Psychological counseling

This text presents an overview of psychological counseling that is intended primarily for graduate students in psychology, particularly those who plan to become counseling or clinical psychologists. The term psychological counseling is sufficiently new as to require explanation. The choice of this title was governed by the author's dual purpose: (1) to address counselors being trained to further individual personality development; (2) to treat counseling as a process based upon psychological foundations. The text itself is divided into three parts: Introduction to Psychological Counseling, the purpose of which is to acquaint the reader with the salient features of the activities of the psychological counselor; Theoretical Foundations, herein psychological counseling is treated as the application of a general theory of psychotherapy to the special conditions and purposes which surround this particular enterprise and, therefore, a general review of psychotherapeutic theories and their applications to counseling is undertaken; and The Process of Psychological Counseling, which aims to show the answers to practical problems of counseling that derive from the theories and concepts set forth in the foregoing part--including examples of the many events in which the counselor has a part to play that furthers his client's progress toward emotional maturity and well-being. The author warns that discussions, for the most part, will assume that readers possess a broad familiarity with the facts and principles of psychology, especially those associated with personality theory and development, both normal and abnormal, and with theory and technique of psychological assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved).