Page 145 - DEDU502_GUIDANCE_AND_COUNSELING_ENGLISH

Unit 12: Counseling: Principles and Counseling Process

Notes

The last stage in counseling is generally the most crucial one in which the client is
encouraged to make use of the psychotherapeutic or counseling benefits he may have
gained to adjust himself to the world of realities.

Stage VIII: Therefore this stage is the actual test to determine the success of counseling. If the client
is not able to adapt himself to his surroundings then we can infer that he has not gained much from
counseling. On the other hand, if the client is able to do so then we know that the counseling has
been successful. This stage marks the termination of counseling.

12.4 Factors used in Counseling
Beginning of counseling session (introduction) : As the patient enters the room, greet the person,
call the person by name, welcome the client and make him/her comfortable. Introduce yourself if
meeting for the first time and tell the person the purpose of the meeting (to understand the health
problem and its best management). Encourage the counselee to talk about themselves.
I. Active attending or Listening : It is most important point in counseling because the details
provided by the client are based on it. Active listening means listening carefully and paying
attention to verbal as well as non verbal signals.
Provide in-depth information to relieve fears and worries of the client. Similarly, counselor’s
words, expression and posture/gesture (verbal/non verbal communication) indicate that
attention is being paid to what is being said. By demonstrating an attending behaviour we
enhance the client’s self-respect, establish a safe atmosphere and facilitate free expression of
thought by the counselee. Active listening includes reflection of feelings, questioning,
paraphrasing and clarification.
Similarly, actions of the counselee communicate many unexpressed feeling. Some of these
nonverbal activities are counselee entering the room, Voice quality, Breathing, Eyes, Facial
expressions, Leg movement & Body posture.
• Reflection of content and Feeling : People respond differently to their illness. They may
express their feelings as fear, anger, anxiety or sadness about disease. E.g. depression may
be expressed as short temper, Irritable behavious, less interest in daily routine, inability to
sleep, loss of weight and feeling of worthlessness and anxiety. Do not try to stop, let the
person express their feelings, do not stop patient/ family members from crying. Do not take
anger personally and try to stay calm.
The counselor must recognize such feelings in a direct, unemotional way. The focus is kept
on the emotions of the client and his/her subjective experiences in coping with the situation.
Counselor reflects the contents and feeling of the other persons by responding back to the
client and communicating a message though empathy, questioning or paraphrasing that
conveys that counselor is listening and trying to understand counselee’s circumstances.
• Questioning : Always try to use questions and establish communications so that both the
problem and the solutions are clear. Asks questions in order to clarify the situation and
make client aware of all the dimensions of the problem and help the clients to understand
the core issue underlying his/her fears or concerns. Do not ask too many closed question
(closed questions are those questions that can be answered by one word like yes/no). Ask
open questions to make communication easier, encourage further discussion and facilitate
building of trust and warmth in the relationships.
Use questions containing why with caution as it may easily sound judgmental. If you need
to use ‘why’, use it in the middle of a sentence and not in the beginning of a sentence.

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