Topic 1 Introduction to Counseling

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Introduction to Counselling

LEARNING OUTCOMES By the end of this topic, you should be able to: 1.

Identify the counselling concept and its importance;

2.

Differentiate counselling and psychotherapy;

3.

Explain the aims of counselling;

4.

Describe the roles and characteristics of a counsellor; and

5.

Differentiate between individual and group counselling.

 INTRODUCTION This topic and introduces a few on topics on an internÊs preparation to rationalises become a counsellor a few pointers the counselling process. Firstly, it the need to increase the number of professional counsellors if the country wants to become a developed nation. Next, a few important concepts are explained as a preparation to become an intern counsellor.

1.1

COUNSELLING

What do you understand of counselling concept and the tasks of a counsellor? Is counselling important and useful? Why? In this country, counselling servicelearning, has reached an with encouraging level especially in schools and institutions of higher in line economic, social, cultural, educational, science and technological development. In the context of a developing

 



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nation gearing towards a developed nation with high technology, counselling is useful to people in various situations. Although counselling is regarded a new field compared to sociology, economics and psychology, on the whole, the influence of counselling is felt by the society though not that widely. The number of individuals who seek counsellorsÊ help to solve their problems to achieve a more peaceful and better quality of life has increased. Among the problems that are regularly brought forward by the individuals are personal problems to interpersonal ones at the workplace that affect their peace of mind, difficulty in making decisions due to confusion and also learning problems. Hence, professional counsellors in modern society have important roles to play especially when Malaysia is developing rapidly. This development is not merely in terms of economic, science and technology but also nation unity and multi-racial peopleÊs harmony. The change in society is the  basis of a countryÊs development. Various social problems exist directly or indirectly as a result of rapid changes in society. The changes are: (a) (a)

A bi big g mi migr grat atio ion n by y youn oung g pe peopl oplee se sear archi ching ng ffor or jjob obss in ttow owns. ns.

(b)

Big fam family ily system system b brea reaks ks in into to sm small all fam famili ilies es aand nd sm small aller er ffami amilie liess be becom coming ing the norm.

(c)

The exi existe stence nce of big orga organis nisati ations ons in pri privat vatee and and ccorp orpora orate te fie fields lds tha thatt drives their people alienated when they pay less attention to these individuals.

(d)

The inf influe luence nce of prin printt an and d el elect ectron ronic ic m medi ediaa o on n hu humanÊ manÊss th though oughts ts aand nd attitude especially children and adolescents that is against traditional society values.

(e)

Bet Better ter way of llife ife that des destro troys ys g good ood val values ues in iindi ndivid vidual ualss and and so socie ciety. ty.

The direct effect of these changes on a person is psychological reaction in the form of stress. According to research stress can cause various illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure and emotional disturbances. Stress that may arise at school level is teacher expectation, and parents who are unrealistic about academic achievements, small living conditions, and pressure from peers towards a certain behaviour norm. In an institution of higher learning stress occurs as an effect of competition for academic excellence, shortage of money and social pressure.

 

 

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Reaction from stress differs between adolescents and children. There are cases of adolescents and children who ran away from homes dues to stress when chaos happens in the family. Some try to run away or forget the stress by resorting to drugs or involving in crimes.

SELF-CHECK 1.1 1.

Have you ever experienced stress or know of any individual who is experiencing stress?

2.

How did you or that individual overcome the stress?

Counselling may not be able to get rid of all social diseases caused by economic development but in order to achieve harmonious state of mind amongst the community it must be prepared adequately in all institutions that have a role to play in the countryÊs development. Counselling canbeno longerwidely be regarded as „knowledge to deal with insane people‰ but it must offered so that its technology can benefit community members in solving their daily problems.

ACTIVITY 1.1 To know more about psychotheraphy, please visit the following website www.aboutpsychotherapy.com. Then discuss the findings in class.

1.2

DEFINITION OF COUNSELLING

The word counselling has different meanings according to the approaches that individuals practice. One of the definitions that has many similarities is when it states that counselling aims at helping a person learns learns   to make a decision and carry out that decision. Some has defined counselling as learning learning.. In these two definitions the similarity is the word Âlearn.Ê The first definition teaches a person to make decision and the second is learning in general. You will understand the concept and functions of learning in counselling more when you read the following topics.

 



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Below are some counselling definitions: Krumboltz 1965) Counselling is any ethical activity performed by a counsellor in assisting a client demonstrates a behaviour that motivates towards problem solving.

A counselling expert who is influential in this field, Krumboltz (1965) has a definition that clearly shows what a counsellor wants to achieve is his clientÊs aim and this is a very important aim. Here, an approach or a counselling method that can be used to achieve the aim is not stated or suggested The American Guidance and Personnel Society (1980) defines counselling as using counselling procedures and other fields related to behavioural science to help learn how to solve certain problem, making decisions regarding career choices, personal growth, marriage, family or other interpersonal matters. The American Guidance and Personnel Society (1980) defines counselling as using counselling procedures and other fields related to behavioural science to help learn how to solve certain problem, making decisions regarding career choices, personal growth, marriage, family or other interpersonal matters.

One more definition that may be easier to understand and relevant to this course is by Burks and Stefflre (1979). Burks and Stefflre 1979) 1979),, Counselling refers to professional relationship between a trained counsellor and a client. This relationship is normally person-to-person, although sometimes it involves more than two persons. It is designed to help clients understand and express their views about their lives, and learn to achieve personal choice aim through a meaningful and informative choice after they have solved their emotional and interpersonal problems.

 

 

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Based on these definitions that were put across by experts in the counselling field, it can be simplified as follows: Zainal Abidin 2002) Counselling is a discussion between a trained counsellor and an individual or a small group that experiences confusion and needs help, and together they think and analyse a few alternatives to overcome the chaotic situation and implement the chosen alternative.

It is hoped that from these definitions you will understand the gist of a professional counsellorÊs duty towards his client, whether the client is an individual or a small group. Besides that, a counsellor has to identify whether a client really needs counselling or psychotherapy. This is because there is a difference between a client who needs counselling service and the one who needs psychotherapy, a more serious service.

ACTIVITY 1.2 From the given counselling definition, what is the role of a counsellor?

1.3

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY

What do you know about psychotherapy? In your opinion, do counselling and psychotherapy have the same or different aim? Now, letÊs look at the difference between counselling and psychotherapy. About 40 years ago, there is a prominent difference between counselling and psychotherapy. Psychotherapy emphasises more on treating of Âmental illnessÊ, but counselling focuses more on helping individuals overcome dead ends or troubled minds so that they can continue their lives peacefully. Now, it is very tedious to find the difference between counselling and psychotherapy. Most counselling textbooks could not find the difference between the two. In fact, books on counselling theories are no different than books on psychotherapy. The difficulty is more obvious when we compare the definitions of counselling and psychotherapy by a few writers. The definitions of counselling  by a counselling writer can be used by the psychotherapy writers. On the other

 



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hand, the definition of psychotherapy by a psychotherapy writer can be used by a counselling writer. There are many similarities between the two fields that involve special relationship between an individual who wants to get help to solve his psychological problem (client) and a trained person who gives that help (counsellor or therapist). The special relationship is the same and in fact, the technique in helping patients and clients is similar. The difference between the two is the objective. The counselling objective is to help at any time an individual overcome his or her personal growth problem towards achieving optimum strength development that is in him or her. This objective can be accepted as the aim of psychotherapy process. Besides solving growth problem of an individual, psychotherapy also solves the reconstructive change problem. Normally, psychotherapy is carried out for a long period (1 month to 2 years) as outpatient or inpatient. On the contrary, counselling is usually for a short period (less than 6 months) as outpatient only. However, counselling and psychotherapy have similar aim that is to achieve the clientÊs aim.

SELF-CHECK 1.2 Do you find psychotherapy and counselling really different from one another? Why?

1.4

COUNSELLING AIM

What do we hope to achieve at the end of a counselling session? Generally, every individual has different hopes according to his perspective of the counselling process that has been carried out. For example, after an individual has gone through the counselling process, he who sought help from counsellor, parents, teachers or school principals has different perception regarding the ending that he hopes for. Difference in opinion will exist, but this will not be discussed as the last choice that determines the counselling aim depends on the agreement  between the client and his counsellor. Both of them will ensure the direction of their discussion.

 

 

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Five Counselling Counselling Aims

Figure 1.1 shows five counselling aims. The aims are to: (a) (b)

Make behaviour change easier; Increase clientÊs ability to start and continue relationships;

(c)

Help clientÊs effectiveness in coping with problems and issues;

(d)

Encourage the decision making process; and

(e)

Help clientÊs development and potential achievement.

Figure 1.1: 1.1: Counselling aims

Let us read further on each aim: (a)

o Make ClientÊs Change in Behaviour Easier  Easier  To T Majority of theorists agree that counselling aim is to help client make some change in behaviour that enables him or her to have a more productive and satisfactory life. Prior to visiting a counsellor, there must be something that disturbs him or his relationship with someone is unsatisfactory (e.g. his employer). Perhaps, itÊs the routine way the client interacts with others so much so that it causes a negative reaction from others. This negative effect causes the client to feel disturbed. It is hoped that after completing a session the client will understand and analyse effectively and satisfactorily ways to interact with his or her employer or others who have the tendency to create disturbing response.

 



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Here, counselling aim is to encourage and make it easier for client to change his or her behaviour to a more effective one. For example, Ali (a teacher) is unaware that he always gives a negative response such as giving cynical remarks to his students who give wrong answers in class. AliÊs behaviour causes his students not to interact with him in class. This poses a problem and disturbs effective teaching. With counselling session, Ali will be able to identify the real problem and a counsellor can assist Ali in changing his behaviour, where he should have given support to his students when interacting with him and guide them although the answers they gave is wrong. (b)

To T o Increase ClientÊs Ability to Start and Continue a Relationship  Relationship  A big part of our life is interacting with people. But, many clients are facing problems due to their inability to interact with others correctly and appropriately. This problem can be linked to clientÊs not having communication skills or having negative personal image. In this case, the counsellorÊs aim is to find ways to increase effective interaction with others. Relationship problem can occur amongst adults in a family, from between husbands and wives wives to school children and their peers. In each case, a counsellor will try to find ways to help the client increase his quality of life  by improving the way he interacts with others. For example, when MonaÊs principal gave her comments she felt very angry and refused to listen to what was said. This led to communication  breakdown between the two. Mona saw the comments as criticism. A counsellor can assist Mona in having a better relationship with her principal. When commented, Mona could be helped so that she would not react but rationally takingnegatively the positive ones for her. by listening calmly to every comment and

SELF-CHECK 1.3 Are you comfortable in any relationship with another person? Why?

(c)

o Help Client to Manage Oneself To T Another important counselling aim is to help client manage himself in difficult Eachthat individual difficulties his perfecting life when he growssituations. up. It is rare a personexperiences grows up by reachinginand every significant personÊs claim in his life, such as his mother and fatherÊs.

 

 

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ParentsÊ expectation on their children has often given unpredictable effect. A child for instance, will learn a less efficient and less effective behaviour or  both when he is unable to fulfil his parentsÊ hope. He will bring this learning into adulthood. Unfortunately, in specific situation such as at the workplace, the behaviour pattern that he learnt will not help him but instead will cause him constant problems. In this kind of situation, a counsellor will train his client to manage himself effectively especially in new situations and new demands. For example, Ahmad is always criticised when he fails in his subjects. The effect is Ahmad becomes lazy and always play truant in school. He brings this attitude to the working environment. He is always late and lazy to try something new. A counsellor can help Ahmad manage himself effectively and increase his self-image. (d)

o Encourage Decision Making Process  Process  To T The process of making decision is very difficult to certain people. They are scared of having to shoulder responsibilities due to wrong choices made and they always make decisions without thinking of the existing alternatives. For these clients, the aim of counselling is to help them make important decisions in their lives. It is vital to note that the counsellorÊs role is not to give the last say and to direct client to choose certain decisions. The final decision is made by the client and he must understand and know why and how to achieve that decision. The client will learn to make risk estimates undertaken from that decision in terms of time, money, decisions and others. The client also learns to make a few explorations about his values in life that are relevant to the present situation and condition, realising that these values are considered in the decision making process. To exemplify, Ah KauAfeels dissatisfied and stressed Heoffears to make any changes. counsellor can help Ah Kau with finds his thejob. cause his dissatisfaction and search for his value in life. A counsellor can also help Ah Kau finds and estimates the risk of various alternatives such as changing departments, discussion with his employer or changing jobs.

(e)

o Help ClientÊs Development and Potential Achievements  Achievements  To T Helping a client expands his potentials has always been one of counselling aims. This aim is providing opportunities for client to learn ways of using his abilities and interests to the maximum level. This aim also means the client is taught to increase personal effectiveness. This reinforcement means the counsellor helps the person to learn how to stop smoking, to take care of his health, overcome problem of shyness that is unproductive, lessen feelings of stress, and down. To simplify,

 

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counselling aim is to help client decrease or overcome whatever that hinders or retards his development of potential ability and interest. For example, IndraÊs ambition is to be an actress. She feels stressed when she always stammers and she feels scared to be in front of a crowd. This retards her ambition. A counsellor can help her feel comfortable when standing in front of a crowd and this indirectly helps her achieve her ambition to be an actress.

SELF-CHECK 1.4 With reference to the aims given, can counselling help you and the ones you know? How?

ACTIVITY 1.3 (a)

May Ling is always angry and throws things when things donÊt run smoothly for her. What counselling aim can be achieved when counselling is given to May Ling?

(b)

What are the five counselling aims and give relevant examples.

1.5

COUNSELLOR’S ROLES

A counsellorÊs role depends on the place and setting he contributes his service (see Table 1.1). Over the years, the counsellorÊs roles have gone through changes. The roles have now spread to public counselling centres, hospitals, prisons, Islamic offices, the Haj Fund, churches, some government departments and other places that require counselling service instead of mainly helping students with problems at schools and career choices. Counselling is also found at a few places in cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh where counsellors provide their services as `private practiceÊ to the public.

 

 

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Table 1.1: 1.1: Example of Counselling at Various Places Place

Example of Counselling Service

School

Helping students make appropriate career choices.

Prison

Helping inmates rehabilitate and the process of integrating them into the community.

Hospital

Helping families that lost their family members deal with the loss.

Islamic Office

Helping spouses who are experiencing marriage problems.

Government Offices

Helping stressed employees or ones with problems of being  burnt out.

Churches

Helping those with personal problems such as problems with their parents.

This new development took place due to the recognition that counsellors have the required training to help in matters such as drug abuse at the Rehabilitation Centre, rehabilitation works at prisons and at places where there is emotional problems and tension. In the West, there are counsellors who joined the professional mental health team which includes psychiatrists, psychology experts and psychiatric nurses, where the counsellor becomes the case manager of a patient giving treatment and main service. With the expansion of counsellorÊs roles at specific places, so the focal point of approaches will be towards the whole individual that includes his whole life. This means the focus of counselling includes physical, social, mental and emotional concerns as well as individual spiritual needs (see Figure 1.2).

 

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Figure 1.2: 1.2: Aspects that make up a whole individual

Let us read further on each aspect. (a)

Physical P hysical Health  Health  (i)

An in indiv dividu idualÊ alÊss phy physic sical al hea health lth iiss impo importa rtant nt in co counse unselli lling ng proces process. s. Examples of counselling that involves physical are:

(ii) Helpi Helping ng indi individual vidual use th thee habi habitt of taking care o off hea health, lth, ssuch uch as avoiding obesity, and to quit smoking; (iii) Explor Exploring ing emoti emotional onal or psyc psychologic hological al matte matters rs that hi hinder nder an indi individual vidual from practicing positive attitude of eating a lot due to negative self image; (iv) Motiva Motivating ting indi individual vidual to pr practic acticee healthy llifesty ifestyle le such as exer exercisin cising; g; and (v) Tea Teachi ching ng an in indiv dividu idual al to d decr ecreas easee his tensi tension on or st stres ress. s. (b)

Social S ocial Needs  Needs  An individualÊs social needs include family relationship, working environment, friendship and other activities that tie him to other people in the community. This relationship gives that individual strength and avoids him from experiencing feelings of alienation, down and low self esteem.

 

 

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(c)

Mental M ental Health  Health  A counsellor must always be aware of the relationship between his clientÊs thoughts and feelings to his doings or behaviour. The counsellorÊs roles towards his clientÊs thoughts are to stimulate his thought process so that his ability to solve problems will increase and becomes more creative. Creative mental activity is the guide to a personÊs quality of life.

(d)

motional Needs  Needs  Emotional E In many cases, human beingsÊ focus of aspects is linked to the aim of increasing an individualÊs emotional contentment. This aim has become a tradition for all counsellors and will continue to be the focus of counselling. Normally, an individual will meet a counsellor to obtain clarification about certain feelings. Often, the expressed feelings are related to his life or certain event that disturbs him in his life. So, the importance of emotional contentment is clear when a client talks about things that affect his feelings physically, socially, mentally and spiritually.

(e)

piritual Needs  Needs  Spiritual S Pertaining to present situations, the subject of spirituality in counselling is getting more attention as compared to the past. Before the expansion of counselling such as now, every explanation of certain behaviour is through the perspective of psychology. For instance, from the learning perspective, deviant behaviour is explained where an individual has learnt characteristics, acts and thoughts that are not normal for his community. This act is received reinforcement from his environment and so deviant  behaviour continues. Why does the question of spirituality receive attention in counselling? Basically, there is awareness that every behaviour, and feelings are related to his religious beliefspersonÊs and teachings. Forthoughts the maj majority, ority, their values in life and the ways they react in a community are influenced  by religious teachings. Now, spirituality is the basis for guidance that determines their behaviour pattern, lifestyle and values in life. With this explanation, it is clear that the domain of a counsellorÊs job is in the form of growth facilitation and individual development from the physical, mental, social and spiritual aspects. By providing attention on the function of an individual as a whole, a counsellor will be able to help that individual live his life more productively and meaningfully. In a research, Myers (1992) found that if a strong bond exists between physical health and mental in counselling, there will be a positive impact on the clientÊs emotional contentment and physical. He supports the idea of

 

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giving development, prevention and contentment counselling throughout oneÊs life to facilitate mental and physical contentment. He believes that this approach will be a new paradigm for all counsellorsÊ new roles, now and in the near future.

SELF-CHECK 1.5 As a teacher and a student, how can counselling give an impact on your entire life physically, socially, mentally, emotionally and spiritually? sp iritually?

1.6

CHARACTERISTICS OF A PROFESSIONAL COUNSELLOR

Counselling must be understood as a unique interpersonal process. Its effectiveness depends on attitudes, skills and knowledge shown by a counsellor when he deals with his client. A counsellorÊs client must be able to feel that the counsellor is a helper with these characteristics: (a)

Believes that clients are unique and precious individuals;

(b)

Believes that his clients have abilities to change;

(c)

Understands and knows how effective individuals function;

(d)

Has knowledge and skills that are needed to help individuals with limited functions;

(e)

Is willing to be involved in interpersonal process; and

(f)

Knows himself and his skills and his limitations.

In other words, you as a counsellor should have the following beliefs on your clients: (a)

A Client A  Client is a Unique Individual  Individual  One important characteristic that a counsellor must have is to trust that every human being being created by God is useful, valuable and unique. Sincere acceptance towards a client actually can be felt by the client, and to him it is not merely an abstract explanation. This doe not mean we must simply accept or not his behaviour or we like or dislike the character he demonstrates. In fact, we must sow our sincerity and respect towards him as a valuable individual and a useful human being.

 

 

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A counsellor must try to understand that a clientÊs self and world observations are his realities. Every belief, attitude, feeling and thoughts about himself and is environment greatly influence the way he reacts. As a counsellor, you must focus your attention on this perception because all these willand show the clientÊs thoughts and will give meanings to us on why he reacts behaves as such. A counsellor who can show that he accepts his client in a counselling process without any condition will motivate his client to have hope and develop feelings of trust in his counsellor. How can the characteristic of accepting be communicated to clients? Can you do it? There are a few non-verbal ways that can communicate this characteristic such as showing fail expression that is calm, posture while entertaining client, seriousness in answering that is not stalling and unthreatening voice intonation. We must cater to clientsÊ feelings of sensitivity when using our voices. (b)

A Client A  Client can Change  Change  A counsellor must be optimistic. They must believe that a client can change, at least demonstrating changes in feelings, attitude, cognitive structure and  behaviour. At the same time, a counsellor must also accept the fact that .helping someone to change is a difficult and time consuming task. At times this effort fails and some people cannot be helped at all. When this happens this does not mean that changes are impossible. A counsellor must think that changes do not take place due to certain factors:  

The client is not ready to change; Changes can take place if there is the clientÊs environment is changed;



A counsellor does not have the specific expertise or adequate experience to influence a change in client.

As a counsellor, you must convince the client that you trust him to change. Do not merely say it but show him with your actions and attitude. Utterance like, „I really believe you will solve this problem,‰ will not on its own change the client or influence your belief. This utterance must be accompanied by relevant body movements, convincing facial expressions and voice intonation that has positive quality. All these have therapeutic value to put across our attitude and belief towards our clients.

 

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(c)

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A Client A  Client can Function Effectively as an Individual  Individual  A counsellor must understand the psychology principles that influence human behaviour and realise that the environment plays a part in creating that behaviour. You are exposed to the principles of psychology in the previous units that are related to principles of behaviourism and cognitive. The learning theory that is explained before this will also help in understanding how effective individuals function. In carrying out a counselling process, it is important to know how an individual functions whether our aim is to get our clientÊs trust or in the explorations of problems that hinder his function and growth. This knowledge is required when we make judgment which way is appropriate to be used to assist and to make a decision when counselling should be stopped.

On top of that, you as a counsellor also need to be: (a)

nowledgeable and Skillfull in Helping an Individual Knowledgeable K Counselling needs more than the willingness to build a special relationship with the client, appreciate and respect the client, believing that the client can change, and having knowledge how effective people function. A counsellor also has to have clinical skills that can help clients find the source of the hindrance that block their ability to change so that they can function at a much desired level. Clients can be assisted in various ways. What works at a place and time may not be provide a much desired effect in another place and time. There are many approaches, methods and theories that can be used. As a counsellor who is new to the field and is trying out you must refrain from using approaches that is taken a bit from theory A and B and so on. As a counsellor in training, you are encouraged to try a few approaches that can  be observed by yo your ur supervisor. Then, slowly y you ou join the approaches that you have tried with your own style that you practiced in the training. While you are designing and expanding your counselling skills you should seize the opportunity to conduct counselling session to clients from different cultural background, for example clients from different ethnic in Malaysia. In this way, you can see the difference ways the ethnic groups perceive themselves, their environment and worlds. This will add on to your experience that not all clients will give the same response though the problems appear to be similar. This experience is useful so that you will understand you ought to change your strategy and to use a suitable technique inwhen a relevant situation.

 

 

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A counsellor must accept the fact that learning ways to help people takes a long time. Trainee counsellors normally start their counselling training process via a few attempts, from one to another. They read and listen to ways counsellor conducts counselling. They also emulate skilled counsellors‰ behaviour obtain suitable actions that canisbea used as part their rituals or styles. AtocounsellorÊs development skill process that of is always on going. A counsellor has to increase his skills as long as he still carries out his professional role. (b)

illing to be Involved  Involved  Willing W A counsellor must demonstrate his willingness to get involved in the counselling process. Commitment and the readiness to share experience are more meaningful to a client than the allocated time given and the effort needed to help a person. This includes communication with a client in a client-counsellor relationship, and nothing is more important at that time than his client and what is to be discussed in that meeting. Commitment and the willingness to be involved with a client drive a counsellor to be focused on his clientÊs inner thoughts, such as how he sees his problems. In this way, a counsellor can help his client understands his self, the change process and the hindrance he has to face. At the same time, the client is helped to take risk and a perspective that a counsellor is a tool to help him change. A counsellor who feels that he is sufficient, stable and disciplined will take away all his weaknesses and focus on helping his client. A counsellor will show his willingness to be involved with his client by being understanding, accepting and showing sincerity towards his client.

(c)

Able A ble to Know Yourself  Yourself  A counsellor must have a positive self concept and feel at ease, comfortable and safe about him. By demonstrating mental health a counsellor can be a role model to his client. As a counsellor you must be sensitive to your own feelings, attitude and values and how all these play a role in helping others. Normally, a counsellor has high social interest and strong motivation to cooperate with others. A counsellor also needs to have high tolerance in handling defensive, uncooperative and down clients. A counsellor must know how to solve his own problems and handle conflict and stress that he experiences. At the same time, a counsellor must also know his own skills and his limitations. A counsellor must be open to improve himself and his self development by increasing his knowledge, skills and experience.

 

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A counsellor must realise that he cannot help everybody who has problems and in certain cases, he has to refer clients who demand more than his ability to a relevant expert. The process that requires a counsellor to know or to identify one self is actually to admit the limit to oneÊs capabilities. This process is important in counselling because: (i)

The more sensitive a counsellor is to his own feelings, thoughts and acts, the easier it is for him to understand othersÊ feelings , thoughts and acts; and

(ii)

A ccounsellor ounsellor who is comf comfortable ortable with himself will communicate sincerity to his client. A client will trust the person who wishes to help him if he feels the sincerity of that person. Hence, the client will be more open to discuss his problems and this enables the counsellor to understand how his client perceives his problems.

In short, counsellors should have the following characteristics (Figure 1.3):

Figure 1.3: 1.3: Characteristics of a counsellor

ACTIVITY 1.4 In your opinion, what else the characteristics of a counsellor? Why must a counsellor havewould these be characteristics?

 

 

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SELF-CHECK 1.6 1.

Ha Havi ving ng learn learntt aabo bout ut the aims aims aand nd rrol oles es of a ccoun ounse sell llor or,, in yo your ur opinion what are the characteristics that a counsellor should have to enable him to achieve the aims and fulfil his role as a counsellor? Why?

2.

Do y you ou h hav avee th thee ch char arac acte teri rist stic icss th that at h hav avee be been en eexp xpla lain ined ed?? Gi Give ve aan n example of a situation that you have experienced that highlights the characteristic. If not, how can you train yourself to have these characteristics?

1.7

COUNSELLING AND GUIDANCE SERVICES

Traditionally, the counselling and guidance services at schools or higher education institutions consist of three types of services (refer to Figure 1.4):

Figure 1.4: 1.4: Types of counselling and guidance services

 

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INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELLING

Let us read further on each type of a counsellor's service: (a)

eaching and Training Services  Services  Teaching T The service of teaching and training is for those in need of certain skills and practice. For instance when it is important for students to get general information about smoking or drug addiction and also the danger of certain contagious diseases e.g. HIV or AIDS, a guest speaker will be invited to deliver a talk. This service is meant to spread information. In other situations like career choice problems, the counsellor will invite people of specific posts to deliver a talk about the available career opportunities or those in the future. It is common among students at school to be lack of information and exposure about the job opportunity as well as the necessary academic preparation. Information such as this will serve as an eye-opener for school students and more importantly will trigger their interest to learn subjects related to their dream jobs. Other activities that can be held by the counsellor in the component of teaching and training are: (i (i))

Effe Effect ctiv ivee revi revisi sion on stra strate tegi gies es;;

(ii) (ii)

Prep Prepar arat atio ion n ffor or an im impo port rtant ant ex exam am;;

(i (iii ii)) Ti Time me ma mana nage geme ment nt;; (iv) (iv) Tips Tips ffor or at atte tendi nding ng aan n in inte terv rvie iew; w; (v) (v)

Wa Ways ys tto o pr prepa epare re a go good od rres esume ume ((cu curri rricu culu lum m vitae vitae); );

(vi)) Pra (vi Practi ctices ces tto o over overcom comee nerv nervousn ousness ess aand nd shy shynes ness; s; and (vii) Pract Practices ices to be ass assertive ertive aand nd to de deliver liver a speech in publi public. c. The counsellorÊs effort to spread information and provide teaching and training can be held in a big group according to the suitability of the condition. However, to train certain behaviours such as to reduce shyness or to train someone to be assertive, it is best if it is held in a smaller group of less than 10 individuals. (b)

Counselling C ounselling Services  Services  The counselling service is meant for those who need a counsellorÊs service to solve a problem. For instance, in order to choose a career, a counsellor can play a role to help the clients brainstorm and discuss their interest and preference and also the ambition. The counsellor can also show various options for the clients so as to choose a perfect career for them.

 

 

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(c)

INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELLING

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21

Examination E xamination Services  Services  This service is provided for those who need it or those who simply wish to understand the real self in a more thorough way. For example in choosing a career, the counsellor can prepare the clients with exams such as the IQ test, personality and preference test so that the clients can match their job with their respective personalities and preferences.

1.8

GROUP COUNSELLING

Other than the individual counselling, a counsellor may also use his counselling skills to handle a small group of counselling. Those who wish to get psychological help or help as they are in crisis have a choice of receiving a counselling service in a small group. Group counselling is implemented to develop self-awareness and to improve interpersonal skills. When can you say a small group is ten a group? A group contains influence three or more individuals (normally not more than members) who mutually each other. If the group has more members, the interaction is at stake as the group members will be threatened by the presence of such a number of people to share something private. What is group counselling? By definition, it is an application of group interaction to facilitate self-comprehension and facilitate individual behavioural changes. ch anges.

1.8.1

Types of Group

Generally there are two major types of groups which would seek help from a counsellor. They are: Groups  (a) Guidance Guidance Groups  Normally, the guidance groups are used to spread information, particularly for the students at schools or higher education institutions. The topic delivered is the topic chosen by the counsellor. One of the characteristics of the information is the information of prevention such as the danger of drugs, free sex that may lead to AIDS or other sexually-transmitted diseases and elements that precipitate moral deterioration. Some of the popular topics discussed in guidance groups are: (i)

Time m maanagement;

(ii) Att (ii) tten endi ding ng in inte terv rvie iew ws; (iii (i ii)) Stud Study y sski kill lls; s;

 

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(i (iv) v) Ca Care reer er ssel elec ecti tion on;; an and d (v) (b)

Exa xam mp prreparation.

Counselling Groups  Counselling Groups  The focus of counselling groups is on the individual, unlike the guidance groups where the focus is on the topic to be delivered. Counselling groups consist of 5 to 10 members with no specific structure. The counsellor serves to create conducive condition for the members to discuss without feeling depressed or threatened. Things to be shared with the other members are things that they feel comfortable to talk in public such as family problems, interpersonal relationship, problems regarding self concept and personal problems faced. The content of discussion involves the expression of feelings and each member has a chance to be heard by everyone including the person facilitating the group  the counsellor. Students who are interested to further find out about other types of groups may refer to theFor textthe books which theitfeatures and to advantages of certain groups. purpose of will this state course, will suffice understand the two groups to help teachers in their tasks in helping school students. Other types of groups include: 

Therapy groups;



Sensitivity groups; and



T-Groups.

ACTIVITY 1.5 Discuss with your classmates what are the advantages and disadvantages of group counselling.

1.8.2

Advantages of Cluster Counselli Counselling ng

Group counselling has many advantages. Bear in mind that not all clients may  benefit from group counselling. Some individuals may feel depressed having to confront other people and some may feel hard to talk something considered private in the presence of others.

 

 

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23

The main advantage of group counselling is its practicality. A counsellor has so many jobs with work burdens facing a lot of clients. This will not allow the counsellor to meet all clients in the same day, but group counselling enables the counsellor to meet more clients in a short time. In a group, a counsellor can meet seven to eight individuals within similar time duration he uses to meet them individually. Another benefit of group counselling is related to the type of problems faced by the clients. Most studentsÊ problems are relationship or interpersonal problems. In a group, clients are given the chance to explore their interpersonal problems and feelings within a social context. For instance, the feedback collected from the other members will give a stronger influence than the counsellorÊs since the feedback comes from the peers. The client will experience psychological growth through the process of getting genuine feedback from the peers. Group counselling will turn into a „micro society‰ where the client is able to feel peer pressure, social influence and approval as part of the counselling experience. In a small group, clients also stand a chance to experiment new behaviours with the support from other team members through the given feedback. Say, if a client consistently feels embarrassed to talk in public, for example in front of the class, the client can practice talking in the counselling group with encouragement from the other members. Normally, the client faces his problems alone and it is hard for him to view them in the right perspectives. In a smaller group and with the help of the counsellor, he will feel less intimidated as he discovers that some other people have their problems too. Group counselling provides the clients with chances to explore their problems and at the same time share them with others. When the members of a team share their problems with each other, it leads to the feeling of trust and respect for each other as they exchange the information about the related problems. The group experience will create a support system for the members. This makes the group as the source of regaining a new spirit and a sense of security among the members. Another advantage of group counselling is that the client will not only benefit from the feedback from the others, but also be able to offer feedback to help other team members. This will help enhance the clientÊs self concept. Other elements that provide therapeutic value through group counselling are: (a) (a) (b) (b)

Prom Promis isin ing gh hop opee tto o tthe he clie client nts; s; Fe Feel elin ing g sa safe fe aand nd g get etti ting ng ssup uppo port rt;;

 

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(c (c))

So Soli lida dari rity ty am amon ong g the the me memb mber ers; s;

(d) (d)

Le Lear arni ning ng ssom omet ethi hing ng ffro rom m ot other her me memb mber ers; s; aand nd

(e) (e)

Inte Interp rper erso sona nall lea learn rnin ing. g.

A counsellor who really understands the therapeutic elements explained will be able to conduct the group counselling more efficiently and effectively.

1.9

CONFIDENTIALITY IN COUNSELLING

Counselling, whether it be individually or in a small group, involves clients selfdisclosure that may not be expressed outside a counselling session. The more the trust of the client toward the counsellor is, the easier it would be for the client to discuss his or her problems with the counsellor. In theory, this helps the counsellor understand the way the client perceives his or her problems. The client would alsothe feel understood andmost secure as he or she gets counsellorÊs support. This puts counsellor as the trusted person whothe will not leak his or her secrets to anyone. From the aspect of professional ethics, it is the counsellorÊs responsibilities to preserve the confidentiality so that the good rapport built is not wasted. If the client no longer trusts his or her counsellor, the good relationship will be at stake and most likely he or she would refuse to meet the counsellor. Here are some principles of confidentiality that may help the counsellor: (a)

The burd burden en o off ma maint intain aining ing the con confid fidenti entiali ality ty iiss not def defini initiv tivee as the there re are are some situations that allow the counsellor to repeat the secrets.

(b)

Con Confid fident ential iality ity is mai maintai ntained ned if iitt do does es n not ot tthrea hreaten ten othe otherr in indiv dividu idualÊ alÊss rights or the public.

(c)

Conf Confide identi ntiali ality ty d depe epends nds on tthe he m matt atters ers bei being ng k kept ept con confid fident ential ial.. If the iss issue ue which is said to be confidential has been made public, the counsellor is no longer attached to the question of confidentiality.

The counsellor also needs to think about the safety of the client and avoid misusing the problems confided to him. To avoid the counsellor from being charged at the court of fraudulence, the confidentiality of the client is crucial. However, the counsellor is subject to making a shrewd judgment and thinking rationally when is the time confidentiality may be exempt.

 

 

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The situations in which confidentiality may be violated are as follows: (i (i))

Th Thee ccli lien entt is ha harm rmin ing g hi hims msel elf, f, h her erse self lf or o oth ther ers. s.

(ii) (ii)

The cli clien entt de dema mands nds ttha hatt hi hiss or he herr pa parti rticu cula lars rs b bee re reve veal aled ed..

(ii (iii) i) (iv)) (iv

The ccour ourtt dem demands ands that the cclie lientsÊ ntsÊ part particu icular larss be rrepe epeate ated. d. The co couns unsell ellor or sus suspec pects ts tha thatt the there re ha hass bee been n a chil child d abu abuse se ca case se in invol volved ved..

ACTIVITY 1.6 1.

What do you understand with the expression „the counsellor understands the way the client perceives herself‰? Is the problem perceived by the client accurate?

2.

In the effort of the counsellor to search for the causes that disturb the clientÊs will try to understand and look for a link among the mind, clientÊshecognition, emotion and behaviour. State the relationship among someoneÊs cognition, emotion and behaviour  by giving reasonable examples.









In this topic you have been exposed to several fundamental principles and philosophy of counselling as a basis to prepare you for your counselling session. You have now understood the objective of counselling or in other words, you have known the direction of the client-counsellor discussion. In addition, this topic also enumerates the roles of a counsellor and the characteristics of an effective counsellor. In later part, you are given the explanation about the components of counselling and guidance services, advantages of group counselling and finally the importance for the rationale of confidentiality in counselling.

 

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INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELLING

Confrontation

Problem solving

Counselling

Psychotherapy

Discussion

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