Session 1: Introduction to

Effective Counselling

Presented by
Madam BRENDA G

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 1.1 Learning tasks
At the end of this session, students are expected
to be able to:
• Define terms used in counseling
• Identify types of counseling
• Identify guiding principles used in counseling
• Explain Characteristics of a good counselor
• State general approach to counseling

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 Activity: Brainstorming

• What is Counselling?
• What is effective counselling?

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 1.2 Definition
1.2.1 Counselling
• A professional helping relationship of trust that
aims at helping the patient/client to make
informed choices
• A helping interaction which occurs between a
counselor/healthcare provider and a client/patient,
families, and/or couples, which is initiated and
maintained as a means of facilitating change in
the behavior of the client/patient or in order to
access treatment, care and support services

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 1.2.2 Effective Counselling
• Refers to sessions which is private, confidential,
and respectful
• Views the patient as the expert on his or her own
life
• Respects that clients come to counselling with
great strengths and knowledge upon which to
build
• Doesn’t tell the patient what to do, and never
forces the patient to do something

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1.2.2 Effective Counselling….
• Understands that the client lives in a social
setting that influences choices
• Views social relationships as a resource
for improving health
• Is hard work, but possible and rewarding

Handout 1.1.Effective Counselling

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 AIMS OF COUNSELLING
• Provides emotional security and comfort
• Promotes insight
• Generates self awareness
• Facilitates confidence

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 1.2.3 Basic Counseling Skills

Are tools used in order to:

 Get information from a patient/client,
 Build a relationship,
 Assess the presenting problem,
 Understand the problem and
 Be able to lead a patient/client reach a
solution.

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 1.2.3 Basic Counseling
Skills…
Basic counselling skills include:
• Attending behaviors
-Verbal and non-verbal behaviors displayed by the listener that
communicate that the listener is paying attention to and is
interested in the speakers message.
• Paraphrasing
-Means the counselor uses different words to restate in a non-
judgmental way what the client has said.
• Probing
-the use of direct questions intended to stimulate discussion in
the hope of uncovering relevant information or helping the client
come to a particular realization or achieve a particular insight.

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• Interpreting
-Any statement to the client which goes beyond what they
have said or are aware of.
-The counselor is providing new meaning,reason,or
explanation for behaviours,thoughts,or feelings so that
client can see problems in a new way.
• Questioning
-Ask questions so that the client can develop his/her own
thinking.
-Ask open ended(gather lots of general information) and
close ended(gather lots of specific information) questions

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 1.2.3 Basic counseling Skills…
Basic counselling skills include:
• Confronting
-The counselor challenges clients to face
themselves realistically.
• Reflection of feelings/minimum encouragers
-to reflect a comment is to restate it, conveying that
you understand the content, the feeling behind it or
both.
-It helps client feel understood, express more
feelings, discriminate among various feelings.
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• Empathizing
-Understand the persons feeling/emotions/thinking process
from his/her shoes
-Not being concerned too much(sympathy)/too less(apathy)
• Summarization
-Summarize so that the client hear her/his thoughts and
know he/she is understood.
• Self-disclosing
-A counselor shares personal information with a client, it
can be sharing personal life experiences, feelings or
thoughts.

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 1.3 Types of counselling
• Individual counselling
• Group counselling
• Couple counselling

Handout 1.3: Types of Counselling

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 1. 3.1 Individual counselling

• A counsellor is expected to have one to one

or interpersonal communication with a
client.

• In this situation the client and the

counsellor meet and discuss in such a way
that the client gains confidence in his/her
ability to find solutions to the problems.
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 1.3. 2.Group counselling

• The counsellor works with the group in

seeking a solution to their common
problem

• Is designed to help clients in a group to

achieve increased mutuality, integration,
and acceptance of reality, socialization,
realistic goals, adaptability and
responsibility for self.
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 1.3. 3.Couple Counselling

• Couple refers to two people, usually of

opposite sex, who may be:
Married,Cohabiting (not married but a man
and woman are staying together) or Friends

• Occurs when two individuals who have had

or who intend to have sexual relations wish
to discuss issues concerning HIV together
and look for ways to cope with the situation
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 1.4 Guiding principles used in
counseling

Guiding principles used in counseling

include :
• Counselling,
• Informed Consent
• Confidentiality.

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 1.4.1 Counseling
• Good counselling helps clients/patients to
cope and live positively irrespective of the
gravity of the diagnosis

• In counselling, the focus of attention is the

individual and not the problem.

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 1.4.1 Counseling…..
• The aim is not to solve the particular
problem but to assist the individual to
become independent and able to cope
with the present problem and later
problems without external aid such as
counselling or guidance

• Counselling means giving choices, not

force, and not advice
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 1.4.2 Consent….

• Informed consent, is the process during which

clients receive clear and accurate information
about his /her health status in order to make an
informed decision about whether to accept or
decline health procedure.

• Informed consent can be written or verbal in

certain situations by the caretaker in certain
situations.
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 1.4.2 Consent….
• It is the responsibility of the health care
provider to obtain informed consent to
make certain that the client understand the
purpose and benefits of counselling
session, the process and respect client’s
decision.

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 1.4.2 Consent….
• Note: During testing and counselling
process, the client can decline the HIV
test, but that should not affect his or her
medical attention.

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 1.4.3 Confidentiality
• Confidentiality is an important
responsibility of all health care providers
and is essential to establishing and
maintaining client trust.

• Information that is shared between health

care providers and clients must be kept
private and is termed as shared
confidentiality.
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 1.4.3 Confidentiality….
• Clients should be informed that personal
and medical information, may only be
disclosed to other health care providers in
order to ensure that the client receives the
appropriate medical care.

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 Activity: Brainstorming

• What are characteristics of a good

counsellor?

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 1.4 Characteristics of a good
counsellor
Handout 1.4
The following are qualities of an effective
counselor
• Competence
• Maintains confidentiality
• Trustworthiness
• Demonstrate self awareness and
understanding
• Good psychological health
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 1.4 Characteristics of a good
counsellor…
• Can build good rapport
• Show warmth and sensitivity
• Show empathy
• Remain objective and open minded
• Active listener
• Be able to reflect and clarify their needs
• Patience
• Be non-judgmental
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1.5 General approach to Counseling

There are many techniques of counselling

• Person/client
centred/non-directive/Rogerian method
• Clinical/counsellor centred/directive
method
• Eclectic method

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 1.5.1 Person/Client
Centred/Non-directed/Rogerian Method.

• This is a method in which the person or

client seeking counselling becomes the
main speaker during counselling.
Features of this method include:
• The Client comes willingly for help and
accepts specific conditions for counselling.
• He/she agrees to own her/his problems
• He/she should not expect instant solutions
to the problem from the counsellor.
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 1.5.1 Person/Client Centred/Non-
directed/Rogerian Method…

• The counsellor and the client talk freely and

extensively about the presenting problem.
• The counsellor uses basic and supporting
skills to enable the client get into his/her
problem and understand it.
• The client finally gets insight into the
disturbing problem. And realized what the
problem is.
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 1.5.1 Person/Client Centred/Non-
directed/Rogerian Method…
• The counsellor guides the client through
the alternative solutions pinpointing
strengths and weaknesses of each
alternative and leaves the client to choose
the suitable solution.
• The counsellor may lead the client to
choose a better solution of the problem
than the choice made if in the eyes of the
counsellor, the choice is less effective.
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 1.5.1 Person/Client Centred/Non-
directed/Rogerian Method…
• Towards the end of the session, and the
client having accepted the solution, he/she
concludes the counselling session(s) by
thanking the counselee, pledging to
practise the solution reached.

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1.5.2 Clinical/Counsellor- Centred/Directive Method.

• The counsellor is the main speaker.

• In this method: The counsellor draws
his/her competence and experience and
prescribes solutions to his/her client. o
He/she directs the client to do what a
counsellor feels can help in solving the
client’s problem.

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 1.5.2 Clinical/Counsellor-
Centred/Directive Method…

• The counsellors do not believe that the

client has within her/himself the means
necessary to solve the problem effectively.

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 1.5.2.1 Stages in counsellor –
centred method.
• The counsellor has to collect information
about the client and his/her environment
from variety of sources, including the client
himself/herself during the initial
counselling interview.

• Then the counsellor organizes the

collected information so as to get a clear
picture of the client’s problem.
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 1.5.2.1 Stages in counsellor –
centred method…

• The counsellor is to formulate their

conclusion regarding the nature and cause
of the client’s problem.

• The counsellor predicts the treatment of

the client’s problem.

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 1.5.2.1 Stages in counsellor –
centred method…
• The counsellor interprets the collected
data to him/her and provides a plan of
action to be followed by the client.

• Finally the counsellor fellows up the

client’s implementation of the given plan of
action with two actions: Did it work? If not
what next?

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 1.5.3 The Eclectic Method

• This method is a combination of several

counselling techniques (methods) adopted
by a counsellor during counselling session,
resulting for better results.

• Example: A counsellor may be non-

directive to staff where the client has to
make a choice between alternative
solutions.
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 1.5.3 The Eclectic Method…
• If the client chooses a less effective
alternative solution, the counsellor may
direct him/her to choose the most effective
alternative solution
• In so doing the counsellor combines and
uses two techniques “Non Directive and
Directive Techniques”.
• He /she become eclectic in practice.

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 Key points
• Certain qualities such as patience,
objectivity and trustworthiness are
essential in counsellors.

• Four essential counselling skills include

attending, paraphrasing, probing and
interpreting.

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 Key points
• Counsellors should check clients’
understanding by asking questions.

• Self-exploration and understanding are

also essential in maintaining a healthy
working relationship between counsellor
and client.

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 Review questions
1. Mention types of counseling
2. List five qualities of an effective
counsellor.
3. Explain guiding principles used in
counseling
4. Explain Characteristics of a good
counselor
5. State general approach to counseling
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 References
• Kelly K (2017) Basic Counselling Skills: A
Student guide

• Marry T (2014) Leurning and Being in

Person – Centred Counselling, PCCS,
Books

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 References
• MOHSW (2008). HIV and AIDS Voluntary
Counselling and Testing: Participant
Manual. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania:
National AIDS Control Programme.

• Tolan J (2003) Skills in Person-Centred

Counselling&Psychotherapy, Sage

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