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[Year]
PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELLING Module 1: 18

hours
Couselling and Helping.

Definition and scope of Counselling.
Goals of counseling.
Conditions facilitating effective counselling.
Counsellor and counsellee characteristics.
Characteristics of an effective counsellor.
An overview of Egan’s Model – Problem-management and Opportunity-
development approach to Helping – Outline of the three stages.
Stage 1 – The Current Picture: Help clients clarify the key issues,
Stage 2- The preferred picture: Help clients identify and set goals.
Stage 3- The Way Forward: Help clients develop strategies and
plans for goal implementation
Note: A few major skills like active listening, paraphrasing and reflecting are to be
practiced through role plays in the class.
Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE

0 Dr. Abidha
Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE
PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELLING (54hours)
Objectives:
To acquire theoretical knowledge in the areas of psychological counseling
To understand the applications of counseling in various settings
To practice counseling techniques through role plays
Counseling and Helping.

Counselling is an activity that emerged during the twentieth century, and reflects the pressures
and values of modern life. We live in a complex, busy, changing world. In this world, there
are many different types of experience that are difficult for people to cope with. Most of the
time, we get on with life, but sometimes we are stopped in our tracks by an event or situation
that we do not, at that moment, have the resources to sort out. Most of the time, we find ways
of dealing with such problems in living by talking to family, friends, neighbours, priests or our
family doctor. But occasionally their advice is not sufficient, or we are too embarrassed or
ashamed to tell them what is bothering us, or we just do not have an appropriate person to turn
to. Counselling is a really useful option at these moments. A counsellor is someone who does
his or her best to listen to you and work with you to find the best ways to understand and
resolve your problem. Counsellors do not diagnose or label people, but instead do their best to
work within whatever framework of understanding makes most sense for each client. For
some people, one conversation with a counsellor is sufficient to make a real difference to
them. Other people need to see their counsellor on a regular basis for months or years.
Counseling represents a set of problem-solving actions—developing a working relationship,
assessing the problem, initiating behavior change, maintaining change, and evaluating the
outcomes.
Guidance can be explained as assistance made available by competent counsellors to an
individual of any group to help him/her direct the life course, develop a point of view, make
decisions and be better adjusted. Guidance does not mean giving directions, nor is it an
imposition of one‘s point of view on another person. The person, who is guiding another, does
not take the onus (responsibility) of making decisions on behalf of the client. We can see that
guidance is more about assisting people to find their way rather than giving instructions or
readymade solutions.
Counselling is an interactive learning process in which the counsellor (sometimes termed
therapist), helps the counsellees (be they individuals, families, groups or institutions) to
understand the cause(s) of difficulties and guides them to sort out issues and reach decisions.
The approach in counselling is holistic, addressing social, cultural, economic and emotional
issues. Counselling can be sought at any time in life, although many people reach out only in
1 Counseling and Helping. | Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE
times of change or crisis. The qualified professional counsellor speaks with the counsellee in a
way to help that person solve a problem or helps to create conditions that will cause the person
to understand and improve life circumstances.
Counselling may be concerned with addressing and resolving specific problems, making
decisions, coping with crisis, improving relationships and developing personal awareness. It
also involves working with feelings, thoughts, perceptions and conflicts. The overall aim is to
provide counsellees with opportunities to work in positive ways so as to live with essence of
well-being as individuals and as members of the larger society.
Counseling helps individuals to sort themself out
DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF COUNSELLING.

A professional relationship between a trained counsellor and a client designed to help clients
to understand and clarify their views of their lifespace, and to learn to reach their self-
determined goals through meaningful, well- informed choices and through resolution of
problems of an emotional or interpersonal nature.
(Burks and Stefflre 1979: 14)
A principled relationship characterised by the application of one or more psychological
theories and a recognised set of communication skills, modified by experience, intuition and
other interpersonal factors, to clients‘ intimate concerns, problems or aspirations.
(Feltham and Dryden 1993: 6)
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 wellbeing.
(British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy website 2013)
Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and
groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.
(American Counseling Association website 2013)
Counselling is a purposeful, private conversation arising from the intention of one person
(couple or family) to reflect on and resolve a problem in living, and the willingness of another
person to assist in that endeavour.
John McLeod
2 DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF COUNSELLING. | Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE
There Are Seven Main Categories Of People Who Either Use Or Might Use
Counselling Skills To Help Others To Cope With These Concerns:
• Professional counsellors and psychotherapists. Specialists who are suitably trained,
accredited and paid for their counselling services. Such people can include clinical and
counselling psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers.
• Paraprofessional counsellors. People trained in counselling skills who use them as part
of their jobs, yet who do not hold an accredited counselling or psychotherapy qualification.
Some social workers fall into this category, whereas others may be qualified counsellors
and psychotherapists.
• Voluntary counsellors. People trained in counselling skills or with full counsellor

training who work on a voluntary basis in settings such as Relate in the UK or
Relationships Australia, youth counselling services, church-related agencies and numerous
other voluntary agencies.
• Counselling, psychotherapy and helping trainees. Trainees using counselling skills on

supervised placements as part of counselling, psychotherapy and helping courses.
• Helpers using counselling skills as part of their jobs. Here the main focus of the job may
be nursing, teaching, pastoral work, supervising or managing and providing services such
as finance, law, funerals, trade union work and so on. These jobs require people to use
counselling skills some of the time if they are to be maximally effective.
• Peer helpers. People who use counselling skills as part of peer helping or support
networks of varying degrees of formality. Such peer support networks frequently cover
areas of diversity such as culture, race, sexual orientation, and focused support for women
or men.
• Informal helpers. All of us have the opportunity to assist others, be it in the role of
partner, parent, relative, friend or work colleague.
Who are helpers?

Sometimes, the term ‗helper‘ is used as a generic term to cover all those engaged in using
counselling and helping skills, whether they are counselling and psychotherapy professionals
or not. However, increasingly the professionalization of counselling and psychotherapy makes
such usage inaccurate. Here the term ‗helper‘ is used in a more restricted sense to include all
those people who offer counselling skills to other people, yet who are not qualified and
accredited counsellors, psychotherapists or their equivalent.
 Paraprofessional counsellors are trained in counselling skills, but at a level that
falls short of professional counselling or psychotherapy accreditation. For example,
some nurses have attended a number of counselling skills courses and may be
effective at dealing with the problems of specific categories of patients. People with
such backgrounds might be called counsellors in their specific work settings, for
example nurse counsellors.
 Helpers who use counselling skills as part of their job. For example, many social
workers and probation officers are not accredited counsellors, yet make extensive
use of counselling skills with their client populations. In addition, school teachers
may perform counselling roles, for instance helping students to study better, deal
with difficult classmates and make decisions about their futures.
 Another group of helpers is comprised of volunteers, who may be called either
volunteer counsellors or volunteer helpers. Volunteer counsellors or helpers perform
numerous roles: for example working with schizophrenic clients and their families,
people who are HIV-positive or have AIDS and those close to them, or with
bereaved people, those on drugs, people with relationship problems and with those
adjusting to new cultures. Such volunteers may possess varying levels of training
and sophistication in using counselling skills.
 Counselling skills can be useful for those engaging in peer helping and in informal
helping. For example, members of both women‘s groups and men‘s groups may
help one another to become more effective by using counselling skills. One useful
form of peer helping is known as co-counselling, where each partner takes a turn at
helping the other, say for 20 minutes each way or, if thought desirable, for longer.
Ways in which helpers can be distinguished from professional counselors
Two main distinguishing features have been identified.
First, helpers perform different roles from those of counsellors. Counsellors have as their
primary role conducting counselling, whether individual, couples, group or family
counselling. Helpers often either have their primary role in another area or are using their
skills in voluntary and peer support capacities.
Second, related to the different roles, helpers differ from counsellors in their training.
Counsellors are primarily trained to counsel, whereas helpers may be primarily trained to
be social workers, nurses, probation officers, priests, welfare workers, managers or to
carry out a host of other occupational roles. Furthermore, voluntary workers usually have
primary work roles in non-counselling occupations, for which they are likely to have
received the major part of their training.
The goals of helpers can both overlap with, yet differ from, those of counsellors. The primary
purpose of counselling and psychotherapy is to help clients address psychological issues in
their lives, for example becoming less depressed or anxious, and to work through decisions
and crises that have a distinct psychological dimension to them. Sometimes such
psychological issues are central to helping. On other occasions, helpers use counselling skills
to assist people to achieve goals where the overt psychological dimensions may appear
secondary, if not irrelevant, to the recipients of the services. Some examples of this almost
covert application of counselling skills would include the offering of pregnancy advice or
spiritual assistance.
The settings or contexts can also differ. Most often counselling takes place in offices, private
or institutional, set aside specially for that activity. The décor of such offices is designed to
support the purpose of counselling, for instance functional easy chairs with a coffee table
between them. Often counselling services are located in specially designated areas, for
instance student counselling services. Helpers may sometimes use counselling skills in areas
designed for counselling, for instance in some voluntary agencies, but frequently they use
counselling skills in locations that represent their primary work role: personnel offices,
classrooms, tutorial rooms, hospital wards, outplacement clinics, churches, banks, law offices
and community centres. Furthermore, while counsellors rarely go outside formal locations,
helpers such as priests, nurses, social workers and members of peer support networks may use
counselling skills in people‘s home settings.
Another distinction is that the relationship in which helpers use counselling skills often differs
from the more formal counselling relationship, which is likely to have clear boundaries
structured around the respective tasks of counsellor and client. Sometimes helping
relationships may have similarly clear helper–client boundaries, though the prime agenda may
or may not be psychological counselling. Frequently, however, helping takes place in the
context of other relationships, such as teacher– student, priest–parishioner, line manager–
worker, social worker–client, nurse– or doctor–patient. Whereas dual relationships, in which
counsellors perform more than one role in relation to clients, are frowned upon in the
professional counselling context, they may be built into the fabric of many helping
relationships.
COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY

‗Psychotherapy‘ is derived from the Greek word therapeia, meaning healing. Attempts to
differentiate between counselling and psychotherapy are never wholly successful. Both
represent diverse rather than integrated knowledge and activities, so it is more accurate to
think of counselling approaches and psychological therapies. In addition, both claim to be
based on ‗informed and planful application of techniques derived from established
psychological principles‘.
Ways of distinguishing counselling from psychotherapy – never wholly satisfactory – include
the following:
 psychotherapy focuses on personality change of some sort while counselling focuses on
helping people use existing resources for coping with life better;
 they are the same qualitatively, but differ only quantitatively in that therapists listen
more and engage in less informing, advising and explaining than counsellors;
psychotherapy deals with more severe disturbance and is a more medical term than
counselling. Probably most psychiatrists still view themselves as conducting
psychotherapy rather than counselling.
 ‗psychotherapy‘ is a term used to discuss longer-term and deeper work with mental
disorders, though this is not always the case. However, many psychologists and
counsellors work in medical settings, have clients with recognized medical disorders
and do longer-term and deep work. Furthermore, the distinction between people who
have mental disorders as contrasted with problems of living is not clear-cut.
Many psychologists, such as Corey (2000) and Patterson (1974, 1986) use the terms
‗counselling‘ and ‗psychotherapy‘ interchangeably. Both counselling and psychotherapy use
the same theoretical models and stress the need to value the client as a person, to listen
sympathetically, to hear what is communicated, and to foster the capacity for self-help and
responsibility. Consequently, even in medical settings the term counselling may be just as
appropriate as psychotherapy, and increasingly it has come to be viewed as either the same as
or similar to psychotherapy.
COUNSELLING AS A RELATIONSHIP
Virtually all counsellors agree that a good counselling relationship is necessary to be effective
with clients.
Some counsellors regard the counselling relationship as not only necessary, but sufficient for
constructive changes to occur in clients.
Central qualities of good counselling relationships, sometimes called the ‗core conditions‘, are
empathic understanding, respect and acceptance for clients‘ current states of being, and
congruence or genuineness. Terms like ‗active listening‘ and ‗rewarding listening‘ are other
ways of expressing the central skills of the basic counselling or helping relationship.
COUNSELLING AS A REPERTOIRE OF INTERVENTIONS

Most counsellors would regard the counselling relationship as neither sufficient in itself nor
sufficiently expeditious in its outcome for constructive client changes to occur. Consequently,
they set store by a set of interventions in addition to the counselling relationship. Alternative
terms for interventions are counselling methods or helping strategies.
Counsellors who deploy a repertoire of interventions need to consider carefully which
interventions to use, with which clients, and with what probability of success. Counsellors‘
repertoires of interventions reflect their theoretical orientations: for instance, psychoanalytic
counsellors use psychoanalytic interventions, rational emotive behaviour counsellors use
rational emotive behaviour interventions, and Gestalt counsellors use Gestalt interventions.
Some counsellors are eclectic and use interventions derived from a variety of theoretical
positions.
COUNSELLING AS A PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESS

Whether viewed either as a relationship characterized by the core conditions or as a repertoire
of interventions derived from different theoretical positions, counselling is a psychological
process. There are various reasons for the fundamental association between psychology and
counselling.
 The goals of counselling have a mind component in them. In varying degrees, all
counselling approaches focus on altering how people feel, think and act so that
they may live their lives more effectively. So the process of counselling is
psychological.
 Counselling is not static, but involves movement between and within the minds
of both counsellors and clients. In addition, much of the process of counselling
takes place within clients‘ minds between sessions and when clients help
themselves after counselling ends.
 The underlying theories from which counselling goals and interventions are
derived are psychological. Many leading counselling theorists have been
psychologists: Rogers and Ellis are important examples. Most of the other
leading theorists have been psychiatrists: for instance, Beck and Berne.
 psychological research contributes both to creating counselling theories and to
evaluating counselling processes and outcomes.
SCOPE:
At each stage of development there are challenges that an individual must meet and resolve.
Each stage of development has specific characteristics as well as certain developmental tasks
to be achieved. Assistance and guidance can be a requirement at any stage. For this purpose, it
is required for counsellors to be specially trained in the developmental needs and
characteristics of individuals at a particular age.
Individual Counselling
 Adolescent identity, concerns, teen-parent relationships, peer relationships
 Anxiety
 Anger management
 Children‘s concerns within the family unit, sibling relationships, school experiences, peer
relationships
 Depression
 Family of origin dynamics and issues
 Gender: identity, sexuality, homosexuality
 Grief and bereavement
 Relationships: personal and interpersonal dynamics
 Sexual abuse recovery
 Seniors: challenges, limitations, transitions
 Singles: single, newly single, single through divorce or being widowed
 Spirituality
 Stress management
 Workplace stress and relationships
 Young adult: identity, relationships, vocation
Marital and Pre-marital Counselling
1. Marital and relational dynamics
2. Extended family relationships
3. Fertility issues
Family Counselling
 Adolescent and child behaviours within family dynamics
 Adult children
 Divorce and separation issues and adjustment
 Family dynamics: estrangement, conflict, communication
 Family of origin / extended family issues
 Life stages and transitions
 Parenting patterns: blended, single, co-parenting families
 Remarriage relationship counselling
Career Avenues
Career Counsellors: Some counsellors work with people of all ages for vocational and career
counselling.
School Counsellors: Schooling can also bring about adjustment problems for children. A
child may have problems with academic achievement, with peers or with parents. Counsellors
who deal with such difficulties are called school counsellors.
Family Counsellors: They are specialists who work with parents, children and other family
members. They deal with specific issues that arise due to conflicts between family members or
between generations. They also deal with behaviour problems of individual family members.
Marriage Counsellors: They deal with different issues or problems related to marriage,
counselling for marital and before marriage issues, or for personal compatibility, close
relationships and counselling for couples.
Life Skills Trainer: These days many people may need assistance in the course of everyday
life on account of stress at home or the workplace. For instance, a well adjusted young person
may want to become proactive to optimise his or her potential.
Counsellors for Child Guidance: Some counsellors work with children and are called child
guidance counsellors.
GOALS OF COUNSELING.
Counsellors may have different goals with different clients. They may assist clients, for
instance, to heal past emotional deprivations, manage current problems, handle transitions,
make decisions, manage crises, and develop specific life skills.
Sometimes goals for counselling are divided between remedial goals and growth or
developmental goals. However, the dividing line between remedying weaknesses and
developing strengths is often unclear. Attaining both remedial and developmental goals can
have a preventive function in helping clients to avoid future difficulties.
Though much counselling is remedial, its main focus is likely to be on the skills or life skills
needed for satisfactorily handling the developmental tasks which confront most ordinary
people rather than on the needs of the more severely disturbed minority. Developmental tasks
are tasks which most people inevitably face at various stages of their life: for instance,
becoming independent, achieving intimacy, raising children, and adjusting to old age.
Developmental tasks often involve both managing negative qualities and fostering positive
qualities.
At its highest level counselling‘s focus is on helping clients to develop skills or life skills in
ways that assist their process of being fully human.
Counselling goals emphasize increasing clients‘ personal responsibility for creating and
ordering their lives. Clients need to make choices that enable them to feel, think and act
effectively. They require the capacity to experience and express feelings, think rationally and
to take effective action to attain their goals. Counsellors tend to be most effective when they
enable clients to help themselves after counselling has ended. Thus the ultimate goal of
counselling is self-helping, so that former clients become their own best counsellors.
In a nutshell, the main purpose or goal of using counselling skills is that of assisting clients to
develop personal skills and inner strength so that they can create happiness in their own and
others' lives. Counsellors and helpers assist clients to help themselves. As such, they use
9 GOALS OF COUNSELING. | Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE

counselling skills to develop clients' capacity to use their human potential both now and in
future. The following discussion is mainly focused on working with ordinary people rather
than with severely disturbed clients.
Counsellors' and helpers' use of counselling skills can be broken down into five different
goals. Some of these goals may seem more modest than the nutshell suggestion, but
nevertheless these goals may be appropriate in the circumstances.
The first or supportive listening goal is to provide clients with a sense of being understood
and affirmed. Attaining this goal requires counsellors and helpers to be skilled at listening to
clients, taking their perspectives, and sensitively showing them that they have been heard
accurately. The primary purpose of introductory counselling skills training is to help students
to become better at listening and showing understanding to clients. Counsellors and helpers
with good listening skills can comfort, ease suffering, heal psychological wounds, and act as
sounding boards for moving forward. For instance, an employee just made redundant, a
patient recently given a diagnosis of a life-threatening illness, or a school child who has been
bullied may, above all, need counsellors and helpers able to listen deeply.
Second, there is the managing a problem situation goal. Clients may want help dealing with
specific situations that are problematic for them. In addition, counselling and helping may best
proceed if a specific situation within a larger problem is addressed rather than trying to deal
with the whole problem. With a shy college student client, rather than focus on the broader
problem of shyness, counsellor and client might focus on a particular shyness situation of
importance to the client, such as being able to start a conversation with a classmate.
Supportive listening and managing problem situation goals are perhaps the easiest goals for
beginning students and informal helpers to focus on.
Third, there is the problem management goal. Though some problems are limited, many
other problems can be larger and more complex than specific situations within them. For
example, clients with children going through a divorce.
Fourth, there is the altering poor skills that create problems goal. Other terms for poor
skills include problematic, deficient or insufficiently effective skills. Here the assumption is
that problems tend to repeat themselves. In the past, clients may have been repeating
underlying mind skills and communication or action skills deficiencies and are at risk of
continuing to do so again. For instance, workers who keep moving jobs may again and again
set themselves up to become unhappy or to get fired. Another example is that of clients poor
at public speaking who require skills both for now and in future. Thus the problem is not just
the presenting problem, but the poor skills that create, sustain or worsen the problem

Fifth, there is the bringing about a changed philosophy of life goal. Here, clients can
competently manage problem situations, manage problems and alter problematic skills as a
way of life. Such people might be termed self-actualizing, fully functioning or even
enlightened when they are able to achieve a changed philosophy of life.
Five most commonly named goals of counseling:

1. Enhancing the client‘s effectiveness and ability to cope.
2. Improving the client‘s ability to establish and maintain relationships.
3. Development.
4. Promoting the decision-making process and facilitating client potential.
5. Facilitating behaviour change.
1) ENHANCING COPING SKILLS
Helping individuals to cope with new situations and challenges

We will inevitably run into difficulties in the process of growing up. Most of us do not
completely achieve all of our developmental tasks within a lifetime. All of the unique
expectations and requirements imposed on us by others will eventually lead to problems. Any
inconsistencies in development can result in children learning behaviour patterns that are both
inefficient and ineffective. Learned coping patterns, however, may not always work. New
interpersonal or occupational role demands may create an overload and produce excessive
anxiety and difficulty for the individual.
2) IMPROVING RELATIONSHIPS
Many clients tend to have major problems relating to others due to poor self-image. Likewise,
inadequate social skills cause individuals to act defensively in relationships. Typical social
difficulties can be observed in family, marital and peer group interaction (e.g., the troubled
elementary school child). The counselor would then strive to help the client improve the
quality of their lives by developing more effective interpersonal relationships.
All relationships across the board. Becoming more effective in interpersonal relationships.
Negative self-image or lack of social skills are often the triggers of lacking relationships
3) FACILITATING CLIENT POTENTIAL
Counseling seeks to maximize an individual‘s freedom by giving him or her control over their
environment while analyzing responsiveness and reaction to the environment. Counselors will
work to help people learn how to overcome, for example, excessive substance use and to
better take care of their bodies.

Improving personal effectiveness. Learning to use abilities and interests to one's potential
emphasis on "whole wellness" - emotional, spiritual, physical, mental.
Aid them in realising their potential
4) FACILITATING BEHAVIOUR CHANGE
Most theorists indicate that the goal of counseling is to bring about change in behaviour that
will enable the client to be more productive as they define their life within society‘s
limitations. According to Rodgers (1961), behaviour change is a necessary result of the
counseling process, although specific behaviours receive little or no emphasis during the
process.
Enable clients to live more productive and satifying life. Use specific goals rather than general
ones. These can be measured if more specific. Goals should be measurable so the client can
measure their progress.
5) PROMOTING DECISION-MAKING
The goal of counseling is to enable the individual to make critical decisions regarding
alternative courses of action without outside influence. Counseling will help individuals
obtain information, and to clarify emotional concerns that may interfere with or be related to
the decisions involved. These individuals will acquire an understanding of their abilities and
interests. They will also come to identify emotions and attitudes that could influence their
choices and decisions.
Assisting the individual to make good decisions. Not making the decisions for them. Helping
them to realise the consequences of their decisions. Explore a range of options Enable clients
to see how their emotions and attitudes and values influence their decisions and choices.
THE COUNSELLING PROCESS

Counselling can be conceptualized as a series of stages or steps that lead one through the
counselling process. Cormier and Hackney (1987) described a five-stage process: relationship
building, assessment, goal setting, interventions, and termination and follow-up. Each of the
stages is discussed in detail.
Stage One: Relationship Building

The successful outcomes in counselling are associated with the counsellor- client relationship
which is the outcome of all therapeutic efforts.
There are two necessary conditions. They are:
1. Counsellor-offered conditions: The core conditions for successful counselling are
 Empathic understanding (empathic understanding as a process that involves
communicating a sense of caring and understanding)
12 THE COUNSELLING PROCESS | Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE
 Unconditional positive regard (counsellor communicating to clients that they
are of value and worth as individuals)
 Congruence (behaving in a manner consistent with how one thinks and feels)
 Respect (focuses on the positive attributes of the client)
 Immediacy (direct, mutual communication )
 Confrontation (pointing out discrepancies in what the client is saying and
doing)
 Concreteness (helping clients discuss themselves in specific terms)
 Self-disclosure (making the self-known to others)
These eight core conditions are necessary and sufficient for constructive personality change to
occur.
2. Counsellor-and client offered conditions
The working alliance is another concept that can be used to describe the counselling
relationship. Therapeutic alliance or working alliance is the collaborative relationship
between client and counsellor. It goes beyond focusing on counsellor-offered conditions
and includes counsellor- and client-offered conditions.
The working alliance is composed of three parts. They are:
 agreement between the counsellor and client in terms of the goals of counselling
 agreement between the counsellor and client in terms of the tasks of counselling
 Emotional bond between the counsellor and client.
The strength of the working alliance depends on the degree of agreement relating to goals and
tasks of counselling and the level of emotional attachment between the counsellor and client.
Stage Two: Assessment and Diagnosis
Assessment and diagnosis help a counsellor develop an in-depth understanding of a
client and identify mental disorders that require attention. This understanding can
facilitate goal setting and also suggest types of intervention strategies.
Assessment procedures can be divided into two categories
 standardized measures – include psychological tests that have standardized norm
groups
 non standardized measures–include strategies such as the clinical interview and
assessment of life history.
Stage Three: Formulation of Counselling Goals
Three functions that goals serves in the counselling process:
Motivational function: The clients are involved in establishing the counselling goals. They
may be more motivated when they have specific, concrete goals to work toward. It is also
important for counsellors to encourage clients to make a verbal commitment to work on a
specific counselling goal.
Educational function: Clients can learn new skills and behaviours that they can use to
enhance their functioning. For example, a counselling goal might be to become more
assertive. During assertiveness training clients can learn skills to enhance their functioning in
interpersonal situations.
Evaluative function: Clear goals allow the counsellor and client an opportunity to evaluate
progress.
Counselling goals may also be conceptualised as either process or outcome.
Process Goals: These establish the conditions necessary to make the counselling process
work. These goals relate to the issues of formulating positive relationship by promoting the
core conditions. Process goals are primarily the counsellor's responsibility.
Outcome goals: These specify what the client hopes to accomplish in
counselling. The counsellor and client should agree on these goals and modify
them as necessary. Five types of outcome goals include:
-making
Stage Four: Intervention and Problem Solving

The counsellor and client may choose strategies to implement from a variety of interventions,
including individual, group, couples, and family counselling. It may be best to begin with
individual counselling for clients with problems of an intrapersonal nature. Couples or family
counselling may be more appropriate for clients with difficulties of an interpersonal nature, as
in a marital or parent-child conflict. The counsellor should provide an overview of the
different treatment approaches available; describe the role of the counsellor and client for each
procedure; identify possible risks and benefits that may result; and estimate the time and cost
of each procedure. In addition, it is important for the counsellor to be sensitive to client
characteristics such as values and beliefs when selecting an intervention strategy. Counsellors
should also be aware of a client's personal strengths and weaknesses in selecting a counselling
approach.
A six-stage model for problem solving strategies include:
• problem detection
• problem definition
• identification of alternative solutions
• decision -making
• execution
• verification
Stage Five: Termination and Follow-Up
Termination can be done when clients have worked through their concerns and are able to
proceed forward in their lives without the counsellor's assistance. At this point, counselling
can be terminated. It is usually best for the counsellor and client to agree on a termination
date, reducing the chance of premature termination or feelings of ambivalence.
Termination should be planned several weeks in an advance to provide an opportunity for the
client to prepare psychologically. The counsellor should also arrange for appropriate follow-
up with the client. An appointment for a formal follow-up counselling session can be made 2
to 4 weeks after the final session. This can allow the counsellor and client adequate time to
evaluate how things are going without counselling. Clients should be reassured that they will
be able to obtain additional counselling services if the need arises. They should also be
informed as to how they can request these services in the future.
Counsellor and counsellee characteristics.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL COUNSELLEE

A large portion of a positive counseling outcome is determined by the counselee. The
counselee‗s level of pathology, motivation for change, expectations from treatment, coping
skills, personal history, and other external resources all influence how effective the counseling
experience will be. Counselees clearly benefit by actively participating in the counseling
process. The more collaborative, motivated, and engaged counselees are, the more they tend to
be involved, which results in effective counseling. Counselee characteristics, such as help-
seeking attitudes and attachment style have been found to be related to counselee‗s use of
counseling, as well as expectations and outcome. Stigma against mental illness can keep
people from acknowledging problems and seeking help. Counselees with avoidance styles
have been perceived to face greater risks and fewer benefits, and are less likely to seek
professional help, compared to counselees who are more secure. Educating counselees about
expectations from counseling can improve counseling satisfaction, treatment duration and
outcomes.
The counselee characteristics that strongly influence counseling include the
following:
em
and resolve issues
developmental level
15 Counsellor and counsellee characteristics. | Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE
e style
Successful counselee will display the following characteristics:
as positive
feedback, to take instructions, and to do what is expected
or guidance
of time for progress

-oriented, focused on producing results or changes
do
CONDITIONS FACILITATING EFFECTIVE COUNSELLING:

Or Basic factors or elements or ingredients found in successful helping
Success is defined as life-enhancing outcomes for clients. These ingredients are interactive
and dynamic in actual helping encounter.
The ingredients are:
1. The client and the contextual factors of the client‘s life
2. The person of the therapist
3. The helping relationship
4. The therapeutic dialogue between client and helper
5. Two-way feedback between client and helper
6. The model or method of treatment and the assumptions behind it
7. The standard problem management process as a human universal
8. Decision making as a human universal
9. The beliefs, values, norms, ethics, and morality that drive human behavior
16 CONDITIONS FACILITATING EFFECTIVE COUNSELLING: | Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE
COLLEGE
All of these ingredients, separately or in combination, are useful to the degree that they
contribute to life-enhancing outcomes for the client.
1) THE CLIENT AND THE CONTEXTUAL FACTORS OF THE CLIENT’S LIFE
The client in his or her search for life-enhancing outcomes is the first and most
important ―ingredient‖ in the therapeutic process.
The clients bring number of things to the helping encounter with them, such as
 The problem situations, issues, concerns, in various degrees of severity, for which they
are seeking help.
 Successful or failed attempts to manage problem situations and/or exploit unused
opportunities.
 The past to the degree that it is affecting them positively or negatively in the present.
 Their general life expectations and aspirations, however realistic or distorted, and
associated disappointments.
 Their skills, strengths, and resources.
 Their general emotional state.
 Their hopes, fears, and expectations regarding therapy.
 Their degree of openness to and readiness for change.
 Their willingness to work at change.
 Whatever reluctance or resistance they feel.
 Their ability to engage in a collaborative relationship.
 Their sense of right and wrong, their personal ethics, their approach to morality.
It is important for helpers to identify factors that are key for each client.
Clients are or should be in the driver‘s seat with respect to managing problem situations
in everyday life.
If there are any heroes (an over-used and misused word) in the therapeutic endeavor,
they are the clients rather than the therapists.
Helper is a catalyst for that change.
2) THE PERSON OF THE THERAPIST
Person of the therapist is more important than the method of treatment.
Characteristics of An effective therapist:
 Has a solid set of interpersonal skills and through them expresses acceptance,
warmth, and empathy.
 Acts in such a way as to build trust with clients. ―This person understands me. I
believe this person can help me.‖
 Does his or her part to develop a collaborative working alliance with clients and
come to an agreement with them on the goals of helping.
COLLEGE
 Understands the client‘s condition and can provide a plausible explanation for the
source of the client‘s distress.
 Understands both client and the client‘s problem situation in every relevant
context—cultural, social, economic, political, and so forth.
 Has a flexible helping approach or treatment plan and communicates this approach
clearly to the client.
 Is believable, persuasive, and convincing without robbing the client of his or her
autonomy or dignity.
 Collaborates with clients in monitoring their progress and their views of the helping
process.
 Establishes a formal or informal feedback system.
 Makes adjustments to the therapeutic process based on an evolving understanding of
the client‘s problem situation, formal or informal feedback, and signs of client
reluctance or resistance.
 Helps clients, despite their difficulties, to develop a realistic sense of possibility,
hope, and optimism.
 Does not avoid difficult issues related to the client‘s problems or to the clienthelper
relationship, but handles them tactfully.
 Understands self, and injects self into the therapeutic dialogue only to the degree that
this helps and does not distract the client. More will be said about helper self-
disclosure in Part II.
 Knows best research related to the client: the client‘s personality, the client‘s
problems, the social context, and possible treatments for the client.
 Is committed to professional self-improvement. Understands the best the helping
industry has to offer and makes it available to the client.
 Has a solid grasp of the key ingredients of successful therapy and, through
collaboration with the client, knows how to tailor and orchestrate them at the service
of client outcomes.
There are a lot of items on this list and there is no one right way of mixing and matching
them to the client‘s needs. Because there is no ―right‖ or ―perfect‖ set of characteristics.
3) THE HELPING RELATIONSHIP

According to the research, the second most important ingredient in helping (after client
factors) is the quality of the relationship between client and helper.
client and helper are a collaborative team.
COLLEGE
The therapist‘s intelligence and competencies mentioned earlier come alive and produce
results only to the degree that they are channeled into the establishment and development
of a collaborative client-helper relationship.
Furthermore, while the therapist can do a great deal to see that this happens, it will not
happen unless clients do their part. So it is up to the client and the therapist in their
dialogue to orchestrate the mix of ingredients that best leads to targeted life-enhancing
outcomes.
4) THE THERAPEUTIC DIALOGUE BETWEEN CLIENT AND HELPER

COMMUNICATION SKILLS AT THE SERVICE OF DIALOGUE
At the heart of any relationship is communication. Helpers need a range of
communication skills to become collaborators with their clients, such skills as attending,
listening, understanding what clients are saying about themselves, responding to clients
with understanding, helping clients explore their concerns more fully, helping them stay
focused, and helping clients develop new perspectives on their problem situations and
unused opportunities. Conversations between helpers and their clients should be a
therapeutic or helping dialogue.
Interpersonal communication competence means not only being good at the individual
communication skills but also marshaling them at the service of dialogue.
5) TWO-WAY FEEDBACK BETWEEN CLIENT AND HELPER

Feedback is a critical factor in the helping dialogue.
In therapy, two things need to be monitored carefully and continually progress toward
life-enhancing client outcomes and the degree to which therapy sessions are contributing
to these outcomes.
These are the kinds of questions that need to be asked. How are we doing? What is going
right? What mistakes are we making?etc.
6) THE MODEL OR METHOD OF TREATMENT AND THE ASSUMPTIONS

BEHIND IT
There are dozens (by some counts, hundreds) of different approaches to helping. Which
one is the right one?
Research says that it is not the treatment method that is the main driver of success (this
does not mean that it is not important).
The treatment model helps organize and give focus to both the client‘s and the helper‘s
resources. Of course, the model or approach must have substance and face validity, that is,
it must ―make sense,‖ it must look like it might work.
COLLEGE
The therapist must believe in the model and be both skilled and comfortable in its use.
The client in his or her own way must see the approach as reasonable and collaborate with
the therapist in its execution.
7) THE STANDARD PROBLEM MANAGEMENT PROCESS AS A HUMAN
UNIVERSAL
A treatment approach is highlighted by Egan is ―Standard Problem-Management
Framework‖ (or Egan's skilled helper model)
an approach which is embedded in every other approach, an approach with which clients
are already familiar, and an approach that can be used as a tool to borrow helpful
treatments from any other approach.
This approach poses four questions clientsneedtoaskthemselvesintheir searchforlife-
enhancingoutcomes:
• What‘s going on? ―What are the problems, issues, concerns, or undeveloped
opportunities I should be working on?‖ This involves helping clients spell out his or her
current picture.
• What does a better future look like? ―What do I want my life to look like? What changes
would help manage my problem situation and develop unused opportunities? What goals
do I need to pursue to manage my problem situation?‖ This involves helping clients paint
their preferred picture.
• How do I get there? ―What do I need to do to make the preferred picture a reality? What
plan will get me where I want to go? What actions will get me started on the right path?‖
The plan outlines the actions clients need to take to create a better future. This is the way
forward.
• How do I make it all happen? ―How do I turn planning and goal setting into the kind of
action that leads to the solutions, results, outcomes, or accomplishments that have the
impact I‘m looking for? How do I get going and persevere until I manage my problems
and develop my unused opportunities?‖ The Action Arrow indicates the broad and
specific actions clients must take to produce the changes they want. This is the ongoing
challenge of implementation.
8) DECISION MAKING AS A HUMAN UNIVERSAL

Problem management deals with options, decision making, that is, choosing from among
options, is at the heart of helping. Clients have to decide many things: to come for help in
the first place (unless mandated, say, by a court), to choose to talk about certain issues but
not others, to determine what issue or set of issues they want to work on, to set goals, etc.
Clients come to therapy with a decision making style. Understanding how they make
decisions will help you become a catalyst for change.
COLLEGE
9) THE BELIEFS, VALUES, NORMS, ETHICS, AND MORALITY THAT DRIVE
HUMAN BEHAVIOR
If helping is to be a social-civilizing and not just an individual-enhancement process, it
must be value-driven and ethical.
Therefore, morality and ethics constitute one of the key ingredients of therapy.
Six Necessary and Sufficient Conditions
Carl Rogers stated that ‗for constructive personality change to occur, it is necessary that these
[six] conditions exist and continue over a period of time. The six necessary and sufficient
conditions are ‗the hypothesised conditions by which the therapist facilitates constructive
personality change‘
The conditions are:
1. Two persons are in psychological contact.
2. The first, whom we shall term the client, is in a state of incongruence, being vulnerable
or anxious.
3. The second person, whom we shall term the therapist, is congruent or integrated in the
relationship.
4. The therapist experiences unconditional positive regard for the client.
5. The therapist experiences an empathic understanding of the client's internal frame of
reference and endeavours to communicate this experience to the client.
6. The communication to the client of the therapist's empathic understanding and
unconditional positive regard is to a minimal degree achieved.‘
CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE COUNSELLING

Effective counselling is a two way street. It takes a cooperative effort by both the person
receiving counselling and the counsellor. And it takes a commitment to make sometimes
difficult changes in behavior or thinking patterns.
What the client expect to achieve with the counsellor should be clearly defined in the initial
stage of your counselling. The client and the counsellor should discuss realistic time frames
for reaching the goals and agree on how the progress will be measured.
It‗s important that the client and the counsellor establish a good relationship in which both feel
comfortable, particularly the client should feel comfortable with the counsellor‗s personality,
approach and style. An effective counsellor can help pinpoint the obstacles in the way of the
client‗s efforts to make changes in his/her life. The counsellor can suggest behavioral changes
to help the client to overcome obstacles. If these obstacles involve factors outside of the
client‗s control, the counsellor can teach coping mechanisms that will foster the clients‗ well-
being in trying circumstances.
21 CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE COUNSELLING | Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE
An effective counsellor can identify negative thinking patterns that may be feeding feelings of
sadness, depression or anxiety. By encouraging the client to build upon personal strengths and
suggesting skills that can overcome self-inflicted feelings of hopelessness, a counsellor can
help the person to develop a more positive attitude.
A good counsellor can assist the client in making positive changes in his/her relationships
with others, helping them to recognize behaviors that may be contributing to a troublesome
relationship. Counsellors also can teach effective ways of communicating, clearing the way
for honest exchanges with people in the client‗s life who may be causing emotional pain.
The effectiveness of counselling may be determined if the client begin to obtain insights about
his/her thoughts and behaviors that may have eluded them before. Over time, they should be
able to recognize patterns in the way they act, trace their sources and identify stumbling
blocks to happiness and well-being. The end result is personal growth that empowers the
client to control their lives and enjoy positive, life-affirming relationships with others.
CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE COUNSELLOR.
The following are the personal qualities and characteristics that are essential for an effective
counsellor:
 Have an identity. They know who they are, what they are capable of becoming, what they
want out of life, and what is essential.
 Respect and appreciate themselves. They can give and receive help and love out of their
own sense of self-worth and strength. They feel adequate with others and allow others to feel
powerful with them.
 Are open to change. They exhibit a willingness and courage to leave the security of the
known if they are not satisfied with the way they are. They make decisions about how they
would like to change.
 Make choices that are life oriented. They are aware of early decisions they made about
themselves, others, and the world. They are not the victims of these early decisions, and they
are willing to revise them if necessary. They are committed to living fully rather than settling
for mere existence.
 Are authentic, sincere, and honest. They do not hide behind masks, defenses, sterile roles, or
facades.
 Have a sense of humor. They are able to put the events of life in perspective. They have not
forgotten how to laugh, especially at their own weaknesses and contradictions.
 Make mistakes and are willing to admit them. They do not dismiss their errors lightly, yet
they do not choose to dwell on misery.
22 CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE COUNSELLOR. | Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE
 Generally live in the present. They are not fixed in the past or on the future. They are able to
experience and be present with others in the ―now‖.
 Appreciate the influence of culture. They are aware of the ways in which their own culture
affects them, and they respect the diversity of values adopted by other cultures. They are also
sensitive to the unique differences arising out of social class, race, sexual orientation, and
gender.
 Have a sincere interest in the welfare of others. This concern is based on respect, care, trust,
and are a valuing of others.
 Possess effective interpersonal skills. They are capable of entering the world of others
without getting lost in this world, and they strive to create collaborative relationships with
others. They do not present themselves as polished salespersons, yet they have the capacity to
take another person‗s position and work together toward consensual goals.
 Become deeply involved in their work and derive meaning from it. They can accept the
rewards flowing from their work, yet they are not slaves to their work.
 Are passionate. They have the courage to pursue their passions, and they are passionate
about life and their work.
 Effective therapists are able to maintain healthy boundaries. Although they strive to be fully
present for their clients, they don‗t carry the problems of their clients around with them during
leisure hours. They know how to say no, which enables them to maintain balance in their
lives.
Combs (1989) reviewing 13 studies about effective and ineffective helping relationships,
concluded that there are some shared beliefs among helpers in the major helping professions,
such as:
1. Attitude toward other people: The effective helper views people as being able
rather than unable, worthy rather than unworthy, dependable rather than
undependable, helpful and friendly rather than hindering and alienating,
optimistic about others rather than negative.
2. Self-concept: Effective helpers feel personally adequate rather than inadequate,
identify with others rather than feel isolated, feel trustworthy rather than
untrustworthy, feel wanted rather than unwanted, feel worthy rather than
unworthy.
3. Approaches to helping: Effective helpers are more directed toward people than
things and are more likely to approach clients subjectively or phenemenologically
– that is, from the client‗s vantage point and perspective rather than from their
own. The strategies that they use are implemented empathically and are
congruent with their own values.
Rogers (1958) believes that counsellors must be open and that the following conditions are
necessary for client development in a helping relationship:
1. Unconditional Positive Regard: Counsellors should communicate acceptance of clients as

worthwhile persons, regardless of who they are or what they say or do.
2. Genuineness and congruence: Counsellors should be real and sincere, honest and clear.
They should speak and act congruently. They should practice what they preach.
3. Empathy: Counsellors should be able to communicate empathic understanding of clients

frames of reference and should let them know they feel and understand clients‗ concerns from
their point of view.
Sue and Sue (1999) summarized the following important characteristics of multiculturally
competent counsellors:
1. Self-awareness: Counsellors should be aware of their own standards, values and

assumptions.
2. Knowledge: They need to be knowledgeable of the socio-political factors operating intheir

clients‗ worlds and know that they may inadvertently discriminate if they treat all clients alike.
3. Understanding: Counsellors need to be able to understand the worldview of each client.
To be a good counselor you must possess the following qualities:
Patience:
You need to be very patient. Go to the next step of explanation only when the patient/client
has clearly understood the content of the information you are giving. Thus you need to have
ample time for the client/patient.
Good Listening:
You need to be a good listener. Never interrupt what the patient/client has /is to say. Give your
inputs only when the client / patient has finished talking.
Observant:
You need to be very observant and able to interpret non-verbal communication e.g. if the
patient/client looks angry, find out the cause of his/her anger first.
Warm:
Provide non-possessive warmth in a counseling environment. Smile and show concern and
acceptance to the patient/client.
Knowledgeable:
You should have good knowledge on the topic /problem e.g. compliance to medication. Some
people do not take medication for one reason or the other, while others demand
drugs/medication. For example, Muslims do not take oral medication when they are fasting
while Jehovah‘s witnesses do not take blood transfusion. Understanding the factors why
people may not do certain activities at specific time will assist to assist them better.
Having empathy with the patient/client:

Try to understand the feelings the patient/client is having in the counseling process. In other
words put yourself in his/her position.
Maintaining a therapeutic relationship with a patient:
Give the patient/client the opportunity to make his/her own decision from your message.
Confidentiality:
Although confidentiality is important in health matters it does not apply very much to all
situations e.g. most people will openly say what they feel/ the problem they are having.
However, ensure that you maintain confidentiality on what the patient/client tells you. The
patient/client would feel greatly offended if you disclose any information about him or her to
other people. This means that counseling must be done individually and privately.
Personal integrity:
Maintain a high degree of personal integrity, credibility and mutual trust as a counselor.
Counseling Skills:
Effective counseling occurs only when there is a mutual understanding between the health
worker and the patient/client which is brought about by information sharing and exchange of
ideas. The qualities of a good counselor go hand in hand with good counseling skills. In this
section you shall learn about some counseling skills.
The following are some of the skills that you need as a counselor:
Active Listening
As a health worker, you should listen to what your patient/client says. Show the
patient/client that you are paying attention. For example, rather than looking through
papers on your desk as the patient/client is talking to you, you should look at his/her
face as you listen.
Attending Behaviour
You should greet your patient/client politely and make him/her feel comfortable and
relaxed. With facial expression, eye contact, gestures, and posture, show him/her that
you are interested in what he/she is telling you.
Interviewing/Asking Questions
As a good counselor, you should ask open-ended questions as opposed to close-ended

questions. You should also ask probing questions.
We have used three expressions i.e. close ended, open-ended and probing
questions. Before we proceed to learn about the other skills, let‘s explain what they are.
What is a closed ended question?
A closed ended question is a question that invites a ―Yes‖ or ―No‖ response. For
example, ―Are you happy with the drug you are taking?‖ This is a bad question because
it does not provide the client with an opportunity to express his or her feelings.
What is an open-ended question?
An open-ended question is a question that leaves room for a patient/client to give a

detailed and complete answer. For example, ―tell me about your experience so far with
the drug you are taking‖.
What is a probing question?
A probing question is a question that asks for more details for example, ―And what else
can you tell me?‖ or ―What happened after that?‖ ―Is there anything else you would
like to add?‖ And so on.
NOTE: You should avoid asking why questions because they may elicit feelings or
actions that can be complex and embarrassing.
A good counselor asks open-ended questions and probing questions because they
encourage the patient/client to explore and express his/her feelings. Next time you
counsel a patient/client try to use both the open ended and probing questions.
Reflecting Feelings
By observing and listening, you can imagine how a patient/client feels. You can then
tell the patient/client what you think. When a patient/client gives a vague answer, you
can point this out by saying ―You seem not to be clear on this‖. This serves three
purposes:
The patient/client thinks about how he or she feels and why;
You the health worker can find out whether the patient/client is confused;
If there is confusion you can clear it up through discussion.
Praise appropriate practices

You should praise a patient/client for any good practice he/she may mention.
Giving Information and negotiating changes

After the patient/client has told you his/her problem, you should give her/him relevant
information and negotiate changes. You should use words that the patient/client
understands. Check whether the patient/client understands you by asking him/her to
repeat the information and instructions you have given. If the feedback shows that the
patient/client did not understand the information or cannot remember, explain again.
Use of local language

Whenever possible use a local language that the client understands best. It is important
for both you and the patient to understand each other very well.
Remain neutral and non-Judgemental

Whenever possible give advice but do not judge.
Be consistent in giving advice

If you are sure of the facts be consistent.
Summarising and Paraphrasing
By re-stating in your own words what the patient/client says, you show that you are
listening and that you have understood what the patient/client has said. For example,
―What you are saying is that you have no problem with the drug so far…‖
It is important to develop skills in counseling so that you can effectively help your
patients/clients. Having discussed skills in counseling, let us now discuss the counseling
process.
AN OVERVIEW OF EGAN’S MODEL
The Skilled Helper Model: A Problemmanagement And Opportunity-Development
Approach To Helping
Stage I: The Current Picture—Help Clients Clarify the Key Issues Calling for Change
Task 1: Help Clients Tell Their Stories
Task 2: Help Clients Develop New Perspectives that Help Them Reframe Their
Stories More Constructively
Task 3: Getting Value–Help Clients Work on Issues that Make a Difference
Stage II: The Preferred Picture—Help Clients Identify, Choose, and Shape Problem-
Managing Goals
Task 1: Help Clients Use Their Imaginations to Spell Out Possibilities for a Better
Future
Task 2: Help Clients Choose Realistic and Challenging Goals that Are Real
Solutions to the Key Problems and Unused Opportunities Identified in Stage I
Task 3: Help Clients Find the Incentives that Will Help Them Commit Themselves to
Their Change Agendas
Stage III: The Way Forward—Help Clients Develop Strategies and Plans for
Accomplishing Goals
Task 1: Help Clients Review Possible Strategies to Achieve Goals
Task 2: Help Clients Choose the Strategies that Best Fit Their Resources
Task 3: Help Clients Pull Chosen Strategies Together Into a Viable Plan
The Egan ‘skilled helper’ model

Egan‘s model is an example of a theoretical integration (transtheoretical approach)
Theoretical integration can be defined as the construction of a new approach to therapy that
draws upon concepts and methods from already existing approaches.
The advantage of problem-management and opportunity-development approaches to helping
is that they are easily recognized across the world.
This model spells out, in a flexible, step-by-step fashion, one way human beings tend to think
about constructive change.
Egan suggests that clients who seek assistance from counsellors and other helpers are
experiencing difficulties in coping with problems in their lives, and that the primary
task of the helper is to enable the person to find and act on appropriate solutions to these
problems.
The emphasis is therefore on a problem-solving process, which involves three stages.
First, the client is helped to describe and explore the ‗present scenario‘, the
problem situation that he or she is faced with at present.
28 AN OVERVIEW OF EGAN’S MODEL | Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE
The second stage is to articulate a ‗preferred scenario‘, which includes future
goals and objectives.
The third stage is to develop and implement action strategies for moving from the
current to the preferred scenario.
Egan describes sub-stages within each stage, and identifies the client tasks and helper
skills necessary to facilitate this problem-solving process. The Egan model can usefully
be viewed as a ‗map‘ through which the usefulness of relevant elements of other
approaches can be located and evaluated.
The Egan‘s model spells out, in a flexible, step-by-step fashion, one way human beings tend
to think about constructive change.
All approaches to helping must eventually help clients manage problem situations and develop
unused opportunities, Egan‘s model also start with a flexible, humanistic, broadly-based
problem-management and opportunity-development model or framework.
Common sense suggests that problem-management models, techniques, and skills are
important for all of us, because all of us must grapple daily with problems of greater or lesser
severity.
The problem-management and opportunity-development process outlined here is embedded in
almost all approaches to helping, this model provides an excellent foundation for any ―brand‖
of helping you eventually choose.
THE STAGES AND TASKS OF THE HELPING MODEL

All worthwhile helping frameworks, models, or processes ultimately help clients ask and
answer for themselves four fundamental questions:
• What‘s going on? ―What are the problems, issues, concerns, or undeveloped opportunities I
should be working on?‖ This is the client‘s current picture.
• What do I need or want? ―What do I want my life to look like? What changes would make
me happier?‖ This is the client‘s preferred picture.
• How do I get there? ―What do I need to do to make the preferred picture a reality? What plan
will get me where I want to go?‖ The plan outlines the actions clients need to take to create a
better future.
• How do I make it all happen? ―How do I turn planning and goal setting into the kind of
action that leads to the solutions, results, outcomes, or accomplishments that have the impact
I‘m looking for? How do I get going and persevere until I manage my problems and develop
my unused opportunities?‖ The Action Arrow indicates the broad and specific actions clients
must take to produce the changes they want.
These four questions, turned into three logical ―stages‖ and an implementation ―arrow‖ (in
Figure), provide the basic framework for the helping process. In practice the stages overlap
and interact with one another as clients struggle to manage problems and develop
opportunities.
ACASE:MARA THE CLIENT;CARLOS THE HELPER (refer Egan, G. (2010). The skilled helper: A
problem-management and opportunity-development approach to helping. Cengage Learning.)
STAGE I: THE CURRENT PICTURE—HELP CLIENTS CLARIFY THE KEY ISSUES CALLING FOR
CHANGE
In Stage I, the current picture, counselors help clients spell out the issues, concerns,
difficulties, or problems they are facing.
each stage is divided into three interrelated tasks.
they are stage-specific activities designed to help clients achieve the goals of each stage.
In Stage I the tasks are activities that help clients spell out their concerns as clearly as possible
with neither too much nor too little detail. These three tasks help clients develop answers to
three questions:
1. ―What‘s going on in my life or what are my main concerns?
2. ―As I look more closely, what‘s really going on in my life or what new perspectives will
help me deal with my concerns?‖
3. ―What should I be working on or which issues, if handled well, will make a real difference
in my life?‖
Now let‘s take closer look at each of these tasks.
TASK 1: HELP CLIENTS TELL THEIR STORIES
The helper encourages the speaker to tell their story, and by using good active listening skills
and demonstrating the core conditions, helps them to explore and unfold the tale, and to
reflect.
Skills needed for this task are active listening, reflecting, paraphrasing, checking
understanding, open questions, summarising.
Useful Questions: How do/did you feel about that? What are/were you thinking? What is/was
that like for you? Keep them open! What else is there about that?
TASK 2: HELP CLIENTS DEVELOP NEW PERSPECTIVES THAT HELP THEM

REFRAME THEIR STORIES MORE CONSTRUCTIVELY
Since they are in the situation, it can be difficult for the person speaking to see it clearly, or
from different angles. With the help of empathic reflections and challenges, the speaker
uncovers blind spots or gaps in their perceptions and assessment of the situation, of others and
of themselves - their patterns, the impact of their behaviour on the situation, their strengths.
The purpose of Task 2 is to help clients uncover hidden concerns, clarify vague issues, add
important detail, explore their hesitancies, see their problems from a more constructive
perspective, add important information they are leaving out, find unused strengths and
resources, and spot and explore opportunities buried in or masked by problem situations.
Counselors add great value when they can help their clients identify blind spots related to their
problems and unused opportunities.
Some of the Skills needed for this task are: Challenging; different perspectives, patterns and
connections, shoulds and oughts, negative self-talk, blind spots (discrepancies, distortions,
incomplete awareness, things implied, what's not said),
TASK 3: GETTING VALUE–HELP CLIENTS WORK ON ISSUES THAT MAKE A

DIFFERENCE
Many clients have a range of issues. Mara certainly does. In such a case, help them choose
issues that will make a significant difference in their lives.
Skills needed for this task is Facilitating focussing and prioritising an area to work on.
Useful Questions:
What in all of this is the most important?

What would be best to work on now?
What would make the most difference?
What is manageable?
―So there are a number of things you would like to do to reset your life. What‘s most
important for you? If you could work on only one or two things, what would that be?‖
In the actual sessions, the three tasks are interrelated.
STAGE II: THE PREFERRED PICTURE—HELP CLIENTS IDENTIFY, CHOOSE, AND SHAPE
PROBLEM-MANAGING GOALS
People often move from problem to action, or problem to solution, without reflecting on what
they really want, or in what way their problems might be opportunities. Stage II is about this,
about helping the speaker to open up a picture of what they really want, and how things could
be better. This stage is very important in generating energy and hope.
In Stage II the counselor helps clients explore and choose possibilities for a better future—a
future in which key problem situations are managed and key opportunities developed. Stage
II focuses on outcomes.
Stage II also has three tasks—that is, three ways of helping clients answer as creatively as
possible the question ―What do I need or want?‖
TASK 1: HELP CLIENTS USE THEIR IMAGINATIONS TO SPELL OUT POSSIBILITIES

FOR A BETTER FUTURE
The helper helps the speaker to brainstorm their ideal scenario
This often helps clients move beyond the problem-and-misery mindset they bring with them
and develop a sense of hope. Brainstorming possibilities for a better future can also help
clients understand their problem situations better
Too many clients are locked in to the present. Even when they try to use their imaginations,
they think incrementally. The future they envision is not much better than the present they
dislike. Helpers do a service for their clients when they encourage them in engage in some
kind of ―break away‖ thinking.
TASK 2: HELP CLIENTS CHOOSE REALISTIC AND CHALLENGING GOALS THAT

ARE REAL SOLUTIONS TO THE KEY PROBLEMS AND UNUSED OPPORTUNITIES
IDENTIFIED IN STAGE I
Because helping is about solutions, outcomes, and impacts, possibilities need to be turned into
goals. A client‘s goals constitute his or her agenda for change. If goals are to be pursued and
accomplished, there are certain criteria for viable goals: Ideally, they need to be clear, related
to the problems and unused opportunities the client has chosen to work on, substantive,
realistic, prudent, sustainable, flexible, consistent with the client‘s values, and set in a
reasonable time frame. Effective counselors help clients shape their agendas to meet these
requirements.
From the creative and visionary brainstorm, the speaker formulates goals which are specific,
measurable, achievable/appropriate (for them, in their circumstances), realistic (with reference
to the real world), and have a time frame attached, i.e. SMART goals. Goals which are
demanding yet achievable are motivating.
TASK 3: HELP CLIENTS FIND THE INCENTIVES THAT WILL HELP THEM COMMIT
THEMSELVES TO THEIR CHANGE AGENDAS
The question clients must ask themselves is: ―What am I willing to pay for what I need and
want?‖ Without strong commitment, change agendas end up as no more than some nice ideas.
The goals they set for themselves, however useful, face a great deal of competition.
Counselors provide an important service when they help clients test their commitment to the
better future embedded in the goals they choose.
Commitment is not something that is handled all at once toward the beginning of the change
process. It needs to be revisited throughout the process.
STAGE III: THE WAY FORWARD—HELP CLIENTS DEVELOP STRATEGIES AND PLANS FOR
ACCOMPLISHING GOALS
Stage III defines the actions that clients need to take in order to translate goals into problem-
managing accomplishments. Stage III answers the question: ―How do I get there?‖ It is about
identifying and choosing action strategies and plans. Stage III also has three tasks that, in
practice, intermingle with one another and with the tasks of the other stages.
TASK 1: HELP CLIENTS REVIEW POSSIBLE STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE GOALS
Stimulating clients to think of different ways of achieving their goals is usually an excellent
investment of time. That said, clients should not leap into action. Hasty and disorganized
action is often self-defeating. Complaints such as ―I tried this and it didn‘t work. Then I tried
that and it didn‘t work either!‖ are often signs of poor planning rather than of the impossibility
of the task.
TASK 2: HELP CLIENTS CHOOSE THE STRATEGIES THAT BEST FIT THEIR
RESOURCES
What from the brainstorm might be selected as a strategy that is realistic for the speaker, in
their circumstances, consistent with their values
Whereas Task 1 provides clients with a pool of possible strategies, Task 2 helps clients choose
the action strategies that best fit their talents, resources, style, temperament, environment, and
timetable.
TASK 3: HELP CLIENTS PULL CHOSEN STRATEGIES TOGETHER INTO A VIABLE

PLAN
Help clients organize the actions they need to take to accomplish their goals. Plans are simply
maps clients use to get where they want to go. A plan can be quite simple. Indeed, overly
sophisticated plans are often self-defeating.
The aim is to help the speaker plan the next steps. The strategy is broken into bite-size chunks
of action. Here the speaker is doing almost all the work, producing their action plan. The
helper works with them to turn good intention into specific plans with time scales. Whilst
being encouraging, it's also important not to push the speaker into saying they'll do things to
please the helper.
THE ACTION ARROW: HELP CLIENTS IMPLEMENT THEIR PLANS
All three stages of the helping model sit on the ―action arrow,‖ indicating that clients need to
act in their own behalf right from the beginning of the helping process. The action arrow is a
strong reminder that all three stages of the helping process are about outcomes and impact.
Stage I is about a past and present that call for change. Stages II and III are about planning for
change, not constructive change itself. Planning is not action. Talking about problems and
opportunities, discussing goals, and figuring out strategies for accomplishing goals is just so
much talk without goal-accomplishing action. There is nothing magic about change; it is hard
work. But, each stage and task of the process can promote problemmanaging and opportunity-
developing action right from the beginning.
Figure given below presents the full model in all its stages and tasks and their relationship to
the action arrow. It includes two-way arrows between both stages and tasks to suggest the
kind of flexibility needed to make the process work. Every stage and task of the helping
process has the ability to drive problemmanaging action on the part of the client.
Reference:
Capuzzi, D. (2007). Counselling and psychotherapy: Theories and intervention. New Delhi:
Dorling Kindsley.
Egan, G. (1990). The skilled helper: A systematic approach to effective helping. Thomson
Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
Jones, R.N. (2008). Basic Counselling Skills- A helper‘s manual. New Delhi: Sage Publishers.
35 Reference: | Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE

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PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELLING Module 1: 18

Couselling and Helping.

Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE

Counseling and Helping.

DEFINITION AND SCOPE OF COUNSELLING.

• Voluntary counsellors. People trained in counselling skills or with full counsellor

• Counselling, psychotherapy and helping trainees. Trainees using counselling skills on

Who are helpers?

COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY

COUNSELLING AS A REPERTOIRE OF INTERVENTIONS

COUNSELLING AS A PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESS

9 GOALS OF COUNSELING. | Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE

10 GOALS OF COUNSELING. | Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE

Five most commonly named goals of counseling:

Helping individuals to cope with new situations and challenges

11 GOALS OF COUNSELING. | Dr. Abidha, SMSTM ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE

THE COUNSELLING PROCESS

Stage One: Relationship Building

Stage Four: Intervention and Problem Solving

Counsellor and counsellee characteristics.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFUL COUNSELLEE

Successful counselee will display the following characteristics:

of time for progress

CONDITIONS FACILITATING EFFECTIVE COUNSELLING:

3) THE HELPING RELATIONSHIP

4) THE THERAPEUTIC DIALOGUE BETWEEN CLIENT AND HELPER

5) TWO-WAY FEEDBACK BETWEEN CLIENT AND HELPER

6) THE MODEL OR METHOD OF TREATMENT AND THE ASSUMPTIONS

8) DECISION MAKING AS A HUMAN UNIVERSAL

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE COUNSELLING

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE COUNSELLOR.

1. Unconditional Positive Regard: Counsellors should communicate acceptance of clients as

3. Empathy: Counsellors should be able to communicate empathic understanding of clients

1. Self-awareness: Counsellors should be aware of their own standards, values and

2. Knowledge: They need to be knowledgeable of the socio-political factors operating intheir

3. Understanding: Counsellors need to be able to understand the worldview of each client.

To be a good counselor you must possess the following qualities:

Having empathy with the patient/client:

Maintaining a therapeutic relationship with a patient:

As a good counselor, you should ask open-ended questions as opposed to close-ended

What is a closed ended question?

What is an open-ended question?

An open-ended question is a question that leaves room for a patient/client to give a

What is a probing question?

The patient/client thinks about how he or she feels and why;

If there is confusion you can clear it up through discussion.

Praise appropriate practices

Giving Information and negotiating changes

Use of local language

Remain neutral and non-Judgemental

Be consistent in giving advice

Summarising and Paraphrasing

The Egan ‘skilled helper’ model

THE STAGES AND TASKS OF THE HELPING MODEL

each stage is divided into three interrelated tasks.

1. ―What‘s going on in my life or what are my main concerns?

Now let‘s take closer look at each of these tasks.

TASK 1: HELP CLIENTS TELL THEIR STORIES