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ExplainingDescribingEvaluatingDiagnostic ToolsCausalityPsychological Decision-Making PremisesPsychological ExplanationsGuiltSupporting Self-ReflectionCircular CausalityExpectationExpectationsForms of Self-ReflectionFritz SimonHermeneutic MethodHypothesesCognitive Classification
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Cognitive Classification

One characteristic of this metatheoretical view of the psychological counselling approaches is that cognitive treatment of psychological problems alone is insufficient and therefore also unhelpful. This works the other way around too: a pure emotional experience which is not classified cognitively threatens to remain a singular experience. Apart from new experiences, it also requires a new consciousness (“This belongs to me!”), new self-attributions (“That is me!”) and new evaluations (“I am allowed to be like this!”). Therefore, the dispute between cognitively orientated counselling methods and emotionally focused methods appear pointless and theoretically incorrect to us.

Instead, the two leading questions in all contexts are, “Which function has a psychological process, i.e. thoughts as well as feelings, with regard to the maintenance of the status quo?” and “How can clients utilise thoughts as well as feelings as possible self-support, in order to discover and encourage new things about themselves?”