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EDU-E-105: GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING

1. COURSE OUTLINE

UNIT I: Introduction to Guidance

• Concept and Principles
• Types of Guidance: Individual and Group
• Mental Health, Guidance and Counselling
• Relationship between Guidance, counselling and Mental Health

UNIT II: Organization of Guidance services in schools,

colleges/universities
• Appraisal services
• Informative services
• Placement services
• Follow-up services
• Organizing guidance services at various levels in schools, colleges/ universities

UNIT III: Counseling

• Concept, principles and counseling interview
• Counseling approaches: Directive, Non –directive and Eclectic
• Theories of Counseling: Psychoanalytic, Behavioral , Cognitive and Humanistic
• Counseling for management of stress, Anxiety and Depression

UNIT IV: Theories of career Development

• Meaning and importance of career development
• Strategies of Planning and Decision making
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• Theories of career development: Holland, Krumboltz and super

UNIT I: INTRODUCTION TO GUIDANCE

TOPIC: CONCEPT AND PRINCIPLES

INTRODUCTION:
Every individual faces problems in his life and it becomes very difficult for him to
achieve satisfactory results without assistance. There is, perhaps hardly an
individual who does not need assistance. There is always a confrontation between
needs and opportunities. Thus, there arises a situation of balancing them, which
needs assistance. According to Jones, everyone needs assistance at some time in
his life; some will need it constantly and throughout their lives, while others need
it only at rare intervals or at times of great crisis.
In technical term, assistance is called Guidance. In modern education great
emphasis is given to guidance and counseling. If an individual receives education
without proper guidance, he is not able to develop his personality fully and thus, is
enable to serve the society in terms of his abilities and talents.
Guidance is a universal and automatic phenomenon in the sense that every person
who is more experienced than his counterpart endeavors to guide him even
without seeking guidance from him.
Professional guidance on scientific lines started only in 1908 in Boston (USA) with
the establishment of parson’s vocational bureau to help the young generation to
choose profession in accordance with their needs, interests, and abilities. All
relevant information were provided to the people here. The study of vocational
guidance as a course started in 1911 first in the Harvard University (USA). Then
other countries of the world including India followed America and now guidance
services are provided to the people by the professional workers in the field.
Meaning and Definition of Guidance:
Guidance is a process by which individual are assisted in the making of their life
and career to better adapt to the environment and enjoy temporary worldly life.
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The concept of guidance has now been extended to every aspect of life to minimize
the problems of life and avoid wastage of money. For example, if guidance services
are available in the school which guide the students to select courses after school
education by administering interest and intelligence test, a child of below average
mental ability will not dream and struggle for becoming an IIT or medical
practitioner.
Rath Strang has defined guidance in the following words:
“Guidance is a process of helping the individual through his own efforts to discover
and develop his potentialities in order to better adjust to the environment”.
There are four important characteristics which are included in the guidance
process:
1. It is a process of knowing one’s self.
2. It is a process of knowing the relationship between him and the environment i.e.,
what he expects from the environment and vice versa.
3. It is the process of utilizing the potentialities in the best manner possible, making
decision about oneself.
4. Self-effort in the direction of goal.
Thus, guidance is a process by which individual solves his problems by his own
efforts. The guide or counselor only shows him the way how to solve the problems.
PRINCILPES OF GUIDANCE:
Following principles will help the person involved in such programs to run them
efficiently and effectively.
1. Principle of universality: According to this principle, all students irrespective of
their psychology or physical limitations need guidance and counselling services so,
it should be provided to all of them. The only thing that is needed is that deviant
people need it more than the normal ones.
2. Principle of continuity: Guidance is needed by all the individuals from birth to
death. Hence it should be run as a continuous process from the school scenario to
the society in general.
3. Principle of individualism: such programs have to develop each and every
individual of the society. Even guidance in groups are evaluated in terms of
individual performance of students. Guidance is actually a self-making process and
it will be a success only when all individuals are touched by these services
individually. These services are basically client centered.
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4. Principle of flexibility in methods and procedures: Everyone can not be punished

with stick or rewarded with the same type of foods. The success of these programs
lies in the uniqueness in their procedures just according to the need and variety of
the individuals. Only those methods and procedures are considered the best which
satisfy the people to the maximum. The reason is that some methods which suit to
some people will not necessarily suit to others. It has also seen that the same
method does not work even if the problems of different individuals is the same. It
is because different people react to different situations differently. Due to the
above reason, novelty and flexibility in procedures and methods are needed.
5. Principle of self-pacing: A guide does not work like a physician or surgeon who uses
medicine to cure the patients. He motivates the people to work and find the
solution of their problem by their own efforts. He only guides them to go to the
right path. His success totally lies in the efforts of the counselees. The more he is
able to encourage them, the more he is successful in his job.
6. Principle of cooperation from the concerned people: A guide should keep this fact
in his mind that he can not solve the problem of any person on his own. He will
have to motivate the counselee to take help from the concerned people like
parents, family members, teachers, principals, religious persons etc. these
concerned people can provide him necessary information and data about the
person who needs guidance.
7. Principle of complexity of problems: The problem that a guide faces is not simple.
Problems are always complex in nature and a guide can not solve them without
analyzing or go deep in to them. He should give proper time to every person who
approaches him and guide him very carefully. Even physical or vocational problems
should be tackled with care.
8. Principle of voluntary counselling: According to this principle, no student or person
can be forced to go to a counsellor or guidance worker for seeking solution of his
problem. Solution of the problem needs that the person having a problem should
contact a guidance Centre himself at the call of his inner urge. If the situation is so,
only then full rapport between the two parties will be seen.

Need and importance of Guidance

The basic purpose of guidance is to strengthen the individual by optimum
development of his personality. Potentialities of the individual are developed to
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the maximum through these services. These services are needed by the individual
because of the following reasons:
I. Human being is the most dependent being of all the existing living things on earth.
From birth to death, he needs guidance at every moment. If such guidance is not
made available to him, he will be corrupted by the ill effects of the society.
II. Guidance is an instrument of national development as guidance helping, identifying
and developing human potential which is the richest source of a nation. It can help
to reduce the wastage of educational facilities and abilities which is so prevalent in
our country.
III. Guidance also increases efficiency and levels of production by enabling proper
persons to be trained properly and placing them accordingly.
IV. Psychological problems of complex nature can not be tackled by layman. Services
of expert guide are needed for this purpose.
V. Guidance is needed for making proper adjustment of the individual in the society
as much as for making the children fully adjusted to the environment of the school.
VI. From economic point of view, optimum utilization of resources is essential for
optimum production and employment in the economy. Individual and group both
types of guidance are necessary for this purpose.
VII. Failure in life situations creates tension and frustration. Such frustration will result
into behavioral problems and hence further failures. Such a vicious circle can be
broken only by taking the services of guidance workers and counsellors.
VIII. Guidance is needed to remove barriers of learning every time. Guidance strengthen
the process of education on social as well as psychological grounds.
IX. Adolescents need guidance at every moment due to their unique psychological and
social problems. Such guidance can be provided to them only by experts in the field.
X. No individual is fully fit for all purposes. Each human is different from others in
capacity, interest and tendencies. If he is not guided to go to the direction of his
needs, interests and capacities, he might fail in his efforts. In such a case it will be
a loss not only for the individual but also for the society as a whole. For example,
everyone can not became an engineer or doctor due to his specific attitude. If he
tries to become an engineer without engineering aptitude, he will fail.
XI. A child comes to the school with his background. A counsellor brings him at par
with other children by raising his motivation level if his background is poor.
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TYPES OF GUIDANCE
Broadly speaking, there are dozens types of guidance, in accordance with various
fields and situations where guidance is needed. The various fields or types are:
i. Personal-social guidance
ii. Educational guidance
iii. Vocational guidance
iv. Physical guidance
v. Hygiene guidance
vi. Martial guidance
vii. Home guidance
viii. School guidance
ix. Leadership guidance
x. Religious guidance
xi. Leisure time guidance
xii. Old-age guidance
Out of these types, the first three are the major ones, and the rest are either minor
or already included in any of the first three. For instance, fourth to tenth types are
somehow included in personal social guidance. The eleventh can form a part of
educational guidance. The twelfth is not related to school pupils and hence it may
be left out.
Briefly speaking the three main types are as follows:
1) Personal-social or psychological or adjustmental guidance: It is concerned with
the problems of the self-i.e. the problems which occurs within the individual.
These problems are related to the personality and behavior and unless they are not
solved, adjustment of the individual in the society will not be possible. Anxieties,
tension, aggressiveness, adjustment, difficulties, lack of confidence, shyness etc.
are some examples of personal problems. If these problems are not tackled
professionally educational and vocational progress will also be retarted.
Thus, personal guidance may be defined as helping students with
psychological difficulties, conflicts, problems of life, behavior and adjustment
problems and so on.
2) Educational guidance: It pertains the choice of the various educational courses
available to the child in accordance with his innate capacities, interests, personality
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traits and aspirations. It seeks to recognize the individual differences in pupils and
adjust these with diversified courses.
It deals with those problems of students which are related in any way with the
educational progress and learning experiences, i.e. low achievement in any subject,
inability to select a subject or paper, and so on. Excellence in the field of education
is also brought about through such guidance. Other areas covered by educational
guidance are improvement of study habits, adjustment problems in the class or
school, language difficulties, excessive school work load, lack of co-curricular
activities and other issues related in any way to the normal development of
students in the school.
3) Vocational guidance: It is an extension of the educational guidance, pertaining to
the judicious choice of the profession or employment after the completion of the
studies, in accordance with the ability, aptitude and traits of the pupil.
Guidance in which students are assisted to choose a better career and to solve their
vocational problems is called vocational guidance. In this guidance students are
tested first from different angles and then they are suggested to opt a career on
the basis of their potentialities and trends. Necessary informations are also
supplied to them to find a proper vocation.
In India Kolkata university was the first which introduced guidance as a section of
its department of psychology in 1938. Batlibox vocational guidance Bureau
(Bombay) was the second established in 1941 to provide vocational guidance to the
people.
Thus, vocational guidance implies a process of assisting individuals to choose an
occupation, prepare for it, enter and progress upon it. International labor
conference (1949) defined vocational guidance as “Assistance given to an
individual in solving problems related to occupational choices and progress with
due regard for the individual characteristics and their relation to occupational
opportunity”. It means that guidance is psychological as well as socio-economic in
nature. Once such services are provided total development of the individual
becomes a reality.
Besides this there are other two types of guidance i.e. individual and group
guidance. Basically these two types of guidance comes under educational guidance.

Individual guidance: when the guidance is given to an individual, it is called

individual guidance. In this situation, guidance is given to an individual by
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contacting him personally. In such guidance programme, one can study pupil’s
emotional, social, physical, intellectual and individual problems.
Following methods (techniques) can be followed to solve such individual problems
of the pupils:
a) Interview: To study the pupil, initial interview is conducted. All the following
relevant information is collected by the interviewer.
_ About family circumstances
_ About educational and vocational plans.
_About leisure time activities.
With this interview, good rapport can be established with the pupils.
b) Cumulative record of pupils: The relevant record of the pupil is also maintained by
preparing cumulative record cards. It includes everything of the child_i.e. his
intelligence level, interest, aptitude, special mental abilities, educational
achievement, information about health and physical development. Family
background and economic conditions of the family information about parents of
the pupils, friends and neighbors is also there. In fact, it contains various aspects of
pupil’s personality.
c) Psychological tests: These tests include_ intelligence test, interest inventories,
Achievement tests, personality tests.
The result of these tests must be studied before giving educational guidance.
d) Collecting information regarding schools or colleges: After getting above
mentioned information regarding the child, it is essential to collect information
regarding the various aspects of the schools and colleges. It includes information
about various subjects, curricula and other facilities available in various colleges
and schools.
e) Final interview: This helps in the preparation of a self-inventory of the pupil.
f) Construction of profile: For consolidating and integrating the above information
that the expert has compiled, a profile of the pupil is prepared. With its help the
expert determines as to what sort of guidance is needed to the pupil.
g) Follow-up work: Follow up study of the pupil should be made in order to test
whether the guidance has been given in the right direction or not.
Group guidance: When the guidance is to be given to a group of people it is
called group guidance. Following methods can be used.
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a) Orientation talks: To explain the importance of educational guidance to the pupils.

In such talks educational problems are talked in depth.
b) Psychological tests: various types of tests are used and information is collected.
c) Collecting information from school regarding pupils.
d) Collecting information from families.
e) Interview with the pupils for certain clarifications.
f) Construction of profile.
g) Conference: the conclusion is placed before the educational guidance workers
group. On the basis of this conclusion, all the experts express their opinions and
they reach at a decision acceptable to all.
h) Reporting writing: A comprehensive report, keeping in view the decision taken in
the conference, is prepared and submitted to the parents and school authorities.
i) Follow-up: The guidance worker should see whether the pupil is making any
satisfactory progress in the subjects, in which he was graded.

MENTAL HEALTH
In order to understand Mental Health we should first know about mental hygiene.
MENTAL HYGIENE
Mental hygiene is a science which deals with the process of attaining mental health
and preventing mental illness. The process of mental hygiene is a lifelong process
beginning with the time of birth and continues till death. The difference between
the two is that the former is means and later is the end.
CLIFFORD BEERS started the movement of mental hygiene in the first decade of
2oth century, with the publication of “A mind that found itself” in 1908.he was a
graduate of Yale university. He became mentally disturb due to unnecessary stress
and strain on his mind. Being frustrate with his life, he tried to commit suicide but
he was rescued and treated by doctors (Psychiatrists). After recovery he wrote his
experiences and the types of treatment that he received in his book. His book
revolutionized the concept of mental ill health and created awareness in journal
public regarding mental hygiene.
Definition of Mental hygiene
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American Psychiatric Association 1971, “Mental hygiene consists of measures to

reduce the incidence of mental illness through prevention an early treatment and
to promote mental health”.
Mental hygiene has four underlined objectives:
a) Realization of potentialities: After realizing his strengths and weakness, a person
is given full opportunity to develop his potentialities to the maximum.
b) Happiness: The person is given full opportunity to develop positive attitude
towards life in the context of the society and nation which is always full of
problems. This freedom gives him happiness.
c) Harmonious existence: The Physical, Mental and Spiritual capacities of the
individual are developed in a harmonious manner and harmony of the individual
with the environment is also achieved.
d) Effective Existence: Mental hygiene enables individual to use his abilities
effectively to exist effectively in the society.
CROW and CROW suggested three categories of aims and objectives of mental
hygiene:
• The prevention
• The preservation
• The cure
1. The prevention: Prevention of mental disorders through an understanding of the
relationship that exists between wholesome personally development and life
experiences.- This implies:
i. Listing various causes of maladjustment _ personal as well as social.
ii. Furnishing the knowledge of drives, needs, motives, conflicts of motives,
frustrations and tensions etc.
iii. Suggesting ways and means of achieving emotional and social adjustment.
iv. Suggesting the solution for the inner conflicts and frustrations and thus relieving
from the tensions, anxieties and emotional disturbances.
2. Preservation of the mental health of the individual and of the group:
i. Developing total potentialities of an individual.
ii. Attaining emotional maturity and stability.
iii. Achieving personal and social security as well as adequacy.
iv. Developing healthy human relationships and group interaction.
v. Helping an individual in acquiring sound body and normal mental health.
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3. Cure of mental health:

i. Suggesting various forms of therapy for treatment and curing specific mental illness
and disorders.
ii. Suggesting means for the rehabilitation and readjustment of the mentally ill
persons.

Concept of Mental Health

Right from the beginning, Mental health has attracted attention of psychologists
and others engaged in the study of human nature. Approaches to treatment of
mentally ill people, have however been different from age to age and from person
to person. Traditionally ideas die hardly now withstanding advances in all branches
of knowledge, numerous categories of people still have belief in the age old
practices such as demons, ghosts or in witchcraft as a means of driving away the
evil spirit from the mentally ill. It is interesting to note that the study of mental
health dates back to the times of early Greeks. Hippocrates, a Greek physician in
the 5th century BC made the study of the mentally ill people and pointed out that
they suffered from the mental illness because of lesions in the brain or some decay
of the nervous system.
In 1791 PINEL, the director of an institute of the Insane in Paris, revived the ideas
of Hippocrates. He insisted that the mental disorder were to be considered like
disorders of the body. He classified mental disorders. The views of early workers
on mental health were either physiological or physical.
Psychological explanation of mental illness was first emphasized by an Austrian
physician in 1760. His system of treatment came to be known as Mesmerism which
in simple words consisted in the treatment of mentally ill through suggestion. Two
persons namely Janet and Morton prince in America anticipated many ideas which
later became essential elements in the system of psychoanalysis built up by Freud.

WHO defines mental health as “a state of wellbeing, in which every individual

realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work
productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to her or his
community. Thus the mental health refers to a broad group of activities directly or
indirectly related to mental well-being. The activity includes promotion of
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wellbeing, the prevention of mental disorders and the treatment and rehabilitation
of people affected by mental disorders. (WHO 2012)
Mental health is not just the absence of negatives but the presence of positives.
Defining mental health is not very easy as it includes several issues that need to be
considered carefully.
Mental health may be conceptualized along the following six constructs of the
models ( Vaillant 2003; Vaillant and Vaillant 2009)
a) Mental health is above normal.
b) Mental health as maturity.
c) Mental health as positive or spiritual emotions.
d) Mental health as socio-emotional intelligence.
e) Mental health as subjective well-being.
f) Mental health as resilience.
Mental health is above normal:
According to this model, mental health is something above normal. Normality is
perceived as being on a continuum, encompassing the major portion of the adults
on the continuum, while abnormality is the remainder. Thus the normal refers to
the reasonable, rather than optimum level of functioning. However mental health
would be considered as above average. E.g. in the military, a jet pilot must be
required to be average in mental health for his occupational demands.
Mental health as maturity:
This model conceptualizes mental health as state of maturity. This model is based
on the eight stages of human development as described by Erik Erickson in 1950
and the Harvard’s study of study of Adult development.
The association of mental health to maturity is probably mediated not only by
progressive brain Myclinisation, as a person grows older, and also by the evolution
of emotional and social intelligence through experience. In the Indian family
system, looking to the elderly for advice in case of any crisis is an example of looking
to the mature mind (i.e. the perfectly health mind.) for finding a solution to the
difficult situation. This model of mental health as maturity includes 6 component:
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1. Identity: understanding of one’s own values as independently and

distinct from the values of family origin.e.g; pursuing a career of one’s
choice rather than reluctantly (forcibly) taking up family’s choice.
2. Intimacy: Development of intimate relationship permits an individual
reciprocate with the partner and not remain selfish or self-centered.
There should be commitment in the relationship and mastery of
intimacy also depends on the cultural factors.
3. Career consolidation: Mastery of this task permits adults to find career
as valuable as one considered during earlier phases of life. This involves
being valuable not only to oneself but also to others.
4. Generativity: Refers to a demonstration of a clear capacity to care and
guide the next generation. The phase comes sometime during the age
35-55 and includes decline in one’s desire achievement and an
increasing inclination to serve the community in a variety of ways.
5. Keeper of the meaning: One of the ultimate responsibility underlying
maturity, which involves passing the tradition of the past to the future.
Conserving and preserving cultural values and passing it on to the future
generation is an indicator of mental health.
6. Integrity: Refers to achieving some sense of peace and unity with
respect to both one’s life as well as to the whole world.
These six sequential tasks are a kind of a general guidance to help
clinicians make an assessment of mental health as per the age of person.
One may be a mature 21 year old and healthy or an immature 50 year
old and unhealthy.
Mental health as positive or spiritual emotions:
This model defines mental and spiritual health as the amalgam of the positive
emotions that bind us to other human beings. This model comprises eight
important positive emotions: love, hope, joy, forgiveness, compassion, faith, awe
and gratitude. They all involve human connections and don’t have anything to just
with self. All major religious faith emphasize the importance of these emotions.
Positive emotions have an effect on our automatic (visceral) nervous system,
similarly to the relaxation achieved with meditation.
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Mental health as socio-emotional intelligence:

Refers to accurate conscious perception and monitoring of one’s emotions and
ability to modify emotions so that the expression of emotion is appropriate. This
would also include an accurate recognition of other’s emotions and an appropriate
response. One should have skills in negotiating close relationship with others and
a capacity for focusing emotions towards a desired goal.
High socio-emotional intelligence reflects above average mental health. The
capacity to identify the different emotions in ourselves and in others has an
important role in the social interactions and relationships and hence in mental
health.
Mental health as subjective well-being:
The primary function of positive emotions is to facilitate self-care. Subjective
wellbeing is not just the absence of misery but the presence of positive
contentment. Earlier definitions suggested that a happy person is young, healthy,
well educated, well paid, worry free, religious and married with high self-esteem,
holding a reasonably good job, is of good morale and has modest aspirations.
However the later researchers have shown that this definition is partly correct and
have suggested that the subjective well-being could be partially inherited and is
relatively not dependent on socio-demographic variables.
The maintenance of self-efficiency and autonomy make additional environmental
contributions to subjective well-being.e.g; Elders might decide to live on their
pension money independently rather than with relatives is an example of
subjective well-being.
Mental health as resilience:
Resilience is the ability to be flexible and to get back to normalcy when faced with
stressful situations. There are three broad classes of coping mechanisms for
developing resilience:
1. One may consciously seek social support in an appropriate manner.
2. One may employ conscious cognitive strategies (thinking pattern) to
master the stressful situations.
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3. One may have adoptive involuntary coping mechanism called defense

mechanism that distort perceptions of internal and external reality in
order to reduce subjective distress.
Characteristics of a Mentally Healthy person:
i. He can adopt himself to the changing conditions of the environment. Thus
he is accommodative in his behavior.
ii. He can participate in social activities properly even in stress and strain of
emotional disturbances.
iii. He is well contented person. He enjoys at what he gets but doesn’t lament
what he doesn’t get.
iv. He is not involved in any antisocial or antinational activities. Thus he abides
by the laws and rules happily.
v. He self evaluates his behavior and improves it every now and then.
vi. His life is full of enthusiasm. He is reasonable in his action and devoted to
his profession.
vii. He has good habits.
viii. He is not a man of irritable temper. (Good tempered).
ix. He has his own philosophy of life and is not a blind follower of social norms.
x. He tries to make others happy.
xi. Emotional balance.
xii. Satisfied with the work or occupation.
xiii. Conscious control of life.
xiv. Capacity to think independently.
xv. Realistic imagination.

Importance and functions of mental health:

Health is rightly called wealth. In fact the foremost concern of education, today is
to produce mentally healthy persons and thereby well- adjusted personalities
because mentally healthy persons are the real assets of the society for the 21 st
century. Let us discuss the importance and functions of mental health:
1. Mental health improves the quality of life: When we are free of depression,
anxiety, excessive stress and worry, addictions and other psychological
problems, we are more able to live our lives to the fullest. Peace of mind is a
natural condition and is available to everyone.
2. Mental health strengthens and supports our ability to:
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-Have healthy relationships.

-Make good life choices.
-Maintain physical health and well-being.
-Handle the natural ups and downs of life.
-Discover and grow towards our potential.
3. Mental health treatment reduces medical costs: Many research studies
have shown that when people receive appropriate mental health care, their
use of medical services declines. E.g.; one study of people with anxiety
disorders showed that after psychological treatment, the no. of medical visits
decreased by 50% and overall treatment costs dropped by 35%. Other
studies have shown that people with untreated mental health problems visit
a medical doctor twice as often as people who receive mental health care.
4. Helps in the development of desirable personality: Mental health helps in
the development of wholesome, well-balanced and integrated personality.
Such individuals maintains a proper balance between his self and the
environmental situation, his needs and needs of the society and provides an
example of an integrated personality instead of the splitted one.
5. Helps in proper emotional development: There is a close relationship
between one’s mental health and emotional behavior. The individual who
enjoy good mental health are supposed to demonstrate proper emotional
maturity in their behavior. On the other hand those who are tense,
disintegrated and mentally unhealthy demonstrate sudden emotional
outburst and emotional immaturity.
6. Helps in proper mental development: Individuals who enjoy sound mental
health are usually found to behave as a man of integrity and character by
following the ethical standards of the society. The proper functioning of their
intellect guards them against the immoral and unsocial behavior. They are
able to exercise reasonable control over their emotions and channelize their
energy to the noble tasks.
7. Helps in proper social development: One’s mental health helps one in
becoming sociable and establishing proper social relationships in the society.
One who is not in conflict with oneself has sufficient time and energy
available for attending others and it helps one in one’s proper social behavior
and adequate social adjustment.
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8. Helps in proper aesthetic development: Proper mental health helps the

individual in the development of appropriate aesthetic sense, artistic taste
and refined temperament. A mind free of any tension conflict, frustration,
inferiority, guilt or hostile feelings may have better chance of drifting
towards aesthetic, artistic and creative channel than the mind torn between
complexities and conflicts.
9. Helps in actualizing one’s potentialities: Every one of us has a natural
abilities and potentialities that can be actualized through proper efforts.
Exercising such efforts and striving towards the actualization of one’s
potentialities depend to a great control on the state of one’s mental health.
While the children having good mental health can strive well for the
actualization of their potentialities, the mentally unhealthy children fail to do
so on account of the malfunctioning of their intellectual powers,
disintegrated personality and maladapted behavior.
10. Helps in seeking proper adjustment: A mentally healthy individual is an
adjusted person. He is able to seek adequate adjustment with his self and his
environment. He is able to adjust his needs as per the demands of the
individual to seek a harmonious relationship with his self and his
environment.
11. Helps in seeking goals of life: Mental health helps the individuals to strive
properly for the realization of the goals of his life.
12. Helps in the prevention of mental illness: Mental health helps an individual
in protecting him against abnormalities of behavior, maladjustment, illness
and mental diseases in the same way as physical health is helpful in saving
him from the physical illness, ailments and diseases.
Counselling
Counselling is a face to face relationship between the guidance worker and the
person who seeks a special kind of guidance. The area of counselling is
predominately psychological i.e., that is problems related to self-concept,
adjustment, anxiety, hyper tension, ego formation and the life. Thus counselling is
related to personality correction.
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Rogers defined counseling in the following words, “Counseling is a series of direct

contacts with the individual with a view to offer him assistance in changing his
attitudes and behavior”.
Counseling is a process in which a pupil is approached by the counselor on an
individual basis and is helped in arriving at a decision or making choice for finding
a direction.
Webster’s Dictionary defines counselling as “consultation, mutual exchange of
opinions, deliberating together.”
Wrenn says, “counselling is a personal and dynamic relationship between the two
individuals one of whom is older or more experienced than the younger, who
together approach a more or less well defined problem of the younger or less
experienced or less wise, with mutual consideration for each to the end that the
problem may be more clearly defined and that the one who has the problem may
be helped to a self-determined solution of it”

Objectives of Guidance and Counseling

Guidance and counseling services are provided in order to
serve the following purposes:
1. To assist students to make educational and vocational choices in order to
build up a better career.
2. To help the students to make the best possible adjustment in the school
and in the society.
3. To develop the personality of the child according to his inborn tendencies,
traits and capacities.
4. As a continuous process it assists all the individuals as a whole not a few
deviants of the society.
5. To help the students to cope with their emotional problems by reducing
their anxiety and by making them realistic to the situation.
6. To provide all necessary information to the people to choose a better
career and to get success in no time.
19

Difference between Guidance and Counselling

• Guidance is a process of helping young persons learn to adjust to self, to
others and to circumstances while as counseling means consultation,
mutual interchanging of options deliberating together.
• Guidance is a wider process while as counseling has narrow meaning.
• Guidance includes counseling while as counseling is a part of guidance.
• Guidance may be individual as well as in group while counselling is
individual.
• Guidance is related with personal, educational, vocational and other
problems. While as counseling is mainly related with mental health and
emotional problems.
• Guidance can be given by any person, training is not required for guidance
psychologist. While as pre-training is must for counsellor.
• Guidance may be provided through magazines, books and
correspondence also. While as in counseling mutual discussion,
consultation and interchange of opinions play a significant role.
Guidance techniques are of two types: 1. Individual guidance technique
2.Group guidance technique. While as counseling techniques are of three
types: 1. Directive counselling.
2. Non-directive counselling.
3. Elective counseling technique.

RELATIONSHIOP BETWEEN GUIDANCE COUNSELLING AND MENTAL HEALTH:

There is a close relationship between guidance counselling and mental health. They
are interdependent with each other. For a good mental health, a person needs
guidance and counselling, because there are so many negative factors that can
affect our mental health. It is Guidance and counselling which helps us in
preventing mental issues. Let us discuss some points:
1. Understand your mental condition: Guidance and counselling worker can
help us to understand our mental condition. As we talk he or she can help us
to comprehend the reasons behind our illness.
2. Face challenges: Most people at some point feel worried, stressed, or even
down about things that are going on in their lives. There are a number of
20

factors in life that can have an impact on our mental health. Guidance and
counselling enable us to face the different challenges in our life. Our
counsellor can help us to determine the reasons behind your mental illness
and help you face them in a healthy way. We can reduce the risk factors in
our life through guidance and counselling so that we can improve our mental
health and well-being
.
3. Change current behavior: our therapist can help determine your current
habits that separate our mental illness. He or she can help you create ways
to change our current behaviors that contribute to your mental health issues.
As we know there are eight habits or principles to achieve optimum mental
health i.e., nutrition, exercise, water, sunshine, temperance, air, rest and
trust. If we want good mental health, we should have these habits.
4. Give room for healing: Accepting our mental health issues is a way to
healing. Let go off the past in order to make room for the present or future.
Counselling can show us ways to let go of what triggered our condition and
health. It is guidance and counselling that can tell us the solutions we needed
to become better.
5. Alleviate your stress: Stress is defined as the response of the body and mind,
including behaviors, as a result of encountering stressors, interpreting them,
and making judgments about controlling or influencing the outcomes of
these events. Stress has the potential to produce good effects and is then
called Eustress. However, often stress that is not managed effectively can
lead to poor mental health and is known as Distress. Here we need social
support. It can be naturally occurring, in the form of parents, spouse, other
family members and friends or it can be created artificially by the guidance
worker or counsellor. There is a positive correlation between guidance
counselling and mental health.
6. Reorganization of potential:
According to WHO, mental health is the state where a person recognizes
his or her potential. The person can work fruitfully, contribute to the
community and is able to handle and cope with the stress which comes in his
or her life. The WHO stated that it is important to take care of your mental
health when you are lacking confidence or you have decision making
problem, it is important to have a guidance worker or a counsellor.
21

Unit 2nd
Organization of guidance services in schools, colleges /universities
Guidance services:
Guidance services are “those organized activities which aid each pupil in examining,
evaluating and choosing realistic personal goals and which keep the pupil in the
realization of his goals.”
The important guidance services are:
Appraisal services:
Individual is the center of all guidance and counselling. So we must know all about
him. Collecting various types of information related to a person is termed as “the
study of the individual” it is very essential exercise in connection with providing any
type of guidance. Guidance is not possible in the absence of such a study of the
individual. Hence it is requisite of scientific principles to be followed for guidance
process.
Meaning:
The factor of individual difference is very important from the guidance point of
view. No two individuals are alike with regard to their mental, social and emotional
development. To study a person from these aspects may be regarded as appraisal
of that person. The methods and techniques used for the appraisal of a person are
included in the appraisal service. These are classified in to two main categories
Testing and non-testing techniques.
In the study and appraisal of the individual, attention has to be paid to general
intelligence, interest, aptitudes, educational achievement, emotional, physical
characteristics, attitudes, values, self-concept, social and other traits of personality,
social, economic and cultural activities. Study and appraisal of the individual’s
concerned with providing data that will highlight the individuality of each pupil.
Need and importance of appraising individuals:
22

The main aim of appraisal service is to gather information about students that will
aid them in understanding themselves and make meaningful decision about their
future career. Appraisal service is done by staff of the school and parents.
Arther J. Jones has said in connection with the importance of an individual’s
appraisal, “Assisting in making choices should be based on a thorough
understanding as is possible of the individual, his basic needs, and of the real
circumstances surrounding his decision.”
The study of appraisal of pupils as individuals helps us:
i. To measure the progress: it enables us to measure the progress to be
made by the child towards the primary objective of the study to assist
children to lead a happier and more satisfying life.
ii. To understand the nature of the child.
iii. To understand the success or lack of success individual children are
experiencing in meeting their life goals.
iv. To achieve satisfaction on the part of teacher for his work done for the
children.
v. To make proper decision about the future plans for the child.

Judd has rightly said about the importance of studying and appraising in
individual in these words, “To attempt to guide the developmental of the
pupil without an intimate knowledge of his background and the sum total
of experience is to attempt the impossible.”
Hence, it is essential to think over the various aspects which should be
included in the study of an individual, in order to initiate guidance
process.
Various types of personal data to be collected for individual appraisal:
For guidance and counselling purposes, the study and appraisal of the individuals
is must. Without such appraisal, guidance is not possible.
For this purpose, the counsellor or the guidance worker requires the following
information, which are to be collected through various methods.
23

1. General data: General data is the basis of all further dealings. It should
include the following information _Birth place, Home address, Date of
birth, Birth place, parents, sex etc.
2. Physical data: This data is concerned with the information regarding
the health, physical structure of an individual e.g. sight, hearing,
power, height, heart, weight etc.
3. Family and social environment: These two factors are very important.
This type of information includes the following aspects _Name of
parents, parent’s qualifications, religion of the parents, health of the
parents, citizenship, mother tongue, family circumstances, occupation
of other family members’ information regarding brother and sisters,
and their education etc.
4. Educational and other achievements: This information should be
collected year wise, class wise, subject wise and activity wise. This
information helps the guidance worker in providing guidance to the
pupils. Also on the basis of information, certain specific selections for
the specific purpose can be made.
5. Mental abilities: This aspect includes the I.Q levels of the pupils. This
information is collected with the help of intelligence tests. Without
this information guidance is not possible.
6. Aptitudes, interests and other aspects of personality: The aptitudes
are concerned with the ability to predict the future success of the pupil
interest are concerned with the present state of inclinations of the
mind. These can be natural as well as acquired. Other aspects of the
personality should be also known, standardized tests should be used
for it.
7. Information regarding adjustment: in order to provide guidance to the
pupil, it is essential to know what type of his personal adjustment is.
What types of relations that pupil has with his teacher, friends, parents
and press? This information must be kept in record.
8. Record of class work: Record of all the schools where a pupil studied
and various difficulties experienced in various schools should be kept
along with his class work record. For guidance, this record is very
useful.
24

9. Social development data: it includes- participation of the student in

the various co-curricular activities of the school, sociability,
adaptability etc. This shows the social development of the child.
Hobbies and activities pursued by the student in the school give an
indication of the interest and aptitudes of the student.
10. Knowledge about future plans: The future plans also play very
significant role in providing the guidance, because pupils and their
parents also have their own aspirations. The data collected should be
accurate, reliable and up to date. Only the useful and relevant data
should be collected. Information about the individual should be kept
confidentially.
Techniques for studying and appraising individuals:
The study of the individual can be complete only if information pertaining to all
aspects of his life is collected. For this purpose a number of techniques are used.
These techniques can be classified in to two broad categories:
Non-testing techniques and testing techniques:
Non-testing techniques: These are also known as non-standardized techniques.
These are:
i. Interview
ii. Observation
iii. Case- study
iv. Cumulative record
v. Questionnaire
vi. Sociometric technique
vii. Rating scales
viii. Anecdotal record
ix. Autobiography
x. Informal collection of information
Some experts include all projective techniques except Rorschach ink Blot
Test and TAT in this list.
Testing techniques:
 25

These are also called standardized tests. They are widely used than non-
standardized techniques for collecting information about the individual because,
they are objective and reliable. But it involves a lot of labour and money. These are
mostly used by psychologists. These tests include_
i. intelligence test
ii. Achievement test
iii. Aptitude test
iv. Interest test
v. Personality tests
Here, one thing should be made clear that there is no perfect
method or test which can appraise or study the individual perfectly.
One method can be used in a particular situation and other method
can be effective in some other situation and in different conditions.
INFORMATIVE SERVICES:
Students need various type of information in the school. They need information
about themselves to develop their potentialities to the maximum. They also need
information about the world of work to choose a better career. Thus information
services provide two types of information.
• Personal information
• Occupational information
Personal information:
It means information about the pupil, i.e. what he is and what he is likely to be in
future. Socioeconomic background of the pupil is also taken in to account while
communicating these information to pupils. Here information regarding
personality, intelligence, interest, creative potentials, adjustment problems,
interpersonal relationship and needs of pupil are accumulated and supplied to
pupils and concerned personnel. These informations are collected by conducting
tests, interviews and observation schedules. These informations help the pupil to
adopt a realistic attitude towards education and life.
Occupational information:
This information may be considered as base for educational and career guidance.
Choice of course after high school and selection of career after 10+2 depend mostly
26

on this information. For example, if a student wants to become a doctor, he will

study biology along with physics and chemistry at 10+2 level. Then he will appear
in pre-medical test after 10+2. For this purpose, he must also know the places and
institutes where medical education is given and what are the criteria of admission
in MBBS course. Before communicating such informations to students they should
be systematically collected, stored and disseminated. These works are done by the
career information center of the school.
Procedure followed in occupational information is given below:
First step collection of information: informations regarding institutions of
professional and academic learning courses available in those institutions, criteria
and procedure of admission in those courses and nature and status of job after the
completion of course are collected from different sources, such as booklets,
pamphlets, newsletters, career book and information voucher published by the
government agencies such as state educational institutions themselves. Some of
these literature are also published by the government agencies such as state
educational and vocational guidance Bureau, Directorate general of resettlement
and Employment, (Ministry of labour govt. of India) etc. Daily and weekly
newspapers and monthly magazines are other sources of occupational information,
where advertisements about various courses are published. These informations
need to be updated every year due to fast changing educational and occupational
scenario of the country.
Second step- filling and upkeeping the information: if collected informations are
filed and maintained properly only then it can be supplied to students on demand
timely and readily. For the purpose of proper filing, the information received are
first classified in to categories on the basis of its nature and importance. Those
informations which are frequently needed may be kept in a separate file. After
preparing required number of files of various types of informations, they are
alphabetically arranged. Nowadays computers are being used for storing
occupational informations and they can quickly be made available to the user. Use
of internet has also come into practice and website created for the purpose
provides complete information about a particular course or job.
Following methods are commonly used for filing informations:
27

1. Alphabetical system: in this system, names of occupations are arranged

in alphabetical order. Eligibility criteria for different occupations are also
given with the name.
2. National classification of occupation (NCO): in NCO, occupations are
classified in to families. These families are combined into groups and
groups are classified in to divisions.
3. Filing based on school subjects: Here occupations related to different
school subjects are filed in separate groups such as occupations related
to literature, mathematics group science subjects, biology group science
subjects, occupations related to fine arts and so on. It is very comfortable
for students who have to select occupation on the basis of their
qualification and stream of education.
Third step- Disseminating information: The next important step is the
display and distribution of career information material. There can be two
approaches to distribution to this information:
a. Individual techniques like interview
b. Group techniques like career conference
Posters, leaflets, newsletters, charts, advertisement in newspapers
should be attractively displayed. The help of senior students should be
taken. The place chosen for display should be the one where a large
number of students are likely to see them. The arrangement of the
material should be changed every now and then to maintain continued
interest on the part of students. The Centre should continue
throughout the year.
Another popular method is to impart information through career talks.
While arranging these talks, age levels and educational standards of
the students should be kept in mind. Students should be prepared in
advance about the talk. A group discussion should follow the talk or
film shows should be arranged.
Career conference can be held. In a career conference, several
speakers belonging to various professions come together and deliver
talks about their work. Another technique is to arrange CAREER VISITS.
The visits provide an opportunity to students to observe workers while
they are at work. Places to be visited will depend upon the interests of
the pupil.
28

Another method which the career master can profitably use to

acquaint pupils with the world of work is to arrange meetings with the
old students of the school who are now at work and can be easily
available.
The entire discussion can be summarized by quoting Ray Hand-Ville
who has given us a number of ways of disseminating the vocational
information. Some of these ways are:
i. Assembly talks
ii. Bulletin board displays
iii. Career booklets
iv. Celebration of career days
v. Career newsletter
vi. Clubs
vii. Exploratory experiences
viii. Film strips
ix. Group discussion
x. Job analysis
xi. Motion pictures
xii. Occupational files
xiii. Occupational classes
xiv. Speeches on careers in various fields
xv. Work interviews
For the success of all these tasks a counsellor or a career master must be
enthusiastic, enterprising and resourceful.
Placement services:
Placement services deals with the placing of students in jobs while they are still in
school. This is the function of the school in U.S.A. placement is essential in
vocational guidance otherwise placement remains incomplete.
Functions of placement service
The following are the functions of placement service in the school:
a. Determining Reasons of Drop out: what are the conditions that lead to drop
out of pupils from the school? The placement service answers this question.
29

b. Counselling Former pupils: frequently those pupils who have dropped out will
return to the school for placement. The placement personnel are in excellent
position to do this job.
c. Curriculum planning: placement pupil are always in touch with the demands
of the filed which they try to serve. They bring back to their schools may helpful
suggestions. It can be of use in planning the curriculum.
d. Occupational information: young people get much advice on the jobs. It
comes from their parents, relatives, friends, teacher etc. some of the advice
which they get is poor. Problems peculiar to jobs may be effectively assigned
to the placement personnel as a direct or coordinated responsibility. They can
contribute much information to the teacher about job-getting techniques,
trends in occupations, sources of speakers on specific careers, in addition,
talking with the pupils about the jobs.

Organizational patterns of placement service:

There are various organizational patterns of placement service _decentralized plan
where various departments or individuals in the school are responsible for placing
students in jobs in their respective areas. Then we have centralized plan. It places
the responsibility for the placement of students or students under a centralized
head who works seriously with other members of the faculty and guidance staff.
The organization of the school placement service will be more satisfactory if it
follows certain principles outlined here:
• The pattern of organization should be in harmony with the existing
school organization.
• Functions of the service should be predetermined on a basis
satisfactory both to the school and employers.
• The placement service objectives and policies should be in
harmony with the purposes and training composed of school
whose product it services.
• An advisory committee composed of school administrator,
teachers and counsellors should be formed.
The placement service depends upon:
i. Sound faith of the staff members towards the service.
30

ii. Personnel available to coordinate the necessary activities.

iii. Clerical assistance and office supplies.
Counsellors can assist teachers, employees, and others in placement activities
provided they have added in presentation and organization of pupil data.
Follow up service
Follow up means to study a student after his actual placement in a job or
profession. A follow up will tell us whether person placed in a job is going ahead
satisfactorily and how for placement service has been a success in finding him a
suitable job.
We can say that follow- up service is an important service. It is even more
important than the placement service because it tells us to what extent, students
have been benefitted from these services and what further measures are required
to be taken. It is thus evaluation stage of guidance and counselling.
It helps the guidance worker and the counsellor to bring about change in
strategies and improvement. Follow-up services may be periodic and unscheduled
both and organized according to the need. Interview method is generally used to
review the progress of guidance and counseling.
Purposes of follow-up:
According to Emery Stoops in his book “Guidance services” are three important
purposes of a follow-up study:
1. A systematic gathering of data from former pupils.
2. A presentation and interpretation of that information to all concerned: pupils,
parents, community.
3. A planned development or modification of the educational programme
indicated by the findings.
Follow up is the altruistic device to help the individual with problems of
vocational, educational and social adjustment after he leaves the school and
while he is getting himself established elsewhere attention is given to
vocational adjustment than to other types.
Characteristics:
1. Follow up is done with the help of questionnaires and interviews.
2. The follow up service is co- ordinated with post-school counselling service.
3. Each class is followed up for at least five years.
4. It is planned to serve both the needs of individual and the school.
31

5. Responsibility for making follow follow-up studies is decentralized.

6. It begins before the students leave the school.

Organizing guidance services at different levels of

education:
Guidance services aim at making such individuals who are personally well adjusted,
occupationally well adopted and socially and emotionally mature in their thinking
and action. It is in this sense that the task of guidance services do not essentially
differ from the task of education in general. Both of them differ only in their
approach, techniques and specific programs meant for the clients. Guidance and
counselling may be considered as complementary to education because
attainment of educational goals are facilitated through such services. Such services
may be a regular part of school programme and may be organized separately.
These services are provided by professionally trained specialized persons who have
specialization in different fields of guidance and counselling. They are concerned
mainly with the personal, social and emotional development of the students.
One more difference between a guidance worker and a teacher is that former does
not have any touch with the school curriculum and a teacher is tied up with the
school curriculum.
Guidance and counselling services at school level of education: These services can
be discussed under two headings:
Guidance and counselling services at secondary level of education:
Following services are provided at this stage:
1. Individual records of pupils are maintained which includes their
educational achievement in the past, their trend of progress and change
of interest, their intelligence, their personality characteristics, their
values, their socio-economic status, goals of life etc.
2. Various types of orientation services are provided to them and efforts
are made to increase their achievement in curricular and co-curricular
activities.
32

3. Behavior of pupils with reference to their adolescent needs and

problems is closely monitored and efforts are made to get them
adjusted fully in the society.
4. Special exploratory programmes are organized for them in order to
explore their hobbies and specific interest.
5. Necessary occupational as well as personal informations are supplied to
them to get them acquainted with the social needs and personal
requirements. It should be noted that at this age, they cannot stick to
their missions constantly. So regularly feedback is necessary. Besides,
occupational information helps them select best subjects and streams
at the 10+2 level in order to build a good career.
6. They need regular counselling in secondary class because of their
specific demand created by their physiological changes in the body
coupled with emotional problems. These services are provided to them.
7. Students with special problems are referred to other specialized
agencies for career guidance and behavior counseling,
8. Personal records specifying their strengths and weaknesses are supplied
to pupils. This makes them realistic in approach and pupils will not waste
their time, money and energy in non-reachable occupational pursuits.
9. Parents of pupils are also informed about the courses running in the
school and prospects of different types of courses available in the
country.
10. Occupational information in detail are given to all the peoples through
display centers, publications, lectures by experts, occupational visits etc.
11. Pupils are given guidelines how to prepare and take different types of
examinations and tests
12. Follow up services are also organized in order to see to what extent
these students have benefited from guidance and counseling services.

At Senior Secondary level:

At this level of education, streams and sub-streams of subjects are already clear.
Students take admission in arts, commerce, science (bio group) and science (math’s
group) and some students offer vocational courses like ITI, Polytechnic etc.
Guidance and counselling programs are arranged for these students in the
following manner:
33

1. They are given complete information about medical and paramedical

courses, technical courses, courses of engineering and technology,
courses related to business and industry, courses related to clerical
jobs and all are meant for 10+2 passed out students.
2. Students are guided how to take the admission in the above courses
and what are the preconditions for that, e.g. no student below 60%
marks in 10+2 can appear in IIT entrance test.
3. Intelligence and personality of pupils are again tested in order to give
them a realistic suggestions whether they are capable for competing
a particular exam or not.
4. Individual record is prepared and maintained here also and progress
reports of pupils is communicated to parents also.
5. Pupils are suggested about different options which are available for
them on the basis of their abilities and efforts.
6. Regular counselling programs are organized for under achievers and
for those who have any behavior problem either due to physical
reasons or mental ones.
7. Orientation programs are organized for pupils for developing interest
in a particular stream and for increasing scholastic achievements.
8. Parents and pupils are given assistance in changing options within the
stream if possible.
9. Orientation of employment opportunities after the completion of a
particular course are given which is necessarily based on the study of
particular subjects or stream at 10+2 level.
10. Students are helped in making proper planning for their career and
course of study. Information regarding inter connection of different
courses are also given to them.

At Higher Education Level:

Higher education can be bifurcated into two groups, higher education (technical)
and higher education (general). Technical graduate of any field do not need much
guidance or counselling because they know about all the PG courses available in
their respective field. They need only guidance about the place of work i.e. where
they can get job after their education.
34

As far as graduates in general and non-technical /professional courses are

concerned they need guidance in a proper way. Following types of guidance
services can be made available to these students.
1. They are given information about the job opportunities after
graduation or post-graduation and how they can get those jobs.
2. Selection tests are conducted in most of the jobs. Students are
guided how to prepare for such tests and how to take them.
3. Every country needs a lot of clerical and assistance staff and
selection in all these jobs is done the basis of a competitive exam
and interview. Full guidance is given to students for this purpose.
4. Money creative potentials become evident at this stage. Pupils
are guided to exploit their potential to the maximum.
5. Intelligence and personality of students are tested to guide them
to opt for a particular job on the basis of their abilities and
interest.