07/13/2017
Accelerated Counselling: How does it work?
Accelerated counselling is a method derived and proved by 30 years experience in obtaining successful outcomes for over 3,000 clients. The approach is pragmatic in that it uses knowledge, experience and tools from any source to facilitate "what works" to accomplish client goals. It provides "affordable, achievable, accessible" counselling by using a model that expedites observable positive change, resolution or significant goal obtainment in three to six sessions. At the end of this set of sessions a client should be able to experience relief and satisfaction in either accomplishing their goal or seeing that some positive outcome is truly possible.
Accelerated Counselling is able to obtain such positive results using this short term model because it's "Insight Action Change" is an integral aspect of this model. The first task of the counsellor is to help the client formulate a goal (sometimes more than one). In the next phase the counsellor engages the client in an exploration of all the factors (both historical and current) related to the goal. The challenges, circumstances, behaviours and patterns in relationships are examined in order to obtain new perspectives and reveal previously obscured aspects of the client and their situation. It is with this newly acquired "Insight" that the client and counsellor can formulate a strategy, plan of "Action", behaviour or method that can then be used to obtain their goal. Insight unlocks the ability to change because it generates new information that in turn creates new options for addressing an old "stuck" problem. A plan of Action is constructed on the basis of this new information and the counsellor encourages the client as they implement it. When the client is formulating their goal in the first session they will also identify what kind of changes they would like to see in themselves or their lives. Thus, the client and counsellor will be able to evaluate outcomes by assessing the degree to which the changes now evident reflect the "Change" they initially outlined.
Accelerated Counselling is a simple approach based on a logical model. It does not rely on any one theoretical understanding but borrows from many as required for the individual needs and goals of the client. Like any model or form of intervention it is only as good as the practitioner using it. I have been successful in using this model because I have over 30 years experience as a clinical counsellor, mediator, lecturer and group facilitator. I am informed by a broad variety of perspectives including modern psychodynamic therapy, gestalt, cognitive-behavioural, existential and Buddhist thought. I use these resources and my own life challenges and experiences in my work.
