examples of research proposals in counselling

Mick Cooper Training and Consultancy

Choosing Your Research Topic: Some Pointers

If you're doing a research project in counselling, psychotherapy, or counselling psychology, choosing your topic can be one of the hardest things to get right. And often one of the things you get the least advice on. So how should you go about it?

Read through previous counselling/psychotherapy/counselling psychology research theses

Invaluable! Essential! Probably the most useful thing you can do to get you started. This will give you a real sense of the ‘shape’ of a research study in this field, what is expected of you, and the kinds of questions that you might want to ask.  Should be in your college library or ask a tutor.

originalITY is not everything

Often, in my experience, students come into Master’s or doctoral research projects thinking, ‘I must do something original… I must do something original.’ So they work away at finding some dark corner somewhere that no-one has ever looked into before. Of course, there does need to be originality in your research, but if you’re burrowing away into a corner somewhere then there’s a real danger that no-one else is going to be particularly interested in where you’re going—you’re off into a world of your own. So instead of asking yourself, ‘What can I do that no-one else has ever done before?’ ask yourself, ‘What can I do that builds on what has been done before?’ And that means…

…Get a sense of the field

What are the key questions being asked in your field today?  What are the issues that matter and that are of relevance to practice?  It’s great to draw on your own interests and experiences, but also make sure you develop some familiarity with the field as it currently stands.  This will help to ensure that your research is topical and relevant—of interest and importance to the wider field as well as yourself.  A great thing to do can be to find out what your tutors are researching and what they see as the key issues in the current field.  And do remember that there may be the possibility of developing your project alongside them in some way, so that you can contribute to a particular national- or international-level research initiative.

Also, right from the start, think about how your work and your research question might have the capacity to influence practice and policy.  This may be the biggest research project you’ll ever do.  So make it count.  Think about doing something that can really help others learn how to improve their practice, perhaps with a particular group of clients, or with respect to a particular method.  If it’s a doctoral level project, you’ll become a leading expert in that field, and you’ll be in a position to teach the rest of us how to be more helpful.  So think about what you’d like to find out about, which you can then disseminate to the field as a whole.

If you want to make your research count, have a really long think before you dive into doing research on therapists’ experiences or perceptions.  Lots of students study this: it’s reflexive, and it’s a relatively easy group to access.  But it also raises the question of how interested people are really going to be in how therapists’ see things.  After all, we’ve all been trained in particular beliefs and assumptions, so if we’re the subject of research, we’re often just going to reiterate what we’ve been taught to think.  Generally, clients make a much more worthwhile participant group, because you’re hearing first hand what it’s really like in therapy, and what works and what doesn’t.

Consult the literature

Once you’ve got some idea of what you’d like to look at, find out how other people have tried to answer that question. If no-one has tried to answer it before, that’s great, but you need to be really sure about that before going on to furrow your own path—after all, you don’t want to get to the end of your research to find out that somebody ‘discovered’ the same thing as you decades ago. So have a look on Google Scholar, and particularly on social science search engines like PsychInfo. Undertaking such searches also ensures that your research will be embedded within the wider research field, and it may well give you ideas about the kinds of questions that are timely to ask.

Make sure it's related to therapeutic practice

Choose a topic which is related, at least in some way, to the field of therapeutic practice. Most directly, this may include things like: clients’ experiences of helpful and unhelpful factors, how psychological interventions are perceived from those outside the field, or the applied role of counselling in such fields as education. Exploring people’s experiences of a particular phenomenon—for instance, women’s experiences of birth trauma—can also be related to therapeutic practice, but just be clear what the association might be. For instance, could that help therapists know how to work most effectively with that client group, or to know what issues to be sensitized to.

Find yourself a clearly-defined question

Try to find a single, clearly defined question as the basis for your study (see my Research Aims and Questions pointers ). This can then serve as your title. If you can't encapsulate your research project into a single question/sentence at some point, the chances are, you're probably not clear about exactly what it is you are asking.

That's ‘question’, not ‘questions’

One of the biggest problems students face is that they ask too many inter-related questions, with too many constructs of interest, and therefore get very muddled in what they are doing. For instance, they’re interested in attachment styles, and how it relates to dropout as mediated by the client’s personality in EMDR for trauma. But that’s five different constructs (attachment styles, dropout, personality types, EMDR, trauma—and, indeed, a sixth implicit one, which is the outcomes of EMDR for trauma), and generally you want to focus down on just one or two constructs (particularly in qualitative research), or maybe three at most if you are doing quantitative. So, for instance, you could focus on how attachment style influences dropout, or how clients experience EMDR for trauma, or the role of personality styles in mediating outcomes in EMDR for trauma. Or you could even just focus down on how clients experience dropout. All nice, straightforward questions that you can really get into at Master’s or doctoral level depth. So think about the constructs that you definitely want to focus in on, and let go of those that are maybe less central to your concerns. Of course, that’s difficult, and three of the main reasons why are given below—along with the things you may need to remind yourself of:

'I won't have enough material otherwise.'   Your word limit may seem like a lot, but you'll be amazed at how quickly it goes. If you just focus on one question, you will be able to go into it in a great amount of depth—far more appropriate to Master’s or doctoral study than trying to answer a number of questions and subsequently coming away with numerous superficial answers.

'There's lots of different aspects of this area that I'm interested in.' That's great, but you won't be able to cover it all in this one project. You can always do further research after this one. In limiting yourself to just one question, you may well experience feelings of loss or disappointment as you let go of areas you're really interested in, but it's better to feel that loss now than after you've put months of work into areas that are just too dispersed.

'I've already started to ask this other question, and I don't want to lose the reading that I've already done'. Again, it can be painful letting go of things, but there is no value in ‘throwing good money after bad.’ Sometimes in research you need to be brutal, and cut out areas of inquiry that don't fit in—even if you've sweated blood over them. Remember what authors say: the quality of their book is defined by what they leave out!

That’s ‘question’, not ‘answer’

Some of the most problematic projects come about when researchers try to show that a particular answer is the correct one, and consequently won’t let anything—including their own findings—get in their way. So if you really believe something about psychological therapies, like ‘person-centred therapy is much more effective than cognitive-behavioural therapy’, or ‘women make much better counselling psychologists than men’ then you may want to steer clear of this topic. That is, unless you can really get yourself into a frame of mind in which you are open to the possibility that you might find the absolute opposite of what you want—and you can enthusiastically write about the implications of this finding. Good research is like good therapy: you put to one side your own assumptions as much as possible, so that the reality of whatever you are encountering can come through. So, in trying to work out your research question, here’s something to really ask yourself:

What is the question that I genuinely don’t know the answer to (but would love to find out)?

And ‘genuinely’ here means genuinely. It means you really, actually, don’t know what the answer to that question is. If you can find that question, it’ll help enormously in your whole research project, because it’ll mean that you’re genuinely open to, and interested in, finding out what’s out there. That’s research!

But make sure there’s not too much literature on it

If you ask a question on which much has already been written—like the effectiveness of person-centred therapy—then you’re likely to be drowned in material before you even get to the end of the literature review. So narrow down your question—e.g. the effectiveness of advanced empathy in person-centred therapy—until you’ve got a manageable number of references in your sights. Don’t worry if it seems too few, you’ll no doubt pick up more references as you go along. And remember, you need to have full mastery of the literature regarding the question your asking, and it is a lot easier to master the information in five or six papers than it is in hundreds.

What’s often ideal is if you can move one step on from some pre-existing literature: e.g. extending a study about depression in men to looking at depression in women, testing out a theory that you’ve found in a book, or using qualitative research to address a question that has previously only been addressed through quantitative research. So don’t get too hung up on being totally ‘original’: in fact, if you try to be too original you can end up in a sea of confusion with no theoretical or methodological concepts to anchor yourself to. Having an original twist is often much more productive—you’re saying something new, but you’re building on what’s already been laid down.

Think methodology from the start

It’s no good coming up with a brilliant question if there is no way of actually answering it, or if answering it is going to be such a headache that you’ll wish that you never started in the first place. So as you come up with ideas, think about how feasible it might actually be to put them into practice. This is something you may really want to discuss early on with a colleague or research tutor.

Respondents MUST be accessible

In terms of the feasibility of the study, probably the most important question is whether or not you are actually going to get anyone to participate—to respond to your interviews, questionnaires, etc. It is essential to the success of your study that you get a good response rate, so thinking about who you do research with is often as important as thinking about what you do (see my research pointers here on recruiting participants). A number of factors will determine how good your response is likely to be: how big the population is in total, their motivation to help you, how easy it will be for you to get in touch with them, how cautious you will need to be as a consequence of ethical safeguards. So don’t just come up with an idea and hope blindly that someone out there will be interested. However hard you think it will be to get participants, you can guarantee that it will actually be several times harder than that, so make sure this is something you think about, and address, at an early stage.

Ethics come first

The principles of non-maleficence—doing no harm to your respondent—and, ideally, beneficence—promoting the respondent’s well-being—should be an integral part of your research design. So, right from the very start of your project, think about ways in which your research might benefit those that are involved; and also make sure that you have read and familiarised yourself with appropriate ethical guidelines, as well as any other sets of relevant standards.

Aside from ‘doing the right thing’, the issue of ethics will be an important one for you because, in any research study, you will need to submit your project to an ethics committee (see above), and the more sensitive your work, the more committees and the longer the time this is likely to take. For instance, if you wish to carry out research in the National Health Service, you will almost certainly need to go through an NHS ethics committee, which can take many months to consider and respond to proposals. So, as you start to develop your research ideas, be aware of the ethical issues and processes that it might raise, and try to find out about the ethical submissions that such a study is likely to entail. That way, you won’t suddenly find yourself facing a long and uncertain wait before you can proceed with your work -- or, if you do, at least you’ll be prepared for it.

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Practice-based research and counselling psychology: A critical review and proposal

This narrative literature review critically considers the relationship between practice-based research and Counselling Psychology. Its starting-point is contexts where gaps between psychotherapy research and practice have been identified. Developments in practice-based research, and the extent to which Counselling Psychology appears engaged in these, are then explored. Contexts in which practice-based research is conducted are considered, with particular focus on the practice-research network. The challenges associated with practice-research networks, in particular, the issue of practitioner involvement, are highlighted. These issues, relating both to Counselling Psychology’s engagement in practice-based research, and practitioners’ engagement in practice-research networks, suggest an exploration of the role of practitioner research training. Empirical literature relating to current Counselling Psychology research training programmes is reviewed. Recently, in the United States and i...

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Sofie Bager-Charleson

Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice

CPR Journal

References are frequently made to a strained relationship between therapeutic practice and research. This study has developed in response this critique. Our aim has been to explore therapists’ views on the relationship between research and clinical practice within a mixed-methods framework, drawing from a survey (n=92) distributed within and outside of the UK, and coupled with interviews (n=9). Both the survey and the interviews were guided by some of the following questions: What sort of relationship do therapists feel that they have with research? What amount of formal research training do therapists have? To what extent do therapists feel that their own research is valued? To what extent does research inform therapists’ clinical practice? Both the survey and the interviews suggested a sense of ‘homelessness’ for researchers in the field of therapy. Obstacles were referred to within and outside the therapeutic community. Some referred to little training and many felt unsupported among colleagues and employers when pursuing research. One therapist said: ‘The scientists and researchers I work with; they know they have a career in research – you get rewarded and promoted. That kind of recognition doesn’t exist in therapy’. To meet the increased requirements of research-supported practice the study suggests that more systematic efforts are required to support psychotherapists’ engagement in research activities.

Avigail Abarbanel

I believe that there is a gap between academics and practitioners in the field of psychotherapy and counselling. The same gap exists in other fields and has been identified as potentially harmful. I believe the same might apply to our field. Practitioners do not readily apply knowledge produced by academics, and at the same time knowledge produced by practitioners does not participate in the overall discussion and development of our discipline. This paper focuses on the latter, arguing that practitioners do not have adequate avenues to participate in, and contribute to knowledge creation in psychotherapy and counselling and are in fact excluded from it. The existing one-directional relationship between the academic and practitioner groups could cause practitioners to feel alienated from the process of knowledge creation. I suggest that research needs to be carried out to explore this gap, what both groups think about it and the impact it has on our field. Hopefully this will lead to developing mechanisms that will allow practitioners to contribute regularly to knowledge creation as equals in our field.

The TRP (Therapists as Research-informed Practitioners) group has developed in response to this critique, focusing on opportunities for psychotherapists and counselling psychologists to develop into confident research practitioners. An overarching aim of the group is to contribute to a deeper understanding of how therapists experience the transition from therapists to researchers. What are the opportunities and obstacles, personally, professionally, and academically? This is an update including our most recent studies. There is an increased emphasis on research in the field of counselling and psychotherapy. Previous studies* suggest however a strained relationship between psychotherapy research and psychotherapy practice, with therapists often mentioned at the margins of the research community. The TRP group has developed in response to this critique, focusing on opportunities for psychotherapists and counselling psychologists to develop into confident research practitioners.

There is an increased emphasis on research in the field of counselling and psychotherapy. Previous studies* suggest however a strained relationship between psychotherapy research and psychotherapy practice, with therapists often mentioned at the margins of the research community. The TRP group has developed in response to this critique, focusing on opportunities for psychotherapists and counselling psychologists to develop into confident research practitioners. An overarching aim of the group is to contribute to a deeper understanding of how therapists experience the transition from therapists to researchers. What are the opportunities and obstacles, personally, professionally, and academically? The TRP aims to enhance research training for counsellors, psychotherapists, and counselling psychologists by providing learning and professional development events, supporting research and best-practice developments, and making policy recommendations to promote effective and sustainable research training for therapists. https://www.metanoia.ac.uk/research/research-groups-events/

PsycEXTRA Dataset

Jeremy Safran

There is an increased emphasis on research in the field of counselling and psychotherapy. Previous studies* suggest however a strained relationship between psychotherapy research and psychotherapy practice, with therapists often mentioned at the margins of the research community. The TRP group has developed in response to this critique, focusing on opportunities for psychotherapists and counselling psychologists to develop into confident research practitioners. An overarching aim of the group is to contribute to a deeper understanding of how therapists experience the transition from therapists to researchers. What are the opportunities and obstacles, personally, professionally, and academically? The TRP aims to enhance research training for counsellors, psychotherapists, and counselling psychologists by providing learning and professional development events, supporting research and best-practice developments, and making policy recommendations to promote effective and sustainable research training for therapists. This is a report of completed research so far.

British Journal of Psychotherapy

Glenys Parry

Elaine Kasket

In Elaine’s experience as supervisor and examiner, there is a handful of specific dilemmas and difficulties that trainee Counselling Psychologists experience when planning, executing, and presenting their doctoral-level research – whatever topic they choose or method of data collection/analysis they employ. Some of their struggles are linked to the presence of paradoxes at the heart of Counselling Psychology, e.g., the scientist-practitioner/reflective-practitioner duality; some are connected to lack of research experience; and some are down to simple fear and loathing of the research component of training. Many of these problems have simple remedies, however, and applying those remedies early can not only positively affect outcomes at viva but also substantially improve trainees’ experience of and feelings about research in their training and beyond. In this talk, therefore, Elaine aims to outline common research pitfalls and how to avoid them, to discuss the integration of research activity and the Counselling Psychology “identity”, both at trainee level and post qualification, and – she hopes – to inspire greater confidence and passion for research activity.

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Examples of research proposals

How to write your research proposal, with examples of good proposals.

Research proposals

Your research proposal is a key part of your application. It tells us about the question you want to answer through your research. It is a chance for you to show your knowledge of the subject area and tell us about the methods you want to use.

We use your research proposal to match you with a supervisor or team of supervisors.

In your proposal, please tell us if you have an interest in the work of a specific academic at York St John. You can get in touch with this academic to discuss your proposal. You can also speak to one of our Research Leads. There is a list of our Research Leads on the Apply page.

When you write your proposal you need to:

• Highlight how it is original or significant
• Explain how it will develop or challenge current knowledge of your subject
• Identify the importance of your research
• Show why you are the right person to do this research
• Research Proposal Example 1 (DOC, 49kB)
• Research Proposal Example 2 (DOC, 0.9MB)
• Research Proposal Example 3 (DOC, 55.5kB)
• Research Proposal Example 4 (DOC, 49.5kB)

Subject specific guidance

• Writing a Humanities PhD Proposal (PDF, 0.1MB)
• Writing a Creative Writing PhD Proposal (PDF, 0.1MB)
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Writing your research proposal

When applying to study for a PhD or MPhil in the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, you will typically need to send us an initial 500-word research proposal.

The content and structure of your research proposal will be influenced by the nature of the project you wish to pursue. The guidance and suggested headings provided here should help you to structure and present your ideas clearly.

Your initial research proposal

When writing your initial research proposal, you can either address it to the School generally, or to a specific supervisor if you have one in mind. 

Potential supervisors in the School will review your initial research proposal, and get in touch with you to discuss it. Your proposal may change following this conversation. Depending on the supervisor and the outcome of this discussion, you may be asked to produce a longer research proposal of between 2,000 and 4,000 words.

Tips on writing a research proposal

Before you write your research proposal, we strongly recommend that you check our  research page  and  individual supervisor profiles  to view our areas of expertise.

• You should avoid the use of overly long sentences and technical jargon.
• It is important that the proposed research is realistic and feasible so that the outcomes can be achieved within the scale of a typical research degree programme. This is usually three years full-time for a PhD (or two years for an MPhil). 
• A strong research proposal can and should make a positive first impression about your potential to become a good researcher. It should demonstrate that your ideas are focused, interesting and realistic.

Although you should write your proposal yourself, it is best if you discuss its contents with your proposed supervisor before you submit it. If this is not possible, then try to get someone else (such as an academic at your current or previous institution) to read and comment on it to ensure that it is sufficiently clear.

Your proposal needs a clear working title that gives an indication of what you want to study. You are not committed to continuing with the same title once you begin your studies.

Research question

For many projects, you'll usually address one main question, which can sometimes be broken down into several sub-questions. However, it's OK to have two or three research questions where appropriate.

In your research proposal, you'll need to state your main research question(s), explain its significance, and locate it within the relevant literature, in order to set out the context into which your research will fit. You should only refer to research that is directly relevant to your proposal. 

Questions to address in your research proposal

You will need to address questions such as:

• What is the general area in which you will be working, and the specific aspect(s) of that area that will be your focus of inquiry?
• What is the problem, shortcoming, or gap in this area that you would like to address?
• What is the main research question or aim that you want to address?
• What are the specific objectives for the proposed research that follow from this?
• Why is the proposed research significant, why does it matter (either theoretically or practically), and why does it excite you?
• How does your work relate to other relevant research in the department?

Methodology

You will need to explain how you will go about answering your question (or achieving your aim), and why you will use your intended approach to address the question/aim. 

Questions you might need to address include:

• What steps will you take and what methods will you use to address your question? For instance, do you plan to use quantitative or qualitative methods?
• How will your proposed method provide a reliable answer to your question?
• What sources or data will you use?
• If your project involves an experimental approach, what specific hypothesis or hypotheses will you address?
• What specific techniques will you use to test the hypothesis? For example, laboratory procedures, interviews, questionnaires, modelling, simulation, text analysis, use of secondary data sources.
• What practical considerations are there? For example, what equipment, facilities, and other resources will be required?
• What relevant skills and experience do you have with the proposed methods?
• Will you need to collaborate with other researchers and organisations?
• Are there particular ethical issues that will need to be considered (for example, all projects using human participants require ethical approval)?
• Are there any potential problems or difficulties that you foresee (for example, delays in gaining access to special populations or materials) that might affect your rate of progress?

You will need to provide a rough timeline for the completion of your research to show that the project is achievable (given the facilities and resources required) in no more than three years of full-time study (or part-time equivalent) for a PhD, and two years for an MPhil.

Expected outcomes

You need to say something about what the expected outcomes of your project would be.

How, for example, does it make a contribution to knowledge? How does it advance theoretical understanding? How might it contribute to policy or practice?

If you are aiming to study for a PhD, then you need to say how your proposed research will make an original contribution to knowledge. This is not essential if you are aiming to study for an MPhil, although you will still need to show originality in the application of knowledge.

List of references

You will need to provide a list of any key articles or texts that you have referred to in your proposal.

References should be listed in the appropriate style for your subject area (e.g. Harvard). You should only reference texts that you think are central to your proposed work, rather than a bibliography listing everything written on the subject. 

Format and proofreading

Make sure that your proposal is well structured and clearly written. It is important that you carefully check your proposal for typographical and spelling errors, consistency of style, and accuracy of references, before submitting it.

The proposal should be aesthetically well presented, and look professional (e.g. no font inconsistencies, headings clearly identifiable). If you include figures, then they should be accompanied by captions underneath).

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179 – Counselling Research Projects: Tips for Students

New Book from Counselling Tutor – Peek into Rory’s Practice

In episode 179 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly offer tips for students on succeeding in their counselling research projects. There’s then an exciting announcement in ‘Digital Counselling Revolution’ about a brand-new book from the team. Finally, in ‘Practice Matters’, the presenters launch a new feature – ‘Peek into Practice’ – which they illustrate through a conversation about Rory’s experience as a school counsellor.

Counselling Research Projects: Tips for Students (starts at 1.50 mins)

All practitioner-level counselling training courses include a research project as one of the final-year assessment requirements. This piece of work is regularly discussed in our Facebook group .

Rory and Ken offer some tips on how to go about counselling research projects:

• Be sure you can deliver your project in the time allowed, making sure you choose a topic that is of a manageable size.
• Think about where and how you will do your secondary research (i.e. reviewing the current literature describing other people’s research findings) and primary research (i.e. gathering your own data).
• Try to resist getting bogged down in data-gathering, as there is also work to be done after this stage: analysing it, pulling out conclusions and preparing your presentation.
• If your counselling research project is a pair or group work, then split the work between you for efficiency.
• If you are in a group, think about agreeing a chair who coordinates the work.
• Remember that your work will be measured on the written report you provide and your presentation, so invest some time in preparing these.

Ken concludes this segment of the podcast by running through some tips on how to present in a way that gets your message across clearly and holds the audience’s attention.

Rory has produced a handout entitled ‘The Importance of Research in Counselling’, which you can download here or via the Counselling Study Resource (CSR).

New Book from Counselling Tutor (starts at 15.00 mins)

Online & Telephone Counselling Book

Available in Paperback and Kindle

Includes FREE COMPANION COURSE  that you can do online to underpin and strengthen your learning

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, online and telephone therapy has been experiencing a period of rapid growth. Counsellors need to ensure that they have trained to meet clients’ call for remote therapy at this time and in the future.

Rory and Ken are pleased and proud to announce the launch of a new book to add to Counselling Tutor’s other publications. Online and Telephone Counselling: A Practitioner’s Guide is aimed at qualified counsellors and at students who are in placement or working towards this.

This new book acts as a guide, walking you through the theory, ethics, law and practice of adding online and telephone counselling to your practice. It includes:

• the paperwork templates you will need for your online practice
• access to an online companion course, ‘Introduction to Online and Telephone Counselling’, to strengthen and underpin your learning.

The book is available on Amazon and via the Counselling Tutor Shop . You might also like to consider our full course, Online and Telephone Counselling , which has already trained thousands of therapists in online working. Again, this is open to qualified practitioners or to students who are either in – or about to start –placement.

Peek into Rory’s Practice (starts at 26.45 mins)

In this new feature, we will talk to practitioners in the world of counselling and psychotherapy about their practice life. To illustrate this, Rory kicks off by telling us about his time as a school counsellor, including:

• his daily routine
• what type of clients he saw
• how clients were referred to him
• the challenges of his work environment
• the rewards of his work.

Would you like to speak about your counselling work? If so, please email Rory at [email protected] and tell him a little about who you are, what modality you use, and what points you feel passionate about getting across to listeners.

Just as Rory needed to gain specific CPD training to be able to work with children ethically, so CPD can enhance your practice and ensure you offer clients the best possible service.

Do take a look at our Counsellor CPD online library, where you can find a lecture on counselling children and young people. We are planning too to bring you a course on working with this age group: watch this space!

Free Handout Download

The Importance of Research in Counselling

Links and Resources

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How to Write a Psychology Research Proposal

Writing a brief research proposal cultivates all kinds of intellectual skills..

Posted May 3, 2018 | Reviewed by Matt Huston

NOTE: This post was co-authored with the SUNY New Paltz students in PSY 307 (1) of Spring 2018 (in particular, Zachary Ertrachter, Mariah Griffin, and Gianna Petrera).

A solid psychology education should lead to all kinds of outcomes related to analytical skills, statistical reasoning, and research design. One of the core skills that I try to cultivate in my students is the ability to write a clear and concise research proposal. Being able to write a solid research proposal demonstrates the following qualities:

* An understanding of some theoretical concepts in the behavioral sciences

* The ability to organize one's ideas in a coherent and efficient way

* The ability to get to the foundation of a set of research ideas

* The ability to write clearly and concisely in a scientific manner

* The ability to describe a hypothesis, proposed methodology, and proposed set of statistical analyses

* The ability to efficiently contextualize one's ideas in the existing scientific literature in some area

* The ability to think about how statistics can be used to examine some research-based predictions

* and probably more

Toward this end, I tend to give the following assignment to students in my undergraduate class in evolutionary psychology :

"Evolutionary psychology is a research-based enterprise. And learning about evolutionary psychology tends to lead people to develop hypotheses about human nature. For this assignment, you are to write a brief paper that does the following:

• Articulates a hypothesis based on evolutionary reasoning
• Describes methods that would test this hypothesis
• Includes predicted outcomes and implications

Importantly, this paper is to be no more than two pages—printed on two sides of a single page. And it should be double-spaced.

This kind of assignment, forcing you to get your ideas reduced in a small space matches the kinds of assignments that professionals have all the time—this assignment will help prepare you for this kind of assignment in your future."

As an end-of-the-semester activity, to demonstrate the process of writing a research proposal, we actually worked together today (5/3/2018) as a class to develop and to fully create a research proposal. The document below is the result of this work. Nice job, evolutionary psychology students!

Research Proposal: A Proposed Study on the Mental Health Effects of Outdoor Experiences

Written by the SUNY New Paltz Spring 2018 Evolutionary Psychology Class

The evolutionary psychological perspective on human behavior suggests that instances of evolutionary mismatch may lead to adverse psychological functioning (e.g., Geher, 2014). Mismatch can exist in multiple domains, including nutritional offerings, exercise, community size, technology, transportation, and the nature of one’s physical environment—among many others.

One important way that modern environments are mismatched to ancestral environments pertains to the proportion of time that people spend in the out of doors. In fact, many evolutionists have made the case that humans have a natural love of the living world (see Wilson, 1984). Based on this reasoning, it may be the case that increased time spent in the outdoors leads to positive mental health outcomes. On the other hand, we might predict that increased time spent in human-made, non-natural environments might have adverse mental health outcomes.

Several mental health outcomes have been documented as important in all kinds of human psychological functioning. In particular, this research will focus on depressive tendencies, tendencies toward anxiety , and general psychological well-being. The basic prediction is that increased out-of-door experiences will correspond to less depression and anxiety and higher scores on a measure of well-being.

This study will utilize a randomized between-groups design using 200 relatively fit American adults ranging in age from 18-34 selected from Southern California. Using a random-assignment process, participants will be assigned to either (a) the outdoor condition or (b) the indoor condition.

Participants in the two experimental conditions will all be included in a climbing camp for two weeks. The outdoor participants will be at an all-outside version of the camp in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Southern California in September. The indoor participants will be at an all-indoor version of the camp at an indoor climbing gym for the same two weeks. Importantly, these climbing experiences will be overseen by the same Climbing Camp with the same activities and personnel.

This methodology would allow for the isolation of the “out of doors” variable and will have participants across groups have the same experiences otherwise. Given the random assignment to experimental conditions, this methodology would allow for an examination of the specific effects of the outdoor experience.

To measure anxiety, Liebowitz’s (1987) measure of social anxiety will be used. To measure depressive tendencies, Kessler et al.’s (2003) measure will be used. We will create a 5-item Likert scale of subjective well-being that participants will also complete.

Anticipated Results

Across the three outcome measures, including social anxiety, depressive tendencies, and subjective well-being, it is predicted that the outdoor group will score as less anxious, less depressed, and as higher in subjective well-being. These results will be examined using three between-groups t-tests.

Potential Implications

Evolutionists are interested in the mismatches between modern conditions and ancestral conditions. Simply being in the out-of-doors or not is a classic mismatch that surrounds us all the time, often unbeknownst to ourselves. The experimental design here would allow us to zero in on the effects of the outdoor experience as it relates to mental health outcomes, controlling for individual differences between groups.

If the predicted pattern of results is obtained, then we would have strong evidence suggesting that people function best when they are provided with outdoor experiences. Such a pattern would support an evolutionary-mismatch approach to understanding the interface of people with their physical environments.

Here is a PDF link to the two-page paper. Enjoy!

Geher, G. (2014). Evolutionary Psychology 101. New York: Springer.

Kessler, R .C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L.J., Hiripi, E., Mroczek, D.K., Normand, S.L....Zaslavsky,A.M. (2002) Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32, 959-956.

Liebowitz, M. R . (1987). Social phobia. Modern Problems of Pharmacopsychiatry, 22, 141-173.

Wilson, Edward O. (1984). Biophilia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press

Glenn Geher, Ph.D. , is professor of psychology at the State University of New York at New Paltz. He is founding director of the campus’ Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) program.

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Psychology Research Proposal

Proposals, whatever they may be, may it be a wedding proposal , business proposal , or a research proposal , all have a similar goal. It is to hear the word “yes” from the mouths of the recipient. Despite that, these proposals give different feelings to the proposer. If you are here to get tips on coming up with a research proposal, you get what I mean. Don’t worry, this article will help you get ideas on how to devise your psychology research proposal.

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What Is a Psychology Research Proposal?

A psychology research proposal is an academic document that a person submits to propose a research project, specifically in the field of clinical psychology. The purpose of research proposals is to outline the research questions and summarize your selected research topic. Another necessary reason for creating this proposal is to present ways that you think would be best in conducting the study and justifying it.

How to Compose a Reliable Psychology Research Proposal

There’s a time psychology students dread. It’s the moment that signifies the beginning of hell week or maybe hell month. It is when the professors ask their students to submit their research proposals.  Coming up with a psychology research proposal might cost you a lot of sleepless nights. To get back the sleep that you deserve, instead of pulling your hair out, read this article and follow the steps mentioned below. 

1. Formulate a Working Title

The title of your educational research should reflect what your study will discuss. Omit unnecessary words. Only keep those words that contribute to the meaning and the impact of your title. Make your title engaging to attract the attention of the readers. It is necessary to take a moment to think about a research title that is both powerful and meaningful.

2. Construct Your Abstract

Abstracts should be short and concise. That said, it should be at least a hundred words and three hundred words at most. Describe your research in your proposal but don’t include too many details yet. A good abstract would provide an introduction to the key objectives and the hypothesis of your proposed research.

3. Include Necessary Components

There are necessary components that make an abstract complete. After your title and abstract statement, you should also include the research scope and your methodology. This segment will explain who your respondents are and how you will deal with possible problems you will encounter while conducting your study. Also, you should include the resources that you will use in the process.

4. Devise Your Appendices

Appendices have sections A to E. Appendix A is where you should cite a list of your sources. In the second section, Appendix B is where you should present your project timeline . Your list of skills and achievements relevant to the research belongs in Appendix C. You should detail your budget plan in Appendix D and print your approval letter in the last appendix.

What are interesting psychology research topics?

You can choose from plenty of compelling topics. Discrimination, social cognition, propaganda, gender roles, and bullying are some examples of it. Whatever topic you choose, the quality of your paper depends on how well you carry out your research. Even the most boring topics can be made interesting by a good researcher.

What are the differences between quantitative and qualitative approaches?

These approaches are two very different things. Qualitative research focuses more on analyzing and interpreting ideas, theories, and data. The methods employed in this approach are discourse analysis, content analysis, and thematic analysis. In contrast, quantitative research deals more with statistics and numbers and often involves a research survey , experiment, and testing hypotheses.

What are the qualitative approaches?

You can apply different approaches in conducting qualitative research. The most common ones are narrative research, action research , ethnography, grounded theory, and phenomenological research. Although all of these falls under the qualitative approach, they incorporate different data collection. Researchers implementing these approaches have varying aims. They also have different perspectives in the direction they should take in conducting their thesis.

The study of psychology focuses on people’s minds and cognitive behavior and how they function in different social settings and environments. That said, there are still a lot of mysteries about how people process their thoughts. If your goal is to uncover one of them, take your first step by composing a foolproof psychology research proposal and get it approved.

Proposal Maker

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Generate a proposal for a new school recycling program

Compose a proposal for a school field trip to a science museum.

288 Counseling Essay Topics & Sample Papers on Counseling Topics

Welcome to our list of best counseling research topics and essay ideas! Here, we’ve collected plenty of current issues to write about. It doesn’t matter if you’re a college student or a psychology professional: you will definitely find suitable counseling topics for your project here!

🔝 Top 10 Counseling Research Topics for 2024

🏆 best counseling topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good counseling topics for essays, 🥇 most interesting counseling topics to write about, 📌 simple & easy counseling essay topics, 🔎 school counseling research topics, 💡 research topics for counseling students, ❓ research questions about counseling.

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• Therapy and Mental Health Counseling: Speech The scholars emphasize that, unlike medications, therapy is a journey that requires awareness and acceptance of the change to heal from stress and trauma.
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• Cultural Bias in Counseling Practices Among other factors, cultural biases result from the fact that most of the counseling practices were created in the context of the dominant Euro-American culture.
• The Essential Qualities and Knowledge for Effective Counseling During the conversations the counselor should look at the client in the eyes because this will build a sense of trust in the client.
• Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling The author adds that the counselor needs spiritual maturity in a bid to get the client to the same level of maturity.
• Mental Health Counseling Licensure and Certification in Florida The purpose of this paper is to analyze and compare the requirements and provisions for mental health counseling licensure and certification in Florida and discuss their impact on the public.
• The Use of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Rehabilitation Counseling In this regard, cognitive-behavioral programs provide for clarification of the characteristics of the patient’s psychological state and assistance in their awareness, a brief appeal to the origins of the formation of the patient’s psychological problems, […]
• Jay E. Adams: A Theology of Christian Counseling Due to the fact that man is dependent on his creator, it can, therefore, be concluded that there is significant need for the use of theology in counseling.
• Counseling Session With a Seventh-Grade Student The counselor is trying to analyze the student’s behavior without scolding and criticizing her. The professional is aware of the fact that her family environment is stressful and makes an effort to change it.
• Counseling Psychology in Dealing With Divorce One of the end results of divorce is the change of the emotional and mental state of an individual. Counseling was introduced in the country in the 1950s owing to the recognition of the vitality […]
• Counseling Techniques Used to Help an Unemployed Client Being unemployed forces you to make rapid and unexpected changes to your lifestyle; thereby affecting not only you but also the people close to you. In the meantime you can use volunteership as a way […]
• Career Guidance and Counseling Additionally, significant contributions in career guidance and counseling have helped develop career guidance and counseling. Davis introduced guidance and counseling in public schools in 1907.
• Group Counseling in the Schools According to the article, the practice is extremely beneficial for the learners since in the course of group interaction they help each other to cope with some personal traumas and learn from each others’ mistakes.
• Mental Health Counseling Settings One advantage of a private practice is that decision-making is free from the influence of government agencies, charities, and other groups. However, a government agency setting is likely to have countless bureaucracies that would hinder […]
• The American Counseling Association: Code of Ethics The relations between the consultant and the client are based on trust, the foundation of which is the preservation of confidential information and privacy – they are discussed in the second section.
• The Problems of Adolescents: The Importance of Counseling The result is that, many young people are involving themselves in activities that are meant to send a statement of independence and freedom to their parents and the society as a whole.
• Achieving Success in a Counseling Session I have experienced that the most favored solutions pertain to situations where the client is open to resourcefulness and motivation, which further depends on the competence level of the counselor or therapist and whether there […]
• Mental Health and Grief Counseling Issues One of the objectives of grief counseling is getting an individual to the last and most important stage of the process where someone accepts the reality of the loss they experienced. This would play a […]
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• A Critical Review of the Counseling Modalities The advantage of this therapy is that the relationship between the clients and the counseling is friendly and intimate and that it is more eclectic than other approaches of therapy.
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• Genetic Counseling, Its Role, and Candidates In such cases, the benefits of such testing can be better explained to enable other family members to be tested and determine any other possible genetic problems.
• About Counseling Cross-Culturally To reflect the relevance and objectivity of the author, it is possible to provide one of the examples from the study.
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• Active Listening Skill Essene in Counseling To facilitate the establishment of a trustful relationship with a client, a counselor should implement active listening techniques and develop the right attitude to the work process and people with whom he or she interacts.
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• Psychology and Theology in Christian Counseling On the negative side is that prayers might enhance the relationship between the client and the counselor to the level of the patient thinking the counseling prayers are enough to sustain him.
• Group Counseling and Ethics Section 10 of the Code of Conduct stipulates that when psychologists or group counselors provide therapeutic services to members in a group counseling session, they have to explain the roles and responsibilities of all the […]
• Multicultural Counseling Theory and Multicultural Counselors This could be due to the fact that the two clients are from different origins and the counselor in question could be familiar to the culture of one of them hence he was able to […]
• Pre Marriage Counseling: One Year Before Getting Married On the other hand, pre-marriage counseling may lead to the end of a relationship. Unfortunately, some people refrain from consulting pre-marriage counselors due to breach of privacy or if the counselor is not in a […]
• Theories and Applications of Counseling and Psychotherapy Counseling is a kind of psychological assistance aimed to overcome the problems of a mental and emotional nature.
• Marfan Syndrome in Genetic Counseling The two generation hierarchies above and one generation hierarchy below the Anne’s generation was pooled and presented in the chart as below: Firstly, the typical clinical symptoms attributed to MFS were sorted from the description […]
• Professional School Counseling: Interview Reflection This means that the school counselors utilize the statistics to illustrate the effect of the school counseling program on the overall enhancements and student success.
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• Multicultural Career Counseling Method These steps are to establish a rapport of the cultural relationship, identify the career issues, assess the impact of the cultural variables, develop the goals of the counseling, make the appropriate interventions, make a decision, […]
• Spiritual Discernment and Vocational Counseling Spiritual discernment is the ultimate secret weapon that can be used by Christians who are interested in drawing closer to the Lord as they progress in life as it guides them to make the most […]
• The Practice of Counseling in the US and Indian Culture Owing the varied nature of the constituents of this culture, there is a large and continually expanding evolution of the Indian culture especially as regards religion, beliefs and societal values that is quite influential to […]
• The Importance of Premarital Counseling Before Marriage It is thus essential for couples contemplating to enter into a binding contract to go through premarital counseling program in order to get skills and knowledge on how to maintain their marriage.
• Modern Psychological Counseling Application of the latest psychological research to the development of psychosocial assistance, notably service-recipient-facing treatments and methods of implementation, is a feature of modern psychotherapy.
• Intercultural Counseling: Cultural Competence in Therapy With African Americans As a result, the researchers came to the conclusion that cultural competency is an effective tool counselors can apply as it correlates with positive well-being outcomes and overall satisfaction with the assistance.
• Power and Privilege in Intercultural Counseling The book looks at the concept of power and its role in change and considers the politics of change, analyzing the different forces that can block or promote it.
• Challenges and Approaches to Family Counseling The main aim is to address issues affecting the health and functioning of the family, such as communication. However, a counselor should assess the danger posed to other family members and address it immediately.
• Counseling and Teaching: Comparative Discussion Hence, in this scenario, an individual can become dissatisfied with the results of the working relationship and cooperation due to the inconsistencies and a lack of proper comprehension of differentiating roles of teachers from counsellors.
• Social Justice in Counseling Psychology The other barrier which is likely to arise in the process of integrating social justice in the workplace is legal and ethical issues.
• Clinical and Counseling Psychology It is essential to evaluate the many cultural-clinical psychology distinctions that might result in cultural change since psychology encompasses a variety of topics, including psychological diseases, cognitive growth, and psychological maturity.
• Addressing Single Parents’ Needs in Professional Counseling In conclusion, after reading the article, I understood the need to reinforce the positive aspects of being a single parent while adequately addressing the adverse impact such a state has on one’s psyche.
• Self-Care Strategies or Interventions for Counseling Professionals The purpose of the project is not only to describe counseling obligations and challenges but identify the strategies and prove the possibility of their implementation today.
• Managing Resistance in Correctional Counseling In the setting of corrective counseling, the client’s resistance to treatment may look different and manifest itself in a range of resistance, from passivity and ignorance to open confrontation with the counselor.
• Psychological Counseling and Psychotherapy First of all, counselors need to be trained to develop an awareness of the existence and characteristics of cultural differences in understanding, communication, values, and lifestyles of people of different groups.
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• Cultural Differences in Counseling Therefore, I think that being sensitive and responsive to cultural differences in people requires a little interest in the topic and a willingness to examine their personality on the subject of cultural assumptions.
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• Researching of Rape Counseling On the other hand, the male victim assaulted by a stranger in the washroom will not have a fear of pregnancy, and there will be no need to take contraceptives.
• The Reasons for Genetic Counseling According to Abacan, “genetic counseling is the process of helping people understand and adapt to the medical, psychological and familial implications of genetic contributions to disease”.
• Pastoral Counseling in the Military In turn, the standards of the Christian Church will help me to remain patient and understanding of the needs of soldiers so that they could progress in their spiritual development.
• Counseling Intervention Ethical Concerns In order not to bring more harm to the issue, counseling specialists should properly weigh possible outcomes and the consequences of the intervention.
• Humanistic Approach to Career Counseling A professional counselor can be helpful in choosing the right path to a job and when it is frustrating and disappointing. Faith: Well, it is a good day, and I decided to visit you.
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• Group Counseling With Adolescents The study emphasizes that the response of the leader and group members to individual change talk plays a special role in such sessions.
• A Career in Counseling Psychology Therefore, the work of a counselor in psychology seems to be one of the most appealing options from the perspective of professional growth.
• Chapter 24 of “Affirmative Counseling With LGBTQI+ People” by Ginicola et al. The overarching purposes of behavior therapy implemented in a trauma-informed approach is to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment in trauma survivors.
• Eye Contact, Active Listening, and Nonverbal Empathy in Counseling Process The reason for it is that it helps to understand people better and be able to establish strong and meaningful connections.
• Psychodynamic Theoretical Approach to Counseling and Psychotherapy The basis of all assumptions of the psychodynamic theory is rooted in the notion of all behavioral issues originating from the unconscious part of the mind.
• Career Counseling for People With Disabilities To sufficiently research, the issue of career counseling for individuals with disabilities in the academic press, a list of journals that offer such information was developed.
• Stages and Skills of Counseling Counseling is a collaboration between the client and the counselor to discuss and solve the existing mental problems. I believe that parts of counseling in which I am adept are establishing relationships and defining the […]
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• Counseling on Bone Marrow Transplantation History and Process The National Marrow Donor Program is a not-for-profit association that works the Be The Match Registry of volunteer hematopoietic cell donors and umbilical rope blood units in the United States.
• Adolescent’s Counseling About Health Amy is the representative of late adolescence, and she understands that her everyday choices and habits affect her health and are necessary to be managed consciously.
• An Orientation to Group Counseling Counseling groups help address psychological issues without causing massive changes to one’s personality. Psychotherapy groups allow focusing on a certain psychological concern.
• Genetic Counseling – Tay Sachs Disease In this case, there is a 25% likelihood of passing the gene to their children. This would be effective in preventing further passing down of the disease to their offspring.
• Genetic Counseling Analysis To take a detailed family history, I would start with gathering the information about the consumers. Finally, I would ask about the members of the family who have already passed away and clarify the cause […]
• Counseling and Education Session in Type II Diabetes Patients will be educated about the glycemic index and its effect on their blood sugar Patients will learn to count their carbohydrates. Patients will set up their goal and the timeframe to achieve it.
• Developing Multicultural Counseling Competencies They then have to know the available tools for this evaluation, to create and more importantly, to be certain about the constancy and validity of the grading of these tools.
• HIV Counseling and Testing: Lifetime Treatment Program Some of the possible intervention that can be adopted by the clinicians in order to improve adherence include the encouragement of the patients to be in contact with people of their age who will encourage […]
• Notion of Counseling: Personality Assessment Techniques Projective tests, on the contrary, are conducted by specialists in order to guide the examinees through the process with questions that help identify the features of one’s personality that are invisible to the patient.
• The Counseling Dynamics Between a White Client and a Counselor of Color Another barrier is in perceiving the counselor of color as a super minority therapist, which means that a White client might think that the professional is specialized in working for a specific group.
• Counseling Process: Trustworthiness and Expertness Multicultural interactions in the given field can be observed through a wide range of dimensions, where both counselor’s and client’s ethnic background can shape the dynamics of the overall interaction.
• Systemic Oppression & Traditional Counseling Ethics My response in the past would be in favor of the law because I was not fully aware of the cultural aspects of counseling.
• School Counseling: A Challenge, an Opportunity That’s why I chose to pursue this career I feel it is a great opportunity to aid the young, and being a part of this process is equally challenging and rewarding.
• Case Conceptualization: Counseling Adolescents There is a possibility that other psychological problems may be the cause of her behavioral changes, but based on her age, it is more likely that teenage problems are setting in.
• School Counseling Specialization It calls for the specialist to analyze all of the aspects of the client’s life and develop interventions based on the issues identified in each of them.
• Ethics in the Counseling Profession: Personal Case Empathetic- this is one of the strengths when it comes to counseling skills Genuine- I realized that I am in a position to tell the affected person the truth even if it is not that […]
• Counseling Theories in the Management of Alcoholics The amount of alcohol he needs to get drunk has been increasing over the years and he spends much of his income on alcohol.
• The American Counseling Association and the American Psychological Association Websites The intention of this research is to diffuse the result of Information Communication Technologies and the internet mostly for the coming age’s competitiveness of the two counseling websites. This adds to the links that are […]
• Counseling Principles and Paradigms in Practice It is the inability of Angela to adopt to her new situation of joblessness, not having a boyfriend of her choice and the fear of facing her parents and siblings that makes her experience what […]
• Methods Used by Psychoeducational Groups for Counseling Therapy The main group objectives include the following points: Applying results of the literature review to the design of counseling sessions. Integrate different theories and methods into the structure of counseling sessions.
• Clinical Counseling Psychology: Research and Statistics This paper will examine on clinical counseling psychology and the roles of research and statistics in clinical counseling psychology. Research in clinical counseling psychology helps the health care providers in investigating the efficiency of their […]
• Concept Problem of School Counseling What is the role of the professional school counselor in your school? The role of school’s professional counselors is to indulge in sophistically sounding but utterly meaningless rhetoric, in regards to the sheer importance of […]
• Developmental School Counseling and Pupil Services The Data collected from the instruments will be used to develop a system for determining patterns and the trends within the school environment.
• Client Experiences of Counseling and Treatment Interventions To illustrate the use of qualitative research designs and methods of analysis, a study of family members’ views of family therapy is briefly described. A small fee was paid to the families in recognition of […]
• Intentional Interviewing and Counseling The reason for her being in counseling is that her life has deteriorated to the point of being in a state of crisis.
• Personal Values and Counseling Sessions However, non-verbal clues may reveal the personal values of the counselor to the patient. Counselors should pay special attention to trying to avoid the impact of their personal values on the counseling process and advice […]
• International Students’ Attitude and Counseling Service For instance the students from Vietnam students are reluctant to seek counseling help due to the stigma associated with mental problems.
• Book Critique “Substance Abuse Counseling” As it can be judged by the title of the book, the individualized approach to the client should stand in the center of the system of substance abuse counseling.
• Biblical Concepts for Christian Counseling It is important to underline the issue that the Bible is the background for Christian counseling, while the counseling itself is an integral part of Word ministry.
• Work-Based Counseling in Companies The employees need to be frequently monitored and their issues solved for the organization to be productive. The employer should be in a position to understand that the employees are not machines that need to […]
• Self Disclosure in the Counseling Process The component parts of the organization are in many ways subordinate to the primary goals, even though on a day-to-day basis there may be enormous competition among individual organizational members and among structural subunits of […]
• Five Moral Principles of ACA vs. Seven Virtues of Christian Counseling It is clear, however, that the ACA principles advocate a higher degree of autonomy while Christian counseling suggests that the counselor should suffer from the client, not just feel for them.
• Burnout and Staff Turnover: Substance Abuse Counseling The counselor explains the rules and procedures to the patient, monitors the patient’s performance, and participates in the use of sanctions to obtain patient compliance.
• Ethical Issues of Counseling: Abortion and Divorce Personal values and beliefs, world views, and attitudes of both a counselor and a client have a great impact on the therapeutic relationship and effective treatment.
• Postmodern Psychology and Counseling It is a way of self-actualization and self-realization of the person. The internal biological human nature is a specific characteristic of the mankind.
• Personality Assessment in Counseling The origin of personality traits is investigated, as well as their role in biological and social processes and the consequences they have for a person’s health.
• Grief Counseling With Multicultural Clients The grievance process is to help the griever to accept the loss and move on with their lives. Firstly, the client should be able to accept the loss and adjust to the changes in their […]
• The Influence of Contraceptive Counseling on Adolescent Women’s Use of Contraception The understanding of the given terms is critical for the improved understanding of the selected problem and how it affects the health of the nation.
• Genetic Counseling Preventing Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension The hypothesis is that PAH specialists possess low knowledge and understanding of the benefits of genetic testing and counseling in regards to PAH treatment.
• Certification in Substance Abuse Counseling Therefore, the presence of tolerance to alcohol is clear from the interview. In summary, the assessment generated substantial evidence that the client has a problematic pattern of alcohol use leading to clinically significant impairment or […]
• Counseling Model Review and Analysis The rational emotive behavior theory plays a dominant role in the foundation of the basic philosophy of the model because it prioritizes the dysfunctional feelings and behaviors as the core of therapy.
• School Counseling Group Functions Analysis By articulating the issues during the individual sessions or group meetings, the counselor will be able to single out the particular problems of each child and will make corrections in the plan to meet the […]
• Counseling Profession: Examining the Current State of the Profession A counselor needs to adhere to the standards of service and make sure that the client is receiving the recognition that they deserve.
• Job Loss and Career Counseling Strategies Key components of the assignment the introduction, the discussion on the subjects’ stages of career development, the identification of job loss consequences, recommendations for appropriate assessment and counseling strategies, and considerations of client advocacy.
• Group Counseling: Change in Relationships The specified analysis is possible due to the use of the Thinking, Feeling, and Behaving Model, which allows one to explore the affective and emotional domain of the participants.
• Effective Group Work Counseling for Academic Success Also, behavioral changes can be evaluated to check the impact of group counseling on students’ self-perception and their position in a class, which is crucial for adolescents.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Professional Counseling The main duty of a counselor is to offer services to deal with specific issues affecting a patient and enhancing individual growth.
• Positive Outcomes in Breastfeeding Women Who Receive Counseling Admittedly, if a nurse handles postpartum women in his or her daily practice, it is imperative that he or she possesses scientific and technical knowledge of the challenges and particularities of breastfeeding.
• Ethical Principles and Concepts in Counseling The notions of privacy, confidentiality, and privilege are central to the process of counseling and have to be adhered to so that rapport could be established between a patient and a counselor.
• Counseling and Professional Ethics in California Professional ethics is a system of moral standards and moral principles inherent in a certain professional community, which performs the functions of regulating the interaction of specialists in the professional environment, determining the individual’s attitude […]
• Career Counseling Program for Disadvantaged Youth Moreover, the lack of understanding of why they are doing the things that they are told to do might decrease their motivation and engagement.
• School Counseling & Problem Conceptualization The ultimatum that the parents of the student present to Janeen may further affect her mental health. The possible reaction of the student’s parents to her gender concerns is unknown.
• Support Group Counseling Session Under Observation The focus for the session was substance withdrawal to help the clients realize the importance and the process of abandoning the behavior.
• Certification in Clinical or Counseling Psychology The main drawback of pursuing a doctorate degree is the time required for one to complete the education and obtain it.
• Clinical and Counseling Psychology as Career Fields The subject matters of the common clinical psychology are the common factors of the psychology of the patient and of the health care professional; the psychological peculiarities of the patient and the doctor; the influence […]
• Counseling Competencies and Developing Strategies This paper highlights a few strategies of enhancing my proficiency and competence as a counselor in a bid to have an upper hand in the crowded field of counseling.
• Professional Competencies in General Counseling In order to be an effective counselor, I need to place my feelings on the periphery and focus on the clients’.
• Women’s Emotional Health: Counseling Approaches The anthropological stance on women is a deviation from the traditional methods because it does not require the patient’s historical information and its main techniques are listening, understanding, empathizing, and responding to the patient’s counseling […]
• Counseling Interview in Family and Relationship Therapy My choice of questions for the interviewees on matters related to life, relationship and family will be designed as linear and systematic questions to aid in formulating an assessment.
• Counseling Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed Methods The main aim of quantitative research is to determine the correlation between the number of trials in general and cases of judges interventions.
• Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy The cognitive and behavioral intervention strategies mentioned in the chapter can be used not only by a school social worker, but any clinician to improve the quality of life of the client. The multicultural theory […]
• Counseling Theoretical Approaches At the beginning of the therapy, I make assessments to enable the therapy to be optimally effective. The sessions of this therapy are usually precise and less in number as compared to the REBT sessions.
• Counseling in the Initial Stages of Psychopharmacological Intervention It is the role of a counselor to advice the patient on how to deal with some of the expected side-effects of the antidepressant medication.
• Sexually Abused Child’s Treatment and Counseling I developed a lot of interest in the case and, therefore, decided to explore it by seeking a deeper understanding of the problems being experienced by the boy.
• Group Counseling, Leadership and Facilitation The respondent further indicates that through group leadership, one can easily stir and cause the transformation to occur within the general society.
• Counseling Services in K-12 Schools
• Counseling and Psychotherapy of Work Dysfunctions
• Drug Abuse and Dependence: Insights from Clients and Professionals
• “School Counseling Video EP” Evaluation
• Clinical and Counseling Psychologist’s Interview
• Addiction Counseling and Certification in Arizona
• Group Counseling for Children of Addicted Parents
• Patient Empowerment: Education and Counseling
• Counseling and Therapy for Couples: Family Resilience
• Breastfeeding Counseling for Low-Income Latino Population
• Rehabilitation Counseling for Older Disabled Adults
• Child Counseling and Parenting Problems
• Counseling: Attention Deficit and Its Functional Impact
• Pre-Discharge Medication Counseling Implementation
• Coercion in Counseling of Addicted Clients
• Pre-Mental Health Counseling Assessment for Child
• Life After Sexual Abuse. Counseling Intervention
• Wellness and Counseling in Family Systems Therapy
• Wellness in Theoretic Modeling and Counseling Practice
• Career Counseling Program for High-School Students
• Counseling Profession in Special Education
• The Counseling Services Value in Dubai Public Prosecution
• Counseling: Poor Attention and Communication Skills
• Abortion Counseling and Psychological Support
• Disaster Response and Counseling Evaluation
• Counseling Job Seekers’ Communication Theories
• School Counseling Programs and Student Achievements
• Counseling Ethics in Tarasoff vs. Regents Case
• Rehabilitation Counseling Associations’ Membership
• School Counseling Specifications
• Genetic Testing & Counseling and Their Value
• Self-Efficacy in On & Offline Counseling Programs
• American Counseling, Ethical and Cultural Issues
• Anxiety Evaluation in Rehabilitation Counseling
• Counseling Native Americans vs. White Population
• Case Management and Rehabilitation Counseling
• Wellness Concept in Counseling
• Professional and Barter Relationships in Counseling
• Personal Frameworks and Boundaries in Counseling
• Counseling Ethical Codes and Diversity Issues
• Personal Counseling and Development Theory
• Counseling Ethics in 5-Step Decision-Making Model
• Counseling Process and Communication Ethics
• Counseling Low Self-Esteem and Decision Making
• Counseling Theories on Elementary School Students
• Motivational Counseling and Interviewing Techniques
• Multicultural Counseling Importance and Challenges
• Counseling Psychology: Career Choice
• Implicit Expectations in Rehabilitation and Counseling
• Counseling and Mentorship Program for Hispanic Children
• School Counseling in the Modern Day USA
• Psychological Counseling Using Behavioral Theory
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Theories of Counseling
• The Practice and Training of Counseling Psychologists
• Adlerian Theory in the Group Counseling
• Psychology Issues: Health Counseling
• Anger Management Counseling and Treatment of Domestic Violence by the Capital Area Michigan Works
• Advantages of Group Counseling
• Effective Mental Health Counseling
• Counseling Jewish Women: A Phenomenological Study
• “The Counseling Profession’s Relationship to Jews and the Issues That Concern Them: More Than a Case of Selective Awareness”
• Multicultural Counseling and the Orthodox Jew
• Cultural Diversity in Counseling: Multiculturalism as an Important Part of Our Lives
• Addiction Counseling and Psychosocial Crisis in Elderly
• ‘Psychology, Theology and Spirituality in Christian Counseling’ by Mark McMinn
• Marci: Analysis of a Counseling Situation
• Biblical Word Study: Counseling and Addiction Categories
• Drug Addictions Counseling: Assessment and Diagnosing
• Predicting Premature Termination From Counseling Using the Butcher Treatment Planning Inventory
• Attachment Dimensions and Adolescence Drug Addiction in Relation to School Counseling
• Counseling in the Workplace
• A Major Challenge to Counseling the Culturally Diverse
• Houston Texas School’s Counseling Program
• The Role of Hispanic Americans in Counseling
• Ethical Decision-Making Tools: Chemical Dependency and Counseling
• Evaluation of Anger Management Counseling and Treatment of Domestic Violence by the Capital Area Michigan Works
• Adventure Based Counseling
• Theories of Addiction: General Counseling Methods
• Prayer in Christian Counseling
• Importance of Group Counseling
• Counseling Practice in Organization
• Christian Counseling for Children
• Premarital Counseling
• Medical Model Versus Counseling Model
• Contributions in Psychological Clinical Counseling
• Which Factors Contributed to the Development of Counseling Psychology?
• What Are the Types of Counseling?
• What Is the Difference Between Counseling and Therapist?
• Who Was the First Psychological Counselling?
• How Is Active Listening Used in Counseling?
• When Is It More Appropriate to Use Group Counseling?
• How Competent Is Christian Counseling?
• What Are the Emotional and Behavioral Problems of Counseling?
• Why Is It Important to Talk to a Premarital Counselor Before Getting Married?
• In Which Crisis Situations Is Counseling Recommended?
• How Is Counseling Culturally Sensitive?
• What Is the Most Popular Counseling Theory?
• How Are the Diagnosis and Treatment Planning in the Counseling?
• What Factors Affect the Effectiveness of Counseling?
• Can Counseling Be Unethical?
• What Are the Basic Skills Needed in Counseling?
• How Does Counseling for Children Differ From Counseling for Adults?
• What Ethical and Legal Dilemmas Can Arise in Counseling?
• In Which Situations Is It Advisable to Turn To Family Counseling?
• How Is Counselling Different From Coaching?
• What Is the Essence of Genetic Counseling?
• What Is the Significance of Counseling for an Individual and Organization?
• What Are Some of the Major Challenges Facing the Counseling Profession Today?
• How Many People Are Allowed in Group Counseling?
• What Are the Geological and Psychological Foundations of Counseling?
• What Is the Role of HR in Employee Counseling?
• What Issues Does High School Counseling Address?
• How to Improve the Legal Level of Consulting?
• What Does Integrative Mean in Counselling?
• What Are the Challenges of Multicultural Counseling of American Indians?
• Personal Values Ideas
• Self-Reflection Research Topics
• Psychotherapy Paper Topics
• Social Justice Essay Ideas
• Mentorship Topics
• Leadership Essay Ideas
• Mental Health Essay Ideas
• Performance Management Ideas
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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IvyPanda . "288 Counseling Essay Topics & Sample Papers on Counseling Topics." February 26, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/counseling-essay-topics/.