An Examination of the Technique of Interpretation in Counseling

Abstract

Perceptions of the value and application of interpretation in counseling vary

Theoretical and Practical Issues in Working With Children's Dreams in Counseling

“…After the counseling session, the counselor should appraise the dream material and, to the extent possible, develop hypotheses based on the dream's content (Barrineau, 1996;Clark 1995). Developing inferences involves integrating the individual's with the counselor's perceptions and associations of the dream.…”

Counsellor interpretations and the occurrence of in-session client change moments in non-dynamic psychotherapies

“…An important element of interpretations is that they offer explanations to clients (Clark, 1995). In contrast to the central role given in psychodynamic therapies (Crits-Christoph et al 1993), interpretations are viewed as a hindrance to the psychotherapeutic process in humanistic psychotherapies (Rogers, 1961;Perls, 1973).…”

Therapist Interpretations and Client Processes in Three Therapeutic Modalities: Implications for Psychotherapy Integration.

“…A therapist interpretation is a proposition that (a) goes beyond what the client overtly recognizes; (b) may take several forms, such as interpretation of defenses, transference, and explanation of feelings and behavior; and (c) adds something qualitatively different to clients' verbalizations and often presents clients with new meanings or perspectives (Friedlander, 1982). Implicit in this definition is the element of an alternative frame of reference common to many definitions appearing in the psychotherapy literature (Clark, 1995). The use of a pantheoretical definition of interpretation makes it possible to examine how interpretation is used across different schools of psychotherapy.…”