1. COUNSELLING PRACTICES
Presenter
Muhammad Mujtaba Asad
FPTV,
Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia.

2. WHAT IS COUNSELING

Counselling is a process in which one person (the counselor)
helping another person (the client) to work through some difficult or
painful emotional, behavioral or relationship problem or difficulty.

Counselling is a kind of „talking therapy‟ which involves having a
face to face conversation with a trained and experienced practitioner
in a confidential, non judgmental setting. A counsellor will use their
skills to help you to explore the difficulties you are experiencing at
present and to make sense of the reasons why you are struggling.

The opportunity to think and talk about your difficulties in a reflective
way can not only bring a sense of relief but also help you to make
meaningful changes to your life and relationships.

3. WHAT IS COUNSELING

Counselling is an interactive learning process contracted
between
counselor(s)
and
client(s),
be
they
individuals, families, groups or institutions, which approaches in a
holistic way, social, cultural, economic and/or emotional issues.

Counselling in it's most simple form involves the process of
giving advice or guidance.

4. WHAT DOES A COUNSELLOR DO?

Personal worries can restrict a
person‟s ability to live their life as
they would like to. It is a
Counsellor's job to actively listen to
a client‟s problems, and mentally
challenge them to encourage them
to seek a solution to their concerns.


Counsellors provide a supportive
service that creates a confidential
space where clients can freely voice
their feelings.

Counsellors are non-judgmental
and impartial, and simply reflect the
client‟s worries and concerns so
that they are able to see the
difficulties from another perspective.

5. ISSUES A COUNSELLOR CAN HELP WITH

A qualified counsellor is trained to deal with many issues. These
may include dealing with major life changes, family or
relationship issues, domestic violence and/or abuse, parenting,
anger and stress management, loss and grief, depression and
addictions. Some counsellors may specialize in specific fields, for
instance relationship and family counselling or alcohol and drug
abuse counselling.

If a client is presenting a number of issues that require resolving
it is worth seeking a counsellor who covers a variety of emotional
issues. It is beneficial to a client to seek the services of a
counsellor who can provide the necessary level of support that
will enable the client to make therapeutic progress.

6. TYPES OF COUNSELLING

There are many different forms of counselling currently
available, although these will fall into one of three groups :
•
Individual work .
Group work .
Self-help groups.
•
•

7. TYPES OF COUNSELLING

Individual Counselling:
A counsellor will meet with a client on a one-to-one basis for regular
counselling sessions. In some cases the counsellor may also speak
with the client and their partner or a member of their family. This is
to facilitate communication and to talk through the issues that the
client wants to resolve.

Group Work:
A counsellor will lead a discussion, and guide clients with similar
issues and/or concerns, at meetings where individuals are
encouraged to share common experiences. This is a regular
meeting and clients attending will benefit from exchanging thoughts
and feelings.

8. TYPES OF COUNSELLING

Self-Help Groups
Individuals experiencing the same issues or difficulties meet
regularly to discuss experiences and feelings. This can be initiated
by a qualified counsellor or by individuals in the group.
Individual
Counselling
COUNCLLING
Group Therapy
Self-Help Groups

9. THEORIES OF COUNSELLING

Some major counselling/psychotherapy theories have been
selected for presentation and they are listed below:

Client-Centred or Person-Centred Theory.

Rational-Emotive Theory.

Behavioural Counselling.

10. CLIENT-CENTRED THEORY

The core of the theory is that humans have an inherent selfactualizing tendency, a movement towards developing capacities
in ways which serve to maintain and enhance the individual. By
following this innate drive, people can meet their needs, develop
a view of themselves, and interact in society in a beneficial way.
This may not occur without distress or „growing pains‟, but
theoretically, if humans can be helped to follow their nature, they
will move towards a state of relative happiness, contentment, and
general psychological adjustment (Patterson, 1980).

11. RATIONAL-EMOTIVE THEORY

Rational-emotive theory was developed by Albert Ellis, a clinical
psychologist. Underlying the practice of rational-emotive theory
and its applications to counselling, is a set of theoretical
hypotheses about the emotional-behavioural functioning of
humans and how it can be changed (Ellis, 1977).

Ellis theorizes that humans have the capacity to interpret reality
in a clear, logical and objective fashion, and avoid unnecessary
emotional-behavioural upsets, but also says that humans are
predisposed to irrational interpretations. They are susceptible to
crooked thinking, draw illogical conclusions which are not
objective, and are cognitive distortions of reality.

12. BEHAVIOURAL COUNSELLING

A general definition of behavioural counselling is that it „consists
of whatever ethical activities a counsellor undertakes in an effort
to help the client engage in those types of behaviour which will
lead to a resolution of the client's problems‟ (Koumboltz, 1965).

The methods and procedures of behavioural counselling are
based on social-learning theories - theories about how people
learn and change their behaviour. Forms of learning, such as
operant conditioning, classical conditioning, modelling, and
cognitive processes, are used to help persons counselled
change unwanted behaviour, and/or develop new, productive
behaviour

13. STAGES OF BEHAVIOURAL COUNSELLING

The counsellor helps the clients to explore their concerns, and a
behavioural analysis and assessment is conducted through
questions and, perhaps, a questionnaire or survey instrument.

The two parties set mutually-acceptable goals, stated in
behavioural terms.

Developing and implementing goal-oriented strategies on
learning theory principles (i.e., any set of ethical procedures that
helps clients to engage in behaviour that resolves their
concerns).

Accountability, when client feedback indicates that the strategy
was effective in promoting target behaviour and problem
resolution.

14. COUNSELLING SKILLS

Several skills need to be brought into a one-to-one
counselling session. These include:

Attitudinal skills.

Listening skills.

Verbal communication skills, and giving leads.

15. ATTITUDINAL SKILLS

There is probably nothing which has a greater impact on the
outcome of a counselling session than the helper's attitude.

Attitudes can be positive or reactive.

They include the following:

Respect.

Guidance/congruence.

Unconditional positive regard.

Empathy.

Self-disclosure.

Confrontation.

16. LISTENING SKILLS

Listening skills are basic to all human interaction, whether the
purpose is for getting information, conducting in-depth interviews,
or offering informal help. Listening is considered to be the most
important counselling skill.

Being a good listener entails receiving and sending appropriate
messages. In counselling this is important, because it means
meeting the needs of the client.

17. VERBAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Verbal communication is a series of expressive thoughts and
perceptions described through word.

Linguistic experts divide verbal communication into two
components:
 encoding
 decoding

Encoding is the process where in a speaker attempts to frame
thoughts and perceptions into words (e.g., someone saying to the
person next to her, “Boy, it‟s stuffy in here”).

18. VERBAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Decoding is the process where in the message is translated,
dissected, analyzed, and interpreted by the listener (e.g., the
person hearing this thinks, “Yeah, the room does smell rather
gamy”).

During the encoding and decoding process, some thoughts can
get lost in translation.

Misunderstanding, confusion, and stress can arise anywhere in
this process.

19. LEADS

Leads may be defined as statements that counsellors use in
communication with the clients.

Leads have been classified into categories of
techniques, namely:

Restatement of Content
Attempts to convey understanding by repeating or rephrasing the
communication.

Questioning
Seeks further information and asks the person counselled to
elaborate a point.

Reflection of Feeling
Understanding from the client's point of view and communicating
that understanding.

20. LEADS

Reassurance
Serves as a reward or reinforcing agent. It is often used to support
the client's exploration of ideas and feelings or test different
behaviour.

Interpretation
Explains meaning behind the client's statements.

21. FIELDS OF COUNSELLING
Personal/Social Counselling:
Personal counselling deals with emotional distress and
behavioural difficulties, which arise when individuals struggle to
deal with developmental stages and tasks. Any aspect of
development can be turned into an adjustment problem, and it is
inevitable that everyone encounters, at some time, exceptional
difficulty in meeting an ordinary challenge. For example:
 • Anxiety over a career decision.


• Lingering anger over an interpersonal conflict.

• Insecurities about getting older.

• Depressive feelings when bored with work.

• Excessive guilt about a serious mistake.

• A lack of assertion and confidence.

• Grief over the loss of a loved one.

• Disillusionment and loneliness after parents' divorce.

22. FIELDS OF COUNSELLING


Educational Counselling:
A term first coined by Truman
Kelley in 1914 (Makinde, 1988)
.

Educational counselling is a
process of rendering services to
pupils who need assistance in
making
decisions
about
important
spects
of
their
education, such as the choice of
courses and studies, decisions
regarding interests and ability,
and choices of college and high
school.

Educational
counselling
increases a pupil's knowledge of
educational opportunities.

23. FIELDS OF COUNSELLING

Vocational Counselling:
Vocational counselling is defined as individual contacts with those
counselled, in order to facilitate career development. This definition
and category encompasses counselling situations such as these:

Helping students become aware of the many occupations to
consider.

Interpreting an occupational interest inventory to a student.

Assisting a teenager to decide what to do after school.

Helping a student apply to a college or university.

Role-playing a job interview in preparation for the real thing.

24. ETHICAL CODES


•
•
•
•
•
Ethical codes, or standards, are
designed to provide guidelines for
behaviour.
Ethical codes serve several
purposes:
They protect members from
practices that may result in public
condemnation.
They provide a measure of selfregulation, thus giving members a
certain freedom and
autonomy.
They provide clients a degree of
protection from cheats and the
incompetent.
They help to protect counsellors
from the public if they are sued for
malpractice.

25. PROCESS OF COUNSELLING

26. PROCESS OF COUNSELLING

Beginning of counselling
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.
•

27. PROCESS OF COUNSELLING

Active attending or Listening
•
It is most important step in counselling 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 fear worries of the client.
•
Counsellor”s words, expression and posture/gesture indicate that
attention is being paid to what is being said.
•
Active listening includes reflection of feelings, questioning,
paraphrasing and clarification.

28. PROCESS OF COUNSELLING

Interpretation:
•
Avoid focusing on the real problem and talk around the issue.
•
Counsellor redefines the problem from a different point of view to
bring out more clarity to the problem and make client aware to
the core problem.
•
The counsellor also helps client to establish what is relevant,
emphasizing the important points for example, "Of all the things
you talked about today, it seems to me you are most concerned
about…”

29. PROCESS OF COUNSELLING

Repeating:
•
At times of stress and crisis, clients are in a state of denial or
feeling overwhelmed. They may not always understand
everything they are told.
•
As a counsellor, do not hesitate and repeat salient points of the
discussion, statements of support or necessary facts.
•
Client would usually convey that they understand and accept the
information

30. PROCESS OF COUNSELLING

Summarizing:
•
Many people who are stunned by news of the disease may
respond by talking quickly and trying to provide more details or
ask more questions; than counsellor can absorb or comprehend
•
It is then helpful for the counsellor to interrupt at times and
summarize what has been said. This is like paraphrasing and
helps to ensure that each understands the other correctly.
•
Summarizing towards the end of the counselling provides
guidance and direction to both counsellor and counselee.
•
Counsellor should summarize the salient points of the
discussion, highlight decisions which have been made and need
to be acted on.

31. PROCESS OF COUNSELLING
•
Confrontation:
•
Confrontation involves a direct examination of incongruities and
discrepancies in the client‟s thinking, feeling and behaviour.
•
The counsellor tells the client that how their thoughts effect their
thoughts affect their action and behaviour, which in turn affect the
behaviour of others towards them.
•
It is a highly intrusive skill hence timing is very important and
advice on confrontation must be delivered in an atmosphere of
warmth, care and concern.

32. PROCESS OF COUNSELLING
•
Respecting:
•
As a counsellor, try to appreciate that people see their problems
in unique personal ways determined by culture, social class and
personality.
•
Respect client‟s views and beliefs and build on them.
•
Show respect, for instance, by asking a client to explain different
aspects of the culture or personal beliefs that are strange to you;
for example ,”you feel strongly about this. I don‟t know about it.
Tell me more about it.”

33. PROCESS OF COUNSELLING
•
Structuring or Prioritization:
•
Structuring means helping the client to see relationship between
facts and feelings.
•
It helps clients to determine the important aspects of their
concern that needs immediate attention and other less important
aspects that can be put off until later.
•
It is essential part of planning and probably one of the most
critical skills in counselling.

34. PROCESS OF COUNSELLING
•
Deciding Plan of action:
•
Based on the scientific knowledge, cultural and socio- economic
aspect of the client, help the client to explore all the possible
solution for the prioritized aspect and choose the most relevant
option for action.
•
Encourage client to take their own decision and act accordingly.
•
Concluding a counselling session:
•
While ending the session summarize the salient points and
decision taken, congratulate client for their efforts, wish them luck
and fix next visit.