Assignment 1

Please answer all questions separately with the question written out in full above

each answer.

1. Briefly describe in your own words what is meant by the term ‘counselling’

2. What factors may make it difficult for a client to commit to counselling? What

could you do to help overcome these barriers?

3. What are the ‘core counselling skills’? Briefly describe each one.

4. In your opinion, what are the most important skills required for effective

counselling? Justify your answer.

What is Counselling?

Counselling is an activity freely entered into by the person seeking help, it offers the

opportunity to identify things for the client themselves that are troubling or

perplexing. It is clearly and explicitly contracted, and the boundaries of the

relationship identified. The activity itself is designed to help self-exploration and

understanding. The process should help to identify thoughts, emotions and

behaviours that, once accessed, may offer the client a greater sense of personal

resources and self-determined change.

Russell et al. (1992)

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) define

counselling as taking place “when a counsellor sees a client in a private and

confidential setting to explore a difficulty the client is having, distress they may be

experiencing or perhaps dissatisfaction with life, or loss of a sense of direction and

purpose. It is always at the request of the client as no one can properly be ‘sent’ for

counselling” (BACP, 2010). This latter point is particularly important as clients are

unlikely to benefit from counselling if they are reluctant to attend and engage within

sessions. The everyday pressures of life are becoming even greater, meaning that

many people are now turning to counselling for support; Burnard (2005:2) explains

how the “process of counselling can be clearly defined as the means by which one

person helps another to clarify his or her life situation and to decide further lines of

action”. Sutton and Stewart (2008: 2) state that dictionary definitions of counselling

usually define it as the process of ‘give advice or guidance’ and continue to explain

what the difference between ‘advice giving’, ‘guidance’ and ‘counselling’ are:

It is important to clearly identify the difference between advice giving and

counselling, because counselling is not about giving advice. “Giving advice

frequently means telling people what they should do or ought to do”; although

counsellors can help clients to look at what is possible, they avoid telling them what

they should do, as doing so, would involve the counsellor taking control, rather than

the client gaining control (Sutton and Stewart, 2008:3).

Distinguishing between advice giving, guidance and counselling

Advice Guidance Counselling

Mainly a one-way exchange

• Giving an opinion

• Making a judgement • Making a

recommendation

Persuasive

Mainly a one-way exchange

• Showing the way

• Educating

• Influencing

• Instructing

Encouraging

A two-way collaborative exchange

A supportive relationship that enable clients to:

• Explore their problems

• Understand their problems

• Resolve, or come to terms with, their problems

Facilitative

Source: Sutton and Stewart (2008:2)

The aim of counselling is for the client to have a supportive, non-judgemental and

confidential environment in which they can explore any emotional or psychological

problems they may be experiencing. Within counselling sessions, clients can work

with the counsellor to identify their own personal resources and capabilities, which

can be difficult to identify in times of anxiety (Buckinghamshire New University,

2010). Many people also find counselling beneficial in this way because it enables

them to openly talk about their thoughts and feelings, something which very few

people find possible to do with friends and family.

Activity

a. What other words or phrases come to mind when you think about

‘counselling’?

b. Do you agree with the words / phrases shown above? If there are any you

disagree with, why is this?

Why do people seek counselling?

Activity

a. Can you think of any other reasons why someone may seek counselling?

As we have considered on the previous page, people seek counselling for a variety

of reasons. Byrne (2009) gives a general overview of this, in regards to people

seeking counselling in order:

To get things off their chest

To make desired changes in their lives

To make sense of things going on in their lives, or inside themselves

To help cope with difficult experiences or sexual problems

To resolve or find ways to cope with difficult feelings

To adapt to major changes in their lives

From this list, it is fair to say that people often seek counselling in times of difficulty,

but it is also important to note that people may decide to see a counsellor for self-

improvement.