Recent Developments in Cognitive Approaches to Counseling and Psychotherapy

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Abstract
The "cognitive revolution "in psychology is reviewed from historical, philosophical, and theoretical perspectives. There has been substantial evolution and differentiation among cognitive psychotherapies, of which there are at least 20 distinct modern varieties. It is argued that these various cognitive approaches reflect two fundamental traditions in philosophy and psychological theory-rationalism and constructivism. Rationalist cognitive therapies are exemplified by Albert Ellis's rational-emotive therapy and view counseling as technical consultation in rational thinking and "reality contact. "Rationalist counselors assume that explicit thought processes are the optimal focus of intervention. Constructivist cognitive therapies challenge reductionistic accounts of the relationships among thought, feeling, and action. As reflected in George Kelly's personal construct approach and the contemporary works of Guidano, Ivey, Joyce Moniz, and Mahoney, constructivist therapies emphasize proactive processes in adaptation. They also acknowledge the importance of emotional attachments, affective cycles of disorganization, and self-organizing processes in individual psychological development. Key differences between rationalist and constructivist approaches are outlined at philosophical, theoretical, and practical levels. It is concluded that constructivist theories represent a major and promising emergence in late-twentieth-century psychology.

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