practicum journal on nursing and counseling theories

practicum journal on nursing and counseling theories

The aim of this practicum journal is to assess and examine the nursing and counseling theories which govern my practice and also come up with goals and objectives for my practicum experience.

Nursing theory

The nursing theory I have chosen to control my practice in psychotherapy is the social learning theory. The social learning theory is a model that was developed in the 1970s by Albert Bandura and he developed the model from his works in 1960s.  This theory takes into consideration an individual’s capability to learn while in a social environment by studying and verbal interaction (Sarmento, & Tsai, 2015).  This theory takes into consideration environmental influences that impact the way one adopts certain behaviors. The theory is based on the idea that individuals tend to learn in the most effective manner by learning for each other. This learning process comprises of various aspects such as observing, imitating and modeling. Individuals learn by observing one another’s attitudes, behaviors and the results that come up from certain behaviors. By an individual observing another individual’s behaviors, then he or she is able to know how to form and practice new behaviors. Later, the individual can now utilize the information learned on behaviors to perfume their own actions. The theory considers the idea that a big part of human behavior is learned through observations.

This theory establishes a basis for various remedial intercessions like training of skills and exposure therapy (Sarmento, & Tsai. 2015). Reinforcement is a vital element which has been presented by Bandura in this theory. If a reward is presented to individuals, they can easily copy certain behaviors to get the reward. An example is when a person uses a certain drug in order to diminish their stress or anxiety. The social learning theory identifies the roles that culture and peer play in the determination of individual behaviors. For instance, if an individual grows in a social culture that embraces drinking alcohol, then their behaviors will be affected and they will know what to expect after drinking. Another constitute that has been presented by Bandura in this theory is self-efficacy (Sarmento, & Tsai. 2015). An individual is able to meet certain objectives based on their amount of self-assurance. This is because self-assurance determines the level of motivation and ability to deal with barriers that come up when undertaking an endeavor to meet the set objectives. For example, if a person with positive self-efficacy can easily avoid abusing a certain drug or avoid certain friends in order to stop being a drug addict.

The main reason why I chose this theory is that it is broad and comprises of critical elements that would be all applicable in addiction rehabilitation. The theory requires a practitioner to consider various aspects presented in the theory such as the social culture in which the individual grew up in, self-efficacy of the patient, environment influences among other factors. This theory encourages a client to consider many factors such as their own social culture. The theory takes into consideration the fact that individuals have different abilities which directly affects their ability to coup with certain behaviors. Another reason for choosing this theory is because it supports information sharing in addiction rehabilitation, sharing of information is very essential because it makes it easy to learn more about the client (Consoli et al, 2017). As a result, it will become easier to identify the remedies that are more effective for a specific client. This implies that positive results will be recorded after the rehabilitation period. Lastly, the recovery process in addiction comprises of learning other new behaviors or ways to deal with stress and the social learning theory considers this aspect.

Counseling theory

Despite the fact that there are various good counseling theories, the theory that I would choose is the client-centered theory (humanist approach). The client-centered theory was developed in the 1940s by Carl Rogers. Basically, in this approach, practitioners show more care to their clients so as to ensure they achieve the highest potential. Instead of focusing on the bad or negative behaviors of a client, the theory insists of emphasizing the positive potential and abilities in a client so as to achieve a positive outcome (Wilkins, 2016).  Humanists believe that every person has goodness and it emphasizes on self-actualization and facilitation of self-growth. As presented by Rogers, the theory insists of six factors required for growth which include: client vulnerability, practitioner-client psychological contact, genuineness, practitioner empathy, client perception, and unconditional positive regard (Wilkins, 2016).

The client-centered theory allows a practitioner to learn and also recognize the potential of the client and pride them with all necessary aspects that would facilitate change. Instead of being guided by the course of the therapy, the theory insists that a practitioner should follow their own and client’s lead by considering their opinions or ideas so as to ensure that results are achieved. Therefore, this ensures that the practitioner is able to discover and provide personalized solutions that are most effective to help the specific client.

There are various reasons for choosing this theory. In addiction rehab, understanding a client form a personal level and their individual behaviors is very essential so as to achieve the best results. I believe that is the main reason for choosing this theory. Another reason is that this approach would greatly fit with the nursing theory I chose. Utilizing these two theories would result in positive outcomes. This theory encourages a client to identify the changes that they would want to see in their life (Wilkins, 2016). Self-actualization and discovery are very important in the healing process because clients will be willing to take part in the process without having to be monitored. The theory is crucial in promoting self- actualization, and discovery which results in positive results after the rehab period is over. This is mainly because patients are encouraged to open up about themselves and their opinions which create a strong relationship between the patient and the practitioner (Wilkins, 2016). Eventually, this results to stronger ability to focus on change and ability to trust in oneself when dealing with a problem so as to achieve a certain goal. Overall, the most effective way of helping clients with the issues of addictions is the client-centered approach.

Practicum goals and objectives

The first goal for this practicum is to develop empathy. This entails having the ability to feel or understand what another person is experiencing after they share their experiences with me. This will be beneficial for my career. The second goal is to develop strong personal leadership skills which will be essential in guiding change. This will be important in improving my critical thinking ability from a personal level and thus lead to improved results in my endeavors. The last goal is to develop my communication skills to a professional standard. I believe that communication is very essential in health care delivery and therefore this will help in exchange of information with colleagues and clients in my career.

The first objective is to become an expert in engaging in ethical conduct. In order to ensure that I handle situations in the best ways then it’s important to promote my abilities to utilize ethical principles such as respect, fairness observing policies among others (American Nurses Association, 2014). The second objective is becoming a professional in cultural competency concerning my clients. It is important to consider the issue of cultural differences so as to promote quality health care delivery. The last objective is perfecting my skills in the creation of a strong and healthy practitioner-client relationship. This entails learning how to trust the client and how to acquire and safeguard important information from a client to aid in the promotion of quality of care delivered (Fisher, 2016).

I look forward to completing my goals and objectives within one to two months time. In order to ensure that I am a practitioner who provides quality care, then I also plan to identify other goals and objectives which will aid in the improvement of my professional abilities.

References

American Nurses Association. (2014). Psychiatric-mental health nursing: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Consoli, A., Beutler, L. & Bongar, B. (2017). Comprehensive textbook of psychotherapy : theory and practice. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press.

Fisher, M. A. (2016). Introduction. In Confidentiality limits in psychotherapy: Ethics checklists for mental health professionals (pp. 3–12). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/14860-001  Document: Practicum Journal Template.

Sarmento, A. & Tsai. (2015). Human behavior, psychology, and social interaction in the digital era. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.

Wilkins, P. (2016). Person-Centred Therapy : 100 Key Points. London New York: Routledge.