CONCEPT OF COUNSELLING

COUNSELLING AND ITS NATURE

Meaning of counselling:

      According to Carl Rogers, counselling is a series of direct contacts with the individual which aims to offer him assistance in changing his attitude and behavior.

Counselling described as the face-to-face meeting of the counsellor and counselee. Within the guidance services, counselling may be the core of the helping process, essential for the proper administration of assistance to students as they attempt to solve their problems. Counselling is consultation. Mutual exchanges of opinions a mutual deliberation.

Arbuckle thinks that counseling has two elements,

1. It involves two persons.
2. Its objectives to assist the student or the counselee solve his problems independently.

Counselling is,

1. The process that occurs when a client and counsellor set aside time in order to explore difficulties which may include the stressful or emotional feelings of the client. 

2. The act of helping the client to see things more clearly, possibly from a different view-point. This can enable the client to focus on feelings, experiences or behaviour, with a goal to facilitating positive change.

3. A relationship of trust.  Confidentiality is paramount to successful counselling.  Professional counsellors will usually explain their policy on confidentiality, they may, however, be required by law to disclose information if they believe that there is a risk to life.

4. “The process of assisting and guiding clients, especially by a trained person on a professional basis, to resolve especially personal, social, or psychological problems and difficulties.”

Counselling is not:

            1.      Giving advice.

            2.      Judgmental.

            3.      Attempting to sort out the problems of the client.

            4.      Expecting or encouraging a client to behave in a way in which the counsellor may have    

                  behaved when confronted with a similar problem in their own life.

           5.      Getting emotionally involved with the client.

           6.      Looking at a client's problems from your own perspective, based on your own value 

                 system.

NATURE OF COUNSELLING

        THE NATURE OF COUNSELLING. The counsellor functions in a broad-spectrum verging upon psychotherapy at one boundary and upon advice giving at the other and May also enrich the skills of others in the caring professions. In all cases, receptivity to the individual's thoughts and feelings is required.

Basic principles of Counselling

1. Counselling is concerned with the individual as a Group Member.
2. Counselling is concerned with the whole student.
3. Counselling is for all students.
4. Individual differences should be determined and provided for, as far as possible.
5. Counselling is directed towards helping the Individual to become progressively more self-understanding and self-directing.
6. Counselling does not deprive the Individual of the right of choice.
7. Counselling is a continuous process.
8. To function well, counsellors need the knowledge, skill, understanding that are best attained through professional education.
9. Organisation is needed for the Counselling Programme to be Effective.

According to Hann and Maclean, Basic principles of Counselling are,

1. It strongly dedicated to self-direction and self-realization of the client or the student.
2. It is the development of the insights and understandings of the relations of self and environment.
3. It is a structured learning situation.
4. Its methods vary with the needs of the client.
5. It is primarily a preventive and remedial process.
6. It is voluntary for the student.

NEED OF COUNSELLING

       Counselling is an integral part of an over-all programme of guidance. “Counselling is a specific process of assistance extended by an expert in an individual situation to a needy person”. This means the counseling situation arises when a needy person is face to face with and expert who makes available his assistance to the needy individual to fulfill his needs. 

NEED OF COUNSELLING

1. To the total development of the student.
2. To help in the proper choices of courses
3. To help in the proper choices of carvers
4. To help in the students in vocational development.
5. To develop readiness for choices and changes to face new challenge.
6. To minimize the mismatching between education and employment and help in the efficient use of manpower.
7. To motivate the youth for self-employment.
8. Guidance and counseling service is needed to help students deal effectively with the normal developmental tasks of adolescence and face life situations boldly.
9. To identify and motivate the students form weaker sections of society.
10. To help the students in their period of turmoil and confusion.
11.  To help in checking wastage and stagnation.
12.  To identity and help students in need of special help.
13. There are such students as the gifted, the backward the handicapped who need special opportunities. They need special attention and opportunities.
14. To ensure the proper utilization of time spent outside the classrooms.
     The manner in which student spend their non-class hours clearly affects   their success in achieving both academic competence and personal development of all types a positive direction to students should be provided by influencing how they can use those non-class hours.
15.  To help in talking problems arising out of students’ population explosion
16.  To check migration to prevent brain drain.
17. To make up for the deficiencies of home.
18. To minimize the incidence of indiscipline.

Objectives of Counselling

Clarence G Dunsmoor and Leonard M Miller state following objectives of counselling:

1. To give the student information on matters important to his success.
2. To get information about the student, which will be helpful in solving his problems?
3. To establish mutual understanding between the students and teachers.
4. To help the student work out a plan for solving his difficulties.
5. To help the student to know his interests, abilities, attitudes, etc.
6. To encourage and develop special abilities and right attitudes.
7. To assist the student in planning educational and vocational choices.

The Importance of Counseling

         According to the American Counseling Association “Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, and education and career goals.”

Our world is increasingly becoming more interconnected. This globalization highlights the need for highly trained mental health professionals to address trauma, addiction, depression, academic and career concerns in clinics, hospitals, schools, and universities.

         Counselors are highly-trained professionals assisting people to live more joyful, productive lives. No one would seriously doubt that life is challenging and, at times, heart-breaking—we need only to look around.

           Then, there are others issues that while seemingly less pressing, can be very big concerns for the person grappling with them. A good example of such concerns involves career and vocational identity issues. School counselor and career counselors help students and adult clients address career and employment concerns through testing, interviewing and, of course, counseling. Good career “fit” certainly is an asset to optimal mental health and, conversely, people unhappy in their job (or those unemployed) likely will be depressed.

      The counseling profession is growing exponentially. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects most counseling fields are growing much more rapidly than most professions. So, students and others interested in the counseling profession will find there are jobs available provided they are willing to stretch both their comfort zone and, in some cases, their time zone.

      Anyone interested in becoming a counselor must be healthy themselves. Counseling is challenging work and maintaining one’s own physical and mental health is critical for success in the profession. Counselors must also be open-minded, nonjudgmental, tolerate ambiguity, and be lifelong learners.

What is the importance of counselling?

        Counseling is important because it gives you the opportunity to sort out a problem or issue that you’ve had trouble figuring out on your own. To give an example, many of my clients come to me because they feel that they keep having the same problem “over and over” again. They feel stuck in a pattern and they want resources to do it differently.

Here are some other reasons:

1. Diagnosis. If you are struggling with a mental diagnosis, such as depression or anxiety, counseling can be incredibly helpful in teaching you skills and coping strategies.
2. Review Patterns. Counseling can be a place for you to review your relationship patterns. Sometimes our relationship patterns can cause us great unhappiness, and this is a place for you to review why it is happening, and how to do things differently.
3. Confidentiality. Therapy is a place to disclose in (utter) confidence (with a few exceptions) all of your most tightly-kept secrets. Your therapist is bound legally and trained professionally to hear your most vulnerable moments and thoughts. This can be a relief for some, as carrying these thoughts by yourself can be taxing.
4. Skills. Counseling can help you improve skills such as Adult ADHD or communication. Some clients simply need education, resources and tools on how to strengthen a certain skill set.
5. Change. Therapy can be a powerful, transformative process for some. All of us struggle with something (work, relationships, parents, interpersonal). For some, investing in therapy can help you make the changes you want to reach your relationship or life goals.

        

Purpose of Student counselling

     Dunsmoor and Miller are of the view that the core of student counselling is to help the student to help himself. From this point of view, they describe the following purposes of student counselling:

1. To give the student information on matters important to success.
2. To get information about student which will be of help in solving his problems.
3. To establish a feeling of mutual understanding between student and teacher.
4. To help the student work out a plan for solving his difficulties.
5. To help the student know himself better-his interests, abilities, aptitudes and opportunities.
6. To encourage and develop special abilities and right attitudes.

When counselling is required?

The following are some of the situations in which counselling is needed:

1. When the student needs not only reliable information but an interested interpretation of such information as meets his own personal difficulties.
2. When the students’ needs a wide, sympathetic listener with border experience than his own, to whom he can recount his difficulties and from whom he may gain suggestions regarding his own proposed plan of action.
3. When the counsellor has access to facilities for helping in the solution of a students’ problem to which the student does not have easy access.
4. When the student is unaware that he has a certain problem but of his best development, must be around to a consciousness of that problem.
5. When the student is aware of a problem and of the strain and difficulty it is causing, but is unable to define and understand it, and is unable to cope with it independently.

Whom should be counselled?

The following type of students are in urgent need of counselling:

1. Students who have a consistent record of under achievement.
2. Students whose scholastic achievement drops suddenly.
3. Students who need financial aid in order to continue their studies.
4. Students who find it difficult to participate in class and extra-class activities.
5. Students who use exhibitionism for gaining recognition or attention in class.
6. Students who find it difficult to adjust to the School/College.
7. Students who suddenly decide to drop out of School/College.
8. Students who display unusual ability in any direction intellectual, artistic, musical, etc.

The role of the Counsellor

       It is important to understand that counselling and guidance are not synonymous. Guidance is the overall framework of personnel services with the school. The counsellor is the in charge of guidance programme. The counsellor is responsible for:

7. Organize interview programme, to help the student make wise decisions and choices and to resolve their problems of adjustment.
8. Organizational and operational responsibility for various aspects of orientation programmes.
9. He is the Responsible for the placement function, involving cooperative relationships between placement agencies and the school.
10. Responsibility to coordinate community resources and agencies,
11. He may also serve as a social worker of the school.
12. The counsellor should serve as a general consultant on guidance within the school and responsible for all related activities.
13. Conduct follow-up studies for dropouts.
14. Help the pupils and staff identify moral, emotional, educational values and problems in guidance.

Functions of a Teacher as Counselor

In the counseling process based on the nature of the problem, teacher has to select the Directive counseling or Non-Directive Counseling. The teacher has to perform the following functions as a counsellor.

1. The teacher has to show direction for the poor marks, teaching problems, memory, handwriting etc.
2. Teacher has to develop effective study habits in students.
3. Teacher has to solve the behaviour problems like theft, teasing of others, absenteeism, late coming, arrogant behaviour etc.
4. Teacher has to handle the cases like, subject fear, examination fear, cannot write the learned answers in examination hall, phobias etc.
5. Teacher has to collect the information from the student.
6. Teacher has to co-ordinate the school or college programmes.
7. Teacher has to conduct the group guidance programmes in colleges/Schools.
8. Techer has to make a good relationship between college/school and home as well as college and society.
9. Teachers have to interview the students at least monthly once, and interview with then parents when needed.
10. Teacher should helpful to the students in their evaluation.
11. Teacher has to develop the Decision-making power in the students and
12. Teacher has to expose the students to participate in School co-curricular activities.

Characteristics of Counselling

1. It concentrates on the normal individual.
2. It considers breadth rather than depth.
3. It involves a wide range of techniques.
4. It must be a co-operative affair and the counsellor must act as a point of contact.
5. It should not be solely based upon psychology. It must take the help of other branches of study.
6. It should meet all the needs. It should be neither child-centred nor technique centred, nor problem centred and nor counsellor centred alone.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING

        Counseling refers to a professional advice given by a counselor to an individual to help him in overcoming from personal or psychological problems. ... But counseling, tends to change the perspective, to help him get the solution by himself or herself. Guidance is a comprehensive process; that has an external approach.

         Guidance and Counselling are not synonymous terms. Counselling is a part of guidance, not all of it. G.E Smith writes, “The concept of counselling as a group of services which make up the guidance programme is generally accepted.”

         Similarly, the terms, counselling and interview, are not interchangeable. Interview is a face to face discussion between the counselor and the counselee. Counselling can be given through correspondence and the telephone conversations. Counselling is a wider term which includes interview as one of its techniques.

Guidance

Counselling

It is a comprehensive process It can be in individual as well as in group. It is concerned with educational, vocational and other problem along with personal problem. Any person lcan provide through the magazines, books and correspondence Guidance is broader and comprehensive. Guidance is more external, helps a person understand alternatives solutions available to him and makes him understand his personality and choose the right solution. Guidance is mainly preventive and developmental. Intellectual attitudes are the raw material of guidance. Decision making is operable at an intellectual level in guidance. Guidance is generally education and career related and may also be for personal problems.

1. It is an integral part of guidance. 2. Counselling of one individual is possible at a time. 3. It usually helps in solving the problems of mental health and emotions. 4. In counselling, the role of mutual consultation and reasoning is very important. 5. Counselling is in-depth and narrow. 6. Counselling helps people understand themselves and is an inward analysis. Alternative solutions are proposed to help understand the problem at hand. 7. Counselling is remedial as well as preventive and developmental. 8. Educational rather than pure intellectual attitude are raw material of the counselling process. 9. Counselling operates at an emotional level. 10. Counselling is mostly offered for personal and social issues.