Philosophy, and Treatment Modality
The Therapeutic Intervention:
North Oak Cliff Counseling believes that individuals have an innate capacity for change. Engaging this capacity for change is critical to living one's full potential. Motivational speaker and author Les Brown lectures, "You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you are willing to
change." North Oak Cliff Counseling believes, with patient and professional support, even those with the most significant dysfunction are capable of making the changes necessary to live happy and productive lives.
While North Oak Cliff Counseling tailors its approach to the client's unique personality and situation, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is heavily utilized. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and related therapeutic modalities, (Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, Reality Therapy, etc...) are widely supported by the psychological community and for the last half century have been considered the most effective and efficient treatment approaches.
Beliefs about who we are and the world around us are formed as a result of the interplay between our genetic makeup and our upbringing or life experiences. If our upbringing was chaotic or flawed or if life experiences have been characterized by failure, pain, abuse or trauma, we may have developed negative or irrational beliefs regarding the self and environment in which we live. The degree to which this holds true is influenced further by biological determinants such as heredity, brain chemistry and the many mysteries of our genetic makeup.
However, North Oak Cliff Counseling is not as concerned with how we have become who we are, as how we can change the way we choose to live. Thousands of years ago, King Solomon wrote, “as a man thinketh, so is he.” Today, most therapists agree with this sentiment. Albert Bandura, ranked in a recent survey as the fourth most cited psychologist of all time, wrote the following, "A theory that denies that thoughts can regulate actions does not lend itself readily to the explanation of complex human behavior."
Our thinking affects how we feel and how we feel affects how we choose to behave. Fundamentally, we must alter our beliefs and ways of thinking if we are to achieve positive changes in the way we live. While we find it difficult to simply choose to be happy, we do have the power to change our thoughts, especially in relation to the way we view ourselves and our environment. North Oak Cliff Counseling focuses on uncover-
ing, identifying and challenging the individual's irrational or negative thinking. The individual is then encouraged to replace this thinking with more rational beliefs. While Cognitive Behavioral Therapy does not require as much time in order to be effective as does traditional psychoanalysis, obviously the approach described above has been considerably simplified. All therapy requires commitment, dedication and hard work by both the counselor and counselee.
* Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory, (1986), by Albert Bandura
The Therapeutic Relationship
The power of what the helping professions call the therapeutic relationship cannot be over stated. Building effective rapport between therapist and client is essential to any successful intervention. In fact, studies have shown that a majority of individuals report significant improvement after only the first counseling session. Simply believing that a caring person is dedicated to your success has in itself a healing effect.
In, On Becoming a Person (1961), Carl Rogers writes,"In my early professional years I was asking the question: How can I treat, or cure, or change this person? Now I would phrase the question in this way: How can I provide a relationship which this person may use for his own personal growth?” For this kind of relationship to occur the therapist must prove genuinely empathic, skilled as an active listener and adept at assessing reality and prescribing truth. When clients trust their therapist and when a therapist's competence justifies such trust, the therapeutic relationship is a powerful force for change. Barriers to the therapeutic relationship, such as transference, counter-transference, resistance, and cultural and socioeconomic biases are addressed in session and are re-framed as opportunities for interpersonal growth, greater transparency and trust.
Couples Counseling and Family Therapy
North Oak Cliff Counseling views healthy relationships as critical to individual functioning. According to William Glasser, M.D., the individual is born with innate needs (such as the need for survival, love, belonging, freedom, power, and fun) and these needs are best met amid the context of human relationships.* When affirming
relationships are absent or unhealthy it is likely that our needs may go unsatisfied. When our needs go unsatisfied, internal conflict arises and our lives are apt to result in a loss of effective control.
Sadly, when our needs go unmet, too often we begin to "externally control" others in an attempt to get what we need. This dynamic is present in all forms of human relationship (husband and wife, parent and child, teacher and student, employer and employee). While "external control" is obviously harmful when expressed through hostility, passive-aggressive behaviors, such as the "cold shoulder", are just as destructive to the harmony of human relationships. Unfortunately, this dynamic is all too common in our society and when "external control psychology" permeates the interactions between individuals, interpersonal dissatisfaction is soon to arise.
The solution to this problem is to teach people to use what Glasser calls, Choice Theory, and to stop employing "external control psychology." We must learn that it is impossible to control others without also damaging our relationships. It is possible however, to enhance and enrich the relationship, thus creating an environment whereby we have a better chance of having our needs met. North Oak Cliff Counseling seeks to teach couples and families to ask themselves the following question, "Is what I am about to do or say going to bring me closer to those that I care about or push us farther apart?"
North Oak Cliff Counseling does not believe couples and families are simply the sum total of their individual parts, whose dynamics are completely dependent upon individual behavior. While it is true that interpersonal groupings are certainly affected by the individuals who make them up, there are dynamics and characteristics unique to relationships – the building blocks that compose couple arrangements and the larger family group. North Oak Cliff Counseling is careful to consider the theories and modalities relative to working with couples and families and views both as unique systems with unique problems. Strategic Family Therapy and Systems Theory are employed when deemed necessary. However, often times the implementation of Choice Theory by a couple or family, yields rapid and dramatic results.
Personal dissatisfaction is rampant in our society today, due in large part to the deterioration of healthy, human relationships. According to an old Chinese proverb, "healthy relationships produce happy people."
* Choice Theory: A New Psychology of Personal Freedom, by William Glasser (1999)
Christian Perspective
While Joshua Pulis is educated and well versed in the latest and most effective psychological theories and methods, he is also grounded in the Christian world view and passionate about the necessity of God’s involvement in every aspect of the healing process. North Oak Cliff Counseling is distinctively Christian in its work with those who are hurting and believes that in order to be effective, therapeutic interventions must be grounded in Scripture. We believe the answers for life’s problems are found in the Word of God and that prayer is an essential component of the therapeutic process.
The focus on “our thinking” is central to Biblical teachings on living the “abundant life.” Theology aside, the following scriptures are congruent with best practices, such as Cognitive Behavioral Theory.
- “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. (Romans 12:2, NLT).
- "Keep every thought under control in order to make it obey Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5, NIRV)
- “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Phil. 4:8, NIV).
When it comes to living a life of victory and abundance, the Enemy knows how important our "thinking" is. As the "father of lies" and the "accuser of the bretheran," it is his aim to use the circumstances of our lives to misshape our minds and distort our thinking. The lies perpetrated upon our minds by the Enemy must be carefully uncovered and identified, rebuked, and replaced with God's truth. "If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth." (1 John 1:6, NIV)
However, the healing process is impossible without the power and work of the Holy Spirit. It is only through the authority of God’s truth, revealed through scripture and imparted by the Holy Spirit, that we are able to spiritually transform our mortal minds. It is the goal of North Oak Cliff Counseling to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in helping individuals gain a better understanding of the truth of who God says He is and who we are in Him.
North Oak Cliff Counseling is convinced that God is in the business of transforming lives. In scripture, God refers to himself as the “Healer”, the “Comforter”, the "Counselor" and the “Great Physician.” God is a gentle and compassionate Father who longs for His children to be happy, healthy and free. It is through this love that He is able to heal our emotional wounds, deliver us from evil, return us to sanity, and restore our broken dreams.
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."(1 Peter 5:7, NIV)
