Disciplines and Ideas in the Applied Social Sciences Handouts

Lesson 1: Social Sciences and Applied Social Sciences

Defining Social Sciences is made of several disciplines and these include history, political science,
sociology, psychology, economics, geography, demography, anthropology and linguistics. As a body of
scientific knowledge, the social sciences provide diverse set of lens that helps us understand and explain
the different facets of human society.
Branches of the Social Sciences
• Economics studies the allocation of scarce resources and the production and exchange of goods and
services in society.

Economics has different subfields:

• Environmental economics- studies the allocation of natural resources.
• Labor economics-focuses on the study of the decision- making and behaviors of employees and the
relationships between employers and their employees.
• Business economics- examines the behavior of companies and firms by studying the factors that result
in profit maximization, price setting, production goals, and the role of incentives.
• Monetary economics- on the other hand, studies the nation’s production, inflation, income, interest
rates, and monetary policies.

Anthropology is the scientific study of humans and their cultures in the past and present time.
Anthropologists are trained in the different areas:
• Cultural anthropology studies the development of human culture based on ethnologic, linguistic, social,
and psychological data analysis. It explains how people in other societies live and affects their
environments to their respective lives.
• Physical anthropology studies human biological nature, particularly its beginning , evolution, and
variation in prehistory
• Archeology studies human life in the past through the examination of things left behind by the people.
History is systematic study of human past events in order to understand the meaning, dynamics, and relationship of the cause
and effects of events in the development of societies.

History has several subfields:

• Political history studies history of political institutions

• Economic history studies the development of economic institutions and other economic factors.
• Social history studies the history of ordinary lives of people like women, children, ethnic groups, and the
different sectors of society from historical point of view.
• Environmental history looks into the history of the interaction of humans with the environment
• History of medicine and public health examines the history of public health and human medicine
• Business history studies the history of the development of businesses, companies, and industries
• Biographies studies the history of great persons in history
• Political Science primarily studies human behavior in relation to political systems, governments, laws,
and international relations.

Political has several fields of study:

• Domestic politics studies public opinion, elections, national and local governments. • Comparative
politics studies politics within countries and analyzes the similarities and differences between among
countries
• International relations focuses on the study of political relationship and interaction between and among
countries
• Public administration studies national and local governance and bureaucracy • Public law examines
legal systems, civil rights , and criminal justice
Psychology studies how the human mind works in consonance with the body to produce thoughts that
lead to individual actions.
Psychology subfields:
• Experimental psychology studies of humans and animals examines how and why learning takes place
• Developmental psychology studies the ways people change and behave as they go through their life
• Personality psychology studies human nature and differences among people
• Environmental psychology studies the effects of surroundings on a person’s attitude and behavior
Sociology is a systematic study of people’s behavior in groups
Sociology subfields:
• Applied sociology focuses on the use and proper application of sociological theories, methods and skills
to examine data, solve problems and communicate research to the public.
Urban sociology studies societal life interactions in urban areas through the application of sociological
methods like statistical analysis and ethnographies
• Cultural sociology analyzes the development of social institutions, norms and practices.
• Rural sociology studies the social life of people in rural areas • Medical sociology examines the societal
aspects of health and medicine of people
• Sociology of education analyzes how social forces and institutions like politics, economic systems, and
culture affects school and educational systems.
• Political sociology examines how social structure affects and influences politics.
• Military sociology is a sociological study of the military organization, the different civilian and military
relationships, war experiences, and the use and control of force.
Geography is the study of interaction between people and their environments.
Geography subfields:
• Physical geography studies the natural features of the earth, including land, water, and atmosphere.
• Human geography studies how people create cultures in their natural environments.
• Demography according to the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (2016) is the scientific
study of human populations across time.

Major subfield:
• Population studies or social demography analyze demographic data to define, explain, and foresee
social phenomena. It also studies social – status composition and population distribution.

Defining the Applied Social Sciences branch or study that applies the different concepts, theoretical
models, and theories of the social science disciplines to help understand society and the different problems
and issues. The applied social sciences is utilized to provide alternative solutions to the diverse problem of
the society.
LESSON 2 Goals and Scope of Counseling

Three main career tracks for applied social scientist:

1. Counseling is one of the fields of applied social sciences as an application of the social sciences;
counseling provides guidance, help, and support to individuals who are distraught by a diverse set of
problems in their lives.
Counseling can be done by the following:
Guidance counselor and life coaching are applications of the social sciences and these professions,
expert help are given to individuals who needed guidance or advice pertaining to their business successes,
general conditions and personal life transitions, relationships and career.
Life coach analyzes the present condition of the client, discovers different obstacles or challenges that a
client faces, and provides a certain course of action to make the client’s life better.
Career counseling is needed by people who are in the process of entering the job market, searching for
possible career change, or those wanting career advancements.
Personal growth counseling concentrates on the evaluation of different aspects of a client’s life.
2. Social work practitioners help individuals, families, and groups,
communities to improve their individual and collective well-being.
3. Communication studies applied social science provide adequate training for careers in the field of
journalism and mass communication because of multidisciplinary knowledge and skills that graduates
learn from social sciences.
Lesson 2
Goals and Scope of Counseling
Counseling is aimed of empowering a client. The general goal is to lead an individual client or
group to self – emancipation in relation to a felt problem. At some stage in the process, the
client should attain insight and understanding of oneself, achieve better self – awareness and
look at oneself with increased self – acceptance and appreciation, and be able to manage
oneself positively. Client empowerment means that they develop skill and abilities that
require self - management and improved motivation toward actions that are good for one’s
self and develop a positive outlook toward the past leading to some sense of closure and
attainment of relative inner and outer harmony resulting to improvement in relationships
with family, friends, colleagues, and others.
Goals of Counseling
Different individuals have different perceptions of what can be expected of counseling individuals preparing to
become counselors, and those who seek counseling, as well as parents, teachers, school administrators and
governmental agencies, all differ in their expectations of the counseling experience.
According to Gibson and Mitchell (2003), the following are the goals of counseling:
1. Development Goals - assist in meeting and advancing the client’s human growth and development including social,
personal, emotional, cognitive and physical wellness.
2. Preventive Goals - help the client to avoid some undesired outcomes.
3. Enhancement Goals – develop special skill and abilities.
4. Remedial Goals – assist the client to overcome and treat an undesirable development.
5. Exploratory Goals – examine the options, test the skills and try new and different activities.
6. Reinforcement Goals – help the client in recognizing that what they are doing, thinking, and feeling is fine.
7. Cognitive Goals – contain acquiring the basic understanding and habits for good health.
8. Physiological Goals – facilitate behavioral changes towards the society.
9. Psychological Goals – aid in developing good social interaction skills, learning emotional control and developing
positive self – concept.
Scope of Counseling
Clients are encouraged to meet with a counselor even if they are not sure that they need counseling. Any client facing
problems are encouraged to see a counselor.
The scope of counseling covers various aspects of human life including:
1. Personal – includes motivation, self –esteem, interest, career choice, etc.
2. Social – pertains to relationship conflicts, socialization, peer relationships, etc.
3. Cognitive – relates to the study habits, academic performance, irrational thoughts, etc.
4. Behavioral – contains absenteeism, bullying, restlessness, misbehavior, etc.
5. Psychological – comprises of personality development, stress, etc.
6. Emotional –embraces to anger management issues, phobias, mild anxiety, etc.
7. Spiritual – covers spiritual beliefs, guidance, confusions, etc.
8. Health - - includes wellness, life and work balance, leisure, etc.
9. Occupational –indicates work and career decisions, etc.
WEEK 3 DIASS
Principles, Professionals and Practitioners of Counseling

PRINCIPLES OF COUNSELING
1. Advice- Counseling may involve advice-giving as one of the several functions that counselors perform.
2. Reassurance- Counseling involves providing clients with reassurance, which is a way of giving them courage to
face a problem or confidence that they are pursuing a suitable course of action.
3. Release of emotional tension- Counseling provides clients the opportunity to get emotional release from their
pent-up frustrations and other personal issues
4. Clarified thinking- It tends to take place while the counselor and counselee are talking and therefore becomes a
logical emotional release.
5. Reorientation - It involves a change in the client’s emotional self through a change in basic goals and aspirations
6. Listening skills- Listening attentively to clients is the counselor’s attempt to understand both the content of the
clients’ problem as they see it, and the emotions they are experiencing related to the problem.
7. Respect -In all circumstances, clients must be treated with respect, no matter how peculiar, strange, disturbed,
weird, or utterly different from the counselor. Without this basic element, successful counseling is impossible.
8. Empathy and positive regard- Carl Rogers combined empathy and positive regard as two principles that should go
along with respect and effective listening skills.
9. Clarification, confrontation, and interpretation- Clarification is an attempt by the counselor to restate what the
client is either saying or feeling, so the client may learn something or understand the issue better.
10. Transference and countertransference- When clients are helped to understand transference reactions, they are
empowered to gain understanding of important aspects of their emotional life.

Roles, Functions and Competencies of Counselors

Counseling given by counselors can make a huge impact on the lives of individuals, groups and communities. This
service aid people to traverse challenging life situation in their lives. Counseling is a process and a relationship
between/among the client(s) and counselor. Ready to share time to explore the client’s clarification of his/her issues
and solve it at the end. Ultimately, counseling empowers people to lead healthy and fulfilling lives

The Philippine Republic Act No. 9258 (Sec. 2-3) defines a guidance counselor as a natural person who has been
professionally registered and licensed by a legitimate state entity and by specialized training to perform the functions
of guidance and counseling. They are trained professionals who undergone trainings to provide the necessary
assistance to their clients
Counselors who will play a part in the counseling service should know their roles, functions and competencies so
that they will be able to perform their job effectively and efficiently. The following are the roles, functions and
competencies of a counselor

Roles of Counselors
1. Assist the person or persons in realizing a change in behavior or attitude;
2 .Assist clients to seek achievement of goals; and
3 .Assist clients to find help
Functions of Guidance Counselors
1. help a client to develop potentials to the fullest
2. help a client to plan to utilize his or her potentials to the fullest
3. help a client to plan to utilize his or her future in accordance with his or her abilities, interests and needs
4. share and apply knowledge related to counseling such as counseling theories, tools and techniques
5. administer wide range human development service

Competencies of Guidance Counselors

1. administer and maintain career guidance and counseling program
2. administer career advocacy activities
3. capable career advocates
4. facilitate conduct of career advocacy in collaboration with career
Advocates
Counselors employ different styles and strategies in assisting and helping a client solve their own problems by
utilizing some models presented by known personalities that suit the needs of a certain client
Models in Counseling
In helping people cope with their own problems more effectively, the following models can be utilized to help people
become better at helping themselves in their everyday lives.
1. Egan’s Skilled Helper Model is a framework for conceptualizing the helping process and is used in working on
issues in the recent past and present. The Egan’s model aims to aid the client address three main questions:
1. What is going on?
2. What solutions make sense for me?
3. What do I have to do to get what I need or want?
2. Culley and Bond’s Three-Stage Model of Counseling is also of significance primarily since the person-centered
approach was developed in counseling. The focus is on developing skills and using them effectively. It aims to bring
structure to an activity which could be “random or chaotic”. The three-stage model has the following parts:
1. Beginning
2. Middle
3. End
3. Alistair Ross presented also Three-Stage Model of Counseling with the following
parts to assist clients clarify their issues and come up with a definite solution to their problems.
1. starting out
2. moving on
3. letting go

Foundation Skills in Fostering Conversation and Exploration in Counseling

(Culley and Bond)

Conversation and exploration are essential parts of the counseling process. Thus, counselors must have the following
foundation skills to make the counseling session successful.
1. Attending and Listening-It refers to active listening, which means listening with purpose and responding in such a
way that clients are aware that they have both been heard and understood. Active listening involves listening to the
words, gestures and body language. It is listening is listening for what is said and what is not said; listening to content
– its meaning and the emotions behind it.
2. Reflective Skills-It concerned with the other person’s frame of reference. It captures what the client is saying and
plays it back to them but in counselor’s own word.
3. Probing Skills-Skill that facilitates going deeper, asking more directed or leading questions.

Common Skills of a Counselor

The following are skills that a counselor must possess for him or her to be effective in his/her profession.

1. Communication skills-include the ability to actively listen, demonstrate understanding, ask

appropriate questions and provide information as needed.-effective communication means the message you want to
communicateis received as you intended it to be received.
2. Motivational skills- these skills are the ones that influence a client to act after the helpingsession or consultation.
3. Problem-solving skills-includes differentiating between symptoms and the problem,pinpointing probable causes
and triggers for the problem, and thengenerating a range of possible solutions to the actual problem.
4. Conflict resolution skills-involves learning about style of conflict resolution and recognizing the
signs of it and learning the process of conflict resolution.
 Specific Areas Where Counselor’s Work
Counselors are practically found in all spheres of human development, transitions, and caregiving. Peterson and
Nesenholz (1987) identified 11 major areas
1. Child Development and Counseling- Child development and counseling as area of specialization includes parent
education, preschool counseling, early childhood education, elementary school counseling,
2. Career/Lifestyle It includes guidance on choices and decision-making pertaining to career or lifestyle; guidance on
career development; provision of educational and occupational information to clients
3. College and University- It offers the following opportunities: college student counseling, student activities, student
personal work, residential hall or dormitory counselor and counselor educator
4. Consultation- This covers agency and corporate consulting, organizational development director, industrial
psychology specialist, and training manager.
5. Drugs- Drugs as area of specialization has several options such as substance abuse counseling, alcohol counseling,
drug counseling, stop smoking program manager, and crisis intervention counseling.
6. Health- Health as an area of specialization offers possibility for nutrition counseling, exercise and health education,
nurse-counselor, rehabilitation counseling, stress management counseling, holistic health counseling, anorexia or
bulimia counseling, and genetic counseling.
7. Adolescent Development and Counseling- This area covers middle and high school counseling, psychological
education, career development specialist, adolescent counseling in mental health agencies, youth work in a
residential facility, and youth probation officer.
8. Marital Relationship Counseling- This area of counseling includes premarital counseling, marriage counseling,
family counseling, sex education.
9. Gerontology (the aged)- Gerontological counseling (the aged) as area of specialization is considered the fastest
growing field and essentially involves counseling of older citizens.
10. Business and Industry- It includes training and development personnel, quality and work-life or quality circles
manager, employee assistance programs manager, employee career development officer, affirmative action, or equal
opportunity specialist.
11. Other Specialties- Other specialties may include phobia counseling, agoraphobia, self-management, intra
personal management, interpersonal relationships management, and grief counseling
WEEK 4
Rights, Responsibilities, and Accountabilities of Counselors and Ethical and Unethical Behaviors
Among Counselors
Lesson 1: Rights, Responsibilities, and Accountabilities of Counselors
A counselor is a qualified individual who uses counseling methods to help people manage and overcome mental and
emotional issues. Counselors provide direction, support and help patients build coping mechanisms that will guide
through their stressful situations.
A. Rights
The core values of the counselor are a set of attitudes and skills which have a special regard for the integrity,
authority and autonomy of the client and are firmly based on the counselor having total respect for universal human
rights and for the person and cultural differences. Like in all other licensed professionals, counselor do
have the rights as stated in Republic Act 9258 or popularly known as the Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004

This law basically states that “No person shall engage in the practice of guidance and counseling without a valid
Certificate of Registration and a valid Professional Identification Card or a Special Permit” and that “no corporation,
partnership, association or entity shall operate a guidance and counseling office, center/clinic, testing center,
rehabilitation center, or otherwise engage in the practice of guidance and counseling without first securing a permit
from the Board. The permit shall be issued only after it has satisfied the Board that such establishment is properly
staffed by duly Registered and Licensed Guidance Counselors.”
What then are the requirements for one to be able to apply for a license under this law?
For any person desiring accreditation under RA 9258, he or she must be able to live up to the following
qualifications:
Ø Be a citizen of the Philippines, or a foreigner whose country has reciprocity with the Philippines for the practice of
guidance and counseling.
Ø Not have been convicted of an offense involving moral turpitude
Ø Be a holder of either a Bachelor’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling or in other allied disciplines, a Master’s
degree in Guidance and Counseling from an institution in the Philippines or abroad, or a Ph.D. or Ed.D in Guidance
and Counseling or Counseling Psychology.

Under Art. IV PRACTICE OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING of RA 9258 specify the right of a counselor, as follows;
Section 28. Right to Privilege Communication for Guidance Counselor. – A certified guidance counselor who is allowed
to practice guidance and counseling in accordance with this Act, without the consent of the client, be examined as to
any communication or information which has been acquired while attending to such
client. The protection accorded herein shall also extend to the records and secretary or clerk of a license guidance
counselor, who may not be examined concerning any fact, the knowledge of which has been acquired in such
capacity
B. Responsibilities-- All clients are entitled to good standards of practice and care from their practitioners in
counseling.
Counselors’
responsibilities include:
• Assess patients through detailed conversations, interviews, and observations to determine the appropriate testing
or examination.
• Diagnose patient’s mental and emotional disorders.
• Create effective treatment plans that include counseling, medication, or other services.
• Work with patient and develop goals.
• Regularly discuss the treatment plan with the patient to identify faults or room for improvement.
• Educate appropriate coping mechanisms to help patients through tough situations.
• Record the patient’s progress and change their treatment plan when needed.
C. Accountability
1. Counselor towards its Client/s Confidentiality -It is the counselors’ responsibility that the client has the confidence
in that everything in the counseling relationship is built on a foundation of trust that their personal or any other
disclosed information is protected from inappropriatedisclosure to others.
Privacy - At all times the counselor must make sure that the counselling relationship
is protected against uncontracted or inappropriate observation, including interference or intrusion by others.
2. Counselor towards other profession
• Counselor shall become knowledgeable about colleagues and develop positive
working relationships and communication systems.
• Be respectful of differing approaches to counseling services as well as the
traditions and practices of other professional groups.
• Work to develop and strengthen relations with interdisciplinary colleagues.

Lesson 2: Code of Ethics of Counselors

1. Competence- Counselors aim to enhance professional quality with standards. They keep
their perception objectively with wide range of understanding. Learning local languages and background are also
beneficial with their interactions among their clientele. Being late or absent on the said appointment is considered
unprofessional.
To get more details and complete expressions during interviews or asking questions, it should always be in an open-
ended or probing type of questions and is answered subjectively not with close-ended that is answerable with yes or
no.
2. Confidentiality- Privacy should be considered by a counselor to become trustworthy. All the details and
personalities involved should never be exposed or disclosed unless there is a request from a court office. It will be
unethical for a counselor to share whatever information transpired from the session with a friend or even with a
family member.
3. Empathy- Empathy is the ability to understand, share, and reflect feelings. Empathy is
different with sympathy or the ability of a person to enter or act the feeling and are sorry about someone else. It will
be insensitive to the part of the counselor if there will be no understanding to the clientele’s current feelings.
Insensitivity also includes frowning, boredom, disgust and shaking of head in every context that do not conform
to the counselor.
4. Integrity- Moral standing and honesty are expressed highly by a counselor. They should
look at their clientele with fairness and equality not with prejudice and injustice. There should be no conflict of
interest to avoid inappropriate behaviors. The counselor is expected to be open minded to the situation with no
biases involved.
5. Respect- General respect is evident in every counselor. From promoting rights and dignity to moral and cultural
values of the clientele. It also includes self-determination wherein the clientele is autonomous to their decisions or
changes of action not dependent to the counselor. Being judgmental and imposing personal approach are not
acceptable actions from a counselor.
6. Responsibility- Counselors are accountable with their clientele. Thus, the welfare and wellbeing of the clientele are
prioritized. Patience and tolerance are also extended by the counselor and to never inflict harm in any forms and
means to their clientele. They should keep professional relations professional with no indecent interactions.
Counselors will take full responsibility with systematic approach in resolving professional and ethical issues.