Counselling Models

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MODELS OF WORKPLACE COUNSELING

Counseling-orientation models

These models are characterized by its use of a counseling approach as the

key factor in what is offered to employee client. Counselors, by and large,

subscribe to or are affiliated to, and trained in, a particular therapeutic

approach which they use when working with organizational clients.

Subscribing to a particular counseling orientation normally means

accepting a specific view of human nature and an explanation of why

individuals behave the way they do. This, in turn, leads logically to an

assessment congruent with the counseling approach and interventionsdesigned to bring about change. However, their main interest is still

focused almost exclusively on individuals and the organizational

dimensions of counseling work are largely ignored.

Brief-therapy models

Brief therapy differs from other schools of therapy in that it emphasizes a

focus on a specific problem and direct intervention. In this model, the

therapists take responsibility for working more proactively with the clients

in order to treat clinical and subjective conditions faster. It also

emphasizes precise observation, utilization of natural resources, and

temporary suspension of disbelief to consider new perspectives and

multiple viewpoints.

Rather than the formal analysis of historical causes of distress, the primary

approach of brief therapy is to help the client to view the present from a

wider context and to utilize more functional understandings (not

necessarily at a conscious level). By becoming aware of these new

understandings, successful clients will de facto undergo spontaneous and

generative change.
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Problem-focused models

These models of counselling see the counselors role as helping

individuals to work with the immediate problems they bring. Whereas

these problems may not be entirely worked-based, couselling confines

itself to working with the immediate issue. One model of this is contained

in a training manual for counselors in the workplace; formulate problem,

generate solution, and action plan. Problems-focused counselling emerges

for a number of reasons: the limited amount of time counselors can

provide to clients, the number of counselors available to service a

company, the theoretical background from which counselors emerge, and

organizational constraints(e.g.: finance). However, problem-solving

approaches to counseling are a fairly well-established perspective in their

own rightand like brief therapy, will no doubt play a large part in

workplace counseling.

Work-orientated model

Work-orientated models of counseling pinpoint the immediate problem as

a workplace issue and work with it. They do not spend time on the

underlying areas of why problems exist, nor are they interested in

problems or issues that are not related to the workplace. Their aim is to

facilitate the individual to overcome workplace problems and move back

to work as quickly as possible. This is an attractive counseling model for

managers who want value for money and want to think that time spent in

counseling is for the welfare of the organization through the individual.

However, it is not always easy, in practice, to differentiate between what

is the workplace problem and what is a personal problem not related to

work.


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Manager-based models

Though not widespread, there is vulnerability in some organizations to

view managers as quasi-counselors for their staff. With the introduction of

counseling training for personnel officers, human resource officers,

managers and a host of other individuals in industry and public services,

there is the tendency for people to combine a number of roles with

employees this gives rise to innumerable problems. It is a small wonder

that legislation in the United States of America forbids managers to enter

into counseling with their subordinates. On the other hand, training in

counseling skills for managers helps them to recognize signs of

disturbance in employees and no doubt provides valuable aids in their

managerial and personal roles according to Martin (1994). However,

Nixon and Carroll (1994) have argued strongly against managers taking on

a formal counseling role. Not only does it cross boundaries, in their view,

but it puts employees in an impossible situation: asking on one hand, that

they share personal issues with their manager, and on the other hand, that

they be ready for appraisal their careers with the same manager.

Externally based models

externally based models of counseling are the counseling services brought

in, and bought in, from outside the organization. It is usually in the form

of an Employee Assistant Program (EAP) and they are administered and

organized from outside. The format used can be any of the above models,

or even mixtures of them. One of the strengths of external counseling

services is that it can offer clear confidentiality and training as well as

counseling. It also provides a range of services and a number of

counselors with different skills and backgrounds. However, it also brings

along other unwanted problems. The counselors may not be flexible in

what they offer and may not have had experience of workplace

counseling. Besides, they may not adapt easily to individual companies


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and may also not understand the culture of the organization. There are

several formats of external counseling provision used by organizations:

some employ established EAPs, others set up an internal EAP while others

opt for employing individuals to work on a session basis with employees.

Full-service programs, limited utilization programs and information and

referral-only programs are the examples of EAP programs.

Internally based models

In-house counseling provision is the norm in a number of companies. A

part-time or full-time counselor, or a team of counselors, is employed to

work with employees. The counseling service can be part of an already-

existing department or an independent unit in its own right. The strengthof internal counseling services is that the counselors are in touch with the

culture of the company. Thus, they can adapt counseling work to

organizational needs and they have flexibility to adapt to client needs. This

can build up great credibility for the counseling service. However, one of

the weaknesses is that the counselor can be more subjective in his or her

assessments and he or she may get involved in politics of the organization.

It is also more difficult to maintain confidentiality. In-house counseling

provision can be set up in a variety of ways: an in-house EAP, with a team

of counselors, with an individual counselor, as within a particular

department, as outside all departments, as part-time or full-time.

Welfare-based models

Welfare-based models of counseling combine a number of roles with

employees, one of which is counseling. Welfare officers have traditionally

been employed in a number of organizations to fulfill several tasks

depending on client needs: befriending, information-giving, advocate,

home-visiting during sickness, giving legal and financial advice, advising

on a range of topics and counseling. Welfare-based models of counseling

have been the predecessors of counseling provision in the workplace. Such

models were more social work based, seeing counseling as one of many


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roles enacted with employees. Their strength is their ability to provide a

range of interventions, one of which may be counseling.

Organizational-change models

Counseling which is targeted on the organization as a whole though is

mainly implemented by working with individuals and groups. Counseling

in organizational settings is directly valuable to the individual and

indirectly beneficial to the organization. Perhaps beginning to integrate

counseling more specifically into organizational growth, development and

transition would be a valuable asset to organizations.

Documents

Counselling Models