Psychological Counselling

other than Psychoanalysis UNIT 4 COUNSELLING IN EDUCATIONAL

SETTINGS

Structure
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Objectives
4.2 Guidance
4.3 Objectives of Student Counseling
4.4 Scope of Student Counseling
4.5 Educational Counseling
4.6 Career Counseling
4.7 Group Counseling
4.7.1 Objectives of Group Counseling
4.7.2 Advantages of Group Counseling
4.8 Individual Counseling
4.8.1 Students Engaging in Substance Abuse
4.8.2 Students Witnessing Domestic Violence
4.8.3 Students Coping with Divorce/Separation of Parents
4.8.4 Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
4.8.5 Gifted Students
4.8.6 Students with Physical Disabilities
4.9 Let Us Sum Up
4.10 Unit End Questions
4.11 Glossary
4.12 Suggested Readings

4.0 INTRODUCTION
In this unit we are dealing with counseling in educational settings. We start with
Guidance, its definition and description. What guidance is and how it is done in
regard to students. This is followed by objectives of student counseling which
includes giving information to students on matters important to success, help
students in solving their problems, to help student to work out a plan etc. Then
we take up the scope of student counselling in which we include individual and
group counseling in addition to the various other scopes listed Then we take up
educational counseling in which we discuss educational guidance and igts various
components. This is followed by a discussion on career cousnelling followed by
Group counseling, its advantages etc. The next section deals with individual
counseling in which we include students who are abusing drugs, who have
witnessed domestic violence, whose parents are separated etc. Then we take up
typical disorders and the counseling in regard to the same such as counseling for
ADHD etc. In this unit we also discuss gifted children who also need counseling
of a different nature.

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 Counselling in Educational
4.1 OBJECTIVES Settings

After completing this unit, you will be able to:

• Describe guidance;
• Explain student counseling, its objectives and scope;
• Describe educational counseling;
• Explain career counseling;
• Explain group counseling, its objectives and advantages; and
• Describe individual counseling and special student groups who require it.

4.2 GUIDANCE
Guidance may be defined as the process of helping the individual in selecting,
preparing, entering and progressing in the behavioural patterns which comprise
human activities in the educational, vocational, recreational field as well as in
connection with community service group. Husband, in his book entitled Applied
Psychology, has defined the term as, “Guidance may be defined as assisting the
individual to prepare for his future life, to fit him for his place in society.” In this
way, guidance prepares the individual for his life. It informs the individual of the
kind of education that he requires, the subjects that he would be advised to choose
in his study, the vocation of which he should apply himself when old enough, as
well as the means he should employ when faced with problems that he must
solve. The counselor’s guidance helps an individual to fit into his or her role and
status in society.
In the words of Jones (1951), “Guidance involves personal help given by someone;
it is designed to assist a person in deciding where he wants to go, what he wants
to do, or how he can best accomplish his purposes; it assists him in solving
problems that arise in his life. It does not solve problems for the individual, but
helps him to solve them. The focus of guidance is the individual, not the problem;
its purpose is to promote the growth of the individual in self-direction.”
The following may be summed up as the characteristics of guidance:
1) It is promotion of the growth of the individual in self-direction.
2) It is the process of helping the individual in effecting changes in him.
3) It helps the individual himself through his own efforts.
4) It assists an individual to find his place.
5) It is helping the individual to establish harmonious relationships.
6) It is assisting the individual to adjust himself.
7) It is helping the individual in making appropriate educational, vocational
and personal choices.
8) Its programme and content is organised.
9) It consists of specialised services – counseling, educational and vocational
information placement and follow up.
10) Its programme is an integral part of the school system.
11) It is helping an individual to identify and develop his potentialities and talent. 59
Psychological Counselling Change is the essence of counseling in schools and elsewhere. Students enter
other than Psychoanalysis
counseling because someone, usually a teacher or parent, desires a change in
their school performance or behaviour. Occasionally, the student may himself/
herself approach for help.

4.3 OBJECTIVES OF STUDENT COUNSELING

Dunsmoor and Miller believe that the core of student counseling is to help the
student to help himself. From this point of view they describe the following
objectives of student counseling:
• To give the student information on matters important to success
• To get information about student which will be of help in solving his problems
• To establish a feeling of mutual understanding between student and teacher
• To help the student work out a plan for solving his difficulties
• To help the student know himself better – his interests, abilities, aptitudes
and opportunities
• To encourage and develop special abilities and right attitudes
• To inspire successful endeavor toward attainment
• To assist the student in planning for educational and vocational choices.

4.4 SCOPE OF STUDENTS COUNSELING

Counseling in educational settings has a vast scope.
Williamson summarises it: “The techniques of counseling individual students
may be observed in greatly modified form, in the individualised service; granting
loans and scholarships; handling discipline cases; assignment of rooms and
selection of room-mates in dormitories; advising on student activities and
programmes; helping students choose vocational objectives; selecting optional
courses of study; learning to read at college rate and comprehension.”

Professional school counselors ideally implement a school counseling program

that promotes and enhances student achievement. Professional school counselors
meet the needs of student in three basic domains: academic development, career
development, and personal/social development (Dahir & Campbell, 1997) with
an increased emphasis on college access.

School counselor interventions include individual and group counseling for some
students. For example, if a student’s behaviour is interfering with his or her
achievement, the school counselor may observe that student in a class, provide
consultation to teachers and other stakeholders to develop (with the student) a
plan to address the behavioural issue(s), and then collaborate to implement and
evaluate the plan. They also provide consultation services to family members
such as college access, career development, parenting skills, study skills, child
and adolescent development, and help with school-home transitions.

School counselors develop, implement, and evaluate school counseling programs

that deliver academic, career, college access, and personal/social competencies
to all students in their schools.
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 Counselling in Educational
4.5 EDUCATIONAL COUNSELING Settings

According to Brewer, “Educational guidance is a conscious effort to assist in the

intellectual growth of individual- anything that has to do with instruction or
learning may come under the term of guidance.”

Jones clarified, “Educational guidance is the assistance given to the pupils in

their choices and adjustments with relation to schools, curriculums, courses and
school life.”

Hence, career counseling may be seen as an extension of educational guidance

and both are inter-dependent and inter-linked with each other.

The following are the functions of educational counseling:

a) Making a good beginning

This aims at preventing drop-outs, highlighting the incentives of good education,
thus paving way for a good educational beginning for the child.

b) Planning intelligently
The counselor provides the opportunity to children to explore his abilities,
aptitudes and interests, and relate them to the courses available in secondary
school.

c) Secondary stage
It acquaints students with the nature and purpose of senior secondary school
curriculum through class talks, and exploratory or try-out courses when possible.

d) Improvement in the method of study

Wherever required, the counselor may suggest important improvements in the
study method of the individual. These may include mode of taking notes, mode
of reading, mode of memorising.

4.6 CAREER COUNSELING

Super posited five stages of vocational development:
• Growth (up to 14 years)
• Exploration (15 to 24 years)
• Establishment (25 to 44 years)
• Maintenance (45 to 64 years)
• Decline (post 64 years)
The focus in career counseling is generally on issues such as career exploration,
career change, personal career development and other career related issues, often
occurring in the Growth and Exploration stages of vocational development.
Typically when people come for career counseling they know exactly what they
want to get out of the process, but are unsure about how it will work.

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Psychological Counselling Career counselors work with people from various walks of life seeking to explore
other than Psychoanalysis
career options, or experienced professionals contemplating a career change. Career
counselors typically have a background in vocational psychology or industrial/
organisational psychology.

The approach of career counseling varies, but will generally include the
completion of one or more assessments. These assessments typically include
cognitive ability tests, and personality assessments. Based on the interest of the
client, his aptitude and the personality factors of the client, a career most suited
for him is suggested.

4.7 GROUP COUNSELING

A group counseling intervention is a planned, developmental program of guidance
activities designed to foster students’ academic, career, and personal/social
development. In group counseling, a school counselor works with two or more
students together. Group size generally ranges from five to eight members. In a
group setting, group members have the opportunity to learn from each other.
They can share ideas, give and receive feedback, increase their awareness, gain
knowledge, practice skills, and think about their goals and actions. Group
discussions may be problem-centered, where attention is given to particular
concerns or problems. Generally, information received from clients is private
and confidential.

According to Crow and Crow, “Guidance in a group usually is thought of as

referring to those guidance services that are made available by school personnel
to large or small group of pupils.”

Group counseling is an important and effective intervention technique that has

been recognised by the profession for many years. School counselors have all
been trained in group counseling techniques and may find it to be more effective
and efficient than individual counseling for selected students.

4.7.1 Objectives of Group Counseling

Kitch and McCreasy have listed the following objectives of group counseling:
• To assist in the identification of common problems;
• To provide information useful in the solution of adjustment problem;
• To provide opportunities for experiences that promote self-understanding;
and
• To lay the foundation of individual counseling.
The school counselor establishes and maintains group rules such as being sensitive
to the feelings of other group members, being a good listener, and not being
critical or sarcastic about the contributions of other group members. He or she
also establishes specific goals for each session and facilitates purposeful goal-
oriented discussion.

4.7.2 Advantages of Group Counseling

Efficiency: Enables the counselor to convey relevant information to a group of
students thus saving time and effort
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Opportunity to understand students in group situations: The counselor gets an Counselling in Educational
Settings
opportunity to acquaint himself with the social attitudes and behaviour of student/s.

Discussion of common problems of students: Students get a chance to come up

with their common problems and also find out solutions for the same with the
help of the counselor and also of fellow-students.

Balanced Judgments: In group counseling, students usually accept suggestions

that have grown out of face exchange of opinions and realistic analysis of attitudes.

Enlightenment of students: Through group discussion, the normal student learns

to manage his own affairs in a better way.

Collective judgment on common problems: Group counseling provides outlets

for discussion to the problems which the students might be uncomfortable with
or unwilling to discuss in private interviews.

Individual counseling: Group counseling prepares the way for individual

counseling

The common problems taken up for group counseling programmes include those
relating to educational plans, home and school adjustment, use of leisure time,
hobbies, age-related issues, and job hunting.

Self Assessment Questions

1) What is Guidance?
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2) Explain the importance of student counseling.
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3) What are the objectives and advantages of group counseling?
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Psychological Counselling
other than Psychoanalysis 4.8 INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING
Despite counseling in groups, there are many specific students who require the
undivided attention and focus of the counselor. These students may include the
following groups:

4.8.1 Students Engaging in Substance Abuse

Substance abuse is a critical problem across all segments of the population and
impacts in some way all members of our society. It is the one of the most prevalent
disorder affecting the youth in this day and age.

While similarities of behaviour exist across all types of substance abuse,

individuals cannot be categorised, defined, and treated in relation only to their
substance abuse problem. An individual with a substance abuse problem is unique
in his/her history, pattern of use and abuse, and counseling and related treatment
needs.

Counselors must be able to establish the same open, collaborative, therapeutic

relationship in counseling individuals with substance abuse problems as they do
with other client populations. This ability is viewed as a prerequisite to successful
outcome in any counseling setting. Within this relationship, the counselor must
provide focus for the process by addressing the client’s presenting problems
directly and identifying client need for change. Counselors of clients with
substance abuse problems often find this process difficult because of the chronic
nature of interrelated destructive attitudes and coexisting disorders these clients
often bring to counseling. Once problem identification and client need for change
are identified, the counselor must be able to articulate and implement counseling
intervention strategies perceived by both the counselor and the client as
appropriate to the client’s need to change.
The counselor emphasis is on the person not the substance abuse problem.
Additional knowledge and skill on the part of the counselor relates to being able
to assess the extent and impact of a client’s substance abuse problem and the
client’s need to change.
Familiarity with and ability to utilise standardised assessment instruments specific
to substance abuse will help the counselor in this assessment process. Familial
and social environment assessment also is required to identify the extent of and
to utilise the client’s support systems. The counselor’s ability to identify the
needs of the client and the quality of counseling and related treatment intervention
strategies obviously linked to his/her assessment and diagnostic skills.
Counselors should be thoroughly familiar with the facilities and services in his/
her community to ensure proper referral for clients with substance abuse problems,
when required.
They counsel and empower individuals with substance abuse problems versus
treat the substance abuse problem.

4.8.2 Students Witnessing Domestic Violence

In the past decade, a growing body of empirical research has demonstrated that
exposure to domestic violence deleteriously affects children’s social, emotional,
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and cognitive development. Furthermore, data suggest that such exposure has Counselling in Educational
Settings
long-term consequences for children’s well-being, ultimately affecting their adult
functioning. Given the negative repercussions of children’s exposure to domestic
violence, there exists a need for programs that can intervene in these children’s
lives to improve their potential for healthy psychological adjustment.

Children’s responses to their experiences with domestic violence vary. Children

may reveal any of a range of adjustment problems and psychopathology, or may
emerge from their experiences relatively unscathed. Factors that appear to affect
these responses include the child’s proximity to the violence (that is, what the
child actually saw or heard), the child’s temperament, the age of the child at the
time(s) of exposure, the severity and chronicity of the violence, and the availability
of adults who can emotionally protect or sustain the child.

Research reveals that some of the symptoms these children may display include
aggressive behaviour, reduced social competencies, depression, fears, anxiety,
sleep disturbances, and learning problems.1 Underlying many of those problems
are the children’s emotional responses to the violence, such as intense terror,
fear of death, and fear of loss of a parent. In addition, children may harbor rage,
feelings of guilt, and a sense of responsibility for the violence.

The first challenge to providing services to children who witness domestic

violence is identifying this population. Complicating the identification process
is the veil of secrecy that surrounds violence in families. Children may experience
feelings of shame, guilt, and divided loyalties to parents, as well as fear of
repercussions, making it unlikely that they will disclose the violence to others.
To respond properly to these children, personnel in schools, health and mental
health care settings must develop and implement guidelines for screening and
responses if a child discloses domestic violence.

Once children who have witnessed domestic violence are identified, professionals
must assess the child, the family, the living situation, and the nature of the events
the child witnessed. Different recommendations may be appropriate depending
upon the child’s age and stage of development, the nature and duration of the
child’s symptoms and the impact on the child’s functioning, the child’s perceptions
of and experiences with the violence, the child’s ability to speak about the
violence, the safety of the child’s current environment, the presence of adults in
the child’s life who can be emotional resources, and the influence of the child’s
ethnicity and culture on defining the domestic violence and seeking help. The
most commonly used assessment technique with children who have witnessed
domestic violence is a focused clinical interview that explores the children’s
experiences with the violence, supplemented by data collection from various
other sources, such as parents and teachers. In many cases, a group counseling
approach is recommended for it helps the child identify with other students having
similar problems, bringing down guilt and motivating him to open up regarding
his experiences.

In individual counseling, some counselors have adapted models developed to

treat related phenomena, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children.
The counselor seeks to stabilise the child’s life situation, to help the child integrate
the experiences of the violent event(s) in an adaptive manner, and to work with
the child to manage the symptoms that resulted from the trauma.
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Psychological Counselling 4.8.3 Students Coping with Divorce/Separation of Parents
other than Psychoanalysis
Schools can represent one stable force in the children’s lives during the family
transition which happens during divorce, and school personnel can help them
cope with the effects of divorce.

Research examining children’s mechanisms for coping with divorce has shown
that children’s reactions depend on their age and developmental stage at the time
the divorce occurs (Cantrell, 1986; Freeman & Couchman, 1985; Kieffer, 1982;
Wallerstein & Kelly, 1980).

Early Latency (ages 5-8). Children between the ages of five and eight at the time
of their parents’ divorce tend to react with great sadness. Some may feel fearful,
insecure, helpless, and abandoned by the missing parent. Younger children often
express guilt and blame themselves for their parents’ divorce.

Late Latency (ages 9-12). Children in late latency at the time of their parents’
divorce are distinguished from younger children by their feelings of intense anger.
Nine to 12-year-olds may still feel loneliness, loss, shock, surprise, and fear, but
anger and possibly the rejection of one parent are the predominant reactions of
this age group.

Adolescence (ages 13-18). Adolescents whose parents are divorcing also

experience loss, sadness, anger, and pain. A typical adolescent reaction to parental
divorce, however, often involves acting-out behaviours. Sexual promiscuity,
delinquency, the use of alcohol and drugs, and aggressive behaviour have all
been identified as adolescent reactions to parental divorce.
The school is in an excellent position to offer supportive services to children of
divorce (Kieffer, 1982). Children spend much time in school, where the continuity
and routine can offer a safe environment for interventions. Counselors, teachers,
and other school personnel are available on a daily basis and can provide help
that avoids both the stigma and the expense associated with seeking help form
private practitioners. Finally, the number of children in the school provides the
possibility for group interventions.
The school counselor can provide valuable assistance directly through counseling
with the children and indirectly through services to school administrators, teachers,
and parents. Scherman and Lepak (1986) suggest that counselors not view divorce
as a single problem with negative consequences, but focus on changes caused by
divorce (e.g., single-parent homes, changes in routines and life stlyes, visitation
patterns with relatives) and their positive, negative, or neutral effects on the
children.
Counselors can also help to sensitise teachers to the transition a child is
experiencing and to the implications of that transition. Teachers may need to
change their choice of words, or to adapt their curriculum and classroom resource
materials to include various family types.
Counselors can make parents aware of the special needs of their child during the
divorce transition. Counselors can also assist parents by referring them to divorce
support groups in the community, by recommending reading materials that deal
with families of divorce, and by suggesting ways that parents can help their
children adjust to divorce.
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4.8.4 Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Counselling in Educational
Settings
(ADHD)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a significant problem
impacting hundreds of children in our schools. These children are at higher risk
for learning, behavioural, and emotional problems. Children who exhibit the
behaviours characteristic of ADHD often have difficulty attending to tasks,
remaining seated, and resisting distractions, and they often act impulsively. In
addition, children with ADHD may be noncompliant or aggressive, or may exhibit
other disruptive behaviours. Children with ADHD also are more likely than their
peers to have academic problems.

At present, a multimodal approach to ADHD treatment is the most widely accepted

approach (e.g., Barkley, 1998; DuPaul & Stoner, 1994). The model includes
four major areas in which intervention may be addressed:
a) Educational accommodations,
b) Promoting appropriate behaviour,
c) Medical management, and
d) Ancillary support services for children and parents (e.g. counseling, parental
support groups).
This role of the counselor is important in the two facets of ADHD treatment:
educational accommodations and interventions for promoting appropriate
behaviour.

Educational accommodations are directed at manipulating the classroom

environment (or antecedents) in an attempt to prevent behaviour problems from
occurring. The goal is to alter the classroom environment to better fit the child’s
needs. Most classroom accommodations for manipulating antecedents are of the
common-sense variety—simple to implement, practical, and most important,
requiring minimal time and effort on the instructor’s part.

Most classroom accommodations can be grouped into three major areas:

a) Classroom environment (e.g. seating of the child with ADHD at a place
where it is easy to monitor his behaviour, arrange seating to minimise
distraction etc.)
b) Tasks/materials (e.g. easy to understand, and neatly arranged study material,
breaking material into small and easy steps)
c) Curriculum/ instruction. (E.g. simple and step by step manner of giving
instructions).
If teachers are to work successfully with children who have ADHD in any
instructional environment (either special education or general education), good
class management technique is essential. The goal here is to systematically instill
appropriate behaviours and increase their frequency. The ability to behave
appropriately within classroom constraints is a necessary prerequisite for the
academic success of any child. Children with ADHD are hindered if the classroom
is noisy, disorderly, or lacking clear consistent regimens and expectations.

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Psychological Counselling For children with ADHD to succeed, there is a need to (a) create and maintain a
other than Psychoanalysis
stable, predictable, structured instructional regimen, and (b) effectively
communicate expectations.

Creating a stable instructional regimen is simple and straightforward. It involves

making a written schedule of daily activities in which the school day is divided
into blocks of time; posting it prominently (typically on a designated spot on the
chalkboard); and maintaining this daily routine. Best practice suggests that
counselors schedule nonpreferred activities before preferred activities and make
preferred activities contingent upon successful completion of nonpreferred
activities. For example, math seatwork would be scheduled (and must be
completed) before the student could participate in a 15-minute free-reading period.

Communicating expectations requires teachers to establish appropriate, effective

class rules and procedures, and to actively monitor behaviour. Students with
ADHD might need additional prompts or cues to remind them of what is expected.
One useful technique is to tape to the student’s desk a prompt card listing important
behaviours (e.g., “Am I doing my work? Am I listening to the teacher?”). Prompts
serve to remind the student what he or she should be doing and to redirect
behaviour.

4.8.5 Gifted Students

While there are many methods of counseling, there are few specific modalities
designed for counseling gifted children. Because of the exceptional nature
attributed to giftedness, it would be naive to assume that conventional approaches
to counseling would suffice when working with this population.

Beginning with assessment, it is extremely important that the counselor make a

precise distinction as to the etiology of the child’s problem. In other words, is the
problem indicative of a psychiatric disturbance, an implication of something
related to giftedness, or a complex combination of variables?

There are several psychiatric symptoms and diagnostic categories that resemble
characteristics of giftedness including obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar
affective disorder, autism, personality traits or disorders etc.

In addition, the counselor’s role is shaded by subtleties that pertain specifically

to her giftedness and her knowledge issues related to giftedness. To be fully
prepared to effectively work with gifted people, counselors should:

Know their own giftedness. A counselor needs a clear concept of his or her own
identity as a gifted person, attributes and deficits alike.

Counselors need to have a strong theoretical base and knowledge of the

characteristics of gifted children. It is important that they are aware of the resources
available for gifted children: support groups, parent organisations, educational
opportunities, bibliographies, etc. The approach to counseling requires creativity
since conventional counseling methodologies may not be the best choice for
relatively unconventional clientele.

Gifted children have exceptional abilities and hence it is easy to be fooled by

their exceptional intellect and interpersonal abilities. The counselor needs to be
on guard for the same.
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Exceptional cases require exceptional help. Counselling in Educational
Settings
One of the main characteristics of gifted children is their strong sense of
independence. The counselor should be able to model interdependence and seek
the insight of more knowledgeable colleagues, if required. This may also require
expanding the role of a counselor by educating others involved with the child
and coordinating services for them.

Gifted children often demonstrate deviant behaviour. Counselors should be

mindful of their value structures for deviant behaviour and be conscious of their
real feelings.

Gifted children require authenticity in relationships. They see right through

contrived methodologies. They seek and require relatedness in their interactions.

Some of the more relevant issues to be addressed in the counseling process are:
Identifying Giftedness and Forming a “Gifted” Identity. The child needs the
opportunity to know precisely how he is gifted, what that giftedness means to
him, and how that giftedness plays a role in his identity and life. Identity is
perhaps the most significant issue to be addressed in counseling.

Denial of Giftedness: Many gifted children are distressed because they lack
awareness and acceptance of their giftedness. Help them know and accept the
construct of being gifted as it applies to them. The same issue applies to the
parents of the gifted child.

Struggling with Deviance: The denial that giftedness may exist can happen in
part because having deviant behaviour is not always an accepted trait. The child’s
deviance in behaviour can lead to a whole host of social and emotional problems.
It is important to assist the client to be aware of his deviance and develop methods
to foster their differences rather than be distressed by them.

Family Issues: It is crucial that the parents have a strong involvement in the
counseling process, either through family therapy, parent education, or other
support services.

Facing Deficits: This is one of the primary themes and most delicate to deal
with in counseling the gifted. Once the counselor has first assisted the client in
identifying specific areas of giftedness, the process can then move forward in
helping the gifted child identify areas of deficit. Facing these deficits will be the
most challenging aspect for the child and the counselor and will be the most
rewarding for both.

Identifying the issues of counseling gifted children in the areas of assessment,

counselor’s role and the counseling process will assist counselors in providing
an exceptional approach to these exceptional children.

4.8.6 Students with Physical Disabilities

Evidence suggests that the physically disabled may have fewer and less frequent
social experiences, and consequently, less social competence. Hence, use of
interviewing skills and observation becomes all the more important with such
children.

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Psychological Counselling As with non-disabled children, the counselor’s work in the early years involves
other than Psychoanalysis
the parents centrally. Parents of disabled children face a variety of tasks not
demanded of other parents. They are expected to:
a) Take care for the greater physical needs of the child, yet not overprotect,
b) To allow themselves to grieve about the disability without rejecting the child,
c) To treat the child as normal, yet not deny the disability,
d) To exert greater effort, often for lesser reward than with other children.
Not surprisingly, many parents struggle hard to meet these delicate adjustments.
This is where the role of the counselor becomes important. Parents often need
reassurance that their efforts and attitudes make a difference in the child’s life.
This psychological support is offered by the counselor.

Often, the counselor may also act as a mediator in decisions calling for parent-
child negotiation. Although counseling is not qualitatively different for disabled
and non-disabled children, the clinician must be sensitive to the special life
situation of the disabled child, which may have resulted in a prolonged period of
dependence on parents and to deficits in social skills, self-evaluative ability, and
social awareness.

In adolescence, these children have to come to terms with a realistic appraisal

about their future and ambitions. At this time physical attractiveness and peer
acceptance may also play a crucial role in their lives. The counselor steps in to
make the child more accepting of the reality, which may often be denied by the
adolescent. The counseling approaches take into account these stressful changes
in their lives. The adolescent’s need for a fresh understanding of disability and
its implications is dealt with. Supportive and informative discussions on the
available options are offered. Further, the client may need help in learning to
value his/her self and assets. The counselor may also work on improving the
social skills of the client as well as his social awareness.

Self Assessment Questions

1) Explain the importance of therapeutic relationship in dealing with
children engaging in substance abuse.
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2) What challenges does the counselor face in dealing with children who
witness domestic violence?
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 Counselling in Educational
3) Describe the Late Latency reactions of children dealing with parental Settings
divorce.
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4) What considerations should be kept in mind in counseling children with
physical disabilities?
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4.9 LET US SUM UP

In this unit you have read that Counseling in educational settings has a lot of
scope and objectives. You also learnt the following points:

Educational counseling helps a student in make his future plans and choices
intelligently Career counseling involves assessment of the student for his/her
interest, aptitude and personality factors, aiding in planning for the apt career.

Group counseling is an effective counseling intervention comprising of more

than 2 students who share ideas, gain knowledge and give and receive feedback.

Certain student groups may benefit more from individual counseling. These
include students engaging in substance abuse, those witnessing domestic violence,
or dealing with parental divorce, suffering from ADHD, gifted children, and,
children with physical disabilities.

Special student groups may also require specific skills, techniques or knowledge
on part of the counselor.

4.10 UNIT END QUESTIONS

1) Describe the meaning of guidance with the help of its characteristics.
2) How can counseling is helpful for students?
3) Describe the importance of career counseling.
4) Describe group counseling and discuss its objectives and advantages of
counseling.

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Psychological Counselling 5) What types of counseling you will provide to:
other than Psychoanalysis
a) Students engaging in substance abuse
b) Students witnessing domestic violence
c) Students with ADHD
d) Students with physical disabilities.

4.11 GLOSSARY
Substance Abuse : A maladaptive pattern of substance use
leading to clinically significant impairment
or distress.

Domestic Violence : Domestic violence includes behaviours

used by one person in a relationship to
control the other. These may include
physical assault, sexual abuse, stalking etc.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity : A developmental disorder that presents

Disorder (ADHD) during childhood, in most cases before the
age of seven, and is characterised by
developmentally inappropriate levels of
inattention and hyperactive-impulsive
behaviour.

4.12 SUGGESTED READINGS

Ladany, N. & Inman, A. (2008) Handbook of Counseling Psychology, (4th ed.).
John Wiley & Sons: New York.

Murphy, J. J., & Duncan, B. L. (2007). Brief Intervention for School Problems
(2nd ed.): Outcome-informed Strategies. New York: Guilford.

Whiston, S.C. and Rahardja, D. (2008). Vocational Counseling Process and

Outcome. In S. Brown and R. Lent (Eds.), Handbook of Counseling Psychology,
(4th ed). NY: Wiley.

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