Name

Capella University

FPX-4100

Prof. Name

December, 2024

Applied Psychology in Professions

Applying psychology involves using findings and principles of psychology to address issues within professions comprising healthcare (Yıldırım et al., 2024). To health care practitioners, the area of applied psychology is essential in the enhancement of the quality of patient care and the organization’s effectiveness. For instance, counseling psychology is employed to address the psychological and emotional aspects of the patient about illness, trauma, and stress. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing enable patients to mod or eliminate pathogenic behaviors and challenges. On the other hand, industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology is applied to make a workplace environment better, strengthen a team’s functioning, and optimize the performers. The applied psychology in the profession was premised on the effort to enhance healthcare accessibility and efficiency within society (‌DeBlaere et al., 2019). As the general knowledge about mental health increases, healthcare organizations rely on research in psychology for developing individualized services and treatments. 

Description of the Historical Development of Counseling Psychology 

The specialty of counseling psychology came about during the early years of the 20th century depending on improvements in theory and an increase in society (Koutsouleris et al., 2022). It has origins in the vocational guidance movement that began in the United States in the early twentieth century with Frank Parsons’ vision of assisting persons to make suitable vocational decisions. These aspects which include flexibility, choice, and individualism formed the basis of professional counseling. There was an elevated demand for psychological services post World War II because men and women who served in the war required psychological assistance. Due to funding for training programs and insistence on research in the field, organizations such as the Veterans Administration (VA) were one of the organizations that aided counseling psychology to be recognized as a specialty.

The half-century of the 1950s and the 1960s he proclaimed as the times of forming the base of the section called the Division of Counseling Psychology (Division 17) at the APA. And during this period major theories were created, for instance, Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach, which was based on empathy, Unconditional positive regard, and the therapeutic relationship. These ideas became the foundation for counseling practice whose emphasis involved the client’s capacity to grow and become all that they could be. 

Analysis of Societal or Cultural Needs to Develop Counseling Psychology

The branching of counseling psychology from the broader field of counseling was catalyzed by enormous social and cultural transformations that pointed to the need for special psychological work (Evgenia et al., 2024). The tasks of the early twentieth century were to be transformed by the Industrial Revolution in ways that would redefine societies and produce new challenges for deciding on careers and feelings of job satisfaction. This was the vocational guidance movement spearheaded under Frank Parsons who extended his interest in helping men to secure jobs that would fit them in terms of interest and aptitude. This applied emphasis of psychological theory to promote societal welfare resulted in the development of counseling psychology which was well-needed to respond to the challenges of life.

Another social need that led to the development of counseling psychology was World War II. The increasing number of veterans who return to civilian life also requires services like counseling psychologists to understand PTSD, readjustment issues, and employment concerns of veterans. The counseling psychologists contributed to the functions of therapy besides offering professional counseling. It also marked the change from the concentration of the vocational conditions to the concern with more general emotional and even psychological aspects of the looking-glass self, which may have appeared due to the developing needs and requirements (Evgenia et al., 2024). These services became important for the fact that the problem of the presence of mental disorders started to gain popular attention.

The subsequent breakthrough in the sophistication of counseling psychology was the multiculturalism and social justice movement of the mid-20th century. Because societies world over began embracing diversity, there was a paramount call for culturally appropriate therapy to meet the needs of populations that were considered most vulnerable or of color. These movements in society and culture demonstrated that as counseling psychology is a relatively young discipline, it is equally sensitive to changes ailing diverse populations.

Analysis of How History of Counseling Psychology Informs Professional Behaviors

As for Counseling psychology history, a huge contribution is revealed in the professional behavior and ethics of the professionals for making them more client-centered focus, culture-sensitive, and science practice, relation (Aydin, 2023). The field was established by Frank Parsons’s vocational guidance movement. The epistemology of counseling psychology is the philosophy of being guided by a professional direction based on strengths and needs. This early focus on a practical problem-solving approach was to remain central to modern professional behaviors, where counselors are designed to assess clients holistically to take into account psychological needs, social needs, as well as career needs this historical emphasis on vocational counseling informs the current standard of professional practice: a specific approach to situations-professionalizing the client through facilitating the choice.

In mid mid-twentieth century, Carl Rogers’s person-centered therapy articulated the core professional relational processes of empathy, warmth, and affirmative regard. These practices are premised on such tenets drawn from Rogers’ client-centered theory of human potential and self-actualization to fashion counseling psychologists for the mission of fostering therapeutic relationships that _promote the client’s welfare (Aydin, 2023). Although these techniques have their historical roots, nonjudgmental, supportive practice stances have been established in the field; trusting relationships between clients and counselors are absolute requirements. 

The influences of multiculturalism and social justice advocacy meant that behaviors that counselors practice have now been modified towards practicing cultural humility (Fisher, 2019). As society evolved, there was a need to fit the practitioner’s requirements of clients from different cultures, origins, and economic brackets. We see this history occurring in the present as counselors attempt to learn about the cultural backgrounds of their clients and disarm social processes that may contribute to mental health.  

PSYC FPX 4100 assessment 2 Conclusion

Altogether the discussed historical development affected the professional practices of counseling psychology, which remains client-centered and focused on cultural competence and their integration into ethical codes and standards (Lester et al., 2018). In the transition from mere vocational guidance to more substantial experiential, emotional, and social support, counseling psychology has thus been shown to be sensitive to the needs of society and culture. It embodies the profession’s humanistic and social justice perspective, which includes embracing empathy, listening and being listened to, and embracing diversity. 

PSYC FPX 4100 assessment 2 References

Aydin, O. (2023). Rise of single-case experimental designs: A historical overview of the necessity of single-case methodology. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2023.2181191

APA Counselling Psychology. (2020). Apa.org. https://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/counseling#  APA Dictionary of Psychology. (n.d.). Dictionary.apa.org. 

‌DeBlaere, C., Singh, A. A., Wilcox, M. M., Cokley, K. O., Delgado-Romero, E. A., Scalise, D. A., & Shawahin, L. (2019). Social justice in counseling psychology: Then, now, and looking forward. The Counseling Psychologist, 47(6), 938–962. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000019893283 

Evgenia Gkintoni, & Nikolaou, G. (2024). The cross-cultural validation of neuropsychological assessments and their clinical applications in cognitive behavioral therapy: a scoping analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(8), 1110–1110. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21081110

Koutsouleris, N., Hauser, T. U., Skvortsova, V., & De Choudhury, M. (2022). From promise to practice: Towards the realization of AI-informed mental health care. The Lancet Digital Health, 4(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/s2589-7500(22)00153-4

Lester, J. N., Wong, Y. J., O’Reilly, M., & Kiyimba, N. (2018). Discursive Psychology: Implications for counseling psychology. The Counseling Psychologist, 46(5), 576–607. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000018780462 

Yıldırım, Ö., & Gazioğlu, A. E. İ. (2024). From modern paradigms to postmodern paradigms: therapeutic interventions on a journey of change and transformation. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar, 16(4), 658–672. https://doi.org/10.18863/pgy.1393192

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