BCA Holistic Mental Health Therapy: Assessment

BCA begins with recognizing that behaviors, thoughts and feelings are distinct aspects of every person, but also, highly individualized, interactive and overlapping. This perspective and approach are very typical of most mental health therapeutic models, because it is a very accurate and useful approach.

Furthermore, BCA recognizes the ever-changing function, roles and balance of our thoughts, feelings and behaviors over our lifetime. At the same time, BCA distinguishes as a separate issue what is functional or dysfunctional. For example, when someone is behaviorally acting out, such as a teenager or two-year-old, that acting out behaviors may or may not be dysfunctional and might be a necessary aspect of their personal growth and development. However, the choice of behaviors that they are choosing to act out may be highly dysfunctional.

Being more specific, a teenager masturbating is not dysfunctional, but doing so in public is. Or, a two-year-old throwing a toy may not be dysfunctional, but throwing it at someone is. Seriously, who hasn’t throw something in anger at some point in their life.

Another aspect of the BCA approach is a strong grounding in a validating and non-judgmental stance. This open-minded approach is essential to first understanding what is occurring and then evaluating the function or dysfunction of the behaviors or thoughts being expressed.

One thing unique to BCA is that emotions are defined as being an innate, hardwired power, so all emotions no matter how strong or uncomfortable are functional. The dysfunction occurs when we are unable to manage our emotional powers. (note: This perspective and approach will be discussed extensively.)

Finally, BCA’s focus and approach varies according to where, when and how the dysfunction is occurring. It explored the dysfunction by itself and within the context of the person’s unique characteristics, relationships and history.