I want to make a connection between LMX theory and counseling. The LMX theory describes leadership as a function of the leader to a follower in a situation. The idea of LMX theory and counseling goes hand-in-hand with all professional counselors because the counselor is the leader. The client is the follower in which is discussing our ticket to overcoming is a situation. A counselor’s role as a leader promotes productive dyadic relationships with the clients.
In the case of leadership, making develops progressively over time in three phases: (1) the stranger phase, (2) the acquaintance phase, and (3) the mature partnership phase. The will remain in Phase1 of leadership, making the stranger phase that states, the interactions in the leader-follower dyad generally are rule-bound, relying heavily on contractual relationships (Northouse,2016 p 141)
Making a connection between the LMX theory and counseling will start at the first phase, the stranger phase. This phase will be considered the initial contact with the client. In this phase, there’s minimal trust built, but the counselor and client relationship have potential. The more information the client divulges to the counselor, the more confidence within the relationship could be earned. During this exchange of information between the client and counselor, phase 2, the acquaintance phase, will overlap phase 1, the stranger phase.
The vertical linkage explained in LMX is based on expanded and negotiated role responsibilities. These are activities that go beyond the formal job description. They are sometimes called extra-role responsibilities, organizational citizenship behaviors, or contextual performance. (PSU WC, 2016, L.8). The relationship between client and counselor is in the group. To build a rapport with the client, phase 2 of the LMX theory, which is the acquaintance phase where you begin to develop trust in the third phase, the mature partnership phase, solidifies a trusting relationship between the counselor and a client.
The counselors’ role in this relationship would be bringing past education, knowledge, and past experiences into the relationship. This will be considered conceptual skills defined as working with ideas and concepts (Northouse, 2016 P. 43) within the relationship as a leader. The counselor’s Skill approach will also have technical skill is knowledge about and proficiency in a specific type of work or activity (Northouse, 2016 P. 43). The counselor will have to convert conceptual skills to technical skills so the client can apply these technical skills to problems, situations, and circumstances that they may be exposed to that may bring on relapse. By using these technical skills, relapse prevention is practice daily.
Human skill is knowledge about and ability to work with people (Northouse, 2016 P. 43). Human skills are the foundation of the relationship from counselor to clients. The counselor needs to have the ability to convert conceptual skills and technical skills into usable human skills that the client can relate to.
The LMX theory is about reciprocal influences between leaders and followers. (PSU WC, 2016, L.8). In this case, reciprocal influences between counselor and client. In the organizational role, the relationship between the client and the counselor is the organization. The organizational goal is to a sense of normalcy, self-respect, and self-worth to the client.
The LMX theory focuses on acceptance and self-respect, which could be defined as the in-group. It also promotes the relationship between the leader-follower, the counselor, and the client relationship with the leadership process that falls on the counselor. The LMX theory encourages communication from the leader to the follower, who will communicate between the counselor and client.
Within this vertical linkage of the in-group between counselor and client, the LMX theory explains those in the in-group receive more information, influence, and concern from their leaders. They also are more involved in their jobs and more communicative. (PSU WC, 2016, L.8). When applying LMX theory to counseling, you want the client to be involved in the recovery and communicate their underlying problems and not superficial results from the underlying issues in their everyday lives.
More recent studies looked at how the leader-member exchange was related to organizational effectiveness and found that employees who had better relationships with their leaders were promoted, supported, and liked. In turn, leaders who had good relationships with their employees had employees who stayed in the organization and worked hard. Current LMX research says that leaders should have high-quality relationships with most followers. (PSU WC, 2016, L.8).
In terms of counseling, organizational effectiveness will be measured by not relapsing over a while. A person can look at the relationship between a counselor and all counselors’ clients on their caseload as separate organizations. The counselor and his clients all had the same goal as a group, which is relapse prevention. A group can be several people working toward a similar purpose, and you can be in multiple groups at a time (PSU, WC, L.9). Each relationship between a counselor and client can be considered a team, is a little closer-knit, and they rely on one another to accomplish a goal (PSU, WC, L.9).
References:
Northouse, Peter. (, 2016). Leadership Theory and Practice. (7th Edition). Thousands Oaks. CA: Sage Publications.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2016) Psych 485 Lesson 9: Team Leadership. Retrieved from: courses.worldcampus.psu.edu
Pennsylvania State University (2020) Lesson 8: Leader-Member Exchange Theory. World Campus Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2075467/modules/items/30110473.
dlh55 says
I find your description of counselor and client in LMX theory interesting. It really had me thinking about this scenario. Although I was thinking in the reverse. What if you looked at the client as being in the in-group where they are in counseling because they truly believe that they need it to work through their problems. You would then have an out-group of clients that maybe are in counseling because they are required to be there, whether it be court reported or a family member has placed them in it. They would only be there because they are required, kind of like “based on the formal employment contract” (PSU, WC, 2020, L. 8, pg.2) mentioned in our commentary. I would obviously think that the client who wants to be there will do more than is expected because they want to receive the help. The client in the outgroup would only do what was required so they could say they did their “time” and get it over with.
I also think this idea of being in the in group or out group would affect the phases in leadership making that you discussed as well. Obviously, the in-group client who is interested in getting the counseling will be more open and move through the stages where in the end they can have that solid, trusting relationship where they really can figure out the help that they need. On the contrary the out-group client who is only there to get it over with could cause them to stay closed off from the counselor. This will maybe not allow them to ever get out of the stranger phase and never really ever be able to establish a strong relationship with their counselor. Northouse (2016) shows that is phase 1, stranger phase their roles are scripted, one way, low quality and only self-interest (pg.143). This is why I feel stronger that the client in the out-group is going to stay in that phase if they don’t choose to become more involved in the counseling than just doing what is required.
I enjoy looking at leadership situations from a different relationship, so thank you for showing this relationship between client and counselor. I hope you enjoy my thoughts as well.
References
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2020). PSYCH485 Lesson8: Leader-Member Exchange Theory (LMX). Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/canvas/fa20/22081–15503/content/09_lesson/printlesson.html
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Los Angeles, Calif.: SAGE.