COUNSELLING

Introduction
Counselling is as old as society. In every-day life we find counselling goes on at many levels-in a family set-up, parents
counsel their children, in society doctors counsel patients, lawyers counsel clients and teachers counsel students.
Concept of counselling
Counselling is a scientific process of assistance extended by an expert in an individual situation to a needy person.
Counselling involves relationship between two persons in which one of them (counselor) attempts to assist the other
(counselee or client) is so organizing himself as to attain a particular form of happiness, adjusting to a life situation or in short
self actualization. It is a relationship of natural respect between counselor and counselee .In this private interview counselee
acquires independence and develop a sense of responsibility. Counselling process is structured around the felt needs of the
counselee.
The main objective of counselling is to bring about a voluntary change in client.
For this purpose, the counselor provides facilities to help achieve the desired change or make the suitable choice. The client
alone is responsible for the decisions or the choice he makes, though the counselor may assist in this process by his warmth
and understanding relationship. Thus counselor helps counselee to discover and solve his personal problems independently.
.
Counselling and guidance are not synonymous terms. Guidance is a relatively more comprehensive process which includes
counselling as one of its functions.
Counselling is a pat of guidance, not all of it. It is a specialized and individualized part of total guidance process. Thus all
counselling is guidance but all guidance is not counselling.
Definitions of counselling
Webster's Dictionary-"consultation, mutual interchange of opinion, deliberating together".
Strong -"face to face relationship in which growth takes place the counselor as well as the counselee".
Robinson-"The term counsellling covers all types of two .person situations in which one person, the client is helped to adjust
more effectively to himself and his environment"
.Wren-"Counselling is a personal and dynamic relationship between two individuals-an older, more experienced and wiser
(counselor) and a younger, less wise (counselee). The latter has a problem for which he seeks the help of the former. The
two work together so that the problem may be more clearly defined and the counselee may be helped to a self-determined
solution.