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A Theory of Imperfection
Author(s) -
BERGANTINO LEN
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
counselor education and supervision
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.608
H-Index - 40
eISSN - 1556-6978
pISSN - 0011-0035
DOI - 10.1002/j.1556-6978.1978.tb01085.x
Subject(s) - feeling , correctness , psychology , point (geometry) , counselor education , psychological counseling , social psychology , applied psychology , higher education , computer science , geometry , political science , law , programming language , mathematics
In most counseling classes, entering students are very eager to learn techniques and theories of counseling. It is as if the students believe that these techniques will then enable them to be good counselors. If students were to succeed at their initial intention—the mastery of counseling theory and technique—all they would have are tools to distance them from their clients. In essence, the students would have the tools to work on clients and not with them. This article comments on the paradoxical nature of the teaching of counseling theory. The article demonstrates that what is correct are people and not the image people have of themselves. What is correct are the counselor's feelings between his or her clients and him or her. All counselors need do is pay attention to the correctness of their own responses to each client. They can only take a client as far along the road as they have traveled. All counselors really need to know is themselves. At this point their imperfections may be viewed as perfect and they need not depend on theories of counseling.