Assessment of Human Needs

Saving, Supporting, Defining and Discerning Life

                These are my main goals for a client who is seeking therapy. I believe that every theory, technique and practice can fall into one of these categories when working with the human condition. Abraham Maslow defined the Hierarchy of Needs, a concept that articulates the different levels a person can thrive at dependent upon how the world they know (nurture) has impacted them.

                Nature versus Nurture has been discussed for years. The idea questions how much of a person’s being is directly related to the person themselves, and how much is caused by the person’s interactions with the environment they are exposed to.

                When a therapist conducts and initial assessment of a client seeking therapy, they are hoping to learn why the person is seeking out services. The client has a story that is unique to their perspective and beliefs about the world around them. Subsequently, the perspective a client offers is biased and a therapist can assume that the client is not cognizant of the whole “picture” regarding why life has played out the way it has for them. Ultimately, there are at least three sides to every story: yours, mine and theirs.

                A therapist should study and gain skills from a wide array of therapeutic models if they are to help the maximum amount of clientele. Dependent upon where a client is currently experiencing life, a therapist must decide if they are to help the client by saving life, supporting life, defining life or discerning life. Once the therapist determines which category the client is currently falling into, they can choose the therapeutic model that will meet the needs of the client with the greatest effect.