ity (Gestalt) and have consequently arrived at an impasse in which he or she finds it difficult to move forward.
5. Events from the past or from childhood may be instrumental in shaping present behavior, but the focus of therapy should be on the here-and-now, on changing what needs to be changed, and on creating new cognitive schemas through which the world and the self are understood and new behaviors/attitudes developed (Cognitive, Behavioral, and Reality Therapies, Individual Therapy).
6. The techniques used in counseling should be focused on assisting the client in becoming self-actualizing, overcoming any sense of inferiority that he/she may have, and creating new and more affirmative behaviors (All therapies).
7. While many patients present with problems that could be explored effectively in long term therapeutic relationships, most counseling will be relatively brief; this will necessitate the use of techniques drawn from Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and a directive approach on the part of the counselor (Cognitive Therapy, Behavioral Therapy).
8. All counseling will proceed from a comprehensive assessment process that draws upon the Gestalt framework for assessing the client and his/her environment, life and work situation and family constellation. Additionally, use of specific diagnostic tests and instruments such as the Beck Depression Inventory (if indicated), the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and so forth will be integral to the assessment process.
9. Transference, though not actively encouraged, will be recognized as likely to occur because of the use of client-centered therapeutic processes (Coleman, 1989; Corey, 1986, 1991; Ford-Martin, 1999).
This by no means exhaustive listing of the criteria that will serve as the basis of BEA is reflective of various theoretical schools and approaches. However, the two approaches that are most clearly evident in creating BEA are th...