The Technical Eclectic Approach to Counselling

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1. Can you list and briefly describe some of the advantages and disadvantages of an eclectic approach to counseling? Please note that this question refers to the concept of technical eclecticism and not to theoretical integration.

Technician eclecticism advocates selection combination of the most effective techniques, regardless of theoretical orientation of the therapist, to achieve optimal therapeutic results for a specific client. This is working towards loosening therapists from specific schools of therapy. The idea is that treatment can and should consist of techniques from many different theoretical perspectives, without the clinician necessarily adopting the theoretical basis for those techniques. However, techniques chosen are expected to be researched and validated as opposed to those that are not.

Advantages

The advantage of technical eclecticism is that it encourages the use of diverse strategies without being hindered by theoretical differences. It expands the clinician's awareness of treatment options based on past experiences of what has worked. This is an advantage as the techniques are aimed at best treatment options for the client. It gives the therapist a wider range of options to help clients, rather to being 'stuck' to the techniques of one theory. It helps the therapist be more flexible in practice having a larger array of technical options, which helps to work more effectively with clients - especially when one or several techniques have do not worked, she or he can easily use another technique, regardless of theoretical orientation, to achieve optimal therapeutic results. Much emphasis is placed on tailoring treatment to the individual client. However, the therapist must still involve the client n this process--state the purpose of the technique, explain the technique to the client, support the use of the technique, relate the technique to the client's experience, indicate how the technique has worked for other clients, indicate the technique is voluntary and the client can decline at any time, give an overview of what will happen, take the client through the process, process the experience with the client and provide the action planning and follow-up. This involvement builds the relationship as well.

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage is that there may not be a clear conceptual framework describing how techniques drawn from divergent theories might fit together. Other more indirect disadvantages come out of inexperience or a lack of theoretical knowledge of the technique on the part of the therapist. First, to be success in the technical eclectic approach, the ...