Birbeck University: Introduction to Counselling Course Term 1, Coursework essay: 19th February 2013 (submission date) Author: Monica Malkani Describe some aspects of your learning about helping in a counselling way and what this has taught you about yourself This essay aims to address a number of aspects of counselling that I have found particularly interesting since starting the introductory course in Counselling in October 2012. This will include a brief history of counselling; what it means to help in a “counselling way” from both a client and counsellor’s perspective and what the course has taught me as an individual. Reflecting on the history of counselling and considering today’s society and culture, I believe there is …show more content…
Mearnes and Thorne (1999) in Nelson-Jones (2006, p107) who have extended Carl Roger’s person-centred theory state that counselling is based upon three key elements: trust; intimacy and mutuality. “Developing trust is important not only at the start of therapy relationships, but as they continue”. Another key aspect of any counseling relationship is that a helper be self-aware and non-judgemental when using counselling skills. It is imperative that one’s own views on race, class, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation and so forth are put aside and not translated into prejudices. This can be quite a challenge given some of these views can be deeply-rooted. Saunders (2011, 36-38) argues the importance of acknowledging differences between people, which gives them their identity. Understanding an individual’s identity and behaviour, which is ultimately a manifestation of values, beliefs and attitudes, can help counsellors to develop strategies in how they can best support them (Aldridge, S., Rigby, S. 2011, 63-82). When some counsellors offer their clients a couch to lie down on during their therapy sessions, it can often provide an extreme way of behaving in a non-judgmental way: the client does not have a view of the counsellor’s face and therefore cannot interpret changes to the counsellor’s facial expression as any kind of judgement. Providing a safe and secure environment for an individual to be themselves
ETHICAL FRAMEWORK, LIMITS OF PROFICIENCY AND THE LIMITATIONS ON COUNSELLORS COMPARED TO OTHER PROFESSIONS THAT USE COUNSELLING SKILLS.
Counselling and psychotherapy are very different areas of speciality than psychiatry or psychology. Yet it is from these two health practices that counselling and psychotherapy practice emerged. The emergence and beginning of this takes us back initially to 1887, when the specialism of psychotherapy emerged in psychiatry. In the nineteenth century there was a general shift towards science and
In this assignment I intend to define ‘counselling skills and knowledge’ and then show how I actively employ these qualities during my everyday life. These include informal helping interactions with family and friends, in a supervisory capacity at work and during skills practice sessions as part of my counselling course. Finally I’ll analyse the effects that these helping interactions have on me personally and the various ways in which I deal with those effects.
Person-centred counsellors may find themselves working with clients who, for one reason or another, have considerable difficulty in working within an ethic of autonomy and respond better to a transitional phase in which the counsellor works within an ethic of welfare.
Counsellors do not offer advice as such but instead give an insight into a client’s feelings and behaviour and they help the client to change their behaviour accordingly. They do this by actively listening to what the client has to say and comment from a professional perspective. Counsellors are trained to be effective helpers, especially in sensitive and difficult situations. They have to be independent, very neutral and professional as well as respecting the privacy and confidentiality of a client. Counselling can help clients to clarify their problems, identify the changes they wish to make and give them a fresh perspective. Counsellors should help them to seek other options and look at the impact that life events have made on the
Often in life it is important for us to reflect on what career path we will take. It helps to better define who we are as individuals, what we stand for, it allows others to know your background, why you are so passionate about it, and why you chose to follow a certain path in life. This paper will answer several of these questions as we delve into wondering when was the first time I recall an individual applying counseling skills with me, my feelings, and the outcome of the encounter, and how has that influenced my counseling perspective. We will identify what I believe is the best type of help for me when I am in a personal crisis. Describe the first time that I considered counseling as a career and what was happening in
Within this assignment I will explore the ways in which I relate to others. I will identify any barriers or difficulties which could affect my ability to relate to others and therefore have an adverse effect on my role as a helper. Egan (1994) states that to be a fully developed helper, a key component is self awareness. He also suggests that there can be a “shadow side” to helping, which can adversely affect the outcome of the helping process.
The client centred therapy was developed by Carl Rogers in 1942 and was based on his personal experience with clients. He believed that everyone is capable of solving their own problems if the right conditions are provided. He proposed that the therapist’s role was to listen to clients, be empathic with them, and accept them for who they were rather than offer deep interpretations of unconscious material or mechanistically change behaviors. He emphasized the real relationship between the therapist and the client rather than the transference relationship, and suggested that therapists should be open and genuine with their clients. He summed this up in six conditions that he thought were necessary for successful therapy.
This essay will explain key aspects of a cognitive-behavioural approach to counselling. Revealing how this method of counselling differs from the psychodynamic approach, and demonstrating my preferred method.
Many people begin with a narrow perspective of counseling. Individuals believe that counseling includes simply giving advice for problems presented by clients. They also believe that there is a cure all solution that counselors should present. Most therapists are viewed as the problem solvers. The writer reports learning many valuable lessons about the practice of counseling. The helping profession has many facets and interesting hierarchy that has evolved over the years. In the beginning of her pursuit to become a counselor, she was unsure of which route she wanted to take. She also did not know fully the role of the different helpers. She soon learned that psychiatrists as medical doctors are the
Developing self-awareness as a counsellor is considered “central to many of the mainstream theoretical approaches” (Mcleod, 2009, p624). I will argue that without the development of self-awareness neither a trainee nor qualified counsellor can meet the core conditions set out in most theoretical approaches to counselling, congruence, empathy and unconditional positive regard. I will also argue that counselling trainees need to experience the role of client themselves before they can take others on the same road to self discovery. To answer the benefits and difficulties of the counselling trainee developing self-awareness whilst practicing skills in triads I will argue the feedback received from fellow peers can be very beneficial to
Carl Roger’s the founder of person-centred therapy, is considered to be the most influential psychologist of the 20th century as he revolutionised the approach to therapy, Rogers had an interest in the growth and change of an individual and believed that each individual has a potential in being able to understand themselves, resolve their own conflicts and self-heal (Corey, 2014). The key concepts of person-centred therapy, place emphasis on the fact that the client is responsible for their own self-understanding and self-growth, in other words, the therapy focusses on the self (Corey, 2014). According to Corey (2014), the therapists role, is to facilitate the clients process of change, to support the client through genuineness, empathy, and unconditional positive regard. The counsellor shows genuineness by being their true self in the therapy session with the client and expressing their thoughts, feelings and reactions in a non-judgemental and reflective manner, empathy is shown in order for the therapist to feel what the client is feeling, to help the clients in being more in touch with themselves and to enable the client, “to feel more deeply and intensely” (Corey, 2014, p.169). Unconditional positive regard is the therapist’s attitude in accepting the client for the way they are regardless of their problem (Corey, 2014). Once the core key concepts have been mastered the client will be able to make a
The theories of counselling, listening skills sessions, offered the opportunity to learn and exercise the practical application of listening skills. Such skills involved actively listening to the speaker and asking forth bringing questions. The knowledge attained throughout the theories of counselling module, was applied in these practical sessions. Even though the students in these listening skills sessions were supposed to work in mock therapeutic session, it was made clear that these exercises did not provide the necessary training for the students to become professional counsellors. Nevertheless this does not mean that these practices were not helpful. We were provided the possibility to gain a better and newer understanding of the
The pursuit for self-awareness or self-understanding is a chief factor of valuable reflective practice. Counsellors need not only to be conscious of their abilities, facts and presentation as professionals, but also wary of any private aspects that may mess with or obstruct their capability to supply an efficient and objective service. Counselling professionals in their everyday practice encounter unique and difficult circumstances which may
As counsellors and therapists, we assist clients in coping with issues and implementing positive change in their lives (Nupponen, 1998). According to Carl Jung (1961), all clients are unique. For counselling and psychotherapy to be effective, therapists must select suitable counselling approaches and techniques to cater to the concerns, needs and preferences of each individual client. Each of these theoretical approaches have their own specific assumptions and techniques. However, overlaps between approaches may be present as well. Before therapists decide on the appropriate approach to be used in therapy, they must first garner an in-depth understanding of their clients background and also be well versed in the various counselling theories