Counselling introduction

AIM: knowledge about theory and skills,
Knowledge about self,
Knowledge on skills

Counselling is a form of help for people who need it (Oxford English dictionary).

Pepinsky and Pepinsky(1954): Counselling is a process involving an interaction between a
counsellor and a client in a private setting, with the purpose of helping the client change his/her
behaviour, so that a satisfactory resolution of needs may be obtained.

Good (1945): Individualised and personalised assistance with personal, educational,
vocational problems in which all pertinent facts are studied and analysed and a solution is
sought, often with the assistance of specialists, school and community resources and personal
interviews in which the counsellee is taught to make his own decisions.

Burks and Stefflre (1979): Counselling denotes a professional relationship between a trained
counsellor and a client. This is usually person to person, although it may sometimes involve
more than two people. It is designed to help clients to understand and clarify their views of
their life space and to learn to reach their self-determined goals through meaningful, well-
informed choices and through resolution of problems of an emotional or interpersonal nature.

Characteristics of counselling:
• It is not information giving
• Not giving advice, suggestions, recommendations
• Not influencing attitudes, beliefs or behaviours by persuading, leading or convincing
• Not selection or assignment of individuals for various jobs or activities
• Not interviewing

Patterson (1973): characteristics of counselling
• Is concerned about influencing voluntary behaviour change on clients part
• Purpose of counselling is to provide conditions which facilitate voluntary change on
the part of the client
• As in all relationships, limits are imposed upon the client
• Interviewing, listening and understanding
• Privacy, confidentiality of the client

Goals of counselling:
1. Facilitating behavior change- general to specific observable behavior
2. Enhancing coping skills- process of growing up, inconsistency in learned
behaviors/coping patterns, coping with situation or demands
3. Promoting decision making- probable consequences in terms of personal sacrifice,
time, money, values associated, emotions
4. Improving relationships- inadequate social skills resulting from poor self image
5. Facilitating client potential- personal effectiveness, learn ways to use their interests/
abilities to the maximum, gain control over environment.

GOALS:

Immediate OR process goals
Intermediate outcome goals
Ultimate

OTHER SPECIALITIES: Related fields
Within the field of Psychology Psychiatry
Clinical psychology Social work
School, community psychology Counselling and guidance
Industrial / organisational psychology

PSYCHOTHERAPY:
Deals with the treatment of psychological disorders involving primarily verbal interactions
between individuals.

A Psychotherapist is one with a specialized, professional and broad based training and the
ability to work in depth with clients, sometimes for 2 to 3 sessions in a week and often over an
extended period of time, with people who may have complex problems.

DIFFERENCES:

Counselling:
• Shorter duration
• Less frequency of visits
• Emphasis on present daily problems/ conscious activities
• More cognition
• Less emotional intensity
• More clarity less ambiguity
• Capable of choosing goals, making decisions & taking responsibility for behavior &
future development
• Counsellor is teacher/partner as they move towards mutually defined goals
• Counsellor is not morally neutral/amoral – has values, beliefs of his own and do not
impose it on the client
• Goals of counselling- developmental, educational, preventive, educational, vocational,
supportive, situational, conscious awareness, short term, normal, present time
• Developmental tasks appropriate for age
• Primary emphasis on prevention of disruptive deviations
• More focussed on immediate situation & help client function adequately in appropriate
roles
• Educational settings
• Training

Psychotherapy
• Therapist is authority figure, client is patient
• Therapy is not just creating insight
• Goals- remediative, adjustive, therapeutic, insight into unconscious, depth emphasis,
supportive in crises, reconstructive, focus on past, emphasis on neurosis, severe
emotional problems
• Long term
• Developmental tasks inappropriate for age
• Primary emphasis on present deviations & secondary emphasis on prevention

• Focus on complete change of basic character structure
• Hospital/clinical settings
• Therapist will have knowledge in personality theories, abnormal psychology,

diagnostic classification

CHARACTERISTICS OF PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLORS:
• Belief that clients are unique individuals of significant value
• Belief that individuals are capable of change
• Knowledge of how effective individuals function
• knowledge/ skills necessary to help individuals overcome functional limitations
• continuum is become involved in this interpersonal process
• Knowledge of oneself and one's own skills and limitations

The Art & Science of Counselling Science
Art Objective dimension
Subjective dimension Later stages- for example – assessments
Used more in the initial stages Skills to formulate objective observation,
Flexible, creative process- unique needs of inferences, test hypothesis, & build theories
the client Skills for professional objectivity in the
Giving oneself in counselling- existential counselling process
encounter- process of self-transcendence (
moves beyond the self & feels at one with the Use of psychological tests, system approach
client) to diagnosis, research methods to establish
Counsellor does not become overly involved counselling accountability & efficacy
to lose professional objectivity and uses
safeguards when expressing intense feelings
Giving of oneself can be exhausting

Pepinsky & Pepinsky’s model conceptualizes science & practise as integrated, mutually
dependent & overlapping activities. Complementary nature

Formal & Informal Helping

Formal help Informal help
Degree of objectivity is maintained May expect the client to act in a particular
way (restrictive environment)
Counsellors guided by code of ethics- May avoid confrontation and not allow
confidentiality clients to get in touch with your feelings
Need to confront painful issues, intense & Try to do too much for the client and not
emotionally exhaustive experience allow them to self sufficient
Counselling skills & strategies- techniques Advice giving
available- both theory & practicum

Personal Qualities of effective helpers
Brammer (1988)- Helping Formula

Personality of helper + Helping Skills= Growth Facilitating conditions( feeling of mutual trust,
respect, freedom between counsellor & client) + Specific outcomes

Combs et al- self as an instrument of change

Rogers- personal qualities, attitudes, personal style of counsellor

Association for Counsellor Education & Supervision

1. Belief in each individual
2. Commitment to individual human values
3. Open mindedness
4. Professional commitment
5. Understanding of self
6. Alertness to the world

Combs et al – dependable, friendly, worthy, capable of solving their own problems, identify
more with people than things, self-revealing than self-concealing

Allan – counsellor emotional stability

12 personal qualities of helpers

1. Encouraging- help clients believe in their potential for growth & development
2. Artistic- creative, flexible, adjusting counselling techniques to meet unique needs of

client, experience the client’s world’s directly, be human enough with authenticity &
genuineness
3. Emotionally stable- if we enter a counselling relationship to work out our own
problems, causing harm to client
4. Empathic & caring- sensitive to the emotional states of others, communicate an
understanding of their struggles with life. Help client face life realistically.
5. Self-aware- acknowledge limitations, monitor their needs in such a way those needs
don’t interfere with the counselling process. Ongoing effort.eg- meditation, personal
reflection
6. Self-disclosure- constructively open with their thoughts/feelings
7. Courageous- courage to be imperfect, communicate their weaknesses as well as
strengths/authentic picture of themselves, help clients avoid self-defeating perfectionist
tendencies, seek counselling themselves
8. Positive self- image- those with positive self-image can degrade the clients to enhance
their own self-image
9. Patient – patient till change occurs in the client, they may go back to their old habits
10. Non-judgmental- not impose values/beliefs on client, allow them to actualize their
unique potential
11. Self-realization- to grow from life experiences and learn from them, being alive,
enthusiasm for life
12. Tolerance for ambiguity- science can contribute to objective understanding, counsellors
are to tolerate ambiguity in counselling relationships

1. Psychological health- sense of well being, metal health, meaning & purpose, positive

philosophy for living, personal responsibility, self-efficacy, being at peace in the

present, present is stimulating, meaningful & enjoyable.

2. Genuine interest in others- authenticity, congruence between real self and what the

counsellor says and does, open, trustworthy, honest
3. Empathy- sensitively enter anothers’ feelings, accurately understand then, thinking

with & not thinking ‘for’ or ‘about’, sense the client’s private world accurately

4. Personal warmth- psychological climate & conditions for the therapeutic interview,

counsellor shows interest, concern & attention but allows personal space, non-
possessive, suspend judgment, accepting attitude – both verbal & non-verbal

5. Self-awareness- self-knowledge, awareness, identify personal limits & be comfortable
with themselves, counsellor’s own issues do not interfere with the counselling process,

personal therapy if required

6. Tolerance for ambiguity- path to healing is unique to each client, patience on
counsellor’s part, focus on the process than resolution of problem/ knowing cause &

effect

7. Awareness of values- personal values colour our perception, counsellors strive to

understand & appreciate the values of others.