Understandably a counsellor may also experience a sense of personal familiarity, whilst counselling clients, but must remain emotionally detached at all times. Relating to clients, in a positive, open manner, encourages the client to disclose in a comfortable, confidential environment and provides the counsellor with the ideal setting in which to communicate in a supportive way. Using their own life experiences, a counsellor can demonstrate empathy, compassion and understanding without becoming personally involved in the counselling process. Becoming More Self-Aware Self-awareness is something that grows over a period of time and with exploration. Techniques, to access information about oneself, can be learned, and personal experiences can affect personal thoughts and feelings.
Philosophy of Counseling Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals. (ACA, 2010) Professional counseling is the application of mental health, psychological, or human development principles through cognitive, affective, behavioral, or systemic intervention strategies that address wellness, personal growth, or career development, as well as pathology and the primary purpose of counseling is to empower the client to deal adequately with life situations, reduce stress, experience personal growth, and make well-informed, rational decisions. (U.S. Dept. of Human Services, Mental Health, United States, 2002) As a counselor, I want to assist my clients in overcoming their problem(s) and provide them with the problem solving tools to conquer any future problems they may encounter. During this time, we will set short-term, long-term goals, and process goal to give us the direction of counseling and the purpose.
Unit Lev. 4 K/601/7629 | Professional Organisational Issues in Counselling | Assessment: | Portfolio of work. Word count 4,978 | (1) Understand what is meant by counselling | (1.1.) Define what is meant by the term counselling “Counselling and psychotherapy are umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies. They are delivered by trained practitioners who work with people over a short or long term to help them bring about effective change or enhance their well being” (bacp.co.uk).
McLeod also suggests that counselling skills can be used in a range of self help groups such as sliming groups or Alcohics Anonymous or in life coaching – although this focuses on the promotion of positive effectiveness or achievement. Users of counselling skills often have dual responsibilities both to the recipient of their skills and the organisation that they are operating within. (Stokes in Aldridge and Rigby). This can be a cause of conflict. Counsellors can avoid this conflict by starting the counselling relationship with a contract that ensures confidentiality and helps create a safe environment that supports a client by setting down guidelines for a working/ professional relationship that includes boundaries, conduct, timekeeping.
Mental health professionals practice active listening and encourage the client to express their feelings. Mental health counselors develop and implement treatment plans based on the client’s physical or mental condition. Client information is collected through interviews, observations or tests which guide counselors in the development of therapeutic information strategies that will help clients deal with their problems by targeting at-risk behaviors which promotes optimum mental and emotional well-being of the client (Erford, 2010). Over the past decade organizations have come to the realization that mental health professionals need to become competent in cross cultural interactions. Competent multicultural mental health professionals play a key role in success of mental health counseling interventions (Connerley & Pederson, 2005).
The organisation has 2 main objectives. These are – 1. To promote and provide education and training for counsellors and/or psychotherapists working in either professional or voluntary settings, whether full- or part-time, with a view to raising the standards of counselling and/or psychotherapy for the benefit of the community and in particular for those who are the recipients of counselling and/or psychotherapy. 2. To advance the education of the public in the part that counselling and/or psychotherapy can play generally and in particular to meet the needs of those members of society where development and participation in society is impaired by mental, physical or social handicap or disability.
I as counselor act as the guide or facilitator of this journey. I as counselor do not act as the self-appointed expert on the client's life who effortlessly dispenses advice to the client on what he/she should be thinking, feeling, and doing. I as counselor do not readily provide answers/solutions to client questions/problems regarding themselves and their lives. From my experience, clients are much more inclined to own and operate an answer/solution if it is of their own creation. On some level of consciousness based on his/her experience in life, I believe the client is in possession of the answers to his questions.
‘Compare and contrast the different ways the person-centred and cognitive-behavioural approaches to counselling understand and make use of the counselling relationship’ This essay will compare and contrast two of the many approaches to counselling available today. Firstly, we will briefly consider what counselling is and the relationship between therapist and client. We will then go on to consider the similarities and differences between the person-centred and cognitive-behavioural approaches. We will see how these two methods are used within the counselling relationship and consider their aims and objectives. In conclusion we will see why it could be argued that the latter approach is the most useful for many clients.
There are different types of counsellors and counselling settings, for example there are lay counsellors, faith or religious counsellors and professional counsellors; while settings differ in terms of the level of profession, the social context of the cases, and whether the setting is for a group session or just a mere consulting room. Counselling is part of the supportive psychotherapy that helps relatively normal people to face specific problems of adjustment and help re-establish healthy modes of adjustment; and it is aimed at helping an individual through their crises. The counsellor listens to the persons’ problem, provides the client with information, propose course of action, advocate for further therapy where necessary and reassures the client about progress and expected outcomes. In this essay we will discuss personal experiences of a first time counsellor. Issues like negotiating entry into the counselling setting, and understanding the real time factors that are experienced by counsellors and their clients such as keeping up with the set contracts, communication (verbal and
The guidance and counselling of students is an integral component of the educational mission of the school and it is an interpersonal relationship in which one person attempts to help another person to understand and cope with his problems in the area of education, vocation and family relationship Guidance and counselling services and programs promote the personal/social, educational, and career development of all students. The school counsellor develops a comprehensive, developmental guidance and counselling program with their school team to meet the needs for their context and specific school population. This development process includes identifying needs, implementing and monitoring programs, as well as adjusting plans based on the developmental needs of students. The role of the Guidance Counsellor falls into three areas: 1. Educational Guidance and Counselling - providing support at key moments during your time in school.