Counseling

• Prepare for a counseling session.

• Conduct a counseling session.
• Avoid pitfalls in conducting a session, and
• Decide whether or not to write a
counseling memo.
 Introduction
• Counseling is a wonderful twentieth-century invention. We live in a
complex, busy, changing world. In this world, there are many
different types of experience that are difficult for people to cope with.

• Most of the time, we get on with life, but sometimes we are stopped
in our tracks by an event or situation that we do not, at that moment,
have the resources to sort out. Most of the time, we find ways of
dealing with such problems in living by talking to family, friends,
neighbors, priests or our family doctor. But occasionally their advice
is not sufficient, or we are too embarrassed or
ashamed to tell them what is bothering us, or we just don’t have an
appropriate person to turn to.

Counselling is a really useful option at these moments. In most

places, counselling is available fairly quickly, and costs little or
nothing
 Defining Counselling
The term ‘counselling’ includes work with
individuals and with relationships which
may be developmental, crisis support,
psychotherapeutic, guiding or problem
solving . . . The task of counselling is to
give the ‘client’ an opportunity to explore,
discover and clarify ways of living more
satisfyingly and resourcefully
 The aims of counselling
Insight. The acquisition of an understanding of the origins and development of
emotional difficulties, leading to an increased capacity to take rational control
over feelings and actions (Freud: ‘where id was, shall ego be’).

• Relating with others. Becoming better able to form and maintain meaningful
and satisfying relationships with other people: for example, within the family
or workplace.

• Self-awareness. Becoming more aware of thoughts and feelings that had

been blocked off or denied, or developing a more accurate sense of how
self is perceived by others.

• Self-acceptance. The development of a positive attitude towards self, marked

by an ability to acknowledge areas of experience that had been the subject of
self-criticism and rejection.
 The aims of counselling
• Self-actualization or individuation. Moving in the direction of fulfilling potential or
achieving an integration of previously conflicting parts of self.

• Enlightenment. Assisting the client to arrive at a higher state of spiritual

awakening.

• Problem-solving. Finding a solution to a specific problem that the client had not
been able to resolve alone. Acquiring a general competence in problem-solving.

• Psychological education. Enabling the client to acquire ideas and techniques with
which to understand and control behaviour.

• Acquisition of social skills. Learning and mastering social and interpersonal skills
such as maintenance of eye contact, turn-taking in conversations, assertiveness
or anger control.
• Plan your counseling session
Define your objectives for the session – write down what you hope to
accomplish.
Have all documentation available.
Review the facts.
Make an outline to be sure you cover all the points of concern.
Schedule a time when you will not be disturbed.
Arrange for a place where you can meet in private.

• Verbally inform the employee

Let the employee know what the meeting will be about, as well as where
and when it will be held. Do this in private and in person.

• Schedule the meeting on your calendar

Mark the date on your calendar so there will be no scheduling conflict.
 What To Do During the
Counseling Session

• How you behave and what you say during a

counseling session can affect the outcome. Be
sure to follow these five guidelines when
conducting a counseling session:
1. Set a positive tone for the session.
2. Clearly describe the problem or improvement
opportunity.
3. Ask, then listen.
4. Identify options for correcting the situation.
5. Listen.
Guideline 1 – Set a Positive Tone
for the Session
• Counseling is a process for helping the employee identify
performance and/or behavior problems, and then find a solution.
Setting the proper tone will help accomplish this.
• Welcome the employee.
• Tell the employee he or she is here for a counseling session.
• Explain the purpose of the meeting.
• Be yourself. Act in a manner consistent with your normal demeanor.
• Try to control your emotions and reactions.
• Remember, a counseling session is a problem-solving session. You
are not there to attack or punish the employee.
• Focus on the behavior of the employee, not the employee’s
"character" or "morality."
• Don’t use judgmental language.
 Guideline 2- Clearly Describe the
Problem or Improvement
•
Opportunity
After you have welcomed the employee to the
counseling session and have explained why he or she is
there, stick to the facts. Avoid sharing opinions and don’t
get personal.
• Be direct and clear.
• Talk about the behavior you have observed.
• Describe the problem in concrete terms, using specific
examples.
• Explain how the employee’s behavior affects others.
• Explain rules, policies, and expectations regarding the
performance.
• Make sure the employee understands what is expected
in the future.
 Guideline 3 - Ask, Then Listen
• Counseling is not one-way; it is a two-way, face-to-face
communication. Be sure to give the employee ample and
reasonable opportunity to respond.
• Ask for the employee’s response.
• Listen to the employee’s perspective on the situation.
• Ask open-ended questions.
• Keep an open mind during the counseling session. If the
discussion reveals your information was incorrect, or the
employee’s explanation is satisfactory, say so to the
employee
Guideline 4 – Identify Options for
Correcting the Situation
• Once you have established a rapport with the employee
by identifying the problem area, explore with him or her
ways to improve or correct the situation.
• Reinforce expectations.
• Discuss ways to improve.
• Encourage the employee’s suggestions for correcting the
situation.
• Make the employee aware of other resources, such as
EAP.
• Establish a performance improvement plan with the
employee.
• Include clear expectations and a date for a follow-up
session.
 Guideline 5 – Take Notes

• If you have properly prepared for the counseling

session, you’ll have your "plan of action" in front
of you. Take notes during the dialogue. Notes
are invaluable, they can:
• Refresh your memory about what occurred in
the session and the actions upon which you and
the employee agreed.
• Help you summarize the session with the
employee.
• Form the basis for the counseling memo, if you
decide a memo is appropriate.
 Minimizing Conflict During
Counseling
• Counseling is personal and private, and there is no
guaranteed formula for success. During counseling, it is
important to use good judgment. There may be times
when the employee becomes hostile. You can minimize
this by being pro-active and showing sincere interest in
working with the employee to resolve the problem.
• Here are some things you can do to minimize conflict:
• Counsel in a timely manner.
• Look for the root cause of the problem.
• Let the employee talk.
• Listen. Don’t interrupt.
• Show sincere interest in the employee.
• If you can help, offer it. If you offer it, do it.
 Concluding the Session
• The conclusion of the counseling session
is the time to review and summarize key
points from the meeting. This is critical.
• Summarize the meeting to ensure
understanding.
• Inform the employee if the counseling
session will be documented in writing and
placed in his or her Personal History
Folder.
 After the Counseling Session

• What you do after a counseling session is just as important as what you

have done during the session. After the counseling session, follow these
guidelines.
• Document
Prepare a memo, if appropriate. If a memo is not written, it is important that
you keep notes. You may need to recall the employee’s behavior and what
was discussed at the session. You may need to refer back to these notes if
the behavior does not improve and another counseling session is required.
• Immediacy
Whatever you decide to do after a counseling session, do it immediately
following the session. Your thoughts will be fresh and accurate. Even
waiting one day can cloud your recollection of the session. Remember to
schedule the counseling session in such a way that allows you time to either
draft a memo or prepare notes.
• Continue to Monitor Performance
Maintain a supervisory eye on the employee. The purpose of the counseling
session was to set expectations. Now is the time to monitor the employee’s
performance.
 The Last Step in the Counseling
Process
• The last step in the counseling process is to decide whether or not
to write a counseling memo. A counseling memo is a structured
account of the counseling session, detailing what was said and by
whom. It summarizes the performance improvement process and
notes when the follow-up session will be held. You must tell the
employee during the counseling session if you will be writing a
counseling memo which will be placed in his or her Personal History
Folder.
• When making the decision about whether or not to write a
counseling memo, consider if any of the following are present:
• Previous counseling has failed to bring improvement.
• You have little or no confidence that the employee will correct the
problem without further encouragement.
• The seriousness of the situation requires it, or
• A multi-step plan for improvement is designed and the memo can
serve as a written confirmation and reminder.
 The Counseling Process
• The Follow-up Session
• Be sure to schedule a follow up session with the employee. The follow-up session
has two major purposes: acknowledge performance that has improved, and address
performance that has not improved.
• If the employee performance improves, during the follow-up session make sure
you:
• Describe improved performance. Listen to the employee and ask if you can do
anything to help sustain improvement.
• Thank the employee.
• If the employee performance does not improve, during the follow-up session
make sure you:
• Review the previous counseling session (from notes or counseling memo). Describe
insufficient improvement and ask the employee to explain.
• Listen and discuss solutions. State consequences of continued unacceptable
behavior. Set a new follow-up date.
• Summarize the session and offer assistance.
• If, during the initial session you decided not to write a counseling memo for the
Personal History Folder, prepare one now to confirm the follow up session. Make sure
you tell the employee that you are preparing a counseling memo.
 Avoiding Pitfalls

• There are some common mistakes that a supervisor can make during a counseling session,
which can have an adverse effect on the outcome of the session.
• Pitfalls to Avoid in Counseling
• Not checking with your supervisor or agency Employee Relations Office before starting the
process.
• Having a preconceived notion about what the "real" problem is.
• Letting your own opinions and values about the employee’s choices interfere with your ability to
counsel.
• Playing "psychiatrist" with the employee and diagnosing the problem.
• Moving from stating the problem right into problem solving without listening to the employee.
• Shifting the focus to you.
• Over- or under-empathizing with the employee.
• Rescuing the employee by taking care of things.
• Overlooking resources like EAP, job-aids, training, etc. (You cannot mandate EAP, but when
appropriate you should identify EAP as a resource that can help the employee.)
• Letting friendship or loyalty interfere.
• Underestimating the problem.
• Being concerned with "being liked."
• Using phrases that could be considered discriminatory, i.e., "I know you are older but…"
 The Print Shop Supervisor
•
You supervise a print shop where a new staff member, Jane, is
transferred to your unit. You heard Jane was a poor performer and
you anticipate trouble. On Jane’s first day you meet with her. She
states she is glad to be joining your team, that she is a team player,
and is excited about being there. During the first six months, Jane
does well. Her jobs are timely and accurate, and you sign off on
Jane’s probationary period.
• Within 90 days of Jane completing her probation, complaints begin.
Jane’s jobs are late, or are not printed as requested. Complaints
include pages out of order, work missing, ignoring requests for two-
sided printing, etc. Other members of the team tell you Jane holds
them back and that they are picking up the slack.
• You hold three different feedback and coaching sessions with Jane
but see little sustained improvement. You decide to counsel Jane
because a pattern of behavior has developed and her performance
is affecting the team’s ability to get the job done.
 Planning the Session

• You are planning the counseling session. You

set a time and place, inform Jane of the meeting,
and outline the items you want to cover related
to Jane's performance issues. You are aware
when she came to you that there had been
reports of problems in other offices. You start to
call the Employee Relations Office but wonder if
that might bias your counseling.
1. What do you do? :
A. Consult with the Employee Relations Office.
B. "Start fresh" without bias from past experiences.
You decide to handle this yourself and don't call
Employee Relations.
• Good planning and follow-up can help you avoid many common pitfalls in counseling.
The following checklist can help you prepare. You may want to print a copy of this
checklist for future reference using the print button at the bottom of the page.
• Does the employee know what is supposed to be done and by when?
• Does the employee have:
___ the information needed to do the job?
___ the skills needed to do the job?
___ the resources needed to do the job?
• Have I adequately defined the job performance expectations?
• Does the problem have an adverse effect on:
___ the employee?
___ the co-workers/team?
___ the unit?
___ the agency?
___ myself as a supervisor?
• Are any obstacles, beyond the employee’s control, getting in the way?
• Have I been inadvertently rewarding poor performance by my silence or behavior?
• Is anyone else exhibiting the same problem?
• Is there a pattern with this employee?
• Have I contacted Employee Relations for guidance?
• Conducting the Session
Your session with Jane starts. You greet her and state the reason for the
meeting. You begin to address the performance issues. Here is how the
session goes:
• You: Jane, we have met over the past month and discussed your work
performance. Specifically, we discussed the fact that you frequently make
mistakes filling orders and that you have missed several work deadlines.
Your performance has not improved. This seems to be a continuing
problem.
• Jane: I don't know what you are talking about. All of my past supervisors
thought I did good work. They all gave me positive appraisals.
• You: This discussion is only concerned with your work here. Let’s talk about
two of the jobs you did last week. You were two weeks late printing the
grant forms for the State Aid Office. This delayed the distribution of the
information to the field. The Engineering Office had requested double sided
printing for their specs booklet, but you did it single sided.
• Jane: Why do you keep bothering me? You're the
problem. I've never had any trouble before. But here
you're on my back all the time.
• Jane is becoming more agitated. You feel the session
could get out of hand if she continues talking. You think it
might be better to conclude quickly and enforce your
requirements. On the other hand, you know you should
hear what she has to say.
2. Do you say:
– A. "Let's concentrate on what you need to do here. I'm going to
tell you specifically what you have to do in this job to improve or
further action will need to be taken."
B. "In our last discussion, you said you would be more careful,
but errors and lateness continue. What is happening that causes
your work to have more errors and continue to be late?"
 Should Counseling Memo Be
Written?
• Before Jane leaves, you must make a decision. Is Jane’s
response sufficient? If so, you can forego writing a
counseling memo. Or, do you have reservations
regarding Jane’s potential to improve based on her
comments? If so, you should write a counseling memo.
Which of the following comments reflect your decision?
– A. You – "Jane, thank you for discussing this with me. I am going
to summarize our session, what we discussed and our plans for
improvement. This will be summarized in a counseling memo.
You will receive that tomorrow."
•  
– B. You – "Jane, thank you for discussing this with me. We’ve
discussed the areas where improvement is needed, and we’ll
revisit this issue in three weeks."
 Employee relations officer: Job
description and activities
• An employee relations officer works at both a strategic
and operational level to manage various personnel
policies that affect people at work. These issues include
working conditions, performance management, equal
opportunities, maternity/paternity leave, absence
management and grievance procedures.
• The post holder works with groups of employees, union
representatives and line managers across a variety of
tasks including:
• designing new policies;
• establishing and maintaining good relationships between
employers and employees;
 Employee relations officer: Job
description and activities
• acting as a consultant to line managers on the implementation of policies;
• assisting in the resolution of specific disciplinary or grievance cases,
including acting as an arbiter between the employee and line manager;
• carrying out formal consultation procedures on a variety of issues as
required by law;
• advising others on the proper procedures for carrying out negotiations and
on the special regulations relating to employment and salary agreements;
• negotiating with trade unions on issues relating to pay and working
conditions;
• providing accurate advice on issues arising from employment contracts and
legislation;
• preparing staff handbooks to ensure that the workforce is aware of company
policies;
• ensuring that grievance handling and disciplinary proceedings are carried
out in line with company policy and national legislation.
Thank You