A Counselor

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A counselor can be seen as a professional who render help to a individual for a problem to be

solve and also it is a service offered to an individual who is undergoing a problem and need help

The core of the counseling process is the relationship established between the counselor and the

client.core of the counseling process is the relationship established between the counselor and the

client. The counselor takes the initiative to establish a climate conducive to develop mutual

respect, trust, free and open communication and understanding in general of what the counseling

process involves. Both the counselor’s attitude and verbal communications is significant to the

development of a satisfactory relationship. Verbal communication includes attentive listening,

understanding and feeling with the client. Counselor client relationship serves to increase the

opportunities for clients to attain their goals. Moreover, a potential model of a good interpersonal

relationship. In fact, one that clients can use to improve the quality of their relationships outside

the therapeutic setting.The counselor helps the client make effective interpersonal relationships

and free him from unrealistic aspirations. In this the counselor plays the part of a teacher.

Pepinsky and Pepinsky (1954) define the relationship “as a hypothetical construct to

designate the inferred affective character of the observable interaction between two individuals”.

He emphasised the affective or emotional element in the relationship. Plan with the client to

obtain assessment data needed to proceed with the counseling process. The counselor takes the

initiative to establish a climate conducive to develop mutual respect, trust, free and open

communication and understanding in general of what the counseling process involves. Both the

counselor’s attitude and verbal communications is significant to the development of a

satisfactory relationship. Verbal communication includes attentive listening, understanding and

feeling with the client.


The quality of counselor client relationship determines the counseling outcomes. Factors

that are important in the establishment of counselor client relationship are positive regard

andrespect, accurate empathy, and genuineness. In addition, to ensure these conditions the

counselor needs to have openness: an ability to understand and feel with the client as well as

value the client. Counselor client relationship serves to increase the opportunities for clients to

attain their goals. Moreover, a potential model of a good interpersonal relationship. In fact, one

that clients can use to improve the quality of their relationships outside the therapeutic setting.

The counselor helps the client make effective interpersonal relationships and free him from

unrealistic aspirations. In this the counselor plays the part of a teacher.

Pepinsky and Pepinsky (1954) define the relationship “as a hypothetical construct to

designate the inferred affective character of the observable interaction between two individuals”.

He emphasised the affective or emotional element in the relationship.

COUNSELORS DUTIES AND GOALS –

1. Establish a comfortable and positive relationship.

2. Explain the counseling process and mutual responsibilities to the client.

3. Facilitate communication.

4. Identify and verify the client’s concern that brought him/her to the counselor.

5. Plan with the client to obtain assessment data needed to proceed with the counseling

process. core of the counseling process is the relationship established between the

counselor and the client.


6. The counselor takes the initiative to establish a climate conducive to develop mutual

respect, trust, free and open communication and understanding in general of what the

counseling process involves.

7. Both the counselor’s attitude and verbal communications is significant to the

development of a satisfactory relationship. Verbal communication includes attentive

listening, understanding and feeling with the client.

COUNSELORS DUTIES AND GOALS –

1. Establish a comfortable and positive relationship.

2. Explain the counseling process and mutual responsibilities to the client.

3. Facilitate communication.

4. Identify and verify the client’s concern that brought him/her to the counselor.

5. Plan with the client to obtain assessment data needed to proceed with the counseling

process.

1B. THE FOLLOWING ARE THE COMPONENTS OF GUIDANCE AND

COUNSELING.

1.EDUCATIONAL GUIDANCE : is the process of inform ate the clients with all relevant

information that will enhance educational development. Such as information include type

schools e.g private, government own, boys only, girls only, missionary school,fees charged at

such schools, facilities available e.g laboratory, computers, hostel accommodation, entry

requirements, quality of staff. Educational counseling is necessitated by myriads of educational


problems which can forestalls the achievement of educational goals set by the students e.g

failure, low performance, wrong subject combination, wrong choice of vocation, truancy, class

cutting, exam malpractice, illness, social economic factors (no money to buy textbooks for

assignments), cultism etc.

VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE:= This is the process of helping clients to chose the right

vocation to future carrier on the basis of interest, ability and aptitude. Ability is also essential

attitude is a natural thing, that going a little train, a client will excel in that field. Even in a choice

of subject combination, there is need for some psychological test.

VOCATIONAL COUNSELING:- Is also necessitated from by the problem that animate from

the carrier choice or vocation of the clients just taken up any job without requisite or training,

clients who have refined and must find another ways to make ends meet or client who are not

enjoying the world of work. Sigmund frued said man lives for two things, 1. To love and to be

loved, 2. To work.

PERSONAL SOCIAL GUIDANCE:- This is the process of helping the clients to adjust and

live happily with the members of his environment inspire of indifference, rules and regulations

are put in place for secondary school student for uniform treatments, students are involved in

formulating these rules and regulations so that justice can be obtain when melting punishment for

offenders.

PERSONAL SOCIAL COUNSELING:- This is necessitated by the myriads of problems burns

out of inferiority complex, self concept, individual differences, lack of information, money, food,

all which are personal and inter personal conflicts.


MARITAL GUIDANCE:- This is the process of educating the youth about the body

components and the functions of each parts. It is also a way to provide an w holistic education on

how to engaged in inter social relationship with the right person at the right age and in the right

forum with total maintenance of self control and the right social- personal distance and not

allowing handshake to go beyond the shoulder.

MARITAL COUNSELING:- Is the process of assisting client whose entry into couple hood is

delay by one reason or the other or those who enter and they are facing instability. It is

necessitated by peculiar problem like playing hard to get, frigidity, hygiene, social economic

condition, problems of in laws, incompatibility, childless ness, ill health etc.

REHABILITATION: This is the process of assisting a client who has suffered a catastrophe

and has lost money, part of his body which render him hopeless toreinstall hope in him and help

to maximize the remaining potential in him. The essence of rehabilitation counseling is to

discourage begging but encourage independent and effective being so the clients can contribute

his total ability to community development.

1C. CONCEPT OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING

Guidance and counseling is an all-encompassing process that involves helping individuals,

usually students, and clients, to gain an understanding of themselves and manage their personal,

social, academic, and career development.

GUIDANCE :Guidance can be defined as the process of providing advice, support, or assistance

to someone to make important decisions in their life. This could include decisions about their

education, career, relationships, and personal development.


The goal of guidance is to help individuals make informed decisions that are in line with their

goals, values, and interests.

COUNSELING :Counseling is the process of providing emotional and psychological support to

individuals who are experiencing personal, social, or emotional difficulties. This could include

issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship problems, and self-esteem issues.

The goal of counseling is to help clients overcome their difficulties and improve their overall

well-being. It involves providing a safe and supportive environment where individuals can

explore their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors and develop strategies to cope with their

challenges.

2.

I. Self image: Self-image is the personal view, or mental picture, that we have of ourselves. Self-

image is an “internal dictionary” that describes the characteristics of the self, including such

things as intelligent, beautiful, ugly, talented, selfish, and kind.

ii. Self esteem: Self-esteem is how we value and perceive ourselves. It's based on our opinions

and beliefs about ourselves, which can feel difficult to change. We might also think of this as

self-confidence.

iii. Self concept: The individual's belief about himself or herself, including the person's attributes

and who and what the self is.” A similar definition comes from Rosenberg's 1979 book on the

topic; he says self-concept is: “…the totality of an individual's thoughts and feelings having

reference to himself as an object.”


iv. Self awareness: Self-awareness is the ability to tune in to your feelings, thoughts, and

actions. Being self-aware also means being able to recognize how other people see you. People

who are self-aware recognize their strengths and their challenges.

v. Self confidence: Self-confidence is an attitude about your skills and abilities. It means you

accept and trust yourself and have a sense of control in your life. You know your strengths and

weakness well, and have a positive view of yourself. You set realistic expectations and goals,

communicate assertively, and can handle criticism.

2b. The Following Are Guidance Functions In Schools

It helps young people to pursue the right type of education.

1. It facilitates the smooth transition for children from home to school, from primary to

secondary school, from secondary to higher educational institutions, and to the world of work.

2.It helps students to cope with examination anxiety.

3. It helps students to develop effective study habits.

4. It provides students with meaningful educational experiences.

5. It helps pupils with specific problems like lack of relationship between ability and

achievement, deficiency in school subjects, faulty study habits, defective methods of learning

and poor motivation.

6. It helps pupil make educational plans consistent with his abilities, interests and goals to select

appropriate curricula.
3A. NEED FOR GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING

The student life is getting complex day by day . Guidance is needed to help the students for

optimum achievement and adequate adjustment in the varied life situations. Need analysis of the

students in the schools shows the need of Guidance and counseling services , in the education,

profession, vocation, social, health, moral, personal, and marital areas.

Guidance and counseling programme needs to be introduced in our colleges and universities to

meet the varied needs of the educational system, administration, and students.

1) to help in the total development of the student

Guidance and counseling helps the students to have a bettervself understanding and proper

adjustment to self and society. Developing of proper motivation and clarification of goals and

ideas to pupils in conformity with their basic potentialities and social tendencies are important.

Total development of the student necessitates that individual differences amoung them are

expected, accepted, understood, and planned for. And all types of experiences in an institution

are to be so organized as to contribute to the total development of the student.

2) To help in the proper choices of courses

3) To help in the proper choice of careers

4) To help the students in vocational development

5) To develop readiness for choices and changes to face new challenges

3b. The following are objectives of guidance services.


1. Smooth transition from home to school.

2. Helping potential dropouts to stay in school.

3. Identifying and assisting children with special needs.

4. Identifying Deficits in basic learning skills.

5. Developing a positive self-concept and healthy peer relationships.

6. Improving teacher learner relationship.

7. Identifying and assisting, students with behavioural problems.

8. Developing healthy attitude towards all kinds of socially useful work.

9.Learning and developing good work habits.

10. Improving academic performance.

11. Developing critical thinking.

12. Learning to manage time wisely.

13. Developing problem solving skills.

14. Making aware of world of work.

3c. Principle of Acceptance: A counselor must fully accept any client that comes to them no

matter who they are, what they believe, or the challenges they are facing. Clients shouldn’t feel

weird during their encounters with the counselor.


In fact, if the client has some characteristics (e.g. accent) that make them feel weird when with

everyone else, part of the first “therapy” they should receive is acceptance from the counselor,

letting them know that it’s okay to be different.

2. Principle of communication: Counseling is built on effective communication. There can be

no effective counseling relationship if communication flow is hindered or communication is

misunderstood. Communication is not just words— the counselor must pay attention to the facial

and body gestures of the client and also ensure their facial and body gestures align with what

they are actually saying verbally. To ensure there are no assumptions, counseling techniques like

paraphrasing and clarification should be employed.

3. Principle of empathy: The counselor must ensure that they see the issues brought forth

through the eyes of the client. That is empathy. Empathy is not sympathy, it is not pitying the

client but putting yourself in the client’s shoes and feeling their pain as though you were the one

going through it. If a counselor does not see the situation through the eyes of the client, they

cannot provide applicable counsel in all cases, and sometimes, all clients want is someone to

listen to and understand them.

4. Principle of non-judgemental attitude :This is similar to the principle of acceptance. No

matter the client’s concern or their interpretation of it, the counselor must not judge them. To

judge them is to give a verdict that they are either right or wrong. But more emphasis is laid on

judging them as wrong.

Even when a client has irrational assumptions (as in REBT), the counselor should make them

feel it is normal to have those assumptions that guide them to rational assumptions, instead of
making them feel they are bad to have those assumptions. The non-judgmental attitude should be

displayed verbally and nonverbally.

5. Principle of confidentiality :Sensitive information of clients like their names, photos, files,

concerns, and so on should be kept confidential except otherwise agreed between the client and

counselor with a written consent. The counselor should also assure the client of the same. There

could be limitations to the principle of confidentiality in some cases, however. For instance, in

cases like suicidal ideation, there is a need for intervention from third parties. But even at that,

only the minimum information needed should be disclosed to professionals.

6. Principle of individuality :The counselor might have handled countless cases similar to the

one before them but they must treat the clients as unique individuals, give them all the attention

needed, and examine the unique details of the situation.

This is the best way to ensure nothing is left unattended or overlooked. There should be no

assumptions or generalizations.

7. Principle of non-emotional involvement: This might look contradictory examining the fact

that we have talked about the principle of empathy which is feeling the client’s pain. The

principle of non-emotional involvement ensures that the counselor does not relate with the client

or issue emotionally. You can feel the client’s pain and think about a way out, not feel the pain

and feel a way out. One of the reasons clients come to a counselor is to get someone who will

look into their issues with no emotional bias.

3d. The following are facilities needed to start guidance and counseling programs in schools

1. Qualified counseling personnel.


2. Supporting staff.

3. Office accommodation and equipment.

4. Finance

5. Career library and information catalog

6. Test materials and other psychological apparatus or gadgets.

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