Counselling
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Most people have times in their lives when they are distressed. Changes (sometimes known as life events) involving bereavement, loss of status because of unemployment, and ill health can cause serious questioning of life’s purpose. Persistent losses overwhelm a person’s ability to cope; this inability can cause difficulties at work, school/college and in relationships. Most of the time we find ways of dealing with such problems in living by talking to family, friends, neighbours or well-wishers and if help is not available from this supportive network (friends or family), this may lead to physical illness, anxiety, depression, or chronic maladaptive behaviour, such as addiction to alcohol, drugs, food, gambling or work. But occasionally their advice is not sufficient or we are embarrassed or ashamed to tell them what is bothering us or we just do not have the appropriate person to turn to. In these conditions, counselling is a really useful option.
2.0 DEFINITION OF COUNSELLING
People have always turned to others for help in crisis. In the 20th century, perhaps with the decline in formal religious belief in Western cultures, there has been a growth in the helping professions, such as counselling (Encarta Encyclopedia, 2003). Counselling includes the skills of helping people to cope with personal difficulties through interviews and other procedures, with the aim of allowing them to reach solutions to their difficulties themselves. The term covers a wide spectrum of therapeutic activites, from practical advice given during one or two meetings to sympathetic attention over months or years. According to Russell, Dexter and Bond (1992), counselling is an activity freely entered into by the person seeking help, it offers the opportunity to identify things for the client themselves that they are troubling or perplexing. It is clearly and explicitly contracted, and the boundaries of the relationship identified, the activity itself is designed to
Most people have times in their lives when they are distressed. Changes (sometimes known as life events) involving bereavement, loss of status because of unemployment, and ill health can cause serious questioning of life’s purpose. Persistent losses overwhelm a person’s ability to cope; this inability can cause difficulties at work, school/college and in relationships. Most of the time we find ways of dealing with such problems in living by talking to family, friends, neighbours or well-wishers and if help is not available from this supportive network (friends or family), this may lead to physical illness, anxiety, depression, or chronic maladaptive behaviour, such as addiction to alcohol, drugs, food, gambling or work. But occasionally their advice is not sufficient or we are embarrassed or ashamed to tell them what is bothering us or we just do not have the appropriate person to turn to. In these conditions, counselling is a really useful option.
2.0 DEFINITION OF COUNSELLING
People have always turned to others for help in crisis. In the 20th century, perhaps with the decline in formal religious belief in Western cultures, there has been a growth in the helping professions, such as counselling (Encarta Encyclopedia, 2003). Counselling includes the skills of helping people to cope with personal difficulties through interviews and other procedures, with the aim of allowing them to reach solutions to their difficulties themselves. The term covers a wide spectrum of therapeutic activites, from practical advice given during one or two meetings to sympathetic attention over months or years. According to Russell, Dexter and Bond (1992), counselling is an activity freely entered into by the person seeking help, it offers the opportunity to identify things for the client themselves that they are troubling or perplexing. It is clearly and explicitly contracted, and the boundaries of the relationship identified, the activity itself is designed to
References: Brink, D.C. and Faber, B.A (1996). The Psychotherapy of Carl Rogers: Cases and Commentary. Guilford Press. New York. British Association of Counsellors, (1984). Counselling Burnard, P Dryden, W. (2006). Person Centred Counselling in a Nutshell. Sage Publications. New Delhi. 107 pp. Encarta Encyclopedia, (2003). Counselling Husserl, E McLeod J. (2003) An Introducrion to Counselling. 3rd Edition. Open University Press. Great Britain. 613pp Rogers, C Nelson-Jones, R. (1982). The Theory and Practice of Counselling Psychology. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Eastbourne Rogers, C Boy, A. V., Pine, G. J. (1982). Client-Centred Counselling. A Renewal. Allyn and Bacon, Boston Russell, J., Dexter, G Spiegelberg, H. (1970). Phenomenology, In: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Vol. 17. 14th Edition, Encyclopaedia Britannica. Chicago.