This essay will attempt to highlight and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the three major counseling theories in the module covered this term. The three approaches under discussion are psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral and humanistic. Psychodynamic theory originated with Sigmund Freud, a physician and philosopher (1856 – 1939) founded in the 1900s. Freud developed his ideas while working as a psychiatrist in Vienna, collecting information from his patients such as feelings , thoughts and experiences from early childhood. Psychodynamic theory focuses on the unconscious mind. Freud's belief is that different mental forces operate in the mind. The unconscious can be described as being like an iceberg. The tip of the iceberg represents the part of the mind that is made up of conscious, everyday thoughts. The iceberg just below the surface of the water represents the preconscious, thoughts and information that can be easily retrieved. And finally, the base of the iceberg is the unconscious part of the mind where fears, traumas and bad experiences are contained, almost impossible to recover. Freud argued that slips of the tongue are repressed expressions made by the person without knowing it. The term used for this is a Freudian fallacy. Freud emphasized that early childhood experiences are important for adult personality development, proposing that childhood development occurs in five stages; oral, anal. Phallic, latent and genital. The phallic stage is the most important stage which contains the Oedipus complex. This is where the child (aged 4-6) possesses the parent of the opposite sex and wants to get rid of the parent of the same sex. Freud argued that if the conflict is not resolved in childhood, then it could cause...... middle of article...... objectively detectable facts. This essay has discussed the three main approaches to counseling, examining both the strengths and weaknesses of each. It is obvious that each theory is rooted in historical and cultural issues. Although all three approaches have the same initial goal, to enable clients to become aware of their personal meanings and bring them to a place of awareness. It is clear that there is no right or wrong approach, each has contributed to science and society. Works cited PENNINGTON, D (2002), Introducing Psychology: Approaches, Topics and MethodsMALAN, H, D, (1979), Individual Psychotherapy and the science of Psychodynamics, OxfordGROSS, R, (2005), Psychology, The science of mind and behavior , London. Piotrowski, NA 2005, Psychology Basics, Salem Press, eBook Collection, EBSCOhost, accessed August 25 2011.