DISCIPLINE AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES approach requires sensitivity and appreciation of the intricacies of the
nd appreciation of the intricacies of the disease. Counselors may also
Understanding the Principles and Processes of Counseling in the Community
Lesson 1: Counseling and Its Clientele and Audience
The clientele and audiences of the counseling profession come from different settings. They
are not in need of clinical or mental help. They may be the youth in need of guidance at critical
moments of their growth, anyone in need of assistance in realizing a change in behavior or attitude, or
simply seeking to achieve a goal.
A. Substance Abusers
• People who abuse drugs
Drug abuse is not just harmful to our physical health but to our mental health as well. It cannot
be denied that the drug addiction creates more social problems and contribute to social disintegration.
Consequently, more youth victims cry for help and seek for counselors’ attention.
People who use tobacco
Slowly our population recognize the bad effects of tobacco to our health. However, many
people still use and continue use tobacco even if it is deadly. Users find it difficult to stop smoking.
Hence, smokers who desire to quit tobacco were added to the list of the counselor’s audiences.
People who abuse alcohol
Alcoholism is seen as a disease alcoholic find it difficult to stop drinking on their own. This
requires help from a professional it requires appropriate treatment. However, an equally important
paradigm is to look at alcoholism as a weakness of self – control and self–discipline, therefore this
requires intervention other than treatment.
B. Women
Most men still have less participation in household responsibilities and childcare. In this case,
women’s advancement is constrained. What complicates this situation is the women’s perception about
themselves and the society’s expectations. Counselors are responsible in helping women appreciate
their own values, abilities, aptitudes, and interests and to utilize these to develop their full potential.
(Gibson and Mitchel, 2003)
C. Older Adults
A transition from a busy life to retirement stage must be instituted. This is challenge to the
counseling profession. Other issues that require attention of counseling include loss of a partner,
decline of mental capacity and mobility, increased loneliness, decline in financial security etc.
D. Person with HIV/ AIDS
Human immune deficiency Virus/ Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has been
labeled as the most feared disease due to its incurability. Victims of this disease are seeking help to
improve their quality of life and to handle their emotional stress and low self-esteem. Counseling’s
help in assisting and educating the victims’ support system.
E. Victims of Injustice
This population represents victims of domestic violence characterized by spouse and child
abuses. Spouse abuse is often associated with poverty, drug abuse and career disappointments. The
abuse has also become rampant and has caused psychological damage to the victims. The counselors
are increasingly utilized to help the victims.
F. Gay Men and Lesbian Women ( LGBTQ)
They are usually the victims of harassment, violence, discrimination, and isolation. Gays and
lesbians, like other sectors of the society, suffer from peer denial, family clash, health uncertainties and
prejudgment. Counseling will focus on self-awareness, self- acceptance and understanding. One way
that schools can address bullying and discrimination and ameliorate their to address the problem is by
providing educational resources to students, teachers, and staff to familiarize them with LGBT people
and issues.
II. Lesson 2: Process Involved in Counseling
As it was mentioned in the first part of this module, counseling process is a planned, structured
dialogue between a counselor and a client. It is a cooperative process in which a trained professional
helps a person to identify the sources of difficulties or concerns that he or she is experiencing.
Counseling process usually varies depending on the client’s need, preference, culture and values
orientation. There are five processes involved in counseling. First, establishing rapport and relationship;
second, assessing or defining the presenting problem; third, identifying and setting goals; fourth,
choosing and initiating interventions; and fifth, planning and introducing termination and follow up.
Step 1. Establishing rapport and relationship. This is the heart of counselling process because it
provides the force and foundation for the counselling to succeed. This stage involves establishing
rapport:
▪ promote acceptance of the client as a person with worth;
▪ establishing genuine interaction;
▪ promote direct mutual communication;
▪ helping clients understand themselves;
▪ helping client focus; and
▪ Slowly promote counselling relevant communication, from the client.
Step 2. Assessing or defining the presenting problem.
One of the most crucial processes involved in counselling for it is the stage where counsellors
diagnose one’s problems or issues.
▪ This serves as the window for the counsellor to have a thorough appreciation of the client’s condition.
▪ It entails analysis of the root causes of problems.
▪ The data that will be gathered in diagnosis will be utilized in the formulation of goals.
Step 3. Identifying and setting goals.
Goals are important as it sets the direction of the counselling process.
▪ It shall serve as the parameter of work and the client-counsellor relationship.
▪ Counselling goals may be treated as a process goal or outcome goal.
▪ The client and counsellor must agree on the counselling goals.
Step 4. Choosing and initiating interventions.
There are guidelines to be followed in this stage. These will help the counselor to maximize
the given period of time in treating his or her client.
A. The counsellor has to provide a mapping of the different approaches offered.
B. Describe the role of the counsellor and client for each procedure.
C. Identify possible risks and benefits that may come.
D. Estimate the time and cost of each procedure.
Step 5. Planning and introducing termination and follow up.
The essential goal in counselling is to witness a client progress on his/her own without the
assistance of the counselor. There are four components of termination which were identified by Quintan
and Holahan:
1. Discussion of the end of counselling
2. Review of the course of counselling
3. Closure of the counsellor-client relationship
4. Discussion of the client’s future and post-counselling plan
Lesson 3: Methods Involved in Counseling
It is good to be aware of the classical approaches to counseling. Acounselor does not stick to
one approach. What is recommended is that one should be familiar with all of the approaches and then
perhaps blend the different ideas that appeal the most. Taking an idea from one approach and another
idea from another approach to form a counseling method is what often done. The following are list of
basic counseling approaches with brief descriptions of their nature: Psychoanalytic Therapy, Person-
centered Approach, Eclectic Counseling, Rational-emotive Therapy, Reality Therapy, Adlerian Therapy,
Gestalt Therapy and Solution-focused Brief Therapy.
A. Psychoanalytic Therapy
People’s behavior is influenced by strong unconscious forces which seek expression. Sigmund
Freud (1856-1939) was the originator of psychoanalysis. According to Freud, human beings are
basically determined by psychic energy and early experiences. What the counselor does is
unconscious thoughts and feelings are brought into consciousness. Counselor uncovers unconscious
material and analyzes hidden conflicts. For instance, Juan suffered from physical abuse during his
childhood. Whenever he commits mistake even it’s simple, his elders always hit him either stick or
hand. So while growing up he thinks that hitting someone is just normal. In this case, the counselor
separates fantasy from reality and helps the client gain insight into how he or she misinterpreted the
present in terms of the past.
B. Person-centered Approach
Carl Rogers (1902-1987) the founder of person-centered approach believes that individuals
have the capacity to solve their own problem and regulate themselves without the direction or
manipulation of the therapist. Counselor provides an atmosphere of freedom in which the client, through
self-exploration, comes to see himself and his reactions more clearly and accept his attitudes more
fully. In this instance, the counsellor just listen to the client, is not giving advice, do not evaluate, not
criticizing and moralizing or preaching. This approach is not a technique oriented; listening and
observation is emphasized.
C. Eclectic Counseling
The chief advocate of this type of counseling is Frederick Charles Thorne (1863-1904). He
believes that counselor an eclectic counselor will select from a number of different approaches
appropriate to the client’s needs. This is based on the theory that there is no proof that any one
theoretical approach works better than all others for a specific problem. Method of counseling may
change from client to client or even with the same client from time to time.
D. Rational-emotive Therapy
Rational-emotive Therapy founded by Albert Ellis (1913-2007), focuses on the cognitions,
emotions and behaviors that create the problems and their underlying themes. Human beings are born
with a potential for both rational and irrational thinking as well as negative and positive emotions. Based
on the concept of RET, people have the capacity to change their cognitive, emotive and behavioral
processes; they can choose to react differently from their usual patterns and refuse to become upset,
and train themselves so that their life pattern will be one of minimal disturbance. The causes of an
individual’s problems are not the events that have happened but how the individual perceives them.
Given that a person lost his job, instead of thinking and entertaining the feeling of “I’m worthless, I’m
hopeless” that may lead to depression, the counselor will help the client to alter the way that person
perceived that situation. Thus, the person will be able to tell himself “My boss is a jerk. I deserve
something better” and he will not be depressed.
E. Reality Therapy
William Glasser (1925-2013) founded Reality Therapy. Humans were motivated to desire for a
unique quality world which contains all the needs and wants related to the five genetic needs. In this
manner, human thinks out of reality. The perceptions and images that individuals have of the world
around them influences how their needs are met. This counseling method assumes that we choose our
behavior and are therefore responsible not only for what we are doing but also for how we think and
feel. The counselors may then help the client see things that are achievable and acceptable.
Counselors help the client make the quality world more realistic by eliminating the unattainable
and prioritizing wants. For instance, a student who is not serious on his academic studies, the
counselor will ask the student what will happen if he continues doing things that eventually lead him in
failing. The student will now think of the possible consequences and the things he should be doing to
avoid failing.
F. Adlerian Therapy
Alfred Adler (1870-1937) was the founder of Adlerian Therapy. He believed that the first six
years of life influenced an individual. He also stressed that the idea that place in the family constellation
(such as being the youngest child) can have an impact on one's later personality and functioning. –
Birth order and the interpretation of one’s position in the family have a great deal to do with how adults
interact in the world. Counselors help clients look at their lifestyle and personal core values to help them
understand and question their usual patterns of behaviors and hidden goals. Individual’s social being is
the advocate of this therapy method. Counselors assist the client to move towards useful involvement
and contribution to society. In this method, the loner will be taught to socialize him/herself from the
group. Adler emphasized that where we are striving to go is more important than where we have come
from or simply the future is more important than the past.
G. Gestalt Therapy
Frederick S. Perls (1893-1970) was the originator of and developer of the Gestalt theory. It is a
school of thought that looks at the human mind and behavior as a whole not in parts. Given an
example, Maria had a not so good relationship with her mum. One day her mum caught in an accident
and died. Maria felt sorry and guilty since then. There came to a point that her state of equilibrium
suffers. She consulted a counselor. The counselor applied the ‘empty chair’ technique wherein Maria
imagined that her mum is sitting in the chair. The counselor asked Maria to tell everything what she
wants to tell to her mum. After doing that, she felt better. As we can see in the given example, much of
the focus is on dealing with unfinished business from pasttraumatic experiences in the life of the client.
Techniques include confrontation, dialogue with parties, role playing, reliving, and reexperiencing
unfinished business in the forms of resentment and guilt. The emphasis of this therapy is on doing and
experiencing rather than merely talking about one’s feelings.
H. Solution-focused Brief Therapy
Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) is an evidenced-based psychotherapy approach that
was developed by Steve de Shazer (1940-2005), and Insoo Kim Berg (1934-2007) and their
colleagues. Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) places focus on a person's present and future
circumstances and goals rather than past experiences. It has been the most common therapy used in
schools. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) concentrates on finding solutions in the present time
and exploring one’s hope for the future to find quicker resolution of one’s problems. ‘Miracle question’ is
one of the various techniques in this therapy. The counselor will ask the troubled client, “If a miracle
happened and you woke up tomorrow and your problem was solved, what will be the different?” the
client will then have a clearer picture on the problem and will be able to formulate resolutions to solve
his problem.
Lesson 4: Needs of Individuals, Groups/Organizations, and
Communities in Counseling
The clientele and audiences of counseling are normal people. They are not in need of clinical
or mental help. What they need are guidance at the critical moments of their life, assistance in realizing
a change in behavior or attitude, or simply seeking to achieve a goal. What the clientele and calls for
counseling is application or development of social skills, effective communication, spiritual direction,
decision-making, and career choices.
The clientele and audiences in counseling are individuals and groups of people who receive
service from various counseling professions. These individuals and groups vary in their needs and
context where they avail counseling services.
1. Individual as client of Counseling
They are individual who needs to be helped to manage well a life changing situation or
personal problem or crisis and other support needs that may undergo counseling as individual. This is
the common type of counseling. The individual needs capacitation to be able to manage well their
unique circumstances, which may be very difficult to endure alone.
Problems like alcoholism, loss of job, divorce, imprisonment, and rehabilitation can be a cause
of shame and embarrassment. Without acquiring enough strength and ability to go through such life
experience, people are vulnerable and may come out worse; even while simply going through natural
life transitions like retirement and growing old.
2. Group and Organization as Client of Counseling
Group exist in communities, organizations, students in schools, teachers in schools, and
departments in workplaces, and such an entity can undergo group counseling to meet counseling
needs on that level. The needs can range from desire to reduce conflict or manage it, become more
productive as a team or work better together. Some of the group processes and procedures resemble
those that are applied to individuals. However, some are very unique to group and organizational
context.
3. The Community as Client of Counseling
Community counseling is a generic term for any of professional counseling that treats
dysfunction occurring within a group of related people. This term describes a preventive system of
counseling that works to combat psychological impairment through the improvement and development
of
community support.
A community is defined as a group of interacting individuals who share a commonality. This
commonality can be anything from location of residence to career interest, but a community counselor
will use this common characteristic to council groups of people. When people experience something
collectively, which maybe socially troubling and constitute the danger of blocking their collective
capacity to move on, counseling is necessary to be undertaken on a community level.