UNIT-1

-DIVYA DEVI ANAND, ASST. PROFESSOR, DEPT OF PSYCHOLOGY, DR MGR EDUCATIONAL & RESEARCH
INSTITUTE

INTRODUCTION

Counselling is a purposeful, private conversation arising from the intention of one

person (couple or family) to reflect on and resolve a problem in living, and the
willingness of another person to assist in that endeavor

The ultimate goal of a professional helping relationship should be to promote the

development of more effective and adaptive behavior in the clients

In contrast to their clinical counterparts, counseling psychologists tend to work more

with healthy patients who have fewer serious psychological problems. Their work
focuses more on emotional, social and physical issues that arise from typical life
stresses or more serious issues associated with school, work or family settings.

Counseling psychologists might see patients for relationship issues, substance abuse
counseling, depression cases, anxiety related problems, career advice, difficulty
adapting to life changes and other such issues. Thus, their work is more client-centric,
focusing on wellness and prevention MORE than pathology

COUNSELOR

The counselor Is a therapeutic person, because counseling is an intimate form of

learning, it demands a practitioner to be an authentic person in the therapeutic
relationship. It is within this context of such a person-to-person connection that the client
experiences growth.

If we hide behind the safety of our professional role, our clients will likely keep
themselves hidden from us. If we strive for technical expertise alone, and leave our own
reactions and self out of our work, the result is likely to be ineffective counseling.

If we are inauthentic, our clients will probably pick that up and be discouraged by it. Our
clients can be encouraged by our way of being with them.
If we model authenticity by engaging in appropriate self-disclosure, our clients will tend
to be honest with us as well.

GOALS OF COUNSELING:

The five most common goals of counseling include:

1. Facilitating behavioral change.

2. Helping improve the client’s ability to both establish and maintain relationships.
3. Helping enhance the client’s effectiveness and their ability to cope.
4. Helping promote the decision-making process while facilitating client potential.
5. Development.

PRINCIPLES OF COUNSELING

● Counseling is a process. It is necessary for the counselor to understand that

counseling is a process and a slow process. Failure to understand this will result
in annoyance and disappointment.
● Counseling is for all. Counseling is more developmental and preventive than
remedial in nature.
● Counseling is based on certain fundamental assumptions.

(a) every individual in this world is capable of taking responsibilities for

him/herself.

(b) every individual has a right to choose his/her own path, based on the
principles of democracy

● Counselor does not deprive the right of self-choice but simply facilitates choice.
● Counseling is not advice giving
 ● Counseling is not thinking for the client, but thinking with the client. Counseling is
for enabling the client to do judicious thinking.
● Counseling is not problem solving. The counselor simply assist the person to find
solution on his/her own.
● Counseling is not interviewing but conversing with the client in order to help
him/her develop self-understanding
● The counselor acts as a facilitator or catalyst only. He creates an atmosphere
which is permissive and non-threatening, through his warm and accepting
relationship with the client which helps the client to explore himself/herself and
understand himself/herself better

DISTINCTION BETWEEN COUNSELLING AND ADVICE

Advising and counselling are two very different things. Giving advice is letting people
know what you think is best for them, while counselling is allowing people to explore
and decide what is best for them

DISTINCTION BETWEEN COUNSELLING AND GUIDANCE

Guidance is advice given to an individual concerning matters such as career. guidance

works by an expert giving ready solutions to their clients.

Counseling focuses on discussing and understanding the problem at hand. In

counseling, an individual is given the right support and empowerment to make the right
decisions concerning the issue at hand

DISTINCTION BETWEEN COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY

The argument here is that, although there is a certain amount of overlap between the
theories and methods of counsellors and psychotherapists, and the type of clients that
they see, there is nevertheless a fundamental difference between the two, with
psychotherapy representing a deeper, more fundamental level of work, over a longer
period, usually with more disturbed clients.
Counsellors and psychotherapists are basically doing the same kind of work, using
identical approaches and techniques, but are required to use different titles in response
to the demands of the agencies that employ them.

STAGES/ PHASES OF COUNSELING PROCESS

● PHASE 1: INTERVIEWING STAGE/PHASE

● PHASE 2: WORKING STAGE/PHASE
● PHASE 3: TERMINATION STAGE/PHASE
● PHASE 4: FOLLOW-UP STAGE/PHASE

PHASE 1: INTERVIEWING STAGE/PHASE

a. Any counselling process, be it individual or group, starts with the interview stage.
This stage could also be referred to as the familiarization, orientation or
introductory stage. This stage is very important because for you as a counsellor
to start well determines the success of other stages and the entire counselling
relationship.
b. The counsellor and the client meet for the first time. The counsellor makes
deliberate effort to get acquainted with the client by establishing rapport. This is
done by asking the client to sit down, so that he or she would be emotionally
relaxed in the counsellor’s office.
c. The counsellor inquires about the client’s name, class, parents, friends, progress
in school and his mission to the counsellor’s office. This should be done with
caution so that the client does not feel as if he or she is being interrogated
 d. The counsellor further assures the client that whatever is discussed will be kept
confidential. This is to win the client’s confidence and make him or her open up to
say his purpose for coming to the counsellors’ office.

PHASE 2: WORKING STAGE/PHASE

● This is the second stage/phase of the counselling process. As the title suggests,
it is the stage where the counsellor fully engages the client in discussion about
what to do and how it will be done concerning the problem of the client. If the
client has not disclosed his/her mission in the first stage, the counsellor now asks
the client.
● He uses questioning techniques to make the client open up. Questions such as:
Are you okay? Can I help you? What is the matter? What has brought you to my
office? The client now responds.
● The counsellor uses techniques such as responding, exploring, restatement,
interpretation, confrontation, unconditional positive regards, empathy, silence and
catharsis to diagnose the problem. Also it is during this stage that the goals for
counselling are set by the client and counsellor.
● GOAL SETTING PROCESS:

Counseling goals also conceptualizes as either process or outcome goals.

1. Process goals
● Establish the conditions necessary to make the counseling process work
● Are primarily the counselor's responsibility
2. Outcome goals
● Specify what the client hopes to accomplish in counseling

PHASE 3: TERMINATION STAGE/PHASE

This stage is the third stage in the counselling process. Termination means bringing an
end to the counselling relationship between the counsellor and client. Different reasons
have been given by many authors on why a counselling relationship may end or
terminate. Some of these reasons are given below for you to understand.

(1) Counselling Goals are achieved

When these goals have been realised to the satisfaction of the client and counsellor, the
relationship can be called off temporarily or permanently.

2.) Un-cooperative Attitude from the Client

Un-cooperative Attitude from the Client The counsellor may discover that the client he
or she is dealing with is not cooperating with him after several attempt nothing good is
coming out of the relationship, the counsellor can terminate the relationship

(3) Client may decide not to continue

The counsellor and client may enter into a counselling relationship without any problem.
After some time, the client may decide not to continue for reasons best known to him.

(4) Referral to an Expert/Specialist

The counsellor may discover that the client has problem that is beyond his competence,
area and experience, when this happens the client should be referred to the appropriate
quarters for specialized treatment.

(5) Death of Counsellor or Client

Counselling relationship may be terminated permanently when the counsellor or client

dies.

PHASE 4: FOLLOW-UP STAGE/PHASE

This is the stage in a counselling process that you the counsellor will want to know what
is happening to your client after termination.
The follow-up aims at finding out whether the client is carrying out the decisions arrived
at before you ended the session and what problems are being experienced. However
this stage may not be necessary for every client

ETHICAL AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES OF COUNSELING

1. Fidelity: honouring the trust placed in the practitioner

Being trustworthy is regarded as fundamental to understanding and resolving

ethical issues

Practitioners who adopt this principle: act in accordance with the trust placed in
them; restrict any disclosure of confidential information about clients

2. Autonomy: respect for the client’s right to be self-governing

The principle of autonomy opposes the manipulation of clients against their will,
even for beneficial social ends.

3. Beneficence: a commitment to promoting the client’s well-being

The principle of beneficence means acting in the best interests of the client

It directs attention to working strictly within one’s limits of competence and

providing services on the basis of adequate training or experience.

4. Non-maleficence: a commitment to avoiding harm to the client

Non-maleficence involves: avoiding sexual, financial, emotional or any other form

of client exploitation; avoiding incompetence or malpractice; not providing
services when unfit to do so due to illness, personal circumstances or
intoxication.

5. Justice: the fair and impartial treatment of all clients and the provision of adequate
services
 The principle of justice requires being just and fair to all clients and respecting
their human rights and dignity.

Justice in the distribution of services requires the ability to determine impartially

the provision of services for clients

6. Transference

Transference is a psychology term used to describe a phenomenon in which an

individual redirects emotions and feelings, often unconsciously, from one person
to another.

This process may occur in therapy, when a person receiving treatment applies
feelings toward—or expectations of—another person onto the therapist and then
begins to interact with the therapist as if the therapist were the other individual.

7. Countertransference

It occurs when a therapist transfers emotions to a person in therapy, is often a

reaction to transference, a phenomenon in which the person in treatment
redirects feelings for others onto the therapist.

8. Failure to obtain informed consent

Failure to obtain legal consent is an issue that is related to counseling and

psychotherapy, especially; in the management of the client’s records.

A practitioner whether still practicing or not, still has an ethical and legal
obligation to maintain the records of his clients in confidentiality and adhere to
obtaining of legal consent in the securing and disposition of a client’s records.
 IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

4 MARKS

1. Define Counseling
2. What is counseling?
3. Who is a counselor?
4. Write notes on goal setting process
5. Why a counselling relationship may end or terminate? List out the reasons
6. List out the differences between psychotherapy and counseling
7. Enumerate the goals of counseling
8. Write short note on interviewing stage

6 MARKS

1. List out the principles of Counseling

2. Bring out the differences between advice, guidance, psychotherapy and counseling

3. Write notes on working stage of the counseling process

4. Why a counselling relationship may end or terminate? List out the reasons

5. Explain on any 6 ethics and professional issues of counseling

6. Write brief notes on

a. Transference
b. Counter-transference
c. Informed consent

7. Define counselor and explain the role of counselor inside a counseling relationship

10 MARKS

1. Discuss on the 4 different stages of the counseling process

2. Give a detailed description on different phases of the counseling process

3. What are 4 different stages of counseling process? Explain in detail

4. Define Counseling & enumerate on the various principles of counseling

5. List out the goals and principles of counseling

6. Write a detailed note on the ethics and professional issues of counseling

7. Define Counseling & write notes on the ethics and professional issues of counseling