1. EDU 303: Foundation of Counselling
Christian Bwaya
Mwenge Catholic University

2. Categories of Counselling

3. Categories of Counselling cont...
There are many ways of distinguishing types of counseling.
Three main criterion used are:
1) Number of clients receiving counseling
2) Nature of problem
3) Theoretical orientation guarding counseling practice.

4. Number of Clients Individual counseling
Usually held between a professional counsellor and a client in a confined place where the third person has no unauthorized access to the process.
Assumption: Individual experiences are subjective and ought to be explored privately.

5. Number of Clients Individual counseling Advantage:
Personal concerns, needs and feelings are carefully considered
Challenge:
The client’s choice, however, is solely from their own reflections (no alternative experience)
Client may not be able to generate ideas from other members’ pattern of thoughts

6. Number of Clients cont... Group Counseling
Takes place between the professionally trained counselor and a group of people (not be more than seven)
Members of the groups are clients/counselees whose tasks or problems that are meant for resolution are similar.

7. Number of Clients cont... Group Counseling
Advantage: clients learn from each other and practice new interpersonal skills in group. Clients hear a range of perspectives from the group members and learn problem solving skills.

8. Number of Clients cont... Group Counseling Challenges:
Clients may have unique needs and they may be resistant t participating in group.
Examples could be educational counseling; Marital Counseling etc.

9. Number of Clients cont... Community counselling
While the individual/group counselling has always look at the individuals, community counselling focuses on social context.
As such, human behaviours happen in community context/settings.

10. Number of Clients cont... Community counselling
Is a comprehensive helping framework of intervention strategies and services that promotes the personal development and well being of all individuals and communities.
A community, is a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society in the same geographical area.

11. Nature of the client’s Problem
Personal/Social Counselling
Deals with emotional distress and behavioral difficulties that arise when an individual struggles to cope with developmental stages and tasks.
Everyone encounter exceptional difficulty with an ordinary challenge of life.

12. Nature of the client’s Problem
Personal/Social Counselling
For example;
Anxiety over a career decision
Lingering anger over an interpersonal conflict
Insecurity about getting older
Depressive feelings when bored with work
Excessive guilt about a serious mistake
A lack of assertion and confidence

13. Nature of the client’s Problem
Crisis Counselling
Provided to a client as a response to immediate situation or event where a client feels overwhelmed or unable to cope.
The immediate situation or event usually is intense and short lived but last a few weeks. Counselling, therefore, becomes part of help to assist the client to cope.

14. Nature of the client’s Problem
Crisis Counselling
Provided to a client as a response to immediate situation or event where a client feels overwhelmed or unable to cope.
The immediate situation or event usually is intense and short lived but last a few weeks. Counselling, therefore, becomes part of help to assist the client to cope.

15. Nature of the client’s Problem
Crisis Counselling
For example:
Grief over the loss of a loved one
Loss of job
Rough ending of a relationship
Bad news eg report that a student has failed an important examination
HIV/AIDS testing and status diclosure

16. Nature of the client’s Problem
Career/Vocational Counselling
Facilitate the counselee’s career development process.
Helping students become aware of the many occupations available for exploration.
Interpreting an occupational interest inventory to a student

17. Nature of the client’s Problem
Career/Vocational Counselling
Assisting a teenager in deciding what to do after school.
Helping a student apply for a course in a university or technical.
Role playing a job interview with a counselee in preparation for the real job interview.

18. Nature of the client’s Problem
Marital/Family Counselling
Focuses on helping people work on their relationship to gain happiness in a marriage or family.
Facilitates understanding of perspectives and unique needs of members of the family and focus on how a marriage and relationships can be made free of instability.

19. Nature of the client’s Problem
Marital/Family Counselling
For example:
Adolescent behavior in the family
Dealing parent’s misunderstanding and divorce
Financial challenges in the family
Family trauma eg prolonged sickness of the member of the family
Helping couples experiencing instability in their marriage.

20. Theoretical Orientation
Psychodynamic/Directive Counselling
Assumes that the present problem behaviours are a result of unconscious drives and conflicts.
A psychodynamic counselor focuses on letting the client aware of how the past has contributed to the current problem.

21. Theoretical Orientation
Cognitive Behavioural Counselling
Underscores the contribution of illogical thinking and beliefs in how a client feels and behaves.
The main idea is that unhealthy emotions and problem behaviors form from crooked/distorted thinking.

22. Theoretical Orientation
Humanistic/Client Centered Counselling
Assumes that clients have unique/subjective experience which is best understood by themselves and not the counselor.
Clients have potentials and will power to actualize their unique goals which may be challenged by difficult life experience.

23. Qualities of Effective Counsellor

24. Qualities of Effective Counsellor…
Counselling invites clients to look honestly at their behavior to gain the bigger picture of their own problem.
In the process, the counselor provides support, warmth, care to challenge and confront the client to reflect their behaviours and make informed decision.

25. Qualities of Effective Counsellor…
Since counselling is an intimate form of learning, which focuses on client feelings and emotions, it demands a practitioner who is able to build a trusting and genuine relationship with a client.
It is within the context of such person-to-person relationship that the client experiences growth and solution of his own problem.

26. Qualities of Effective Counsellor…
The central function of counselor is to help clients recognize their own strength and values.
The important instrument that counselors need is themselves as persons.
For counselors to promote growth and change in clients, they need to start with themselves by reflecting on own personal qualities.

27. Clarified Personal Values
Personal principles and beliefs which determine how individuals see themselves and world around them.
Values make us convinced of what is important in life and what is not.
Values are a result of socialization and guide the decision we make and how we define who we are.

28. Clarified Personal Values
Why do counsellors need to have values?

29. Clarified Personal Values
Maintains clients’ (and your) identity in the counseling process.
To help clients clarify their values and therefore
To realize when you are about to impose your values to the client (to find solutions which are congruent with their values)
Determine if you (counselor) are able to work with them or not

30. Sincere Interest in the Others
Counsellors need to feel rewarded seeing other people change or empowered.
The sincere interest in wellbeing of others is based on respect, care, trust and real valuing of others.
It is important for counselors to have sincere interest in others so that the focus of counseling become solely on the client without feeling threatened.

31. Genuineness in a Relationship
Counsellors do not hide behind masks, defenses and facades (incongruent behaviour, a deceit)
Genuineness means being sincere and honest (being who really are)
Why?

32. Genuineness in a Relationship
Sincerity increases the clients’ trust to the counselor because they know that what counselors say is meant.
Trust increases clients’ self disclosure which is important for effective counseling.

33. Empathetic Understanding
Ability to understand the private worlds of other people.
It involves being fully present for clients (attending to what the client says) and attempting to know what the client is going through with unconditional acceptance.
Why?

34. Empathetic Understanding
Empathetic understanding increases the exploration and clarification of the clients’ problem and therefore facilitates the clients to identify effective strategies to deal with their problems.

35. Maintaining Healthy Boundaries
Effective counselors build healing relationship with the client and know when to terminate the relationship.
Although they strive to be fully present for their clients, they do not carry the problems of their clients around with them during leisure hours.
Maintaining healthy boundaries includes being honest about own limitation.

36. Responsibilities….
What are the responsibilities of the counsellor?

37. Responsibilities….
Establish a relationship of trust and respect with clients
Encourage clients to talk about issues they feel they can not normally share with others and actively listening to client concerns and empathizing with their position.
Accepting without bias the issues raised by clients.

38. Responsibilities….
Helping clients towards a deeper understanding of their concerns.
Challenging any inconsistencies in what clients say or do.
Helping clients to make decisions and choices regarding possible ways forward
Referring clients to other sources of help as appropriate and terminating a relationship.

39. Ethical Issues in Counselling

40. Putting Client’s Needs First
Counselling relationship exists for the benefits of the client and not of the counselor.
The objective to help the client to feel relieved and find solution to their own problems
It is important to avoid exploiting the client to meet your own needs

41. Putting Client’s Needs First cont…
Examples of our needs:
Changing others in the direction of your own values and beliefs. Your beliefs and values are good for yourself and not for the client,
Persuading the client to change their identity or things they consider important. If their values are source of the problem, confront them to review them and not convincing them to change.

42. Right of Informed Consent
Building counseling relationship entails educating the client of the rights and responsibilities to enhance active cooperation of clients and therefore make informed choices from information provided.

43. Right of Informed Consent
Examples of information that needs to be discussed before counseling begins:
General goal of counseling including potential benefits and risks
Responsibilities of the counselor and clients
Limitation and exceptions to confidentiality
Qualification of the counselor
Approximate length of counseling
Fees involved

44. Confidentiality
Trusting relationship with the client involves the assurance that what is discussed in the counseling process remains private and confidential.
Confidentiality is both legal and ethical requirement.
It is important that confidentiality is discussed early in counseling process.

45. Confidentiality
How do you make your client believe that you will keep their information confidential:
Signing confidentiality form in the beginning of the counseling
Giving verbal assurance during the intake interview
Avoiding using other clients information as examples in the counseling

46. Confidentiality Breach of confidentiality is justifiable:
When the client poses a danger to others or themselves eg threatening to kill others
The client is under age of 18 years and is the victim of rape, child abuse or other forms of crimes
Client requests that information to be released to third party

47. Acting in Line to Guidelines
Some of the ethical issues are specific to professional organizations.
For example, there are professional codes of ethics which address a range of issues and behaviours.
There are provisions for accountability which are responsible for any practice; clients’ protection from unethical practice. You need to abide to the provisions and guidelines in counseling process.

48. Reflection
Why do you think students do not like coming to their teachers for counseling?

49. I am proud of you!