheutic Process The model will be goaled through certain benchmarks in the whole process. The therapeutic model will incite the following stages which will serve as a guide for the client and the counselor alike. 1. Incepting of the Professional Using the theory of relationship as an anchor, an in depth introduction of the professional to the client and vice versa is going to be a start of the relationship. This stage will disclose to the client how the professional will work through the process. This will include more than just the shallow information of both parties. This will/may also require certain activities such as having coffee together, playing golf, or baking,whichever hobby both parties will enjoy or have in common. The start of the process will basically require the professional to postpone the more serious parts of the case and focus on the normal day to day existence of every normal being. In this method, it will be encouraged to detach from the real problem for the first few weeks of the theraphy. This aims to give the client a break from what is, and to take the client into a perspective that is far from his/her actual state. To detach the client from what is to gain a better perspective would be the first goal of the Incarnational model. At the same time, the professional incepts into the client’s life in a way that doesn’t associate him/her with the problem. The professional is then cleaved into the person’s life away from the problem perceived, in an emotional context. Meanwhile, if the client wishes to bring up certain issues in his present situation, he may do so. The key is for the counselor to not rekindle emotions and further explanations or reactions, instead the counselor is to take note of the surfaced information as he studies its implications. 2. Participation of the Professional When the professional knows he has been integrated to the client’s regular life without the need of always talking about the client’s problem, that’s when he can be able to ask carefully selected questions that would hopefully lead to the root belief of the client. And also intercept some of the beliefs the client has been lingering upon. If there are certain topics the client does not want to talk about, the professional is to respect the right of the client to remain silent. The aim of this stage is to really be aware of the client’s lifestyle by being in the lifestyle. The professional is advised to drop by the client’s environment a few days a week and just be there as much as possible. In case of work, make a way to meet after work and so on and so forth. The challenge in this stage is for the professional to be creative in making was to meet with the client in an environment where the client’s real self is not threatened. 3. Identification of the Dilemma The professional’s identification of the problem and the personality of the client should have been identified by this time. It would be the stage where there had been a bond that has been established enough for the unidentified facts to be disclosed. These facts may be able to identify the client’s dilemma’s already, thus presenting greater chances for the professional to identify certain principles that can be infused to the client’s mindset. The professional paves a new way of how to think about certain things at this phase of the process. He becomes a leader by letting the client copy most of the professionals principles by integrating principles to life lessons that can be experienced in everyday life stressing on a life principle that will relate the most to the client. This aims in strengthening and building up the inner man of the client. 4. Cleaving to Follow-up Phase The healing process doesn’t end in the professional’s interception of the client’s mindset by being with him always. Subtly, the professional will have to cleave making the days they see each other have longer intervals. The process is to continue even if the active healing phase is already done. The active healing phase refers to the duration the counselor is directly involved in the client’s ifestyle. The follow-up phase will be the stage after the cleaving phase where hopefully the principles have been infused to the client already through the memories the two parties have shared. The goal of this end phase is to encourage the patient to continue being responsible with how he thinks even without the professional by his side anymore. VII. Over-all Analysis The over-all analysis for the model presented in this paper may be a bit tedious and would require real and full dedication. Certain guidelines should also be set up for this model to be furtherly discussed. There will also be methods that will need thourough explanations and research for this kind of model since the possibilities of this model is, to be honest, very broad and endless. Another thing is that in this therapeutic model, there will be no ultimate guides and end results since clients will have to vary from one client to another. Cases will also have to vary and cultural backgrounds should also have to be taken into consideration. A thorough research in the part of the therapist would also be required so to be ready even before the active phase arrives. Communication with people also close to the client will be a neccessity for the whole process bringing more perspectives into consideration. The therapist will also need to take note of certain stages within the process that the client would be showing during their time together. A diary of the case or process may be kept by the therapist so he/she can be documenting certain events during the active phase. Also the insights both the client and the theraphist will have to share may be beneficial to the further development and improvement of the Incarnational Model. It is relationship based and it’s strengths may include the strength relationships can have when it comes to influences, but it’s weaknesses would also include the vital parts in relationships such as trust, loyalty, confidentiality, and the values that both parties will have to hold. In general speaking, this kind of model will really be of hard work. But the fun and the experiences that can be shared by the theraphist and the client, and the people that may be involved in this therapheutic model may deem endless with an open-minded person. Such model will require for an inspired professional to take the challenge of such toll in helping another individual through this healing process model. And as mentioned in the earlier parts of this paper, an experience that will connect people together for a lifetime. To put it in the simplest wording as possible, the model aims to help the client transition from one phase of his/her life while leaving the previous settled in the way he thinks, acts, and will deal with it in the present and in the future. The aim is for the client to realize that his present and current situation can be another starting point that he should see in perspective. And finally, that the concept that the client will be responsible for what he thinks, how he acts, what he believes and what he lives will be a principle that will be for the long term. References: Mark Felber, L.P.C. Various Articles. Retrieved date: October 2010. Retrieving address: http://marriagecpr.com . Plano, Texas 2010. Tkach, Joseph. You are Included Series: Free Lunch. Grace Communion International. 2010 Tkach, Joseph. You are Included Series: Influence. Grace Communion International. 2010 Tkach, Joseph. You are Included Series: Relationships are Messy. Grace Communion International. 2010 Read More