CLIENTELE AND

METHODS OF
COUNSELING
PROCESSES, METHODS, AND
TOOLS IN COUNSELING

The dynamics of the counseling process is influence by

therapeutic factors or the active ingredients or core elements
in every therapeutic approach. Regardless of the approaches
used, a therapeutic relationship with the client must be
achieved.This will facilitate the client’s exploration of the self
and will assist him or her in achieving one’s full well-being.
According to Lambert and Barley, 30% of the success of
counseling is dependent on the therapeutic factors.
Counseling has no model strictly followed because involves various
approaches and techniques. Below is one of the most common
models of a counseling process:

Treatment
Rapport Assessment
Planning

Evaluation Termination
 Counseling Methods

The counseling methods or techniques carried out in the

counseling interventions depend on the chosen counseling
of the professional counselor. You will be amazed by how
these approaches view an individual to understand how he
or she thinks, feels, and behaves. For this module, only
three techniques per each approach are included. Here are
some approaches or models in counseling.
 Brief Counseling Approaches
• This is popularly known as solution-focused brief counseling (SFBC). Instead
of focusing on the client’s problems, this approach focuses on the
solution that works best for the client.
• (1) when clients concentrate on success, it will lead to positive change;
• (2) by determining moments or occasions when symptoms do not occur,
clients are given the opportunity to generate solutions;
• (3) clients must trust that small positive changes can facilitate
• (4) all clients have the capacity to solve their problems
particularly during the absence of symptoms; and

• (5) clients must identify goals that are positive and

measurable.
 Adlerian or Psychodynamic
Approaches
• The primary goal of this approach is to recognize and
understand the objective reasons for one’s experience.
These reasons may be different from the perspective of
the client or how the clients view their lives. The
techniques used aim to improve interpersonal
relationships and self-awareness.
 I-MESSAGE
•This technique, sometimes called
responsibility messages, prods the client
to take responsibility for his or her
feelings, behaviors, or attitudes.
 Acting as If

• This technique facilitates change not only in the client’s

perception about a particular experience but also in improving
his or her actions or behaviors. Having such a changed
perspective leads to increased functioning. It was believed that
people act as if what they believe is true, yet it has always been
proven that not everything we believe in ourselves is real.
 Mutual Storytelling.

This technique uses allegories or metaphors related to the

client’s life stories that will bring about insights or lessons. In
preparing a mutual storytelling technique, the counselor must
have already established a therapeutic relationship with the
counselee (in this case, usually a child) and have already
understood the counselor's personal background.
 Gestalt Approach
• Gestalt is a German word that means “a structured, meaningful unity that stands
out against a background in the organism/environment field” (Wolfert and Cook,
1999). This suggests that this approach focuses on present moment experiences,
existential meaning, interpersonal relationships, and integration of the whole
person The Gestalt approach intends to help the clients understand the meaning
and purpose of their experiences by increasing their awareness of what is
happening in the present moment.
 Social Learning Approach
• This approach suggests that clients learn to do their tasks and
behaviors by simply observing and imitating others. Studies
have shown that individuals do not just execute a behavior.
Individuals can think and plan their actions before executing it.
From here, a number of techniques were developed.
 Cognitive Approach
• This approach believes that clients improve their situations by
perceiving and thinking about problems and solutions through
different perspectives or by seeing the situation from different
lenses. It contends that the client’s thoughts affect their feelings and
behaviors
 BehavioraL
Approach
• This approach contends that learning happens when a particular behavior is
reinforced by the presence of a reward or discouraged by either giving a
punishment or removing a potential reward. Behaviors that are rewarded tend to
be performed more frequently. On the other hand, behaviors that are not
rewarded decrease in occurrence. At the same time, behaviors that receive
punishment either increase or decrease in occurrence.