What is Counseling?

The dictionary describes counseling as provision of advice or guidance in decision-making, in

particularly in emotionally significant situations. Counselors help their clients by counseling
them. Counselors also help clients explore and understand their worlds and so discover better
ways of thinking and living.
Some definitions include:

...help clients understand and clarify their views of their lifespace, and to learn to
reach their self-determined goals through meaning ful, well-informed choices and
through resolution or problems of an emotional or interpersonal nature. (Burks and
Steffire, 1979)

...work with individuals and with relationships which may be developmental, crisis
support, psychotherapeutic, guiding or problem-solving... (BAC 1984)

The task of counseling is to give the client an opportunity to explore, discover and
clarify ways of giving more satisfyingly and resourcefully. (BAC 1984)

A principled relationship characterized by the application of one or more

psychological theories and a recognized set of communication skills, modified by
experience, intuition and other interpersonal factors, to clients' intimate concerns,
problems or aspirations. (Feltham and Dryden, 1993)

A common factor in most counseling situations is that the client is demoralized, distressed or
otherwise in a negative state of mind about something.
Counseling can be for one person or a group (typically couples and families) and may be
delivered through a number of methods, from face-face dialogue, group work, telephone, email
and written materials.
Counseling is largely a voluntary activity whereby clients must wish to change and collaborate
willingly with the counselor. Early counseling activity in some cases involves bringing
referred clients to this point of readiness.
Results of counseling can include:
 Insight and understanding of oneself, with greater self-awareness.
 Changing of one's beliefs and mental models.
 Increased acceptance and appreciation of oneself.
  Increased emotional intelligence.
 Increased ability to control oneself and one's urges.
 Development of skills and abilities that require self-management.
 Improved motivation towards actions that are good for one's self.
 Understanding of others and why they act as they do.
 Increased appreciation and care for others.
 Improvement in relationships with others.
 Changing of relationship with family, friends and others.
 Making amends for past negative actions.
In summary, counseling typically leads to resolution of a living problem, learning of some kind
and/or improvements in social inclusion.
Counseling is also a profession, with national associations and control bodies, who, along with
academics, have explored its detail further.

Discussion
Contact between counselors and clients may be through a third party who refers the client. The
client may also seek out the counselor for help with their troubles.
Counselors often subscribe to particular schools of thought as to the most effective and useful
way of helping. A critical variable in this is the extent to which the solution to problems are
provided by the counselor or by the client. This leads to two very different roles for the
counselor: problem-solving or facilitator. A facilitative approach may also be used when a
more open exploration approach is used.
There are hence a number of theories in counseling, including those held by the client and
those held by the counselor. Theories provide simplified models for understanding and ways of
acting. They help the counselor how to percieve the client and decide what to do. They may
also provide the client ideas for what to think and do differently.
Counseling is particularly common at transition points in a person's life, where they are
moving from the familiar to the strange, going from child to adult, single to married and so on.
These changes can be difficult and the counselor can help their client successfully make the
change, both emotionally and cognitively.
There has been ongoing debate about the difference between counseling, coaching and therapy
and the boundaries are not at all clear. Therapy can be more clinical but counseling still
addresses serious issues, whilst 'coaching' can effectively be a euphemism for lighter forms of
counseling. Generally, counseling tends to have a more social focus, whilst therapy and
coaching are more individually focused.
 Historically counseling in personal issues was done by close relatives, friends or the local
priest. Although counsel has always been given within families, parents and siblings are not
always the best people to do this when they are effectively a part of the problem. Likewise
with friends, the penetrating need of counseling means a fun-based friendship is not the best
place to go.
With the rise of the industrial revolution and the mobility of populations, this stable support
network was often lost. At this time caring professions started to develop and the asylum as a
place of entertainment faded as mental illness and simpler personal issues were taken more
seriously.
In the 20th century, counseling emerged as a profession, splitting from therapeutic approaches
and developing its own ways, although still retaining much in common with therapy. There are
still competing approaches within counseling that parallel therapeutic though.
Religion has continued to be an influence in the development of counseling and several
counseling agencies grew out of religious organizations which sought to help people in need.
This has influence the general thinking withing counseling, which is suffused with Judeo-
Christian thought.
Counseling has also been influence by the arts and has had some focus here, for example in
using methods such as dance, painting and drama for therapeutic benefit in providing a
channel that enables people to express their emotions.

CFN9885 - SECTION 8: COUNSELING AND TREATMENT GOALS

Helping Clients Develop Goals

The research shows that clinician empathy is positively related to client progress - when progress is
measured by clients’ estimates of progress. However, when progress is measured by more objective
measures, for example by a standardized text or direct observation of client change, clinician empathy is
less significant.
Just showing empathy for clients is not enough. (Lieberman & Lester, 2004) Empathy is only one
component of successful counseling. Clinicians and clients also need goals. One of the primarily
responsibilities of the clinician is to help clients develop goals that are realistic and obtainable.

Goals serve four primary functions:

1) Motivational: Client involvement in the goal setting process can motivate clients to accomplish their
goals.

2) Educative: Setting goals helps clients to clarify and target problem behaviors or issues they want to
work on in counseling and develop realistic, attainable solutions.

3) Evaluative: Setting goals enables both the client and the clinician to evaluate or gauge the progress
toward their goals.

4) Treatment Assessment: Setting goals enables the clinician to evaluate what types of goals and
intervention work best with what types of clients. (Hackney & Cormier, 2005)

It is important to realize that gaining insight into one’s problems does not always produce change. Even
dysfunctional behavior can have rewards, and trying new behaviors can have risks. When the problems
are more recent and less complex - and the client has adequate coping skills and a good support system -
gaining insight into the problem may be enough to motivate the client to make meaningful changes.

However, for many types of problems, gaining insight is only the first step toward meaningful change. For
these situations, clinicians and clients need to develop specific outcome goals for counseling and use
these goals to design an action plan to achieve them. The goals for the action plan should include: 1)
strategies for restructuring client self-perceptions, 2) strategies for reducing physiological and emotional
distress, and 3) strategies for behavior change. (Brammer, Abrego, & Shostrum, 1993)

Setting realistic, obtainable goals involves identifying what goals the client would like to accomplish;
what specific thoughts, behaviors, and situations would have to change or be evident if these goals are
to be realized; and the specific tasks the client would have to undertake for these goals to be
accomplished.
When thinking about goals it is best to conceptualize them in terms of immediate, intermediate, and
ultimate goals. While it is important to identify the counseling goals, these goals are never fixed, rather
they can be altered as new information and insights into the problems are identified.

It is important for clinicians to find out what their clients want to work on in therapy and not make
assumptions about the goals of counseling. When clients do not want to work on a problem area that we
as clinicians feel they should work on, we need to respect their decision because they may be telling us
very important things about them, about us, and the counseling process.

While developing meaningful counseling goals is important, sometimes clinicians can be so predisposed
to finding a solution to the client’s problems that they forget that it is ultimately the client’s
responsibility to solve the problems. By offering premature suggestions to resolve clients’ concerns prior
to giving them adequate time and attention so that they feel comfortable that you truly understand
them and their concerns, can give clients the impression that it is the clinicians’- and not ultimately the
clients’ - responsibility to solve their problems.

Coming up with treatment goals is important because it allows both the client and the clinician to
monitor the progress of their work together. Goals represent the results the client wants to achieve in
counseling. Goals give direction to the counseling process and help both the clinician and the client to
move in a focused direction. Goal setting is an extension of the diagnosis or assessment process.

During the assessment process, the goal is to determine what problems or concerns the client wants to
work on in counseling. In goal setting, the clinician and client identify specific areas they want to work on
in the counseling process. While setting specific goals is very important to the success of counseling,
some clients and some clinicians can be hesitant about implementing this step. Setting specific goals
involves making a commitment to a course of action and an outcome.

Counseling Lessons

We need to be careful not to conclude that we are necessarily more insightful or clever than our clients. I
learned this lesson with two of my earliest clients.

A woman in her mid-30s came to therapy wanting help in a difficult marriage. In the course of therapy,
she revealed that she was molested by a cousin when she was five, raped by a former boyfriend when
she was 17, and got pregnant and had an abortion. All of the red flags from my training went up and I
immediately wanted to address these areas. However, she assured me that with the help of some friends
and over time she had worked through these issues earlier in her life and they were no longer significant
issues.

With more experience, I later realized that she was not in denial. I needed to trust her when she said
they were no longer significant issues in her life and she was in therapy to get help for her marriage. We
focused counseling on her marriage and after about 8 sessions we were satisfied that she was making
good progress in the areas she came to counseling to work on, and we both decided to terminate
therapy at that time.

In another case, a couple in their mid-30s came to therapy for help with their marriage. During the
course of therapy, they identified a number of problem areas including their sexual relationship. During
our six months of therapy they made significant progress in a number of areas, but despite my prodding,
they refused to discuss or work on their sexual problems.

Later, I came to see that they were telling me they were not ready to look at this very personal and
difficult issue in their marriage and I needed to respect their decision and to acknowledge the
improvements they did make in many other areas of their marriage.

Goal Setting and the Clinician/Client Relationship

The type of relationship clinicians have with their clients will influence the types of goals that can be
developed and worked on. If clients are in a visitor relationship there is no joint definition of the
problems, so it is difficult to agree upon the goals or how to accomplish them.

At that moment, there appears to be nothing that the client wants to work on with the clinician. These
clients might be seeing a clinician because they are being pressured by family or friends or forced by a
person or agency with the authority to do so (courts, schools, social welfare agencies, employer. etc.). If
clients are being pressured to come to counseling, then the challenge might simply be to get them to
come back for another session. For clients who are forced, the challenge is to understand why they are
reluctant or resistant and find ways to address their concerns.

One way to do this would be to thank clients for coming to the first session and sharing their thoughts.
The clinician might say that the two of you have discussed a number of interesting things during the
session. You then ask if the client would be willing to come back for another session to continue the
discussion. If clients are unwilling to schedule another appointment, you should thank them for coming
and offer your services at any time in the future if the need arises or offer the client some referrals.
If clients are in a complainant relationship, the problems have been jointly identified, but clients do not
see anything they might do to solve meaningfully address the problems. Often these clients have little
sense of what they might want to be different, except they want others to somehow be different. The
challenge with these clients is to help them develop goals for their own thoughts and behavior that are
not dependent upon other people’s thoughts and behaviors.

With clients in a customer relationship, there is a jointly developed definition of the problem, clients
accept their role in addressing the problems, they appears to be motivated to work on the problems,
and they are willing to begin to try some different things.

Goal Setting Tools

One of the most difficult challenges a clinician can face in working with some clients is helping them to
change their most dysfunctional, deeply held beliefs about themselves. These core beliefs often
originated in childhood and are part of the cognitive make-up of clients. Beliefs such as “I am unlovable,”
“I am not good enough,” or “I am helpless” are difficult to modify because in many cases they have
become part of the client’s identity.

The Core Belief Worksheet helps clients to monitor their progress in changing their negative core beliefs.
(Beck, 1998) The worksheet can be used during a counseling session or it can be used by the client
during the week when they become aware that one of their negative core beliefs has been activated,
that is, when they start to feel bad, unlovable, helpless, inadequate, etc.

Core Belief Worksheet

Name: ____________________________ Date: ___________________

Old Core Belief: I feel like a failure.

How much do you believe the old core belief right now? (1 to 10) 7
New Belief: I’m ok. I have strengths and I have weaknesses.

Evidence that Contradicts the Old Core Belief and Supports the New Beliefs: I am a good mother and my
children are doing well in school. I have some good friends who like me. My supervisor recently wrote
me a positive evaluation of my work.

Solution talk is very useful to counter the sense of powerlessness that many clients are experiencing
when they first come for counseling. Most clients when they first come to see a clinician focus on their
problems and how these problems are making their life difficult.

The challenge is to gradually shift the conversation to invite clients to talk in detail about what they want
to be different in their lives and how this might happen. When this happens, most clients feel
empowered in that they become more hopeful and even confident that they can make meaningful
changes in the life. The goal is to help clients become experts about their own world.

When I say that you want your clients to become experts about their own world this does not mean that
you as the clinician do not have responsibilities. You lead best when you follow the client's lead.

Using the Solution-Focused Approach to Develop Treatment Goals

The solution-focused approach can be very useful in setting counseling goals. The solution-focus
approach can be conceptualized in terms of the following stages:

Stage I: Describing the Problem: Clients are asked to describe the problems that have brought them to
counseling with the goal of thinking about ways to turn the conversation toward the next step which
initiates solution talk.

Stage II: Developing Well-Formed Goals: Clinicians work with clients to elicit descriptions of what will be
different in their lives when their problems are solved.
Stage III: Exploring for Exceptions: Clients are asked about those times in their lives when their problems
are not happening or are less severe and who did what to make the exceptions happen.

Stage IV: End of Session Feedback: The client is complemented for what they are already doing that is
useful in solving their problems and the client is given feedback based upon information that clients have
revealed in the conversations about well-formed goals and exceptions.

Stage V: Evaluating Client Progress: Clients are regularly evaluated on how they are doing in reaching
solutions satisfactory to them and what needs to be done before they feel their problems have been
adequately solved and they are ready to terminate services. (DeJong & Berg, 2002)

The solution-focus approach assumes that clients, sometimes with the help of clinicians and other
people, are competent to figure out what they want and need and how to go about getting it. The
clinician's responsibility is to assist clients in uncovering these competencies and help them to create
more satisfying life situations. (de Shazer, 1985)

When clients begin to talk about what they might want to be different they often state their goals in
abstract, vague ways such as: “I want to be happy. I want to feel loved and appreciated. I want to stop
feeling depressed”.

Clinicians can then help clients to begin to form concrete, well-defined, achievable goals and solutions to
accomplish their specific hopes and dreams. Additionally, these concrete goals enable both the clinician
and the client to evaluate if they are making progress toward satisfactory solutions.

Using supportive nonverbal responses, paraphrases, and affirmation of clients’ perceptions can all
convey a sense of empathy without amplifying the situation. Clinicians should pay particular attention to
anything that clients say that might suggest they want something different in their life, they have had
past success in an area of their life, or they have already tried to improve their situation.

You want to shift the focus from problems to past successes and future possibilities. For example, you
could say: “I can see that your marriage is not what you would like it to be.” You can then explore what
the client might want different in the relationship or what the client is doing to use her strengths to get
through this difficult time. This can change the client’s focus from problem talk to solution talk. (de
Shazer, 1994)

Solution-focused therapy tries to help clients remember times in their lives when they were able to
successfully deal with their presenting or other related problems. These are called exceptions, and they
are those past experiences in a client’s life when the problem might reasonably expected to occur, but
somehow did not.

You can do this by asking such questions as: “Have there been times in your life when the problem has
not happened or it has been less serious? Have there been times when your life was a little like the
miracle picture you described? How did this happen?

For example, a mother may come for counseling and she describes how she feels she has no control over
her daughter both at home and what she does outside the home. By questioning her in a solution-
focused manner and listening to, and seeking clarification of her answers, the same mother is able to
figure out that her daughter is not out of control all the time, that most of the time the mother has some
degree of control and her daughter does obey her rules and expectations.

Understanding the when and how of those times when the daughter is cooperative and complaint, helps
the mother and the clinician to see the mother in a different light, and to work on finding ways to
improve the problem situations.

Using scaling questions can help clients to express their observations about their past experiences and
estimates of their future possibilities. For example, the clinician might say to the client: “Let’s say that 0
equals how bad your marriage was at the time you made the appointment to see me and 10 is the
miracle you described to me earlier. Where are you on that scale today?”

You then ask a series of follow-up questions to expand their response. You should pay particular
attention to the ways in which these exceptions time were different from the problem times. You should
inquire about who did what to make the exception happen.

Clinicians often assume that clients begin to change when the clinician starts working with them. To the
contrary, change is regularly happening in most clients’ lives. Two-thirds of clients report positive change
between the time they made the appointment and their first meeting with clinicians. (Weiner-Davis, de
Shazer, & Gingerick, 1987)

You can also ask a scaling question that asks how confident or motivated the client is to work on building
solutions. For example, you could ask the client: “Let’s say that 10 means you are willing to do anything
to find a solution, and 0 means that you are willing to do nothing. How hard, from 0 to 10, are you willing
to work?” You then ask a series of follow-up questions based upon the client’s response.
With each client you need to develop a treatment plan with specific goals that are consistently being
examined, evaluated, and modified if necessary. What goals you develop with your client will depend
upon your assessment of types of relation you have with your client and the degree to which the client
has developed well-formed goals. (de Shazer, 1988)

Scope of Services

The Counseling Center provides clinical and campus-based services to help students maintain and
develop their emotional well-being and achieve their educational and personal goals. We promote a
healthy and inclusive community through relationship-building, education, crisis intervention and
support.

Our individual services are based on a brief therapy model and are designed to help students manage
immediate problems and provide short-term therapy. These services are ideal for issues that have arisen
recently or that are expected to resolve relatively quickly. If you are facing ongoing difficulties (6 months
or longer) or if you have engaged in ongoing therapy in the past, it is likely that the Counseling Center
will recommend that you establish a relationship with a provider in the community to ensure you have
access to mental health treatment that is not limited. Decisions regarding treatment recommendations
are made by counselors in consultation with the clinical team of the Counseling Center. Services to fit
your needs: assessment, workshops, group counseling, short term individual counseling, comprehensive
referral support

In addition to short-term individual therapy, the Counseling Center offers a strong group counseling
program with many helpful options. Our group program has been very popular, and counselors often
recommend group as the preferred mode of treatment. Whereas our individual counseling is brief,
students may participate in one or various groups throughout their time at Loyola. We run multiple
groups each year, some specifically themed and some aimed at more general concerns. Themed groups
include those for grief and loss, stress management, unhealthy eating or body image, and sexual/gender
or racial/ethnic identity concerns. The typical group involves about 8 students, meets weekly for 60-90
minutes, and is facilitated by one or two counselors. Please see our group page for more information.

When off-campus therapy is recommended or preferred by students, a counselor will support the
student through the process of getting connected. We will help to identify several referral options
selected specifically for their personal situation. We can help with accessing health insurance benefits
and navigating transportation options. Local counseling options include some providers within walking
distance to campus and some that provide low or sliding scale fee services.
Access to the Counseling Center for an emergency meeting, and assistance with navigating on or off-
campus resources remains available to all students throughout their college career, regardless of
whether they have been referred to an off-campus provider for on-going treatment.

Common concerns that may be addressed in short-term therapy may include:

• Mild to moderate anxiety and depression

• Adjustment and developmental concerns

• Interpersonal concerns (friends, family, roommates, romantic partnerships)

• Self-esteem concerns

• Concerns related to the transition to college

• Identity development related to various dimensions of identity (sexual, racial/ethnic, religious, gender,
etc.)

• Academic performance and motivation

Concerns that are commonly addressed through a referral to an off-campus provider may include:

• Students whose needs warrant treatment over multiple semesters

• Students needing more than once a week intervention on an ongoing basis

• Long-standing and/or significant depression, mood disorder, or anxiety concerns

• Active, significant eating disorders -- please view treatment options for Eating Disorders for more
information

• Students with alcohol or drug problems as the primary issue (may be referred for on-campus support
through the Office of Student Support and Wellness Promotion or to an off-campus provider)

• Forensic evaluations

• Medication evaluations and/or management for students who are not being seen for short-term
counseling at the Counseling Center

• Medication evaluation and/or management for attention deficit disorder

• History of inpatient treatment for mental health purposes

• Mandated mental health evaluation or counseling

• Court appearances/testimony/evaluations or court-ordered assessment and treatment

• Students requiring specialized or more intensive treatment

• Students who require counseling to meet an academic requirement and/or are interested in counseling
solely to gain clinical experience

• Students whose needs are determined to be beyond the scope of the Counseling Center services
through assessment with a counselor and for whom short-term counseling would not be an effective
form of treatment

• Learning disability assessments: The Counseling Center does not conduct psychological evaluations for
the purpose of determining disability status and also does not make accommodations recommendations
for persons who have been diagnosed with a disability. For this reason, we cannot provide
documentation for students seeking authorization for an emotional support animal, even if the student
is a current or former Counseling Center client. The Counseling Center can provide students with a
referral to a community provider for a disability evaluation. An off-campus psychologist or psychiatrist
can evaluate a student's disability status and determine if based on the student's condition, an
emotional support animal is medically necessary. Alternatively, students may choose to consult with
their primary physician.

For more information or to schedule an appointment to discuss what treatment options are best for you,
please call 410-617-CARE (2273).

Please note that the clinical services of the Counseling Center are intended for students and are not
available to Loyola University employees. Employees may contact Human Resources or the Employee
Assistance Program for resources and assistance.

Scope of Services

The Counseling Center provides clinical and campus-based services to help students maintain and
develop their emotional well-being and achieve their educational and personal goals. We promote a
healthy and inclusive community through relationship-building, education, crisis intervention and
support.

Our individual services are based on a brief therapy model and are designed to help students manage
immediate problems and provide short-term therapy. These services are ideal for issues that have arisen
recently or that are expected to resolve relatively quickly. If you are facing ongoing difficulties (6 months
or longer) or if you have engaged in ongoing therapy in the past, it is likely that the Counseling Center
will recommend that you establish a relationship with a provider in the community to ensure you have
access to mental health treatment that is not limited. Decisions regarding treatment recommendations
are made by counselors in consultation with the clinical team of the Counseling Center. Services to fit
your needs: assessment, workshops, group counseling, short term individual counseling, comprehensive
referral support

In addition to short-term individual therapy, the Counseling Center offers a strong group counseling
program with many helpful options. Our group program has been very popular, and counselors often
recommend group as the preferred mode of treatment. Whereas our individual counseling is brief,
students may participate in one or various groups throughout their time at Loyola. We run multiple
groups each year, some specifically themed and some aimed at more general concerns. Themed groups
include those for grief and loss, stress management, unhealthy eating or body image, and sexual/gender
or racial/ethnic identity concerns. The typical group involves about 8 students, meets weekly for 60-90
minutes, and is facilitated by one or two counselors. Please see our group page for more information.

When off-campus therapy is recommended or preferred by students, a counselor will support the
student through the process of getting connected. We will help to identify several referral options
selected specifically for their personal situation. We can help with accessing health insurance benefits
and navigating transportation options. Local counseling options include some providers within walking
distance to campus and some that provide low or sliding scale fee services.

Access to the Counseling Center for an emergency meeting, and assistance with navigating on or off-
campus resources remains available to all students throughout their college career, regardless of
whether they have been referred to an off-campus provider for on-going treatment.

Common concerns that may be addressed in short-term therapy may include:

• Mild to moderate anxiety and depression

• Adjustment and developmental concerns

• Interpersonal concerns (friends, family, roommates, romantic partnerships)

• Self-esteem concerns

• Concerns related to the transition to college

• Identity development related to various dimensions of identity (sexual, racial/ethnic, religious, gender,
etc.)

• Academic performance and motivation

Concerns that are commonly addressed through a referral to an off-campus provider may include:

• Students whose needs warrant treatment over multiple semesters

• Students needing more than once a week intervention on an ongoing basis

• Long-standing and/or significant depression, mood disorder, or anxiety concerns

• Active, significant eating disorders -- please view treatment options for Eating Disorders for more
information

• Students with alcohol or drug problems as the primary issue (may be referred for on-campus support
through the Office of Student Support and Wellness Promotion or to an off-campus provider)

• Forensic evaluations

• Medication evaluations and/or management for students who are not being seen for short-term
counseling at the Counseling Center

• Medication evaluation and/or management for attention deficit disorder

• History of inpatient treatment for mental health purposes

• Mandated mental health evaluation or counseling

• Court appearances/testimony/evaluations or court-ordered assessment and treatment

• Students requiring specialized or more intensive treatment

• Students who require counseling to meet an academic requirement and/or are interested in counseling
solely to gain clinical experience

• Students whose needs are determined to be beyond the scope of the Counseling Center services
through assessment with a counselor and for whom short-term counseling would not be an effective
form of treatment

• Learning disability assessments: The Counseling Center does not conduct psychological evaluations for
the purpose of determining disability status and also does not make accommodations recommendations
for persons who have been diagnosed with a disability. For this reason, we cannot provide
documentation for students seeking authorization for an emotional support animal, even if the student
is a current or former Counseling Center client. The Counseling Center can provide students with a
referral to a community provider for a disability evaluation. An off-campus psychologist or psychiatrist
can evaluate a student's disability status and determine if based on the student's condition, an
emotional support animal is medically necessary. Alternatively, students may choose to consult with
their primary physician.

For more information or to schedule an appointment to discuss what treatment options are best for you,
please call 410-617-CARE (2273).
Please note that the clinical services of the Counseling Center are intended for students and are not
available to Loyola University employees. Employees may contact Human Resources or the Employee
Assistance Program for resources and assistance.

• Provide supervisors with a responsive andflexible on-line management tool for main-tenance, supply,
and manpower functions• Improve the accuracy and timeliness ofexisting off-ship data reports
withoutincreasing user workloadCOUNSELING PERSONNELOne of the most important aspects of the
chiefpetty officer’s job is providing advice andcounseling to subordinates. CPOs who makethemselves
accessible to subordinates will findthey are in great demand to provide informationand to help in finding
solutions to problems.The purpose of this section of the chapter isto present an overview of the basic
principles andtechniques of counseling. This section is notintended to be a course in problem solving,
noris it intended to provide a catalog of answers toall questions. This section will, however, give youan
overview of general counseling procedures,some guidelines to use in the counseling process,and a listing
of resources available as references.A point to remember is that counseling shouldnot be meddlesome,
and the extreme, of playingpsychiatrist, should be avoided. But neithershould counseling be reserved
only for asubordinate that is having problems; you shouldalso counsel subordinates for their
achievementsand outstanding performance. Counseling of asubordinate who is doing a good job
reinforcesthis type of job performance and ensurescontinued good work. Counseling of this type
alsoprovides an opening for you to point out waysthat a subordinate might improve an already goodjob
performance.Counseling the subordinate who is doing agood job is relatively easy, but a
differenttype of counseling is required for a subordinatewhose performance does not meet set
standards.This section teaches you how to counsel thesubordinate whose performance does not
meetestablished job standards.In general, this section can be used as a guideto counseling personnel on
professional, personal,and performance matters. Also, the basicspresented here apply to counseling
subordinateson their enlisted evaluations.PRINCIPLES OF COUNSELINGCounselors should set aside their
own valuesystem in order to empathize with the personduring counseling. The things the counselor
mayview as unimportant may be of paramountimportance to the counselee. We tend to view theworld
through our own values, and this canpresent problems when we are confronted withvalues that are
at odds with our own. If personsin your unit think something is causing them aproblem, then it is a
problem to them, regardlessof how insignificant you might believe the pro-blem to be.The objective of
counseling is to give yourpersonnel support in dealing with problems so thatthey will regain the ability to
work effectively inthe organization. Counseling effectiveness isachieved through performance of one
or more ofthe following counseling objectives: advice,reassurance, release of emotional tension,
clarifiedthinking, and reorientation.AdviceMany persons think of counseling as primarilyan advice-giving
activity, but in reality it is butone of several functions that counselors perform.The giving of advice
requires that a counselormake judgments about a counselee’s problemsand lay out a course of action.
Herein lies thedifficulty, because understanding another person’scomplicated emotions is almost
impossible.Advice-giving may breed a relationship inwhich the counselee feels inferior and
emotionallydependent on the counselor. In spite of its ills,advice-giving occurs in routine counseling
sessionsbecause members expect it and counselors tendto provide it.ReassuranceCounseling can
provide members with re-assurance, which is a way of giving them courageto face a problem or
confidence that they arepursuing a suitable course of action. Reassurancecan be a valuable, though
sometimes temporary,cure for a member’s emotional upsets. Sometimesjust the act of talking with
someone about aproblem can bring about a sense of relief that willallow the member to function
normally again.Release of Emotional TensionPeople tend to get emotional release from theirfrustrations
and other problems whenever theyhave an opportunity to tell someone about them.Counseling history
consistently shows that aspersons begin to explain their problems to a