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flectina'asif
.y Richard
E.Watts
This
brief,
encouragement-focused counseling process integrates Adierian and constructive theory
and practice perspectives and can be useful for work with diverse populations in
a
variety of settings
A
n integration of cognitive,
existential, psychodynamic
,
and systemic perspectives,
Adierian counseling theory is a holistic,
phenomenological, socially oriented and
teleological (goal-directed) approach to
understanding and working with people.
Furthermore, Adierian counseling theory
is a relational
constructivist
approach and
affirms that people must be understood
contextually because it is in our
relationships that we understand ourselves,
others and the world around us.
Counseling theories tend to focus on
either the individual or the collective.
Adierian counseling is a healthy balance
between these two perspectives. Adierian
counseling theory affirms that knowledge
is socially embedded and relationally
distributed but also affirms that humans
are creative, proactive, meaning-making
individuals who have the ability to choose
and be responsible for their choices.
Because Adierian counseling is a relational
constructivist approach, it accounts for
both the social-embedded nature of human
knowledge and the personal agency of
creative and self-refiective individuals within
relationships.
Given that Adierian counseling is a
relational constructivist approach, it
makes sense that it shares significant
common ground with various constructive
perspectives on counseling, including
cognitive constructivist and personal
construct therapies, solution-focused brief
therapy and narrative therapy. (For further
discussion of this significant common
ground, please see the suggested readings
on page 52). Beyond the many theoretical
points of resonance, it is noteworthy
that both Adierian and constructive
approaches to counseling strongly affirm
the importance of the client-counselor
relationship; are optimistic and present/
future oriented; and focus primarily on
clients' strengths, resources and abilities
rather than on their weaknesses, deficits and
disabilities.
Given this common ground, it is not
surprising to find that interventions
discussed in the constructive therapy
literature are either similar to or congruent
with interventions used in Adierian
counseling. Nor is it surprising to see
significant opportunities for technical
integration between the two. This article
presents a
brief,
encouragement-focused
counseling process that integrates the
Adierian acting "as if" technique with
procedures drawn from constructive
approaches to counseling.
Expanding the
acting
'as
if technique
One specific area Adierian and
constructive therapies share is that both see
value in using the "as if" quality of human
experience in counseling and psychotherapy.
Humans act as if the constructs by which
they engage in everyday activities are
facts or absolute truths rather than social
constructions that are contextually situated.
Using this perspective, Alfred Adler
developed the acting
"as
if" technique,
which encourages clients to begin acting as
if they were already the person they would
like to be — for example, a "confident
individual." The process asks clients to
pretend and emphasizes that they are only
acting. The purpose of the procedure is
April 2013 I Counseling Today ] 49
to bypass potential resistance to change
by neutralizing some of the perceived
risk. Acting "as if" affords clients the
opportunity to enact alternative or
preferred outcomes and possibly
restory
oppressive aspects of their personal
metanarrative (or "style of
life"
in
Adlerian parlance).
I really like the acting "as if" technique
but have found that some clients are
reticent to follow through on the
enactment due to discomfort with
potential ambiguity and a desire for more
structure. In addition, I am reticent to
ask some clients — for example, those
who tend to act impulsively — to go out
and act "as if" because I have concerns
about their well-being and the well-
being of others who might be affected
by their choices. Thus, I developed the
reflecting
"as
if" (RAI) counseling process
to address my concerns as well as the
concerns of my clients.
The integrative RAI process expands
the Adlerian technique by having
counselors ask clients to take a
reflective
step back prior to stepping forward to act
"as if." This process encourages clients to
reflect on how they would be different if
they were acting as if they were who they
desire to be. By using reflective questions,
counselors can help clients construct
perceptual alternatives and consider
alternative behaviors toward which they
may begin moving.
RAIphases
The RAI process has three phases. In
phase one, the counselor uses reflective
questions to access the creativity and
imagination of
clients.
In phase two,
the client and counselor co-construct
an "as if" plan of action on the basis
of the client's reflective thinking. In
the final phase, clients implement the
"as if" behaviors and then discuss that
experience in session with the counselor.
As with most action-oriented procedures,
the use (and success) of the RAI process
is predicated on the development and
maintenance of
a
solid client-counselor
relationship.
Phase one
In the initial phase of RAI, counselors
use reflective questions such as the
following:
• If you were acting as if you were
the person you would like to be, how
would you be acting differently? If
I
were
watching a videotape of your life, what
would be different?
• If
a
good friend saw you several
months from now and you were more
like the person you desire to be or your
situation had significantly improved,
what would this person see you doing
differently?
• What might some initial indicators
be that would demonstrate you are
headed in the right direction?
In phase one, counselors write down
clients' responses to these or similar
questions without judgment or critique.
On the basis of what has been shared
in prior counseling sessions, counselors
can contribute ideas as well. Sometimes
clients may offer responses that are too
broad; in such cases, counselors will
need to ask for more specificity ("What,
specifically, will you be doing differently
to make that happen?"). Once it appears
the initial reflective process has been
completed, the counselor and client are
ready to move to phase two.
Phase two
In the second phase of the RAI process,
the client and counselor co-construct
a list of
"as
if" behaviors that indicate
how the client will act in moving toward
his or her desired goals. As part of this
co-construction ptocess, the client and
counselor discuss the viability of each
item on the list and eliminate items that
are not realistic.
Subsequent to developing the "as
if" behaviors list, the counselor asks
the client to rank the items from least
difficult to most difficult. After the client
has ranked the behaviors, the counselor
engages the client in a dialogue about
the difficulty level ofthe items and their
position on the list. Once the ranking
process and dialogue are completed, the
client is ready to begin the enactment
process.
Phase three
Phase three starts with the client
selecting a few ofthe least difficult "as
if" behaviors to enact for the coming
week. Beginning with the least difificult
behaviors increases the potential for
client success because success is typically
encouraging for clients and often
increases their perceived self-efficacy.
Success typically increases the client's
motivation to courageously engage the
more difficult tasks on his or her list. In
the sessions that follow, the client and
counselor discuss the enactment of the
"as if" behaviors selected for the previous
week. Enacting new behaviors often helps
clients to perceive themselves, others and
the world differently.
Clients can grow frustrated and
discouraged as they attempt the more
difficult tasks on their "as if" behaviors
list because progress no longer comes
so easily or consistently. Clients
may be more patient and find the
process less frustrating if counselors
use encouragement to help clients
frame success in terms of effort and
incremental growth rather than final
outcome. Helping clients understand
"positive movement as success" is a key
element of the Adlerian understanding of
encouragement.
Although encouragement is crucial
throughout the counseling process, it is
particularly important in phase three of
RAI. Let me diverge for a moment and
briefly clarify the Adlerian understanding
of encouragement. Encouragement
is often misunderstood as merely
an Adlerian "technique." Actually,
encouragement is a way of being
With.
others, and Adlerians view counseling
as a process of encouragement. Alfred
Adler and subsequent Adlerians consider
encouragement a crucial aspect of human
growth and development. Stressing the
importance of encouragement, Adler
stated that throughout the counseling
process, "we must not deviate from
the path of encouragement." Similarly,
Rudolf Dreikurs affirmed that therapeutic
success was largely dependent on
the counselor's "ability to provide
encouragement," while failure generally
occurred "due to the inability of the
therapist to encourage." Encouragement
skills include:
• Accepting clients unconditionally and
without judgment
• Demonstrating concern for clients
through active listening, respect and
empathy
• Focusing on clients' strengths, assets
and abilities, including identifying
past successes and communicating
confidence in the same
50 I ct.counseling.org | April 2013
Helping clients to generate perceptual
alternatives for discouraging fictional
beliefs and oppressive narratives
Helping clients distinguish between
what they do and who they are (deed
vs.
doer)
Focusing on clients' efforts and
progress
Communicating affirmation and
appreciation to clients
Helping clients see the humor in life
experiences
Using imaginary
reflecting teams in RAI
When clients are immersed in difficult
situations, they sometimes have difficulty
with the RAI process. They struggle
to see beyond the problem and need
help stepping away from or out of the
problem so that alternative perspectives
can emerge. The use oí imaginary
reflecting
teams is one way to help clients
create dialogic space for reflection in the
RAI process.
When clients have difficulty responding
to reflective questions, counselors can
invite imaginary team members into
Suggested readings
Adierian
Therapy:
Theory and
Practice
by Jon Carlson, Richard E. Watts &
Michael Maniacci, 2006
Counseling
and
Psychotherapy Theories
in Context and
Practice,
second
edition, by John Sommers-Flanagan & Rita Sommers-Flanagan, 2012
"Reflecting As If: An Integrative Process in Couples Counseling" by
Richard E. Watts, The Eamily Journal:
Counseling
and Therapy for
Couples
and
Families,
January 2003
"Adierian Therapy as a Relational Constructivist Approach" by Richard E.
Watts,
The Family Journal:
Counseling
and Therapy for
Couples
and
Families,
April 2003
"Using Children's Drawings to Facilitate the Acting As If Procedure"
by Richard E. Watts & Yvonne Garza, Journal of Individual
Psychology,
Spring 2008
"Expanding the Acting As If Technique: An Adlerian/Constructive
Integration" by Richard E. Watts, Paul R. Peluso & Todd F. Lewis,
Journal of Individual
Psychology,
Winter 2005
"Adierian Psychology and Psychotherapy: A Relational Constructivist
Approach" by Richard E. Watts & Kati A. Phillips, in Studies in Meaning 2:
Bridging the
Personal
and Social in Constructivist
Psychology,
2004
"Adierian 'Encouragement' and the Therapeutic Process of Solution-
Focused Brief Therapy" by Richard E. Watts & Dale Ymtz-äk, Journal of
Counseling & Development, Fall 2000
"Using Imaginary Team Members in Reflecting As If" by Richard E.
Watts & Jerry Trusty, Journal of Constructivist
Psychology,
October 2003
"Opening Space for Reflection: A Postmodern Consideration" by John
D.
West, Richard E. Watts, Heather C. Trepal, Kelly L. Wester & Todd F.
Lewis, The Family Journal:
Counseling
and Therapy for
Couples
and
Families,
October 2001
the session. To begin, counselors can ask
clients to think of one or more persons
whom they respect and view as wise.
The client and therapist then create a
list of team members. To amplify the
imagery, the therapist may provide chairs
for each team member, similar to the
use of an empty chair in Gestalt therapy.
I often put name tags on the chairs for
identification purposes and to anchor the
team member imagery.
Once the team is created, the counselor
may call on team members for assistance
by asking clients questions from
constructive therapies. For example:
• Suppose you are talking to this
person in the fiature after you have made
significant progress in overcoming the
problem. What changes will he or she say
are evident? What, specifically, will he or
she say is different about you?
• What specific steps would he or
she identify that you took to make this
significant change?
• What suggestions might he or she
make for responding constructively to
the problem?
• What might he or she say you do
when (the problem) attacks you?
• How would he or she describe
times when the problem isn't a problem
for you?
• How would he or she explain your
ability to accomplish this great success?
• How will he or she know when you
are starting to move in the direction you
want to go as a person?
After the team has been "heard," the
counselor can proceed to phase two of
the RAI process, helping the client to
develop a list of
"as
if" behaviors and rate
them in terms of difficulty. If the client
has difficulty ranking the behaviors, the
therapist may again invite imaginary
team members to help the client with this
process.
In phase three, when the client and
counselor discuss the enactment of the
"as if" behaviors selected for that week —
and any resulting perceptual alternatives
or enactment difficulties — imaginary
team members can be invited in to
discuss areas of improvement or areas for
growth. As the client attempts the more
difficult tasks on his or her behaviors list,
imaginary team members can be invited
to positively reflect on the client's efforts
52 I ct.counseling.org | April 2013
and forward movement, as well as provide
encouragement when progress is slower.
The types of questions previously offered
as examples are easily adapted for use in
this phase of the process.
Conclusion
RAI is a
brief,
encouragement-focused
counseling process that integrates
Adlerian and constructive theory and
practice perspectives. Because of the
Adlerian and constructive theoretical
and practice underpinnings, I believe
RAI can be useful for work with diverse
populations and in a variety of settings.
With the increasing emphasis on
multiculturalism and social justice in the
counseling profession, many counselors
have been drawn to constructive/
postmodern approaches because of
their focus on the social embeddedness
of humans and, consequently, human
knowledge. Adlerians and Adlerian
theory addressed social equality issues
and emphasized the social embeddedness
of humans and human knowledge long
before multiculturalism became a focal
issue in the profession. Thus, because
of its integrative Adlerian/constructive
foundation, RAI is congruent with the
cultural values of many minority racial
and ethnic groups.
In addition, RAI strongly resonates
with evidence-based perspectives in
counseling. John and Rita Sommers-
Flanagan recently reviewed the literature
addressing RAI in the second edition of
their book
Counseling
and
Psychotherapy
Theories
in Context and
Practice
and
offered the following evaluation:
"The RAI procedure is simple and
straightforward. It's also a good example
of not only the theoretical compatibility
of Adlerian approaches, but also of their
empirical base. Specifically, RAI employs
several evidence-based techniques,
including (a) collaborative goal-setting;
(b) collaborative brainstorming as a
step in problem-solving; (c) a focus on
concrete and measurable behaviors; and
(d) concrete behavioral planning."
For more information about the theory
and practice of RAI, please see the sidebar
on suggested readings or contact me
directly via email. •
"Knowledge Share"articles are
based on sessions presented at
American Counseling Association
Conferences.
Richard
E.
Watts is distinguished
professor of counseling and
director of the Center for
Research and Doctoral Studies
at Sam Houston State University
in Huntsville,Texas. A licensed
professional counselor and
supervisor
in
Texas,
Watts is a
fellov\/ of the American Counseling
Association,
a
diplomate in
Adlerian psychology and president
of the North American Society for
Adlerian Psychology
{alfredadter.
org).
Since
2005,
he has presented
on reflecting
"as
if"throughout the
United States
as
well as in Canada,
Lithuania, Romania, Switzerland
and
Turkey.
Contact him at
rewOO3@shsu.edu.
Letters to the editor:
ct@counseling.org
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