UNIT TWO: Approaches in Counseling

• There are two approaches of counseling on

the bases of the number of clients and
counselors in a particular counseling session.
These are:
• Individual counseling approach, and
• Group counseling approach
 I. Individual Counseling Approach:

• Involves a one-to-one, or face to face

encounter between the counselee and the
counselor.
• Mostly used with the remedial role of
counseling and practiced by most counselors.
 Advantages of indiv’l counseling
approach
1. keep confidentiality to the maximum
2. know our clients in-depth and in detail
3. More applicable to deal with problems like
relationship, family, marital, depression, and
etc.
Limitations
• less economical in terms of time
• labor intensive
 II. Group Counseling Approach
• one counselor handles a group of clients
simultaneously
• Characteristics: dynamic interaction among
clients
• presence of a common goal
• presence of volition and consent of each
members
• usually used for rehabilitative and preventive
counseling goal. Also for remedial.
 Importance of c-ling for high
school students
• Drop outs
• Teen pregnancy
• Substance abuse
• School violence
• Diversity
 General Goals of Counseling for Students
• Self-understanding and self-direction
• It helps individual to develop new knowledge/ability to solve
problems
• To develop new insight about their problem and the
environment
• Optimum development of individual’s potential
• Enabling individuals to accept and resolving their problem
• Academic growth and development
• To get vocational maturity, vocational choices, and vocational
adjustments
• To alleviate psychosocial maladjustments
 Criteria of psychological abnormality

• Personal distress/Emotional distress

(Ex. Anxiety disorders and mood disorders)
• Maladaptiveness of the behavior
(Ex. Substance abuse, phobia)
• Irrationality of a behavior (Eg. a person who
laugh at mourning/ funeral ceremony)
• Social norm violation (E.g. Sexual disorders,
personality disorders)
 Characteristics of Effective Counselor

• a helper personal qualities can enhance or

detract counseling process "good personal
qualities".
 Major qualities of effective
counselor
A. Self-awareness: - Self exploration/Self Identity.
knowing one’s own personal limitations,
strengths, and emotional state protects the
counselor from side effects of projection.
B. Good psychological health:
When counselors are not psychologically healthy,
causes even more anxiety in the other person
(client).
C. Empathy: having the same level of
understanding.
D. Open-mindedness: being free from fixed or
preconceived ideas, or being flexible in thinking.
E. Unconditional positive regard: / Objectivity/
non-judgmental: feeling judgment vs false info.
The client should feel free to explore all
thoughts and feelings, positive or negative,
without danger of rejection or condemnation.
F. Competence:
G. Trustworthiness/Congruence:
Effective therapists are authentic, sincere, and
honest.
Do not hide behind masks, defenses, or facades.
Do not meet their own needs at the expense of
others.
H. Interpersonal Attractiveness: helpful to be
down to earth, friendly, and warmth; rather than
being formal, stuffy, aloof, and reserved to the
client.
I. Confidentiality:
J. Avoid Dual/Multiple Relationships
 BASIC COUNSELING SKILLS

• what is important and common to all

approaches are the basic skills needed to
carryout in any counseling.
A. Establishing Rapport:
B. Listening skill:
C. Questioning skill:
D. Probing Skill:
E. Focusing:
G. Referral skill:
H. Summarizing:
 UNIT THREE: THE COUNSELING PROCESS

• Each theory of counseling has its own specific

counseling process, there are general
procedures every counselor should follow
during therapeutic relationship.
• These procedures are known as phases/
stages of counseling process.
1. The Initial phase:
During the very early interviews the immediate
goals become threefold:
A. to begin forming a good relationship
B. to explore the reasons the client sought
counseling
C. structuring the relationship.
 Activities that must be accomplished in
this phase:
• The Initial Interview: focuses on knowing the
client using Client's Intake Form
• Developing Rapport: it is not a one time activity.
Some of the Techniques used for establishing quick
rapport are:
explaining confidentiality, warm greeting,
respecting the client, unconditional positive
regard, and being honest to the client.
• Structuring the relationship:
Time limit
Role limit
Limiting the scope of counseling
use therapeutic contract or Informed Consent
and both parties should sign on it.
 2. Middle Phase:

• three preliminary activities under this phase.

A.Diagnosis: process of assessing and identifying/
labeling the real problem of the client. Tools:
• Observation:
• Interview:
• Standardized tests:
• Documents/ recorded data
• Using DSM IV/ V:
 B. Prognosis:

• process of predicting the major factors and

consequences of the problem.
C. Treatment: focuses on selecting appropriate
counseling techniques, developing treatment
plan, and practicing an intervention.
 3. Termination Phase:

• Freud called this stage "a weaning stage".

• Some preconditions for terminating
counseling relationship are:
• Fixed-ending: based on the specified time on
the contract.
• Open ending: When goals are attained.
• Premature ending
 4. Follow-up Phase:

• Following client's status after the termination

of the counseling sessions
• evaluate the effectiveness of the counseling
relationship, on the basis of the designed
goals, its outcomes, time and other resources.