1.1. Reflect on ways in which the study of counselling theory has developed your understanding of self.
Whilst studying counselling theory I have understood that we are very complicated beings and influences on our development begin at a very early age. Counselling forms a unique bond/relationship between counsellor and client. In order to work through fundamental problems that can be resolved on a long term basis, we need to understand ourselves and what our influences are or used to be,in order to progress to helping others.
By studying concepts of self, understanding the importance of beliefs and values, getting to grips with transactional analysis, masks, I have been able to grasp how all this impacts on our lives, how we treat others, our relationships, how they can fail or run into difficulties depending on past influences. I have been able to apply this learning to my own life experiences and I have accepted that life is challenging as are relationships and that past baggage, previous divorce, unhappy childhood, ineffective parenting can be damaging but also help us to understand why we behave the way we do or why we enter certain relationships.
If we look at Transactional Analysis for example and the theory of Parent, Adult, Child, this has influenced my thinking of how I can jump from each of them depending on my relationships with different people. I am a nurturing parent in my home life and work role as a nurse, I enjoy caring for people who are in my life but in studying theory i can accept and be aware of the limitations of this and how I need to be aware of how it can influence how people may take advantage of this by becoming dependent on me. It also highlights how I could benefit from these types of relationships by fulfilling a need in me for others to be dependent on me{not always beneficial or a good thing for either party}. This realisation came about from studying theory and its impact on self and has made me more self aware of my...