Counselling Counselling is the skilled and principled use of relationship to facilitate self- knowledge, emotional acceptance and growth

and the optimal development of personal resources. The overall aim is to provide an opportunity to work towards living more satisfyingly and resourcefully. Counselling relationships will vary according to need but may be concerned with developmental issues, addressing and resolving specific problems, making decisions, coping with crisis, developing personal insights and knowledge, working through feelings of inner conflict or improving relationships with others. Counselling is a principled relationship characterised by the application of one or more psychological theories and a recognised set of communication skills, modified by experience, intuition and other interpersonal factors, to clients intimate concerns, problems or aspirations. Its predominant ethos is one of facilitation rather than of advice-giving or coercion. It may be of very brief or long duration, take place in an organisational or private practice setting and may or may not overlap with practical, medical and other matters of personal welfare. Counseling is the application of mental health, psychological or human development principles, through cognitive, affective, behavioral or systemic interventions, strategies that address wellness, personal growth, or career development, as well as pathology. The definition also includes these additional attributes

! Counseling deals with wellness, personal growth, career, and pathological concerns. In other words, counselors work in areas that involve relationships "Casey, #$$%&. These areas include

intra- and interpersonal concerns related to finding meaning and ad'ustment in such settings as schools, families, and careers.

! Counseling is conducted with persons who are considered to be functioning well and those who are having more serious problems. Counseling meets the needs of a wide spectrum of people. Clients seen by counselors have developmental or situational concerns that re(uire help in regard to ad'ustment or remediation. Their problems often re(uire short-term intervention, but occasionally treatment may be extended to encompass disorders included in the )iagnostic and *tatistical +anual of +ental )isorders "#$$,& of the -merican .sychiatric -ssociation.

! Counseling is theory based. Counselors draw from a number of theoretical approaches, including those that are cognitive, affective, behavioral, and systemic. These theories may be applied to individuals, groups, and families.

! Counseling is a process that maybe developmental or intervening. Counselors focus on their clients goals. Thus, counseling involves both choice and change. In some cases, /counseling is a rehearsal for action0

Aims and Objectives of Counseling Counseling aims at helping the clients understand and accept themselves /as they are0, -nd counseling is to help the student to help himself. The main ob'ective of counseling is to bring about a voluntary change in the client. 1or this purpose the counselor provides facilities to help achieve the desird change or make the suitable choice. -ccording to )unsmoor and miller, the purpose of student counseling are -

#. To give the student information on matters important to success. 2. To get information about student which will be of help in solving his problems. 3. To establish a feeling of mutual understanding between student and teacher. ,. To help the student work out a plan for solving his difficulties. 4. To help the student know himself better-his interests, abilities, aptitudes, and oppurtunities. %. To encourage and develop special abilities and right attitudes. 5. To inspire successful endeavor toward attainment. 6. To assist the student in planning for educational and vocational choices. Counseling Goals The goal of counseling is to help individuals overcome their immediate problems and also to e(uip them to meet future problems. Counseling, to be meaningful has to be specific for each client since it involves his uni(ue problems and expectations. The goals of counseling may be described as immediate, long-range, and process goals. - statement of goals is not only important but also necessary, for it provides a sense of direction and purpose. -dditionally it is necessary for a meaningful evaluation of the usefulness of it. The counselor has the goal of understanding the behavior, motivations, and feelings of the counselee. The counselor has the goals are not limited to understanding his clients. 7e has different goals at different levels of functioning. The immediate goal is to obtain relief for the client and the long-range goal is to make him 8a fully functioning person. 9oth the immediate and long- term goals are secured through what are known as mediate or process goals. *pecific counseling goals are uni(ue to each client and involve a consideration of the clients expectations as well as the environmental aspects. -part from the specific goals, there are two categories of goals which are common to most counseling situations. These are identified as long-range and process goals. The latter have great significance. They shape the counselee and counselors interrelations and behavior. The process goals comprise facilitating procedures for enhancing the effectiveness of counseling. The long range :goals are those that reflect the counselors philosophy of life and could be stated as #. To help the counselee become self-actuali;ing. 2. To help the counselee attain self-reali;ation. 3. To help the counselee become a fully :functioning person. The immediate goals of counseling refer to the problems for which the client is seeking solutions here and now. The counselee could be helped to gain fuller self- understanding through self : exploration and to appreciate his strengths and weaknesses. The counselor could provide necessary information but however exhaustive, may not be useful to the client unless he has an

integrative understanding of himself vis-a-vis his personal resources and environmental constraints and resources. There is an inter relation between the long-range and immediate goals as both depend on the process goals for their reali;ation. The process goals are the basic counseling dimensions which are essential conditions for counseling to take place. They comprise empathic understanding, warmth and friendliness which provide for inter personal exploration which in turn helps the client in his self-exploration and self-understanding and eventually lead to the long range goals namely self-actuali;ation, self- reali;ation and self enhancement. )iscussing the goals of counseling, .arloff "#$%#& distinguishes between immediate and ultimate goals according to him the former refers to the steps and stages in the counseling process which lead to the reali;ation of the ultimate goals. .atterson "#$5<& suggests a third level of goals namely intermediate goals in addition to mediating and ultimate goals. =ltimate goals refer to the broad and general long term outcomes like positive mental health. Intermediate goals are explained by the reasons for seeking a counselors help and immediate goals as those that refer to the present intentions of the counselee. - ma'or criticism leveled is that goals such as self- actuali;ation, actuali;ing potentialities, etc., are too general and amorphous and hence not useful in actual practice. >rumbolt; "#$%%& holds that an operational definition of terms would be a more useful approach. 7e suggests that a general concept could be reduced to specific ob'ective and measurable variables. +ediate goals ".arloff, #$%5& may be considered as specific steps contributing to the reali;ation of general goals. 9ehaviorists play much emphasis on mediate goals like reduction of anxiety, ac(uisition of adaptive habits, etc. The immediate goal of counseling is to motivate a potential counseling to make an appointment with a counselor and go through the counseling process till the mediate goals are reali;ed. It is through the reali;ation of mediate goals that the ultimate goals of self : understanding, self : reali;ation and self : actuali;ation can be reached. The process of self : exploration is perhaps a kind of immediate goal which sets the counseling process in motion. -reas in which change is considered desirable are relations with other individuals, academic achievement, 'ob satisfaction, etc. *ome of the ma'or goals of counseling generally accepted by the counselors are given below #. -chievement of positive mental health It is identified as an important goal of counseling by some individuals who claim that when one reaches positive mental health one learns to ad'ust and response more positively to people and situations. >ell and +ueller "#$%2& hold that the /promotion and development of feelings of being liked, sharing with, and receiving and giving interaction rewards from other human beings is the legitimate goal of counseling0 2. ?esolution of .roblems -nother goal of counseling is the resolving of the problem brought to the counselor. This, in essence, is an outcome of the former goal and implies positive mental health. In behavioral terms three categories of behavioral goals can be identified, namely, altering maladaptive behavior, learning the decision : making process and preventing problems ">rumbolt;, #$%%&.

3. Improving .ersonal @ffectiveness

Aet another goal of counseling is that of improving personal effectiveness. This is closely related to the preservation of good mental health and securing desirable behavioral change"s&.

,. Counseling to 7elp Change 9locher "#$%%& adds two other goals. The first, according to him, is that counseling should maximi;e individual freedom to choose and act within the conditions imposed by the environment. The other goal is that counseling should increase the effectiveness of the individual responses evolved by the environment. Tiedeman "#$%,& holds that the goal of counseling is to focus on the mechanism of change and that the counselee should be helped in the process of 8becoming : the change which pervades the period of adolescence through early adulthood during which the individual is assisted to actuali;e his potential. *hoben "#$%4& also views the goal of counseling as personal development. 4. )ecision : +aking as a Boal of Counseling *ome counselors hold the view that counseling should enable the counselee to make decisions. It is through the process of making critical decisions that personal growth is fostered. ?eaves and ?eaves "#$%4& point out that /the primary ob'ective of counseling is that of stimulating the individuals to evaluate, make, accept and act upon his choice0. *ometimes the counselees have goals which are vague and their implications are not fully appreciated. It is perhaps one of the primary functions of a counselor to help clarify a counselees goal. %. +odification of 9ehavior as a Boal 9ehaviorally-oriented counselors stress the need for modification of behavior, for example, removal of undesirable behavior or action or reduction of an irritating symptom such that the individual attains satisfaction and effectiveness. Browth-oriented counselors stress on the development of potentialities within the individual. @xistentially-oriented counselors stress selfenhancement and self-fulfillment. Cbviously the latter cannot be reali;e without first securing the former, namely, symptom removal or reduction as a necessary pre-condition for personal effectiveness.

Conclusion

The general public tends to view counseling as a remedial function and emphasi;es immediate goals, such as problem resolution, tension reduction, and the like. Counselee may refer to the resolution of a particular conflict or problem situation. 7owever, the goals of counseling are appropriately concerned with such fundamental and basic aspects such as self-understanding and self-actuali;ation. These help provide the counselee with self-direction and self-motivation. Counseling in its spirit and essence is generative. It aims at assisting the individual to develop such that he becomes psychologically mature and is capable of reali;ing his potentialities optimally. Counseling has no magical solutions. The only meaningful, sensible and realistic view of counseling is that it is not and cannot be everything to everybody. It is concerned with helping individuals find realistic and workable solutions to their problems by helping them gain an insight into themselves so that they are able to utili;e their own potentialities and opportunities and thus become self-sufficient, self-directed and self-actuali;ed.

Counseling Techni(ues

Introduction to Terms
The pattern of sessions has a predictable rhythm with an introduction, information gathering, discussion and a conclusion. Active listening happens when you "listen for meaning". The listener says very little but conveys much interest. The listener only speaks to find out if a statement (or two or twenty) has been correctly heard and understood. Body language takes into account our facial expressions, angle of our body, proximity of ourself to another, placement of arms and legs, and so much more. Notice how much can be expressed by raising and lowering your eyebrows !ou need to monitor the tone of your voice " in the same way that you monitor your body language. #emember, the person may not remember what was said, but they will remember how you made them feel

$n open question is one that is used in order to gathering lots of information % you ask it with the intent of getting a long answer. $ closed question is one used to gather specific information " it can normally be answered with either a single word or a short phrase. &ood counseling techni'ues to know Paraphrasing is when you restate what the speaker said. (ften different words are used and the listener may be using this to draw attention to a particular concern or aspect. )ometimes paraphrasing is used to clarify.

Summarizing is focusing on the main points of a presentation or conversation in order to highlight them. $t the same time you are giving the *gist+, you are checking to see if you are accurate. Notetaking is the practice of writing down pieces of information, often in an shorthand and messy manner. The listener needs to be discreet and not disturb the flow of thought, speech or body language of the speaker. Home ork! A"solutely# ,hen the person identifies a need or concern, she or he must be willing to work hard at addressing it. This is much like what you are doing right now. !ou want to learn counseling techni'ues, so you are going to study and practice these basic skills The $oodie Bag and (ther -un and .nformative )tuff help make a counseling session an occasion for /oy, as well as for additional learning.

Characteristics of Counselling

The scholars have exhibited variations in their viewpoints regarding defining the term "counseling". One major cause of these variations is occurrence of historical changes in the perceptions of the persons. In spite of this, there was a lot of variation in the philosophy of experts. According to hostorm and !rammer "#$%&', "(ounseling is a purposeful reciprocal relationship between two people in which one a trained person, helps the other to change himself or his environment." According to )renn "#$%#', "(ounseling is a dynamic and purposeful relationship between the people in which procedures vary with the nature of the students* need, but in which there is always mutual participation by the counselor and the student with the focus upon self+classification and self+determination by the students." ,uth trang, emphasi-ing mutual relationships of persons, has said, "(ounseling is a face+to+face relationship in which growth ta.es place in the counselor as well as the counselee." )olberg "#$%/', has considered counseling as a form of interview. 0e has defined it as, "(ounseling is a form a interviewing in which the client is helped to understand himself more completely in order to correct an environment or adjustment difficulty." 1yers has written as, "(ounseling means a relationship between two persons in which one person provides special assistance to the other." * ,ogers says about counseling that, "(ounseling does not mean providing a service by means of which specific problem of an individual may be solved. The process should help the counselee in gaining claer insight into the problem and in achieving the self+ confidence." (onsidering counseling as a problem+solving effort, 0amrin and 2ric.son have said that, "(ounseling is an attempt made by the counselee to thin. through and solve the problem that confronts him. It is an experiment in cooperative thin.ing, who two individuals "the counselor and the counselee' stri.e to solve a problem."

(onsidering counseling as a mutual learning process, )illy and Andrew have said, "(ounseling is a mutual learning process involving two individuals one see.ing help and the other a professionally trained person helping the first to orient and direct him towards a goal which leads to his maximum development and growth in his environment." Characteristics of Counseling The following facts become distinct about counseling after studying and analysing the above mentioned definitions3 #. (ounseling is a conversation with someone regarding some problem. &. 4ormally, not always, one of the two persons possesses facts or experiences or abilities which the other lac.s. In the process of counseling, the problem is made clear through discussion. The counselor explores the problem and its importance through his s.ilful 5uestioning. (ounselor draws out the facts from the pupils through counseling process. (ounseling helps the pupil in ma.ing selections and following those selections. (ounseling is assistance to the persons in their behaviour related problems in which their emotions and motivations are main. (ounseling involves interactions in which the counselor accepts the responsibility of positive contribution in the development of other person*s personality. 0e also informs the pupils certain facts. (ounselor guides the pupils to establish contacts with various factors in the counseling process. 0e explains the importance of those facts which the pupils consider unimportant. (ounseling is a vital part of the entire guidance programme. (ounseling is only one aspect of guidance. (ounseling is a learning oriented process. (ounseling is a face to face relationship with a person. This relationship is between a counselor and a client. (ounseling is democratic. It lays down the democratic system. The client can behave as he wishes. (ounseling is a professional service. (ounseling is problem+oriented. (ounseling is based on the appropriateness of counselor*s prediction. !est counseling is in the form of the decision made by the counselee. (ounseling is possible in humorous and cooperative environment only.

(ounseling is completely based on self+guidance. Basic Principles of Counseling Process According to 1c 6aniel and haftal, the counseling process is based on some basic principles3 (a) Principle of Acceptance: According to this principle, each client must the accepted as an individual and dealt with as such. The counselor should give, due regard to the rights of the client. (b) Principle of Permissiveness: (ounseling is such a relationship which develops optimism and the environment shapes according to the person. All the thoughts accept the relative relationship of counseling. (c) Principle of Respect for the Individual: All the schools of thoughts of counseling advocate for the respect of the individual i.e., respecting an individual*s feelings must be an integral part of counseling process. (d) Principle of Thinking ith the Individual: (ounseling emphasi-es thin.ing with the individual. It is essential to differentiate thin. for whom7 And *why to thin.*7 It is the role of the counselor the thin. about all the forces around the client to join client*s thought process and to wor. collectively with the client regarding his problem. (e) Principle of !earning: All the assumptions of counseling accept the presence of learning+elements in the counseling process. (f) Principle of Consistenc" ith Ideals of #emocrac": All the principles are associated with ideals of democracy. The ideals of democracy desire to accept a person and want to respect the rights of others. The process of counseling is based upon the ideals of a person*s respect. It is a process with accepts individual differences.

Goals of Counselling
The goals of counselling include: 1. Help the counselee gain understanding of himself/herself 2. To give the counselee support and encouragement 3. Help counselees unlearn ineffective behavior and learn more effective ways of doing things

4. To bring new hope to the counselee . To guide the counselee into spiritual growth! help him deal with spiritual struggles and enable them to find meaningful beliefs and values ". To allow for a good communication process between the counselee and counsellor #. To ma$e counselees to have abundant life on earth and eternal life in heaven.

Process of counseling

9eginning of counselling session "introduction& -s the patient enters the room, greet the person, call the person by name, welcome the client and make himDher comfortable. Introduce yourself if meeting for the first time and tell the person the purpose of the meeting "to understand the health problem and its best management&. @ncourage the counselee to talk about themselves. #. -ctive attending or Eistening It is most important step in counselling because the details provided by the client are based on it. -ctive listening means listening carefully and paying attention to verbal as well as non verbal signals.

.rovide in-depth information to relieve fears and worries of the client. *imilarly, counsellors words, expression and postureDgesture "verbalDnon verbal communication& indicate that attention is being paid to what is being said. 9y demonstrating an attending behaviour we enhance the clients self-respect, establish a safe atmosphere and facilitate free expression of thought by the counselee. -ctive listening includes reflection of feelings, (uestioning, paraphrasing and clarification. *imilarly, actions of the counselee communicate many unexpressed feeling. *ome of these

nonverbal activities are counselee entering the room, Foice (uality, 9reathing, @yes, 1acial expressions, Eeg movement G 9ody posture

?eflection of content and 1eelings .eople respond differently to their illness. They may express their feelings as fear, anger, anxiety or sadness about disease. @.g. depression may be expressed as short temper, Irritable behaviour, less interest in daily routine, inability to sleep, loss of weight and feeling of worthlessness and anxiety. )o not try to stop, let the person express their feelings, do not stop patientD family members from crying. )o not take anger personally and try to stay calm.

The counsellor must recogni;e such feelings in a direct, unemotional way. The focus is kept on the emotions of the client and hisDher sub'ective experiences in coping with the situation. Counsellor reflects the contents and feeling of the other persons by responding back to the client and communicating a message though empathy, (uestioning or paraphrasing that conveys that counsellor is listening and trying to understand counselees circumstances.

Huestioning -lways try to use (uestions and establish communications so that both the problem and the solutions are clear. -sks (uestions in order to clarify the situation

and make client aware of all the dimensions of the problem and help the clients to understand the core issue underlying hisDher fears or concerns. )o not ask too many closed (uestion "closed (uestions are those (uestions that can be answered by one word like yes Dno&. -sk open (uestions to make communication easier, encourage

further discussion and facilitate building of trust and warmth in the relationships.

=se (uestions containing why with caution as it may easily sound 'udgmental. If you need to use Iwhy, use it in the middle of a sentence and not in the beginning of a sentence. .araphrasing and clarification .araphrasing is repetition of the 'est of clients feelings by the counsellor in their own words. 1or example, /Aou seem to be saying that you are afraid that your family is not going to take care of you0. The clients might then agree with the interpretation. If not, the counsellor can seek clarification by saying /will you please explain it with more detailsJ0 =tili;ing this techni(ue, the counsellor attempts to give feed back to the clientK the essence or content of what the client has 'ust said and clarifies understanding of the clients world. Clarification helps the client to come to understand themselves better. Lhen you ask the client to explain something in more details or in a different wayK by doing this clients not only explore their own feelings further, but will also feel that you are trying hard to understand their situation. In the process, counsellors also tell the client about the scientific facts not known to them.

II Interpretation Cften people avoid focusing on the real problem and talk around the issue. Interpretation goes beyond what is explicitly expressed by the feelings and implied meanings of the clients statements. @ven client is unaware of this. Counsellor redefines the problem from a different point of view to bring out more clarity to the problem and make client aware to the core problem. The counsellor also helps client to establish what is relevant, emphasising the important points : for example, /Cf all the things you talked about today, it seems to me you are most concerned about....0

III ?epeating -t times of stress and crisis, clients are in a state of denial or feeling overwhelmed. They may not always understand everything they are told. -s a counsellor, do not hesitate and repeat salient points of the discussion, statements of support or necessary facts. It ensures that the clients clearly understand the problem and re(uisite action. Client would usually convey that they understand and accept the information.

IF *ummari;ing +any people who are stunned by news of the disease may respond by talking (uickly and trying to provide more details or ask more (uestionsK than counsellor can absorb or comprehend. It is then helpful for the counsellor to interrupt at times and summari;e what has been said. This is like paraphrasing and helps to ensure that each understands the other correctly. *ummari;ing towards the end of the counselling provides guidance and direction to both counsellor and counseleeK to deal with practical matters of the problem and decide plan of action. - summary resembles a combination of reflection of feeling and paraphrasing over a longer period of time. -t the end of each session, the xxix counsellor should summari;e the salient points of the discussion, highlight decisions which have been made and need to be acted on.

F Confrontation +any a times clients are so much preoccupied with their fears that cannot see the connection between their behaviour and the responses of the others. Confrontation involves a direct examination of incongruities and discrepancies in the clients thinking, feeling andDor behaviour. The counsellor tells the client that how their thoughts affect their action and behaviour, which in turn affect the behaviour of others towards them. @.g. 9ecause of fear of discrimination, people withdraw themselves and do not speak to friends and relatives. 1riends and relatives in turn also respond by not talking to them. @stablishment of strong relationship and rapport is essential before commenting on such issues. It is a highly intrusive skill hence timing is very important

and advice on confrontation must be delivered in an atmosphere of warmth, care and concern.

FI ?especting -s a counsellor, try to appreciate that people see their problems in uni(ue personal ways determined by culture, social class and personality. ?espect clients views and beliefs and build on them. *how respect, for instance, by asking a client to explain different aspects of the culture or personal beliefs that are strange to youK for example, /you feel strongly about this. I dont know about it. Tell me more about it0.

FII *tructuring or .rioriti;ation *tructuring means helping the client to see relationship between facts and feelings. It helps clients to determine the important aspects of their concern that needs immediate attention and other less important aspects that can be put off until later. It is essential part of planning and probably one of the most critical skills in counselling.

FIII )eciding .lan of action 9ased on the scientific knowledge, cultural and socioeconomic aspect of the client, help the client to explore all the possible solution for the prioritised aspect and choose the most relevant option for action. @ncourage client to take their own decision and act accordingly.

IM Concluding a counselling session Lhile ending the session summari;e the salient points and decision taken, congratulate client for their efforts, wish them luck and fix next visit.

Counselor client relationship

I To identify the key components of a successful counsellor:client relationship I To understand the impact of different practice settings on the therapeutic relationship *heila .ike, @*7?@ -msterdam ,-#2-2<#< I To identify the essential components of an initial session I To examine the potential limits of the initial counselling session I To consolidate understanding through case discussions