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Exploring Biological and Psychological Factors in Stress Management With Focus on the Client

Introduction

The client-counselor relationship and environment are essential for identifying the issue with the client. During the session, as the client, the counselor was able to identify stress management as the issue that was affecting me. The counselor suggested that stress comes from the challenges in relationships. Therefore, this work focuses on stress management by engaging clients in the therapeutic process. Therapeutic process building is where the counselor sets a conducive environment for the client to open up and share their side of the story, which is vital in the case of stress management. Stress has several impacts on the person and the social surroundings. Stress is known to be a force that is perceived, and it is present in almost every aspect of human life. This shows a need for a comprehensive analysis of stress on biological and psychological aspects. The analysis focusing on the relationship between the factors and the therapeutical process is vital as it provides critical insights to help develop the best coping mechanisms. This paper, therefore, discusses in detail and highlights as a client the biological and psychological facets of stress.

Borrajo, Calvete, & Urquijo (2024) suggest that stress is every day to humans and, if not managed well, has led to massive impacts on many. It has led to some committing suicide, severe depression levels, feelings of loneliness, and others losing hope, while the work-life stress has caused morale to fall, hence poor performance. Therefore, exploring stress management from biological and psychological perspectives is vital. This is a self-discovery focusing on me as a client and on comprehending the complexities of stress management within the therapeutic context. Through this reflective narrative, the researcher aims to elucidate the significance of addressing biological and psychological aspects, providing a firsthand perspective on the collaborative process between the client (I) and a counselor in navigating the intricacies of stress.

Biological Factors and Therapeutic Relationship Building

Understanding biological factors is crucial for stress management. To help me share my story well, the counselor started the session by sharing an intriguing, which made me trust him, as suggested by Shebib (2022). As he was going through the study, the counselor could pause at some points and make jokes, and we could laugh. At another point, he could ask me questions about the story. This was vital, too, in building rapport and trust during the sessions. The counselor was also friendly, making me respect him, which was critical in allowing me to believe I could confide in him.

Another thing the counselor did to build a therapeutic relationship is that the counselor was empathetic to my situation, which also played a crucial role in making me respect and honor the counselor. Another aspect of the counselor that was also vital in building the relationship was that the counselor was a good listener. He took his time to listen to all that I was sharing, and even in the case of an interruption, it was for me to add more details. Focusing on stress management, there are critical biological factors that he was able to identify. The first factor from the session with the counselor is a hormonal response. According to Wickens (2021), hormonal responses relate to hormones that are produced biologically. In the video by Atchison (2019), hormonal changes impact stress and anxiety as a client. I realized that my understanding of hormonal responses and how they are associated with physiological changes helped me to understand the experiences that were the cause of stress. In the session with the counselor, another biological factor identified was neurotransmitters. According to the video by Hiphuray4peas (2009), there are chemicals in the brain of humans that influence mood and stress levels. From the counselor, it was evident that neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine play a vital role in regulating emotions, as also suggested by Atchison (2019). The understanding was essential as it helped me comprehend the connection between biological processes and emotional well-being. The last physical aspect of the session is lifestyle choices. This includes things like diet and exercise related to natural processes. The counselor for the session highlighted how a balanced lifestyle can positively impact stress levels. This discussion prompted me to reflect on my habits and make necessary adjustments to support my well-being.

Psychological Factors and Therapeutic Relationship Building

The psychological aspect that the counselor identified that relates to stress was intrinsic environment stress. This was determined as dealing with many uncertainties during a given period in my life, as identified during the session. To build the therapeutic relationship, the counselor started this session by ensuring that the place we were meeting was conducive to the meeting, which was key to building trust, as suggested by Slay-Westbrook (2019). The counselor also used a game I enjoyed playing as I shared my story, which made me feel comfortable and respected (Susanne, 2017). Another thing that I realized that the counselor did during the counseling sessions is that she encouraged shared decision-making. This was vital as I realized I had many things in mind, and making the right decisions was challenging. To help me with this, the counselor could ask for my input on what can be done and incorporate my suggestions on the therapy that he suggested. He also allowed for a thorough discussion on several subjects, as indicated by Susanne (2017). The last aspect of building the relationship was that I realized that the counselor maintained clear boundaries. This means that he was focusing on the issue at hand in a respectful manner, not going overboard. The first psychological aspect identified in the session is a loss of control. Barnes & Pinel (2021) suggest a lack of control over aspects of life leads to psychological experience. The counselor gave guidance on how my thoughts and perceptions of the issues that I was facing and how they overwhelmed me contributed to my understanding of stress. Shebib (2022) states that by identifying negative thought patterns, a collaborative effort emerged to challenge and reframe these cognitive patterns, fostering a shift towards a more positive outlook. This process heightened my awareness of the mental triggers for stress and equipped me with valuable tools to reshape my thought patterns for enhanced well-being.

The second psychological aspect was emotional regulation, which was vital in the talk with the counselor. Emotional regulation relates to managing and controlling emotional responses. The counselor provided tailored strategies that are critical in recognizing and managing emotions. According to Slay-Westbrook (2019), this,s contributes significantly to the development of self-awareness and emotional resilience. This exploration aspect facilitated a better and deeper understanding of the emotional underpinnings of stress, empowering me to navigate these feelings with more excellent skill and composure. The last element of the session with the counselor identified self-talk and the influence it has on stress levels. Self-talk is psychological as it relates to mental disorders, as suggested by Borrajo et al. (2024). Kim et al. (2021) suggest that negative self-talk is critical to high-stress levels. Therefore, the session led us to identify negative self-talk patterns and helped me learn the ways that can be transformed.

Conclusion

In summary, undertaking the task as highlighted provided me with a chance to fit in a client’s shoes for a better understanding of stress and how it can be managed. With the help of the way, the counselor was able to take me through the realization of biological and psychological factors in stress management. The first thing the counselor did was buy a relationship with me why, which played a crucial role in my opening up to share the story that had been consuming me slowly. He used several aspects, like storytelling and playing together, to build trust and rapport. From the guidance provided by the counselor, I realized the relationship between biological and psychological factors and how they shape the behavior of humans. There was an in-depth understanding of stress management in the context of a biopsychological framework in therapeutic interventions. Some of the identified factors include hormonal change, self-talk, and many others, as highlighted. Some of the factors identified were biological, while others were psychological, and the counselor played a vital role in helping me classify each identified factor through the sessions. I can attest that the counseling sessions helped me understand how to deal with stressful conditions.

References

Atchison, K. [@DrKristinAtchisZAon]. (2019, August 23). Introduction to psychology: 2.1 – the brain and behavior – the nervous system and neurons. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs9AFEebHsk

Borrajo, E., Calvete, E., & Urquijo, I. (2024). Negative self-talk in runners: Emotional intelligence and perceived stress as explanatory factors. Psychology of Sport and Exercise70(102545), 102545. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102545

Hiphuray4peas [@Hiphuray4peas]. (2009, December 5). Mirror Neurons.m4v. Retrieved January 31, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv1qUj3MuEc

Kim, J., Kwon, J. H., Kim, J., Kim, E. J., Kim, H. E., Kyeong, S., & Kim, J.-J. (2021). The effects of positive or negative self-talk on the alteration of brain functional connectivity by performing cognitive tasks. Scientific Reports11(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-021-94328-9

Pinel, J. P. J., & Barnes, S. (2021). Biopsychology, global edition (11th ed.). London, England: Pearson Education.

Shebib, B. (2022). Choices: Interviewing and counselling skills for Canadians (2nd ed.). Prentice-Hall.

Slay-Westbrook, S. (2017). Respect-focused therapy: Honoring clients through the therapeutic relationship and process (1st ed.). London, England: Routledge.

Slay-Westbrook, S. (2019). Respect-focused therapy: Honoring clients through the therapeutic relationship and process (1st ed.). London, England: Routledge.

Wickens, A. P. (2021). Introduction to biopsychology (4th ed.). London, England: SAGE Publications.

Writer: Bianca Spriggs
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