A More Humanist Approach in Psychotherapy - Essay Example

The alternative proposed to counter the rigorous and exact scientific method of the medical model is the contextual model. This model emphasizes looking at the factors in which the disorder or problem occurred under and in which the psychotherapy will take place. It is more inclined on a humanist perspective, in which it develops a process of relationship between the therapist and the patient to better understand how the problem began and how it can be treated under the circumstances in which it happened.

The article indicates five fallacies that revolve around interpreting the two models. It discusses that the contextual model does not mean rejecting the medical model entirely. What it offers is a different perspective from the medical model, a more rigorously scientific approach in psychotherapy. The contextual model identifies factors that occur within the circumstances of the problem behavior and with this, it deepens the understanding of the problem. It does not place the abnormal behavior in a rigid context but it defines it depending on the situation and how it could be treated through a more emotionally inclined and dynamic-based solution.

It creates a process of psychotherapy in which it focuses on understanding the patients’ sense of their situation and life.