Lecture 2- Counselling

 What is Counselling?
 Who is a counsellor?
 Qualities and skills of a Counsellor
 Treating mental health vs. mental disorders

What is Counselling?

Counselling is the process that occurs when a client and counsellor set aside time to
explore difficulties which may include the stressful or emotional feelings of the client.

It is the act of helping the client to see things more clearly, possibly from a different view
point or perspective. This can enable the client to focus on feelings, experiences, or
behaviors, with a goal of facilitating positive change.

It is a relationship of trust. Confidentiality is paramount to successful counselling.

Professional counsellors will usually explain their policy on confidentiality. They may,
however, be required by the law to disclose information if they believe that there is a risk to
life.

Counselling is theory based. Counsellors draw from a number of theoretical approaches,

including those that are cognitive, affective, behavioral, and systematic. These theories may
be applied to individuals, groups, and families.

Counselling is a process that may be developmental or intervening. Counsellors focus on

their clients’ goals. Thus, counselling involves both choice and change.

What Counselling is NOT?

 Giving advice
 Being judgmental
 Attempting to sort out the problems of the client
 Expecting or encouraging a client to behave as the counsellor would behave if
confronted with a similar problem in their own life
 Getting emotionally involved with the client
 Long Process
 Looking at a client’s problems from your own perspective, based on your own value
system

Important Factors in the Counselling process: Factors that can make the process better or
worse
Seriousness of the Presenting Problem

- Counseling is impacted by the seriousness of the client’s presenting problem.

- Clients reporting higher initial distress take more sessions to reach clinically
significant improvement than clients reporting lower levels of distress
- Some clients need medication as well as counselling
- Some clients start showing improvement in 8-10 sessions, some start showing
improvement only after a few months of treatment.

Structure

- Clients and counsellors sometimes have different perceptions about the purpose and
nature of counselling.
- Clients often do not know what to expect from the process or how to act
- Seeing a counsellor is a last resort for many individuals
- They are likely to have already sought help from other resources like friends, family,
or teachers.
- Therefore, many clients enter counselling reluctantly or hesitantly.
- This uncertainty can inhibit the process unless some structure is provided.
- Structure in counselling is- a mutual understanding between the counsellor and the
client regarding the characteristics, conditions, procedures, and parameters of
counseling.
- Structure helps clarify the counselor-client relationship and give it direction, ensuring
success of counselling.
- Practical guidelines
- Time limit of each session
- Action limits (for the prevention of destructive behaviors)
- Role limits (what will be expected of the client and what can the counsellor do and
not do)
- Procedure limits (what is expected of the client, the homework assignments, clients
are given the responsibility to work on specific goals or needs)
- Fee schedule
- Frequency of the sessions
- It is provided throughout the counselling process, but especially in the beginning.
- Clients come to counselling in the “stuck” state
- Too much structure is not good
- Stay flexible and continually negotiate the nature of the structure with their clients
- Unrealistic expectations of the clients should be addressed
- Focus on the ethics

Initiative
 - Initiative can be thought of as the motivation to change
- Many counsellors assume that their clients would be cooperative
- Some are reserved
- Lack insight
- Lack motivation
- Reluctant client is referred by a third party
- Forced referral
- Many clients terminate or leave counselling abruptly
- A resistant client is a person who is unwilling, unready, or opposed to change.
- Simple form of resistant statement is “I don’t know”
- 4 broad categories of resistance1. Amount of verbalization 2. Content of message 3.
Style of communication 4. Attitude toward counsellor and counselling sessions.

Physical setting

- Accessories
- Color
- Furniture
- Lighting
- Smell
- Sound
- Thermal conditions
- Distance
- Minimal disturbance

Client Qualities

- Clients come in all shapes, sizes, personality characteristics, and degrees of

attractiveness.
- Stereotypes and Stigma
- Nonverbal behavior of clients- unspoken language, signs, discomfort, etc

Counsellor Qualities

- Self-awareness
- Honesty
- Congruence
- Ability to communicate
- Knowledge
- Counsellors who continually develop their self-awareness skills are in touch with their
values, thoughts, and feelings
- They are likely to have a clear perception of their own and their clients; needs and
accurately assess both
- They are able to build trust
- Communicate clearly and accurately
- Trustworthiness
- Expertness
- Tactful
- Confident
- Professional
- Dressing
- Manners (greeting, welcoming, smile, eye contact)