Application of Integral Psychology in a Counselor

The program of integral psychology was designed to include all the educational requirements as mandated by the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Students who successfully complete the program become eligible to apply for a marriage and family therapist. Students who wish to advance their studies may take additional coursework in order to gain eligibility for the licensed professional clinical counselor.

The integral approach does take familiarity, study, and training. This is the kind of training provided at higher education institutions. Students learn the basics of this study which is defined as a world where mankind in general flourishes and the natural world thrives. This is the vision of the study and a student pursuing the course is prepared to live in an awakened life, meaningful life guided by a person’s highest values.

The Tenet of Integral Psychology Recognizes the Dimensions of Our Intrinsic Connectedness to Others

The study of integral psychology involves observing the deepest interiors of a person, who he is, his deepest of longing and personal beliefs about oneself and the world. Each phase of an individual’s life there is core feelings of hope, longings, and fear that will often resurface. A student who takes up the course will learn how to help clients address these core issues in a way that best matches the stage of life they are currently in. a health practitioner should be able to help a person be at peace within themselves.

There is also the impact of the world and its forces on a client. These forces may imply economic social or natural environment. Regardless of the genesis of these forces, there are times an individual will be forced to act and do something in response to them. A client should be helped to determine at what point he should take action and act. He must not fear to take the necessary steps and be also willing to correct path, risk changing the behavior in order for their lives to improve.

Course Descriptions

  • PSY Integral Theories of Consciences and Development: the relationship between states of consciousness and stages of development form one of the core contributions of integral psychology. It also plays a vital role in man’s understanding of the conscious mind. This course enables a student to have a comprehensive understanding of this relationship. A student also gets to appreciate its implications in both the clinical and nonclinical environment. In order to better understand the stages, a student goes through a comparison of the old and new models of the conscious state.
  • PSY Integral Theories of Consciousness and Development: Inter-Subjectivity and Attachment. Ken Wilber defines inter-subjectivity as the miracle of ‘we’. This course seeks to explore this miracle from a variety of perspectives, including psychology, neurology, philosophy, Social theory, and spirituality. A student is helped to explore how these perspectives inform clients first-hand experiences of inter-subjectivity.
  • PSY Foundations of integral Psychology I: a student is first introduced to the five elements of the model which are quadrants, levels, lines, states, and types. The module explores all these elements as a complete framework which finds its application in the modern world. The various topics covered include consciousness and human development, the relationship between self and transpersonal self and other theories. This will help a client to deepen his understanding of himself and therefore it will be easy for him to bring about personal development and social change.
  • The Shadow and Development: this is a course that is designed to explore the environment of physical shadow with a specific focus on human development. The various issues which are explored include healing, transformation within individuals and society, and integration.

The Four Categories of Various Theories and Scholars

  1. Interior individual perspectives which can interpret an individual’s interior experiences
  2. An exterior  plural perspective which interprets a society’s consciousness stage
  3. An exterior individual perspective which observes the behavior of the organism. It also focuses on the decision making and internal experience
  4. An exterior plural perspective which  aims to interpret the behavior of a society

Wilber views all these perspectives as complementary views. Even though all may be correct and necessary for the complete account of human existence, modern society is focused on the pathological focus.

Each stage of an individual’s development represents a more complex level. The levels are there to indicate the emergent qualities that slowly appear discreetly. All these development levels are important just like the normal events that happen in life.

The integral model works with 8 to 10 stages of consciousness. The fewer stages the better. Researchers have discovered that when the stages are too many they become cumbersome. On the other hand, when these stages are less, they also become too vague. One stage that is often used is that of spiral dynamics. But there are also many useful stages that a person can adapt. This all depends on your situation.

Psychology has proved that each person is unevenly developed. A person may do well in certain areas such as logical thinking and be therefore described as highly developed in that area. However, the same person may be poorly developed in emotional feelings. Others may have advanced cognitive development but still perform very poorly in moral development. One who excels in emotional intelligence but cannot do simple math.

Do Your Research

Choosing a degree course might seem like a daunting task, but with the proper mind framework, one can choose a program that best fits his career goals. There are factors to keep in mind when choosing a psychology course and these include things such as location, program accreditation, fees, support offered and internship opportunities. The main advantage of choosing an accredited program is the fact that student will be assured of studying in a reputable institution and increases his chances of finding employment in the future. He will also put himself in line to receive government grants and scholarships. Therefore dong proper research is worth the time.