Week 1 Introduction to Counselling
Counselling is:
- A profession designed to work with primarily those who are experiencing development or
adjustment problems and also individuals who are struggling with forms of mental illness.
- A profession with a history of rich standards that are distinct from other related
disciplines such as psychology, social work and psychiatry.
- A relationship, whether in a group, family, or individual format is constructed in a way to
promote trust, support, support, safety, and change.
- Multidimensional. Deals with human feelings, thoughts and behaviours as well as the
past, present and future.
- A series of sequential steps.
Therapists should reply to clients with compassion and care, free from personal bias.
When asked to record innermost thoughts and feelings during simulated sessions with clients,
students reported:
- Struggles controlling frustration when clients do not cooperate.
- Disappointment over missed opportunity for deeper exploration.
- Fears of incompetency
- Temperance of elation or feeling useful
A counsellor must learn to deal with these feelings through reflections and constructive
self-critical evaluation. Other feelings counsellors must learn to cope with include:
- The presence of others discomfort
- Frustration of resistant clients
- Clients not attending appointments
- Rigid institutional policy
- Limited budgets
- Irate parents
- Dramatic/erratic behaviour
Your transformation
- Your relationships will change
- New expectations and standards for intimacy will emerge
- A new found ability to enrich your family and professional relationships will be integrated
by you
- You will be ruined: forever dissatisfied with superficial encounters
- Your love relationships may change forever and many of your friendships may be
outgrown
The goals of counselling, to assist someone are:
- Feel better emotionally
, - Discover a new way of thinking
- Discover more adaptive ways of behaving
* To help a person make useful changes to their thoughts, emotions and behaviours.
Week 2 The Counselling Relationship
Learning about
- Influence on Counsellors values and beliefs.
- Person centered therapy
- Desirable counselling qualities
Therapeutic techniques: factors unique to specific therapies and tailored to treatment of specific
problems.
Hope and expectancy factors: The portion of improvement that results from clients expectations
of help or belief in the rationale of effectiveness of therapy.
Clients factors: Factors that are qualities of the client or their environment that aid recovery
regardless of participation in therapy.
Therapeutic relationship characteristics may include personal awareness and insight, trust,
respect, safety, authenticity, acceptance, empathy and collaborative agreement.
The person is more important than the problem and the relationship is more important than the
solution.
Important characteristics of a positive relationship include:
- Trust
- Mutual respect
- Openness
- Awareness
- Hones
Client centered counselling: is where the individual is the central importance.
Humanistic: Clients know how to self heal. Humans are growth orientated and tend towards self
actualisation.
Rogerian: Core principles being: empathy; congruence and unconditional positive regard.
Emotion focused: works with here and now emotions.
Person centred counselling is focused on 3 core values
1. Empathy
2. Congruence
3. Unconditional positive regard
, Congruence definition: Between what you the therapist are feeling inside and what you are
communicating on the outside (authenticity)
Techniques
- Concerned with a way of being
- Skills of active listening
- Attending to clients verbal and non-verbal messages
- Reflecting feelings
For clients a secure location and validation is important before a solution. It is essential
therapists are judgment free and without a bias, everybody has a backstory.
Influential relationships consist of:
- Honesty
- Consideration
- Compassion
- Patients
- Empathy
- Interpersonal communication skills
Habits and behaviours are more ingrained in individuals suffering for a longer period of time.
In contrast to a friend counsellors are bound to professional boundaries
- Friend: no boundaries, closer personal relationship, bias, less likely to change.
- Counsellor: boundaries, professional relationship, bias free, more likely to change.
Counsellor types:
- Listener
- Problem solver
- Analytical
- Problem solver
Prepare to see clients:
- Involved or hurt by extramarital affairs.
- With strong religious or political viewpoints.
- That do not show up meaning potentially no pay.
- Experiencing discomfort, anger, pain or stress.
Week 3 Active Listening and Counsellor Self
Efficacy
Counselling is:
- A profession designed to work with primarily those who are experiencing development or
adjustment problems and also individuals who are struggling with forms of mental illness.
- A profession with a history of rich standards that are distinct from other related
disciplines such as psychology, social work and psychiatry.
- A relationship, whether in a group, family, or individual format is constructed in a way to
promote trust, support, support, safety, and change.
- Multidimensional. Deals with human feelings, thoughts and behaviours as well as the
past, present and future.
- A series of sequential steps.
Therapists should reply to clients with compassion and care, free from personal bias.
When asked to record innermost thoughts and feelings during simulated sessions with clients,
students reported:
- Struggles controlling frustration when clients do not cooperate.
- Disappointment over missed opportunity for deeper exploration.
- Fears of incompetency
- Temperance of elation or feeling useful
A counsellor must learn to deal with these feelings through reflections and constructive
self-critical evaluation. Other feelings counsellors must learn to cope with include:
- The presence of others discomfort
- Frustration of resistant clients
- Clients not attending appointments
- Rigid institutional policy
- Limited budgets
- Irate parents
- Dramatic/erratic behaviour
Your transformation
- Your relationships will change
- New expectations and standards for intimacy will emerge
- A new found ability to enrich your family and professional relationships will be integrated
by you
- You will be ruined: forever dissatisfied with superficial encounters
- Your love relationships may change forever and many of your friendships may be
outgrown
The goals of counselling, to assist someone are:
- Feel better emotionally
, - Discover a new way of thinking
- Discover more adaptive ways of behaving
* To help a person make useful changes to their thoughts, emotions and behaviours.
Week 2 The Counselling Relationship
Learning about
- Influence on Counsellors values and beliefs.
- Person centered therapy
- Desirable counselling qualities
Therapeutic techniques: factors unique to specific therapies and tailored to treatment of specific
problems.
Hope and expectancy factors: The portion of improvement that results from clients expectations
of help or belief in the rationale of effectiveness of therapy.
Clients factors: Factors that are qualities of the client or their environment that aid recovery
regardless of participation in therapy.
Therapeutic relationship characteristics may include personal awareness and insight, trust,
respect, safety, authenticity, acceptance, empathy and collaborative agreement.
The person is more important than the problem and the relationship is more important than the
solution.
Important characteristics of a positive relationship include:
- Trust
- Mutual respect
- Openness
- Awareness
- Hones
Client centered counselling: is where the individual is the central importance.
Humanistic: Clients know how to self heal. Humans are growth orientated and tend towards self
actualisation.
Rogerian: Core principles being: empathy; congruence and unconditional positive regard.
Emotion focused: works with here and now emotions.
Person centred counselling is focused on 3 core values
1. Empathy
2. Congruence
3. Unconditional positive regard
, Congruence definition: Between what you the therapist are feeling inside and what you are
communicating on the outside (authenticity)
Techniques
- Concerned with a way of being
- Skills of active listening
- Attending to clients verbal and non-verbal messages
- Reflecting feelings
For clients a secure location and validation is important before a solution. It is essential
therapists are judgment free and without a bias, everybody has a backstory.
Influential relationships consist of:
- Honesty
- Consideration
- Compassion
- Patients
- Empathy
- Interpersonal communication skills
Habits and behaviours are more ingrained in individuals suffering for a longer period of time.
In contrast to a friend counsellors are bound to professional boundaries
- Friend: no boundaries, closer personal relationship, bias, less likely to change.
- Counsellor: boundaries, professional relationship, bias free, more likely to change.
Counsellor types:
- Listener
- Problem solver
- Analytical
- Problem solver
Prepare to see clients:
- Involved or hurt by extramarital affairs.
- With strong religious or political viewpoints.
- That do not show up meaning potentially no pay.
- Experiencing discomfort, anger, pain or stress.
Week 3 Active Listening and Counsellor Self
Efficacy
