SGDA 2153

Fundamental of Guidance and

Counselling of School
 Definition of Counselling
Krumboltz (1965)
Counselling is any ethical activity performed by a counsellor in assisting a client
demonstrates a behaviour that motivates towards problem solving.

The American Guidance and Personnel Society (1980) defines counselling

as using counselling procedures and other fields related to behavioural science
to helps learn how to solve certain problem, making decisions regarding career
choices, personal growth, marriage, family or other interpersonal matters.
Burks and Stefflre (1979),
Counselling refers to professional relationship between a trained counsellor and
a client. This relationship is normally person-to-person, although sometimes it
involves more than two persons. It designed to help clients understand and
express their views about their lives, and learn to achieve personal choice aim
through a meaningful and informative choice after they have solved their
emotional and interpersonal problems.

Zainal Abidin (2002)

Counselling is a discussion between a trained counsellor and an individual or a
small group that experiences confusion and needs help, and together they think
and analyse a few alternatives to overcome the chaotic situation and implement
the chosen alternative.
 Counselling Goals

Positive Change Positive Effect Decision Potential

of Behaviour Relationship Making Process Achievement

Help Client Help client start Help client start

make change in and continue Help client in to develop
behaviour for positive decision positively and
more relationship making process achieving
productive and with others his/her
satisfactory life potentials

Figure 1.1: Counselling aims

 Counsellor’s Roles
Place Example of Counselling Service
School Helping students make appropriate career choices.

Prison Helping inmates rehabilitate and the process of

integrating them into the community.
Hospital Helping families that loss their family members deal with
the loss.
Religions Office Helping spouses who are experiencing marriage
problems. (Malaysian contact)
Government Offices Helping stressed employees or ones with problems of
being burnt out.
Churches Helping those with personal problems such as problems
with their parents.
Table 1.1: Example of Counselling at Various Place
 Mental

Social Emotional

INDIVIDUAL
ASPECT

Physical Spiritual

Figure 1.2: Aspects that include the whole individual

Counselling Process
Stages in Counselling Process
Termination
Implementation
Decision making
Exploration
Developing relationship/Rapport
Figure 2.1: Five stages in counselling
a) Developing Relationship/Rapport – the stage to develop a strong basis
to create a cooperative sharing.
b) Exploration – the stage to understand how clients perceive their problems
or to understand their frame of reference.
c) Decision Making – the stage to develop an aim for the client which
means the direction that the counsellor plans to guide the client. At this
stage, the counsellor tries to think of the strategies to help his clients.
d) Implementation – the stage where a counsellor attempts to reduce the
level of anxiety or solve her problems.
e) Termination – the stage where the counsellor sums up what has been
going in the counselling session and its effects.
 Developing Relationship

Creating an ambience
conductive for Structuring
interactions relationship
Building a
relationship
Deciding early on,
the aim of the Building trust
relationship
Figure 2.2: the four stages of building relationship
 Relationship
Structure

Understanding of the Explanation about The aspect of related

counselling process related particulars confidentiality

Figure 2.3: Structuring relationship

 Exploration
a) Scope of the Problem
(i) Recognise if the problem faced now is the actual problem;
(ii) Recognise the context and environment of the time and place as the problem
occurred;
(iii) Evaluate the condition, the level of seriousness and how long the problem has
taken place;
(iv) Evaluate how far the problem has involved other people especially those close to
him; and
(v) Estimate how a small change towards improvement in the client’s life can affect
those close to him.
b) Client’s Level of Functioning
(i) Undergone progress in life with minimum problem;
(ii) Successfully met physiological, psychological and social needs;
(iii) Functioned at the appropriate cognitive level;
(iv) Had positive relationship with the people close to him;
(v) Maintained a good self-adaptation when dealing with conflict,
disappointment and challenges in life; and
(vi) Constantly projected proper behavioural pattern.
c) Client’s Life Pattern
(i) Explore while understanding the client’s way of solving previous problems with
the problems faced currently.
(ii) This exploration process may express the client’s refusal to handle problem or his
trouble in going through the problem-solving process.
(iii) At this stage, the counsellor temporarily thinks up or prepares a plan or strategy
to help client.

d) Strength and Sources of Strength

(i) The internal strength that need to be explored.
(ii) To understand the client’s scope of strength
(iii) Helping the client to be aware that he has the responsibility to overcome his
problem.
 Decision-making

Decision-making
level

Agree on the approach

Mutually agreed aim and strategies to be
implemented

Figure 2.4: Structuring relationship

a) Variables of the Client
(i) Type of Problem
-does the client possess low interpersonal skills or is he incapable of
making a decision?
(ii) The Individual Program Solving Pattern
-is it common for the client to let other people solve his problem or is he
thinking about his problem too much that he is too numb to react?
(iii) Demograhic Factor
-example : is age, sex or socio-economic background related to the client’s
qualification to enrol in a college or to obtain a scholarship?
(iv) Personality Factor
-example : the client who is dependent differs in the way of handling as
compared to the one who is independent.
(v) Cultural Background
b) Variables of the Counsellor
(i) Knowledge in Cognition
-example : theories and research regarding motivation, cognition,
relationship, adaptation, behaviour and personality.
(ii) Knowledge and Experience of Using Various Counselling Approaches
-for instance, behaviourism, person-centred approach, existentialism.
(iii) High Level of Responding and Communication Skills
-such as guiding skills, responding orally and communication skills in a
specific role.
c) Variables of the Environment
(i) The setting or the counsellor’s workplace (school, university, rehabilitation
centres or hospital) may be more or less influencing the counselling in
terms of its aims and strategies.
(ii) Example : a school counsellor with a client who has a difficulty to study
because his father is an alcoholic puts the aim to help his to study more
effectively at home.
 Implementation

Influence of Additional
close parties Factors sources of help
influencing
counselling
effectiveness

Brochure
preparation
Figure 1.5: Factors influencing the effectiveness of counselling
a) Influence of Close Parties
(i) Normally the close parties or companions are the people who have great
impact on the client and it is important for her to remember about them in
the session.
b) Additional Sources of Help
(i) The client may be referred to other institutions in the community such as
hospital, dentists, religious department and others to get help if it has been
identified that the client may need it.
(ii) example : a confused client who does not know to choose a major at the
university can be referred to a lecturer to discuss courses of her interest.
c) Brochure Preparation
- Reading materials and references may serve to help the counsellor in the
process of counselling.
 Termination
Three elements needs to be achieved :
a) The progress that has been achieved throughout the counselling must be summed
up and the effects be evaluated
b) Other issues that need to be solved around this time must be stated
c) Ways of maintaining the client’s growth after the end of the counselling need to be
considered

The Final task :

a) Organising a follow-up session; and
b) Forming a self-observable plan and doing practices together on how the plan can
be self-observed.
 Group Discussion

• Discuss characteristic of uncooperative and difficult

clients
• How to handles them at every stages in counselling
process.
• How to oeganise a follow up session