Psychology

The emergence of counseling therapy as a recognized and recommended practice for helping victims of depressive illnesses and other psychological and social disorders has made it necessary to raise and implement standards while offering education to would-be therapists. Some educators have placed much emphasis on practical training while paying lesser attention to counseling theories (What Works in Therapy). However, for the practice of holistic therapy, a professional needs to have sufficient theoretical background and insight on counseling (Harold, 1992).

First and foremost, counseling theories give a therapist the foundation for recognizing a patients needs and thus aid him or her in developing personal theories and systematic approaches while dealing with him or her (Harold, 1992). It does not mean that a therapy practitioner will have to stick by a counseling theory, but the knowledge of such will enable him to pick case-specific elements from the various theories to build a base from which progress can be attained.

Secondly, a therapist with adequate theoretical background is able to develop factors that are significant for the success of his or her practice (What works in Therapy). Such background knowledge is essential in obtaining feedback from a client his or her experience and evaluation concerning the therapy and its progressive impact on him or her. Theoretical information also enables the therapist to know the importance and method of tapping into a clients world outside therapy (Andrews, 2007). Depressive illness and mental health patients who seek help do so from many sources beside therapy. A therapist with a good understanding of counseling theories will know how to determine what ways a client is seeking extra help and therefore be able to encourage him or her to utilize additional resources in his or her environment thus contributing towards increasing the success of therapy.