Theory of Persons and the Role of

the Counselor

by Dr. Scott Sparrow

EPSY 6363: Counseling Theories

University of Texas-Pan American

On a scale of one to 10, where “1” means “I strongly disagree” and 10 means “I strongly agree,” rate the following statements.

1. ____I believe that what a person does, rather than what he or she feels or thinks, should be the only measure of mental health. (B)

2. ____I believe that a person’s dreams are as important, and as real, as his waking life. (P)

3. ____I believe that a person’s spiritual beliefs have a significant effect on his or her mental health. (S)

4. ____I often wonder about the “big” issues in life, like where did we come from and where are we going, what happens after death, and why innocent people suffer. (E)

5. ____I believe that sin underlies much of what we call psychological and emotional distress. (R)

6. ____I believe that most people with psychological problems require long-term therapy to achieve lasting benefits. (P)

7. ____I believe that if a person can establish respectful and loving relationships with his or her family, and maintain healthy boundaries with others, most of the problems will go away. (F)

8. ____I believe that human beings are driven by powerful impulses that have to be harnessed or controlled by family and society. (P)

9. ____I think that most psychological problems can be traced to early experiences of trauma, upset and loss. (P)

10. _____I believe that most psychological problems can be traced to the way that people think about themselves. (C)

11._____I believe that family dynamics account for most psychological problems. (F)

12._____I think that most people who are emotionally distressed are unaware of the sources of their problems, and need to be helped in becoming aware of the true causes of distress in their lives. (P)

13. _____I think that we are spiritual beings who inhabit a body. (S)

14._____I think that we are intelligent animals who do not have a soul apart from the body. (B)

15._____I believe that every person is essentially good, but has become wounded by life. (E)

16._____I believe that every person is essentially flawed or fallen, and needs to be redeemed or healed by something or someone greater than they are. (R)

17._____I believe that the client already has what he or she needs to resolve the problem, and only needs my help in discovering these strengths. (X)

18._____I believe in a “true self” that has been suppressed by society and family, and which needs to be recovered in order for one to become complete individuals. (E)

19._____Getting a person to adopt new ways of thinking is the most important part of counseling. (C)

20._____My role as a counselor is to support and care for the person, so that they can feel better about themselves, and set about to make changes on their own. (E)

21._____My role as a counselor is to explore the unacknowledged sources of distress in one’s past, and to help my client achieve the insight he or she needs to resolve these troublesome memories. (P)

22._____My role as a counselor is to explore the dynamics between my client and his or her significant relations, and to see how these dynamics may have created the problems. (F)

24._____I believe that most psychological problems have a simple solution, and can be resolved in only a few sessions. (X)

25._____I think that most therapy exaggerates the problem at the expense of finding a solution. (X)

25._____I believe that no one can tell anyone else what is important and good for them, but that each person has to discover what matters for them. (E)

26._____I believe a counselor has to be willing to challenge what is clearly faulty in a client’s thinking. (C)

27._____I believe that a counselor should rarely express a strong opinion with a client, but should instead only reflect back and clarify what the client feels and believes. (E)

28._____If a client asks me for advice, I will give the best advice that I can, believing as I do that part of my function is the impart knowledge and to teach my client better ways of living. (C)

29._____If a client asks me for advice, I will say little or nothing in order to challenge the client to draw on his or her own resources. (E)

30._____If the client asks me for advice, I will point out to him or her that they are placing me in a parental role, and I will explore their needs for nurturance and protection based on earlier experiences in their lives. (P)

31._____If a client asks me for advice, I will ask him or her what they have done about similar situations before, and then work toward a solution based on that. (X)

32._____If a client mentions spirituality, I will feel comfortable exploring their beliefs in order to get a sense of how they can be used to assist the therapeutic process. (S)

33. ____If a client mentions spirituality, I will explore their beliefs in order to get a sense of whether their beliefs are valid. (R)

34._____I believe that no matter what the circumstances in a person’s life, he or she can find a sense of meaning and freedom by making choices that are creative and courageous. (E)

35._____I believe that Jesus Christ was ultimately a man, and that I can endeavor to become like him. (E)

36._____I believe that Jesus Christ was God, and that he died for my sins. (R)

37._____I believe that Jesus Christ and Buddha were both great teachers in different traditions, and pointed to the same great truth. (S)

38._____I believe that every person is a manifestation of God or the highest good, and is destined to be whole and complete if given the right support. (S)

39._____I believe that we must always stay on guard against the destructive impulses within ourselves and our clients, and try to find ways to keep these impulses from wrecking our lives. (P)

40._____I see my role as a counselor as a person who teaches of better ways of thinking. (C)

41._____I see my role as as assisting clients in understanding the way their family relationships are impacting their current functioning. (F)

42._____I see my role as one who challenges limited or faulty ways of thinking, so that a person can feel differently about themselves. (C)

43._____I see myself as one who assists others in finding new ways of acting in life, and ways to support these new ways of behaving. (B)

44._____I believe that all answers can be found within one’s previous ways of dealing with life. (X)

45._____I believe that people can change, but that they need corrective feedback in order to see what needs to change. (C)

46._____I believe that homework is essential in order that a client actually does something to support the therapeutic process. (B)

47._____I believe that people spend way too much time thinking about what they are going to do, and just need to do something to get the ball rolling. (B)

48._____If a person’s religious beliefs do not agree with mine, I would have a difficult time working with them, and would probably have to refer them to someone else. (R)

49._____If a person’s spiritual beliefs do not agree with mine, I would nonetheless work within their belief system to determine a course of treatment appropriate to them. (S)

50._____I believe that most pathological behavior originates in one’s family or origin, and will not go away until a person can change those relationships. (F)


Scoresheet for

Theory of Persons and the Role of

the Counselor

by Dr. Scott Sparrow

EPSY 6363: Counseling Theories

University of Texas-Pan American

B Scores (5) Behavioral______Average:____Rank___

P Scores (8) Psychoanalytic______Average:____Rank___

C Scores (7) Cognitive______Average:____Rank___

E Scores (9) Existential-Humanistic______Average:____Rank___

S Scores (6) General Spirituality______Average:____Rank___

R Scores (5) Conventional Religiosity____Average:_____Rank___

X Scores (5) Short-term Solution Focused___Average:____Rank___

F Scores (5) Family/Feminist______Average:____Rank___

B+C = Cognitive Behavioral: Reality, Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Therapy =

S+E = Self actualizing, relational therapies: Client centered and spiritually oriented therapy =

F+X = Systems and Postmodern therapies: Solution Focused, Family, Feminist, Narrative therapy =

R+B = Conservative approach: Faith-based therapy with practical, moral and behavioral focus =