Unit 1 Introduction

Dr Jamayah Saili,
K.B, P.A
 CONTENT
 What Is Counselling & Psychology
 What is Theory
 Professional Ethics
 Effective Counselor
 The Importance of Theory
 Myth of A Counsellor
 Guidelines for Beginning Therapist
 The Process of Counselling
 The origin of distress
 The Four Theoretical Perspectives
 Mastering Techniques?
 Clients Expectations and Goals
Learning Objectives
 Define what is counseling and psychology
 Explain the importance of counselling theories
 Identify the characteristics of an effective counsellor
 What is Counseling
a process of engagement between two persons, both of whom are bound to change through
the therapeutic venture.....therapist are not in business to change clients, to give them quick
advice, or to solve their problems for them. Therapists heal through a process of genuine
dialogue with their clients (Corey, 2001)
 What is Counseling
 According to the American Counseling Association (ACA), counseling is
defined as, "a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals,
families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and
career goals."
 According to The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
(BACP) Counselling is the skilled and principled use of relationship to
facilitate self- knowledge, emotional acceptance and growth and the optimal
development of personal resources.
 The overall aim is to provide an opportunity to work towards living more
satisfyingly and resourcefully.
 Counselling relationships will vary according to need but may be concerned
with developmental issues, addressing and resolving specific problems, making
decisions, coping with crisis, developing personal insights and knowledge,
working through feelings of inner conflict or improving relationships with
others.
 What Is Psychology
 According to the American Psychological Association (APA), Psychology is defined as
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. The discipline embraces all
aspects of the human experience — from the functions of the brain to the actions of nations,
from child development to care for the aged. In every conceivable setting from scientific
research centers to mental healthcare services, "the understanding of behavior" is the
enterprise of psychologists.
 According to The British Psychological Society (BPS), Psychology is defined as
Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and how it dictates and influences our
behaviour, from communication and memory to thought and emotion. It's about
understanding what makes people tick and how this understanding can help us
address many of the problems and issues in society today.

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How Can Psychology Help Me
People seek the help and support of psychologists for all sorts of problems, and psychologists
employ their knowledge and expertise to help in many areas of society, such as:
 coping with bereavement
 dealing with trauma
 helping us prevent and overcome depression, stress, and anxiety
 speeding up recovery from brain injury
 helping to stop or prevent bullying and improve performance both at school and in the
workplace
 assisting the police, courts, and prison services in the operation of their duties
 analysing and improving athletic performance

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 Samuel Gladding, 1996
Counseling can be precisely defined as a short term, interpersonal, theory
based process of helping persons who are psychologically healthy
resolve developmental and situational problems

Nordin et al, 1990

Usaha membantu individu mengatasi halangan dalam pertumbuhan kendiri
dan membangunkan sumber kendiri ke peringkat optima
 What Is Theory
Theory helps inexperienced counsellors by serving as a “road map.”
What Is Theory

 “Theory is a picture, an image, a description, a representation of reality.

It is not reality itself. It is a way we can think about some part of reality
so that we can comprehend it” - Krumboltz
 Typically, any one theory is better at explaining some events and processes
than others
 In practice, the use of theory by counsellors must be seen as part of a
process of understanding the client, in which the counsellor draw upon his
or her own feelings and personal experience as well as on ideas and
concepts
 Counseling deals with wellness, personal growth, career, and pathological
concerns. In other words, counselors work in areas that involve relationships
(Casey, 1996). These areas include intra- and interpersonal concerns related to
finding meaning and adjustment in such settings as schools, families, and careers.
 Counseling is conducted with persons who are considered to be functioning
well and those who are having more serious problems. Counseling meets the
needs of a wide spectrum of people. Clients seen by counselors have
developmental or situational concerns that require help in regard to adjustment or
remediation. Their problems often require short-term intervention, but occasionally
treatment may be extended to encompass disorders included in the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (1994) of the American Psychiatric
Association.
 Counseling is theory based. Counselors draw from a number of theoretical approaches,
including those that are cognitive, affective, behavioral, and systemic. These theories may
be applied to individuals, groups, and families.
 Counseling is a process that maybe developmental or intervening. Counselors focus on
their clients’ goals. Thus, counseling involves both choice and change. In some cases,
“counseling is a rehearsal for action” (Casey, 1996, p. 176)
Source: Gladding, S.T. ( 2004). Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession (5th edition). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall. P 6-7.
   Counseling involves helping people make needed changes in ways of
thinking, feeling, and behaving, and is a goal-based collaborative process,
involving a non-judgmental, supportive counselor who works with a client
in telling his or her story, setting viable goals, and developing strategies and
plans necessary to accomplish these goals. For some people this process
takes a small amount of time, in some cases as little as one or two sessions;
for others, the process may last longer.

 An extremely important part of counseling is confidentiality, which means

that the information discussed in session will be accessible only by you and
your counselor, with a few exceptions.
Professional Ethics
 CONFIDENTIALITY is essential but not absolute

Exceptions:
 Duty to Warn: The client poses a danger to self or others
 A client under the age of 16 is the victim of abuse
 A dependent adult or older adult is the victim of abuse
 The client needs to be hospitalized
 The information is made an issue in a court action
 The client requests a release of record
The Effective Counselor

 Most important instrument is YOU

 Be authentic
 Be a therapeutic person and be clear about who you are
 Be aware of value imposition, recognize that you are not value-neutral
 Become aware of your own cultural norms and expectations
 Be ethical
 Staying Alive! prevent burnout throughout self-care
 The Importance of Theory
(we will learn 9 different theories in this
class,
all the best)
The Importance of Theory

 Generally tells us on how counsellors perceive or think about clients, nature of

problems and counselling process
 Provides general explanation for observations made over time
 Use to explain and predict behavior
 May be modified
 Functions of Theory in Counseling
Boy and Pine (1983) state that there are six functions of theory in counselling:

 1) It helps counsellors find unity and relatedness within the diversity of existence.
 2) It compels counsellors to examine relationships they would otherwise overlook.
 3) It gives counsellors operational guidelines by which to work and helps them evaluate
their development as professionals.
 4) It helps counsellors focus on relevant information and tells them what to look for.
 5) It helps counsellors assist clients in the effective modification of their behaviour,
cognitions, emotional functioning, and interpersonal relationships.
 6) It helps counsellors evaluate both old and new approaches to the process of
counselling.

Boy, A.V. and Pine, G. (1990). A Person-Centered Foundation for Counseling and Psychotherapy. Springfield, Illinois:
Charles C.Thomas Publisher.
Menurut Osipow dan Walsh (1970)
Kepentingan Teori Adalah

1. Teori dapat membantu kaunselor membuat perancangan

sesuatu strategi mahupun rawatan
2. Teori akan memberi atau menyumbangkan pemahaman tentang
tingkah laku manusia, atau lebih khusus tingkah laku semasa
kaunseling
3. Teori juga akan dapat mencadangkan sesuatu teknik
kaunseling
4. Teori juga dapat mengenal pasti objektif dan matlamat yang
akan dicapai oleh klien serta membolehkan kaunselor menilai
pencapaian klien

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 The Myth of A Counselor
What People Expect You To Be
Myth 1

Counselor can read people’s mind

Myth 2

Counselor must be able to solve his or her own problems

Myth 3

Counselor should not have problems or emotionally distress

Myth 4

A counselor must be happy all the time

Myth 5

A counselor should possess perfect personality

Myth 6

Counselor deals with crazy people

Myth 7
Counselor must be able to solve all clients’ problems
 Guidelines for Beginning Therapists
 Dealing with our anxieties- “What will I say? How will I say it? What if I make
mistake? What will I do next?
 Being and disclosing ourselves – overconcerned with books and the mechanics, forget
to be ourselves
 Avoiding perfectionism – “If the client does not get better, it must be my fault; If
there’s someone I can’t help; I should know everything there is to know about my
profession”
 Being honest about our limitations – “I really feel that I can’t help you on this point; I
just don’t have the kind of information or skill to help you with this problem”
 Understanding silence – silence can have many meaning, pursue its meaning with
client
 Dealing with demands from clients
 Dealing with clients who lack commitment – lack of commitment may be a lack of
client’s understanding of the nature of counseling
 Tolerating ambiguity – “Am I really doing my client any good?”
 Avoiding losing ourselves in our clients – need to learn how to “let clients go”
 Developing a sense of humor – counseling need not be deadly serious
 Sharing responsibility with the client
 Declining to give advice – “what possibilities do you see?
 Defining your role as a counselor – your role will not be defined once and for all, will
have to reassess
 Learning to use techniques appropriately – not to the extent of becoming a ‘mechanical’
counseling
 Developing your own counseling style – there’s no “right way” to conduct therapy

Corey, Gerald (2009). theory and Practice of Counselling and Psychotherapy. Brooks/Cole
Cengage Learning. Seventh Edition
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 By understanding the origins of distress, we are
better able to deal with distress

 Asserts that problems stem from ineffective relationships or

thoughts in adulthood?
 Speculate that distress stems from more innate, long standing
problems often starting in childhood?
 Emphasize the fact that distress and behaviour is learned from
exposure to rewards and punishment?
 Each person has the capacity to find personal meaning and life
purpose. The potential of individuals to actively choose and
decide about important matters within their lives.
Theories provide a framework for understanding clients and helping
them with their problems.

The following four theories are the most common approaches.

4 THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

Humanistic Psychodynamic

Cognitive Behavioral
ACTIVITY

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Pick and Choose
 What do you believe? – your
preferable approach
 Define your role? – your preferred
role
After all, a theory provides the counsellor with a framework that
they can use to explore the counselling process, the clients problems,
and indeed, to measure progress against.
 Mastering Techniques?

 As a counselor, you’re your very best techniques!

 Your reactions to your clients, including sharing how you are affected in the relationship
with them , can be the most useful catalyst in the therapeutic process
 Techniques cannot substitute for the hard work it takes to develop a constructive
client/therapist relationship.
 Counselling entails far more than becoming a skilled technician. It implies that you are able
to establish and maintain a good working relationship with your clients, that you can draw
on your own experiences and reactions, and that you can identify techniques suited to the
needs of your clients.
 Client’s Expectations and Goals
A good way to start counseling is by exploring client’s expectations and goals
especially during Intake Session:
What do you expect from counseling?
Why are you here?
What do you want?
What do you hope to leave with?
How is what you presently doing working for you?
What aspects of yourself or your life situation would you most likely to
change?
Example
Client: I’d like to be happy
What is keeping you from feeling happy?

Client: I’d just like to understand myself more

What would you like to understand about yourself that you don’t now understand?
What do you understand about yourself now?
The end …. Is the beginning of exploring &
learning

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