Brief Background -The unique ways in which people develop a style of

Along with Freud and Jung, Alfred Adler was striving for competence is what constitutes individuality
major contributor to the initial development of the or lifestyle.
psychodynamic approach to therapy (Corey, 2017). • Lifestyle
However, Adler later abandoned Freud’s basic theories -The development of a life goal unifies the personality and
because he believed that it was excessively narrow with the individual’s core beliefs and assumptions.
emphasis on biological and instinctual determination. -Core beliefs and assumptions guide each person’s
Adler believed that the first six years of living forms an movement through life and organize his or her reality,
individual’s approach to life, and it is important to view giving meaning to life events. Adler called this life
past as perceived in the present and how it influences an movement the individual’s “lifestyle.”
individual’s behavior. Even though Freud and Adler once -Although events in the environment influence the
belonged in one circle, their individual and distinct development of personality, such events are not the
childhood experiences, their personal struggles, and the causes of what people become; rather, it is our
populations with whom they worked were key factors in interpretation of these events that shape personality.
the development of their view of human nature. Alfred -Faulty interpretation may lead to mistaken notions which
Adler’s early childhood experiences had an impact on the will significantly influence present behavior. Once we
formation of his theory. He was a pioneer of an approach become aware of the patterns and continuity of our life,
that is holistic, social, goal oriented, systemic, and we are in a position to modify those faulty assumptions
humanistic. and make basic changes.
• Social Interest and Community Feeling
KEY CONCEPTS -These two are probably Adler’s most significant and
• View of Human Nature distinctive concepts.
-Humans are motivated primarily by social relatedness -Social interest is the action line of one’s community
rather than by sexual urges; behavior is purposeful and feeling, and it involves being as concerned about others
goal-directed. as one is about oneself.
-Inferiority feeling is a normal condition of all people and - As social interest develops, feelings of inferiority and
a source of all human striving; it is the wellspring of alienation diminish.
creativity. - Individual Psychology rests on a central belief that our
-People could change through social learning. happiness and success are largely related to this
• Subjective Perception of Reality social connectedness.
-Phenomenological – viewing the world from the client’s -Community feeling embodies the feeling of being
subjective frame of reference. Paying attention to the connected to all of humanity—past, present, and future—
individual way in which people perceive their world and to being involved in making the world a better place.
(Subjective Reality). - Those who lack this community feeling become
-Objective reality is less important than how we interpret discouraged and end up on the useless side of life.
reality and the meanings we attach to what we • Life Tasks
experience. -We must successfully master three universal life tasks:
• Unity and Patterns of Human Personality building friendships (social task), establishing intimacy
-Individual Psychology as Adler’s theoretical approach. (love-marriage task), and contributing to society
-Individual Psychology (from the Latin, individuum, (occupational task).
meaning indivisible) is Indivisible Psychology. -All people need to address these tasks, regardless of
-Holistic – we cannot be understood in parts; rather, all age, gender, time in history, culture, or nationality.
aspects of ourselves must be understood. - These basic life tasks are so fundamental that
-All dimensions of a person are interconnected, and all of impairment in any one of them is often an indicator of a
these components are unified by the individual’s psychological disorder (American Psychiatric
movement toward a life goal. Association, 2013).
-The human personality becomes unified through • Birth Order and Sibling Relationships
development of a life goal. -The Adlerian approach is unique in giving special
• Behavior as Purposeful and Goal Oriented attention to the relationships between siblings and
-All human behavior has a purpose, and this the psychological birth position in one’s family.
purposefulness is the cornerstone of Adler’s theory. FIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL POSITIONS
-Teleological (purposive, goal-oriented) rather than 1. Oldest - receives a good deal of attention, and during
deterministic explanations. the time she is the only child, she is typically somewhat
-Basic Assumption: We can only think, feel, and act in spoiled as the center of attention. She tends to be
relation to our goal; we can be fully understood only in dependable and hardworking and strives to keep ahead.
light of knowing the purposes and goals toward which we When a new brother or sister arrives on the scene, she
are striving. may readily believe that the newcomer (or intruder) will
-Guiding self-ideal – striving toward superiority or rob her of the love to which she is accustomed.
perfection; striving for greater competence, not only for 2. Second child of only two – shares the attention with the
oneself but for the common good of others. other child. It is as though this second child were in
• Striving for Significance and Superiority training to surpass the older brother or sister. The
-Inferiority feelings and the consequent striving for second-born is often opposite to the firstborn.
perfection or mastery are innate. 3. Middle child - this child may become convinced of the
-The moment people experience inferiority, they are unfairness of life and feel cheated; may
pulled by the striving for superiority. assume a “poor me” attitude and can become a problem
-Adler maintained that the goal of success pulls people child. May become the switchboard and the peacemaker,
forward toward mastery and enables them to the person who holds things together.
overcome obstacles. 4. Youngest child - always the baby of the family and
-Superiority doesn’t necessarily mean superiority over tends to be the most pampered one. Youngest children
others. tend to go their own way, often developing in ways no
 others in the family have attempted and may outshine Comprehensive Assessment
everyone.
5. Only child - has a problem of her own. Although she
shares some of the characteristics of the oldest child, she
may not learn to share or cooperate with other children.
The only child is pampered by her parents and may
become dependently tied to one or both of them.
-Birth order and the interpretation of one’s position in the
family have a great deal to do with how adults interact in
the world. In Adlerian therapy, working with family
dynamics assumes a key role, but Adlerians don’t
dogmatically adopt the descriptions of birth order. It is
important to avoid stereotyping individuals.

THE THERAPEUTIC PROCESS

Therapeutic Goals

-Adlerian counseling and therapy rests on a collaborative

arrangement between the client and the counselor. Client’s Experience in the Therapy
-Includes: forming a relationship based on mutual respect;
In the Therapy:
a holistic psychological investigation or lifestyle
assessment; and disclosing mistaken goals and faulty • Private logic – the concepts about self, others and life
assumptions within the person’s style of living. constitute on Philosophy on which an individual lifestyle
-The main aim of therapy is to develop the client’s sense is based.
of belonging and to assist in the adoption of behaviors and - Involves our conviction and beliefs.
processes characterized by community feeling and social • Client’s problem arises because the conclusions based
on the private logic often do not conform to the
interest. This is accomplished by increasing the client’s
requirements of social living.
self-awareness and challenging and modifying his or her • Heart of the therapy – helping clients to discover
fundamental premises, life goals, and basic concepts purposes of behaviors or symptoms and the basic
(Dreikurs, 1967, 1997). mistakes associated with their personal coping.
-The therapeutic process focuses on providing • It is important for the therapist to listen for the underlying
information, teaching, guiding, and offering purposes of client’s behavior.
encouragement to discouraged clients. - Encouragement • Adlerians see feelings as being aligned with thinking
is the most powerful method available for changing a and as a fuel for behaving.
person’s beliefs, for it helps clients build self-confidence THINK, FEEL, ACT PURPOSE
and stimulates courage. DISCOVERING AND UNDERSTANDING
EFFECTIVE WAYS OF BEING
Therapist Function and Role
• Through the therapeutic process, the client will
• Adlerians Assumption: discover that he or she has resources and options to
- Clients will feel and behave better once they discover and draw on in dealing with significant life issues and life
correct their basic mistakes tasks.
• Causes of discouragement & ineffective function of clients
can be, mistaken Beliefs, faculty values, useless or self- Relationship between Therapist and Client
absorbed goals.
✓ Adlerian consider a good client-therapist
• Adlerians help clients to identify and explore their core
relationship (cooperation, mutual trust, respect,
fears such as being imperfect, being vulnerable, being
confidence, collaboration, and alignment of goals)
disapproved, suffering from past regrets. (Carlson &
✓ Collaborative Relationship – characterized by two
Englar Carlson, 2013)
persons working equally toward specific, agreed-upon
• Major mistakes in thinking and valuing are mistrust,
goals. (Successful Outcomes)
selfishness, unrealistic ambitions, lack of confidence
✓ To maintain the outset of the therapy should:
The therapist task: • Begin to formulate a plan or contract
• Detailing what they want
1. Comprehensive Assessment • How they plan to get where they are heading
- Gathering information about the individual’s style of • What is preventing them from successfully
living by means of questionnaire. attaining their goals.
2. Lifestyle Assessment • How they can change nonproductive behavior
- Learning to understand the goals and the motivations into constructive behavior
of the Client. • How they can make full use of their assets in
a. Early Recollection (ER) – “Early stories that a person achieving their purposes.
says occurred (one time) before he or she was 10 ✓ Developing a contract is not a requirement of
years of age” (Mosak & Di Pieto, 2006, p.1) Adlerian therapy, but a contract can bring a tight focus
to therapy.
✓ Therapeutic plan sets the goal of the therapeutic
process and specifies responsibilities of both therapist
and client.

APPLICATION: Therapeutic Techniques and

Procedures

Adlerian counseling is structured around four central

objectives that correspond to four phases of the
therapeutic process (Dreikurs, 1967).
1. Establish the proper therapeutic process b) Any precipitating events

2. Explore the psychological dynamics operating in the c) A medical history

client (an assessment).
d) A social history
3. Encourage the development of self-understanding
(insight into purpose). e) The reasons the client chose the therapy at this time

4. Help the client make new choices (reorientation and f) The person’s coping with life tasks
reeducation)
g) Lifestyle assessment
• These phases are not linear and do not progress
in rigid steps. Dreikurs (1997) incorporated these Lifetime Assessment
phases into what he called minor psychotherapy
• This seeks to develop a holistic narrative of the person’s
in the context and service of holistic medicine. His
life, to make sense of the way the person copes with life
approach to therapy has been elaborated in what
tasks, and to uncover the private interpretations and logic
is now called Adlerian brief therapy, or ABT.
involved in that coping.
(Bitter, Christensen, Hawes, & Nicoll, 1998).
• This starts with an investigation of two things:
PHASE 1: ESTABLISH RELATIONSHIP
1. Family Constellation
AIM: To have a solid positive therapeutic relationship
during the first phase of therapy. • Family origin has the central impact on individual’s
personality. Through this, each person forms his/her
FOCUS: Making person-to-person contact rather starting
unique view of self, others, and life.
with “the problem”.
• Family Constellation includes the client’s evaluation
EFFECTIVE COUNSELING PROCESS:
of conditions that prevailed in the family when a person
1. The counselor RECOGNIZES the personal issue of the was a young child, birth order, parental relationship, and
client. family values, and extended family and culture.

2. The counselor DEALS with the personal issue of the • The purpose of knowing the client’s family
client. constellation is to elicit his/her perceptions of self and
others, of development and of the experiences that have
3. The client is WILLING to explore and change. affected that development.

HOW DOES THE INITIAL PHASE WORKS? 2. Early Recollection

1. Understand the client’s identity and experience of the • These are one-time occurrences memories (usually
world through attending and listening with empathy. before the age of 10) that is a specific series of small
mysteries that can be woven together into a tapestry that
2. Understand the subjective experience of the client. leads us to understanding on how we view ourselves, how
we see the world, what our life goals are, what motivates
3. Identify and clarifying goals. us, what we value and believe in, and what we anticipate
for our future.
4. Suggesting initial hunches about purpose in client’s
symptoms, actions, and interactions. • These are the “story of our life” that represents
metaphors in our current views.
• The relationship of the counselor to the client works in a
collaborative way that is based on a sense of interest of Integration and Summary
their clients that grows into caring, involvement, and
friendship. Integrated summaries of data are developed after
these two interviews. Most common data are in a
• The alignment of clearly defined goals between the narrative form of the client.
therapist and clients will lead to the success of therapeutic
progress. PHASE 3: ENCOURAGE SELF-UNDERSTANDING
AND INSIGHT
PHASE 2: ASSESSING THE INDIVIDUAL’S
PSYCHOLOGICAL DYNAMICS AIM: To interpret the findings of the assessment as an
avenue for promoting self-understanding and insight.
AIM: To get deeper understanding of individual’s lifestyle.
FOCUS: Disclosure and well-timed interpretations that
FOCUS: Understanding the client’s identity and how that facilitates the process of gaining insight.
identity related to the world at large.
* The counselor and the client will come into a
This phase proceeds from two interview forms: conclusion and understand what the client’s motivation
is. These motivations contribute to the maintenance of
1. Subjective Interview 2. Objective Interview the problem and what the client can do to correct the
situation.
SUBJECTIVE INTERVIEW
* The counselor helps the client understand the
• The counselor helps the client tell his/her life story as limitations of the style of the life the client has chosen.
completely as possible.
INSIGHT: This is the understanding of the motivations
• “This should extract patterns in the person’s life that operate in client’s life, a special form of awareness
develop hypotheses, about what works for the person and that facilitates a meaningful understanding within the
determine what accounts for the various concerns in the relationship, and this acts as a foundation for change.
client’s life.”
INTERPRETATION: This deals with the client’s
OBJECTIVE INTERVIEW underlying motives for behaving the way they do in the
here and now. It is concerned with creating awareness
• This seeks to discover information about:
of one’s direction in life, one’s goals and purposes, one’s
a) How problems in the client’s life began
private logic and how it works, and one’s current
behavior. CATCHING ONESELF

PHASE 4: REORIENTATION AND REEDUCATION • Clients may initially catch themselves too late and fall
into old patterns of behavior; however, with practice,
AIM: To put insights into practice. clients can learn to anticipate situations, recognize
when their thoughts and perceptions are becoming
FOCUS: Helping clients discover a new and more self-defeating, and take steps to modify their thinking
functional perspective. and behavior.
• Catching oneself involves helping clients identify the
* Adlerian therapy stands in opposition to self-
signals or triggers associated with their problematic
depreciation, isolation and retreat. This phase also
behavior or emotions.
seeks to help clients to gain courage.
ACTING ‘AS IF’
REORIENTATION: Shifting rules of interaction, process
and motivation.
• Professional counselors ask clients to begin acting as if
they were already the person they would like to be. For
REEDUCATION: Throughout this phase, no intervention
example, a confident person
is more important than encouragement.
• Ask clients to pretend and they clients are only acting
ENCOURAGEMENT: This means to build courage. This • The purpose of the procedure is to bypass potential
is a process of increasing the courage needed for a resistance to change by neutralizing some of the
person to face difficulties in life. perceived risk.
• The professional counselor suggests a limited task,
ADLERIAN THERAPY TECHNIQUES such as acting as if an individual had the courage to
speak up for himself or herself.
THE ENCOURAGEMENT PROCESS
AREAS OF APPLICATION
• Therapists help clients focus on their resources and
strengths to have faith that they can make life changes, Application to Family Counseling
even though life can be difficult.
• This focuses on the family atmosphere, the family
• This is a key in promoting and activating social interest. constellation, and the interactive goals of each
member.
• Use of variety of relational, cognitive, behavioral,
emotional, and experiential techniques to help clients • This therapeutic process seeks to increase
identify and challenge self-defeating cognitions, awareness of the interaction of the individuals within
generate perceptional alternatives, and make use of the family system.
assets, strengths, and resources.
• This Adlerian family therapy strives to understand
COURAGE: This is developed when people become the goals, beliefs, and behaviors of each family
aware of their strengths, when they feel they belong and member and the family as an entity in its own right.
are not alone.
Application to Group Counseling
CHANGE AND THE SEARCH FOR NEW
POSSIBILITIES • Group counseling is particularly helpful in promoting
social interest since there is a mutual sharing that
• Clients make decisions and modify their goals. happens between each member that is involved in which
it develops a sense of connection with one another.
• Commitment is an essential part of reorientation. Through this connection, a process of helping others
in the group is made. This is also known as the role of
• Clients translate their new insights into concrete
altruism.
actions.
• This group counseling can be considered a brief
• This action-oriented phase is a time for solving
approach to treatment which is addressed by
problems and making decisions.
Stonstegard, Bitter, Pelonis-Peneros, and Nicoll.
MAKING DECISIONS
Reference:
• Adlerians use many techniques to promote change, Corey, G. (2017). Theory and Practice of Counseling and
namely, immediacy, advice, humor, silence and many Psychotherapy (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cenveo Publisher
more. Services
• Contemporary Adlerian practitioners can creatively Watts, R. (2014). Being a therapeutic chameleon: An
employ wide range of techniques as long as these encouragement-focused perspective. Retrieved from
methods are philosophically consistent with the basic https://alfredadler.edu>filesPDF
theoretical premises of Adlerian psychology.

PUSH-BUTTON TECHNIQUE

• One example of a technique to help clients become

aware of their role in contributing to their unpleasant
feelings.

• Typically, clients are asked to re-create an unpleasant

memory, which the followed by recalling a pleasant
memory.
Prepared by:
• Recognizes that “control” is a major theme of
Castillo, Jonah Micah A.
depression, and this intervention is designed to help
Lee, Kim Ciaira V.
the client regain a sense of control over the negative
Mesina, Sharmaine A.
feelings that seem overwhelming.
Sandagon, Rubylyn S.