STAGES OF

COUNSELLING

TANGRAM – TRACKING THE HUMAN MIND

STAGES IN THE COUNSELING PROCESS
Getting started

Introductory talk

Identifying the issues

Coping with feelings

Identifying possible solutions

Agreeing upon a plan

Implementing the plan

TANGRAM – TRACKING THE HUMAN MIND

 GETTING STARTED
• Here, the counsellor and client meet and know each
other.
• Often the client will be nervous and will not know what
to say. In this stage of the relationship, it is usually
helpful if the counsellor plays the dominant role and
helps the client to relax, settle down and focus on why
they are there.
• Few people are able to ‘come right out with it’ in the
early stages of the relationship.

TANGRAM – TRACKING THE HUMAN MIND

INTRODUCTORY TALK

• Most people come to a counsellor with only a vague sense of what it

is they really want to talk about.
• Here, it is useful to use broad, open questions.

TANGRAM – TRACKING THE HUMAN MIND

IDENTIFYING THE ISSUES
• At a point during this initial phase of talking, the ‘real’
issues begin to emerge.
• Sometimes, such issues can be brought to the surface
by the counsellor asking ‘facilitative’ questions that
encourage the client to elaborate a little.

TANGRAM – TRACKING THE HUMAN MIND

COPING WITH FEELINGS
• Counselling people often means coping with emotions. Once people
in counselling begin to identify the real issues, they experience
emotional release.
• A considerable part of the process of helping people in counselling is
concerned with the emotional or’ feelings’ side of the person.

TANGRAM – TRACKING THE HUMAN MIND

IDENTIFYING POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
• Solutions: Once feeling have been relieved, the next stage involves
helping the client to identify ways to deal with or cope with the
problem(s).
• Not everything can be sorted out. Not everything has a solution.
• The next thing is to work out a plan to make the situation more
liveable.

TANGRAM – TRACKING THE HUMAN MIND

AGREEING UPON A PLAN
• It is one thing knowing what you want to do or change; it is another
thing to put those ideas into action.
• During this stage of counselling relationship, both counsellor and
client work together to draw up a practical plan of action.

TANGRAM – TRACKING THE HUMAN MIND

IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN
• This stage of counselling is carried out by the client almost
independently of the counsellor.
• It is the putting into action of the plan that was discussed in the
previous stage.
• Change is difficult for most people.
• It often brings with it a degree of anxiety and it is the counsellor’s
function to help the client to deal with that anxiety.

TANGRAM – TRACKING THE HUMAN MIND

 THANK YOU

TANGRAM – TRACKING THE HUMAN MIND