Integrative counselling
Integrative counselling is a combined approach to psychotherapy that brings together different elements of specific therapies.
Integrative therapists take the view that there is no single approach that can treat each client in all situations. Rather, each person needs to be considered as a whole and counselling techniques must be tailored to their needs and personal circumstances.
What is integrative counselling?
Counsellor Karen Janas explains what integrative counselling is; the different modalities incorporated in the approach (such as mindfulness and CBT) and how it may benefit you.
Integrative counselling maintains the idea that there are many ways to explore and understand human psychology - no one theory alone holds the answer. All theories are considered to have value, even if their foundational principles contradict each other - hence the need to integrate them.
The integrative approach also refers to the infusion of a person's personality and needs. This means integrating the affective, behavioural, cognitive, and physiological systems within one person, as well as addressing social and spiritual aspects. Essentially, integrative counsellors are not only concerned with what works but why it works - tailoring therapy to their clients and not the client to the therapy.
What is the aim of integrative counselling?
Integrative counselling aims to promote healing and facilitate wholeness. It does this by ensuring that all levels of a person's being and functioning (mental, physical and emotional health) are maximised to their full potential. Clients must be committed to self-exploration and open to identifying what factors in their life are perpetuating problems, and/or are causing current concerns.
In particular, the integrative approach helps clients face each moment openly and authentically without having formed an opinion, expectation or attitude beforehand. This helps them to better focus on what may be limiting their psychological freedom, and recognise triggers that may be causing unhelpful behaviour.
Through this awareness, integrative therapy helps to create a healthy alliance between mind and body. In turn, this empowers clients to start setting goals and to move beyond their limitations. This will be worked towards alongside other goals that are drawn into therapy through the integration of other approaches. These will all be tailored to the client's personal limits and external constraints.
How does integrative therapy work?
The counsellor’s role within integrative therapy is to tailor the support for each client. They do this using techniques and concepts drawn from various approaches - all of which are deemed appropriate for the client.
Integration of approaches
Integration can occur through a variety of modalities/systems of perspective, including:
- humanistic therapies
- psychoanalytical and psychodynamic therapies
- cognitive and behavioural therapies
Each approach offers insight into human behaviour, as well as a unique understanding of factors that can result in changes in behaviour, cognition and emotion. These can be reinforced when selectively integrated with other elements of therapy.
If an integrative therapist is working with a client who has behavioural problems, they may want to start the therapy by working on adjusting behavioural functioning and reducing symptoms. This may involve applying cognitive behavioural techniques before moving on to the next stage of therapy (i.e. working on improving and gaining insight into the client's behaviours, emotions and thoughts).
In this stage, the therapist may employ psychoanalytic techniques that recall childhood experiences and interpretation, dream analysis or analysis of transference.
Client-therapist relationship
The attitude of an integrative counsellor is another crucial element of integrative therapy. It is generally believed that the most effective model requires the therapist to be non-judgemental, interpersonal and intent on establishing a supportive and cooperative relationship with their client. They must also engage in deep, attentive listening without any assumptions or judgements.
This contract between equals is thought to empower clients. It can help them explore and recognise patterns of behaviour that need to be changed and the setting of new goals. This aspect of integrative therapy is often referred to as the personal integration of therapists - they are committing themselves wholly to the client and their exploration of self.
Benefits of integrative counselling
A key advantage of integrative therapy is its flexibility and focus on the whole of an individual. The integration of different approaches means therapy can be tailored to meet a variety of needs and concerns, making it arguably a more flexible and inclusive approach to treatment than more traditional, singular forms of psychotherapy.
An integrative approach can evolve over time to address life changes or events that might come up in the course of therapy.
- Dr K. Givissi writes in Which therapy is right for me?
It can be particularly beneficial for those who want to overcome negative patterns of behaviour caused by anxieties, fears or phobias. It can be equally effective for other mental health concerns that are impacting life satisfaction, such as:
- addiction
- depression
- past and current trauma
- bereavement
- low self-esteem
It has also been found useful in improving daily function in autistic children and those with learning difficulties.
Due to the in-depth exploration of issues and setting of goals, integrative counselling typically requires a substantial investment of time on the part of the client. Therefore it may not suit those who want a quick, solution-focused approach to personal development.