Disciplines and Ideas in

the Applied Social

Sciences
Definition of Social Sciences
• Social Sciences are disciplines concerned with
the systematic study of social phenomena.
• It is defined as the study of human society; that
particular area of study that relates to human
behavior and society.
• It is a branch of science that deals with the
institutions, the functioning of human society,
and with the interpersonal relationships of
individuals as members of society.
Definition of Applied Social Science

• Applied social science is an integrated science cutting across

and transcending various social disciplines in addressing a wide
range of issues in a contemporary, innovative and dynamic way.
• It aims at presenting a well-developed understanding of social
systems, social theory and social policy.
• It integrates theory, social research, skills and professional
experience and critical thinking skills necessary to fully address
social phenomena.
• Applied social science, therefore, is a broad field that draws on
different social disciplines that highlight the complexities of
social issues.
Relationship between Social Sciences
and Applied Social Sciences

Social Sciences are more specific and

focused on a distinct facet of a social
phenomenon while applied social
science attempts to focus on a distinct
issue but use insights arising from
various social science disciplines.
When social science theories,
concepts, methods, and
findings gain application to
problems identified in the
wider society, then applied
social science is achieved.
 Functions and Effects of Applied Social
Sciences
They generate knowledge for evidence-based
actions and solutions to social problems and
issues.
They provide learning feedback by
simultaneously engaging the experts and the
stakeholders that form a social world.
They cause social sciences to do things
rather than just remain a source of factual
knowledge with little or no utility at all.
 They generate practical solutions to
complex social problems.
The provision of knowledge by social
science becomes the moral basis for
applied science to address the issues or
problems of society.
Counselling provides healing, courage,
and strength for an individual to face his
or her issues and take up the best possible
option in moments of life crises.
The social work promotes social change,
problem solving in human relationships,
and the empowerment and liberation of
people to enhance their holistic well-
being.
 THE DISCIPLINE OF COUNSELING
The Discipline of Counseling is a relationship characterized
by the application of one or more psychological theories
and a recognized set of communication skills appropriate
to a client’s intimate concerns, problems or aspirations.
These clients are individuals or a group in a demoralized,
distressed, or in a negative state of mind about their
situation or context. Therefore, counseling can be for one
person or a group and may be delivered through a number
of methods such as through face-to-face dialog, group
work, telephone, email or other written materials.
 DEFINITION OF COUNSELING

Counseling is defined as “the process of guiding a person

during a stage of life when a reassessments or decisions
have to be made about himself or herself and his or her
life course.”
Counselors a re professionally trained and certified to
perform counseling. Their job is to provide advice or
guidance in decision-making in emotionally significant
situations by helping clients explore and understand their
words and discover better ways and well-informed choices
in resolving an emotional or interpersonal problem.
 Asa discipline, it is allied to psychology and deals with
normal responses to normal events, which mat sometimes
create stress fro some people who in turn choose to ask
for help and support.
 Traditionally,
counseling is provided by family, friends
and wise elderly. When these providers prove insufficient,
counselors become the choice.
 Counselorsexist in a wide range of areas of expertise:
marriage, family, youth, student and other life transitions
dealing with managing the issues of loss and death,
retirement, divorce, parenting and bankruptcy.
Counseling is widely considered the heart of guidance services
in schools. In the school context, counselling is usually done
as individual or group intervention designed to facilitate
positive changes in student behavior, feelings and attitudes.
Counseling also utilizes appraisal and assessments to aid
counseling by gathering information about clients through the
use of psychological tests and non-psychometric devices.
Psychometrics is a branch of psychology that deals with the
design, administration and interpretation of quantitative tests
for the measurement of psychological variables such as
intelligence, aptitude, interests and personality traits.
 Context and Basic Concepts of Counseling
 Counseling is affected by the context and the surrounding
factors.
1. Peer as Context – Friends’ attitudes, norms and behaviors
have a strong influence on adolescents. Many personal
issues are often introduced to the individual by their
peers.
2. Neighborhood as Context – The interactions between the
family and its neighborhood as immediate context are
also important to consider. The behavioral problems
within a neighborhood require that families work against
crime and social isolation that may impact them.
3. Culture as Context- Culture is the source of norms,
values, symbols and language which provide the basis
for the normal functioning of an individual.
Understanding the cultural context of a client makes
it easier for a counselor to appreciate the nature of
their struggles.
4. Counseling as Context – From the counseling
context, other success factors such as client factors,
counselor factors, contextual factors and process
factors should be managed well to contribute to the
success of the engagement.
 1.Client Factors – The client factors are everything that
the client brings to the counseling context. Very often,
the expectations and attitude of the client define the
result of a counseling process depends so much on the
client.
 2.
Counselor Factors- The personality, skills and personal
qualities of a counselor can significantly impact the
outcomes of the counseling relationship.
 3.Contextual Factors – The context in which counselling
takes place can define the outcomes. Counselors are
concerned with the environment and atmosphere where
to conduct the sessions.
 4. Process Factors – The process factors constitute the
actual counseling undertaking.
a. Developing trust
b. Exploring problem areas
c. Helping to set goals
d. Empowering into action
e. Helping to maintain change
f. Agreeing when to end the helping relationship
Goals and Scope of Counseling
• The general goal is to lead an individual client or group
to self-emancipation in relation to a felt problem.

• The scope of counseling is wide. Essentially, it involves

application of some psychological theories and
recognized communication skills.
 Principles of Counseling
 1.
Advice – Counseling may involve advice-giving as one of the
several functions that counselors perform.
 2.Reassurance – Counseling involves providing clients with
reassurance, which is a way of giving them courage to face a
problem or confidence that they are pursuing a suitable course
of action.
 3.Release of emotional tension – Counseling provides clients
the opportunity to get emotional release from their pent-up
frustrations and other personal issues. The release of tensions
helps remove mental blocks by providing solution to the
problem.
 4.Clarified thinking – Clarified thinking encourages a
client to accept responsibility for problems and to be more
realistic in solving them.
 5.Reorientation – Reorientation involves a change in the
client’s emotional self though a change in basic goals and
aspirations.
 6.
Listening skills – Good listening helps counselors to
understand the concerns being presented.
 7.Respect – In all circumstances, clients must be treated
with respect no matter how strange, disturbed, weird or
utterly different they are.
 8.Empathy and positive regard – Empathy requires the
counselor to listen and understand the feelings and perspective
of the client and positive regard is an aspect of respect.
 9.Clarification, confrontation and interpretation –
Clarification is an attempt by the counselor to restate what the
client is either saying or feeling. Confrontation and
interpretation are other more advanced principles used by
counselors in their interventions.
 10.Transference and countertransference – When clients are
helped to understand transference reactions, they are
empowered. Countertransference helps clients and counselors
to understand the emotional and perceptional reactions and
how to effectively manage them.
 Core Values of Counseling
 All counselors are expected to embrace these similar set of
core values as essential and integral to their work.
1. Respect for human dignity – The counselor must provide a
client unconditional positive regard, compassion, non-
judgmental attitude, empathy and trust.
2. Partnership – A counselor has to foster partnerships with
the various disciplines that come together to support an
integrated healing.
3. Autonomy – This entails respect for confidentiality and
trust in a relationship and ensuring a safe environment
that is needed for healing.
 4. Responsible caring – This primarily means
respecting the potential of every human being to
change and to continue learning.
5. Personal integrity – Counselors must reflect
personal integrity, honesty, and truthfulness with
clients,
6. Social justice – This means accepting and respecting
the diversity of individuals, their cultures, languages,
lifestyles, identities, ideologies, intellectual capacities
and personalities regardless of the presented issues.