COUNSELLING SKILLS

FOR MANAGERS
 Some statistics around psychological illness in
the work place in India
• Mental health problems and associated costs are a worldwide
issue.
• 2017 WHO report finds that 18% of global depression cases
emanate from India. About 57 million people!!
• A 2016 survey of 200,000 professional in India found that
46% reported extreme stress as a consequence of their work.
• An Assocham study shows 43% of private sector employees
in India are afflicted with mental issues at work.
• Adjusted for population size, India ranks first in the incidence
of mental disorders, and low-and middle-income countries
tend to have the higher incidences.
• A systematic review of studies of work-related
stress estimated cost to be as high as $1 trillion
per year, with the majority of the expense
coming from lost productivity, not direct health
cost.
• As clinical depression has risen by around 50%
in the last eight years, there has been increase in
other ailments including obesity, diabetes,
hypertension and cardiac disorders. Major
depression increases absenteeism and
‘presenteeism’ (reduced productivity) and has
direct medical costs.
Some symptoms of psychological discomfort among
working professional include:

•mood-swings,
•agitation and apathy;
•insomnia;
•difficulty in waking up in the morning;
•lethargy and drowsiness;
•lack of interest in daily affairs;
•over eating, or conversely loss of appetite;
• unexplained aches and pains in the body; and
• increased consumption of alcohol and tobacco.
 THE NEED FOR WORK PLACE COUNSELLING

• The welfare of employees is one of the major

responsibilities of the employers. More and
more employers realize that illness and
productivity do not go well together.
• The fact that harassed employees can take legal
actions is another reason why organizations
should introduce counselling.
• Employers are turning to counselling as one way
of helping the employees to cope with the
changes taking place in organizations.
• Counselling can be seen as a way of improving
mental health of the troubled persons.
Employees do not leave their problems aside as
they enter into work-place.
• The financial expenses borne by the
organizations to deal with the psychological and
social problems are quite high and it can prove
costly to an organization in situations like poor
relationship between two members of the team, a
manager going through an impending divorce, an
employee beginning to be abused by drug
• More and more companies are realizing that
their employees are one of their best
assets.
• The direct link between the responsibility of
taking care of their staff and the drive for
achieving success and/or profit is a major
factor in convincing employers to employ
counselling services as one of the means to
manage workforce constructively.
• Counselling services can also be viewed as a
preventive service. Counsellors are in a unique
position within the organizational settings to offer
the kind of training and education that prevents
mental illness.

• Organizations are realizing that a ‘wholeness’

approach needs to be adopted towards employees
which implies that their physical, mental, emotional
and social well-being go together and that they need
to be worked with in totality. Emphasizing one
element is not enough.
 DEFINITION

Counselling is defined as the

“individualized and personalized
assistance with personal, educational,
vocational problems, in which all
pertinent facts are studied and analyzed,
and a solution is sought, often with the
assistance of specialist, and personal
interviews in which counselee is taught to
make his own decisions.
 Survey Results
Survey of 20 companies revealed different
emphasis given to counselling in
organizations:
– Majority use it in the context of
performance review, both formal and
informal
– Some use it as a part of their training
methods
– Used in the context of career counselling
and redundancy counselling
– As a part of their disciplinary procedures
 Reason for Disengagement with Counseling
We can use Counseling skills but cannot engage in
Counseling process for two reasons:
• Role conflict
• Lack of training: inability to listen. Understand,
communicate; these help and motivate better but should not
attempt to deal with deep seated long term emotional
problems.
• Some people feel that they do not have the skills, others
simply do not understand, and some others do not know
how it works
• People in business are not exposed to it.
Counselor's Needs in Counseling
Before taking the responsibility, critically
examine your motivation for being a
counselor

– What do I expect from this relationship?

– What will be my satisfaction and reward in
this relationship?

The reason for helping are seldom pure

and altruistic.
These motivation affect the effectiveness of
relationship.

• Be aware of your motives – credibility and

effectiveness will be enhanced. Self
deception hinders effectiveness.
• Self clarification is essential for personal
growth. Have courage for in-depth
analysis.
 Findings of why counselors help others?

• To avoid dealing with their own problems:

This limits the effectiveness and client is not
able to develop trust and confidence in the
counselor.
• Wants to control and obtain status:
Will have only one type of client as others
would want to avoid the controlling
behaviour.
• Believe that they have solutions to life’s
problems:
Try to convert the client in their way but end
up alienating many.
• Out of the sincere wish to help others:
No hidden motivation but are viewed with
skepticism by suspicious and cynical clients.