Counseling Lingo Explained

What does person centered therapy even mean? And what is an ICD code? And why do you want to know about my relationship with my mother?

There are a lot of baffling terms in the counseling world. Here are a few simple, conversational definitions to help demystify the jargon.

On the Paperwork:

Presenting Problem: This is the reason you want to come to counseling.

Comorbidity: Refers to two mental health issues occurring in the same person.

CPT Codes: Common Procedural Technology; these numbers are used for billing and reimbursement to describe clinical services that a therapist or practitioner may provide to a patient.

ICD Codes: The International Classification of Diseases; this system involves a method of classification involving alphanumeric codes to refer to every disease, disorder, and symptom known to man…or at least recognized by the World Health Organization, and most Health Care and Insurance Providers.

Mental Health Diagnosis: A categorical term that is identified through a process that might include physical exams, lab tests, and/or a psychological evaluation. While most insurance providers require a mental health diagnosis to reimburse for services, receiving a diagnosis can also be helpful for determining treatment approaches and considering options for medication.

Theories and Treatment:

Attachment Theory: Counselors who take an attachment approach to understanding suffering will rely on the premise that we are social and emotional beings, created for connection. Attachment theory starts by understanding our world view through the lens of attachment with our earliest caregivers.

Biblical Counseling: Counseling that draws on truths from the Christian Bible as direction and support for treatment and goals.

Conditioning: A simple form of learning that relies on the manipulation of a stimulus and a response.

Christian Counseling: Counseling that incorporates aspects of the Christian faith to help individuals grow through and cope with life’s circumstances.

Cognitions: Anything brain based —thoughts, knowledge, judgement, and problem solving all fall into this category.

Couples Counseling: Meeting with a therapist as a couple, where the “relationship” is seen as the client rather than either individual partner.

Coping Strategies: Behaviors, actions, practices, or intentions that promote health and stability during times of stress.

CBT - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: CBT Therapists will approach helping clients by exploring how thoughts impact behavior. This can be a helpful approach for individuals who feel “stuck in their head” or unable to make a behavioral change.

DBT- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: Similar to CBT, in that it approaches helping people through difficulties by addressing thoughts and behaviors, DBT is specifically geared toward helping individuals with extreme emotional responses through the use of mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation.

Emotion Focused Therapy: A model of helping that prioritizes emotion and emotional regulation as key to healthy experiences individually and relationally. EFT incorporates Attachment Theory, and has been especially helpful in couples counseling.

Evidence Based Practices: The term that classifies a therapeutic approach or intervention as having shown clinical evidence for successful treatment outcomes through research studies. A step towards accountability in using “proven” methods. EBP’s can be difficult to nail down since counseling is considered a “soft science”, and the field itself struggles to establish strictly measurable criteria.

Group Counseling: Therapy that occurs within a small group of people with a therapist to facilitate group interactions that promote healing and growth. The group provides a safe place for relational connection with others who share similar presenting problems, symptoms, or life experiences.

Humanistic Theory: A therapeutic approach that focuses on strengthening sense of self and cultivating meaning in life.

Individual Counseling: Therapy sessions that occur between one individual client and the counselor. The focus will be on improving individual health and functioning rather than on helping a family system or relationship.

Mindfulness: An intervention that incorporates awareness of the present moment, visualization, and a nonjudgemental approach to life.

Person-Centered Counseling: A counseling theory and approach that values authenticity in the therapeutic relationship, unconditional positive regard from the therapist toward the client, and relies on empathetic understanding through talk therapy to help clients work towards a more genuine way of living.

Telehealth/ Technology Assisted Therapy : A mode of therapy that involves communication with a professional health care provider via electronic or telecommunications.

Therapeutic Alliance: Also known as the therapeutic relationship, this refers to the relational dynamic between the provider and the client. A healthy therapeutic alliance involves agreement upon goals and tasks in counseling, and the development of a genuine relational bond to the benefit of the client.

Symptoms and Conditions:

Anxiety: Feeling upset, nervous, fearful , or agitated about past, present, or future circumstances. A sense of being preoccupied with concern and uncertainty.

Communication Problems: Experiencing difficulty in a relationship or in varied verbal interactions expressing yourself, feeling heard, or exchanging information clearly.

Depression: Feeling negative and hopeless with a lack of balance to incorporate positive or hopeful aspects of life. Depressive symptoms may include lack of interest in things that used to be enjoyable, generalized sadness, change in appetite or sex drive, and feelings of worthlessness or lack of purpose.

Dependency and Codependency: Relational tendencies to be over reliant on another person or on the relationship. Dependency and Codependency lead to making decisions and behaving in ways that are motivated by another person’s actions or feelings rather than your own.

DSM IV TR: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders produced by the American Psychological Association that helps therapists in identifying mental health disorders through a shared language and standardized criteria.

Delusions: Really strongly held beliefs, despite clear evidence of the contrary. Delusions are often experienced in reference to grandiosity (belief of being particularly impressive and superior) or persecution (belief of being persecuted or harassed).

Dissociation: A defense mechanism experienced as a symptom that allows us to separate unwanted feelings or memories from our present experience in order to create distance and safety. Dissociation can feel like a sense of being separated from self, a lack of grounding in the present moment, and disconnection.

Mental Health Conditions: A pattern of mental, emotional, and/or psychological functioning that creates barriers to healthy living.

Mental Health Disorder: According to the DSM-IV-TR, “a wide range of conditions that affect mood, thinking and behavior”. I tend to use this phrase sparingly, and prefer to use Mental Health Concern or Condition as a replacement. No need to add flame to the fire of stigmatization!

Symptoms: When you are asked to share about your “symptoms” a provider is usually asking for you to describe any physical, mental, or emotional experiences that are contributing to an undesirable situation in your life. Symptoms are one indication of an obstacle, difficulty, or disorder. Symptoms manifest in many different ways for different people.

This post is a continual work in progress, if you have any questions about specific terms of phrases- throw them into the comment section below and I will keep this list updated!