QUESTION

Answer these questions in about 100 words each. Some questions require more detailed answers. Their required length is indicated in brackets. The rest of the questions should be answered in about 100 words.

The assigned textbook is “Learning to counsel” by Jan Sutton and William Stewart.

 Answer all questions by using information from the assigned textbook. Do not copy from the textbook. Answer the questions in your own words.

Q1: a) Complete the following sentences by write 10 suitable adjectives:

a)     A counselor should be:  ________ (Write 10 adjectives, for example:  i) Non-judgmental,

ii) Attentive listener etc. Basically, you have to write 10 qualities of counselors that need to be present inthem)

b)     For all the 10 adjectives that you just wrote for part (a), write a reason for each explaining why you feel a counselor should be this way.

c)     What should a counselor not be in your opinion? List 10 adjectives along with a reason for each.

 Q2: a) Explain the differences between advice, guidance and counseling.

b) Give an example of scenario where each of these  services may be used effectively.

Q3: a) What is manipulation?

b) Why is it important for clients to choose their own course of action within counseling?

Q4: Describe the following:

a)     Psychodynamic therapy

b)     Person centred therapy

c)     Cognitive behavioural therapy

Q5:  a)What is confidentiality?

b) List some possible circumstances with reasons why information may need to be disclosed.

c) Clients should always be made aware that their confidentiality may be broken and information shared if the client is seen to be at a risk to others. Explain how, as a counselor, would you make the client aware of this?

Q6: Imagine you are counseling a client.

a) What non-verbal signals would you wish to express to your client?

b) How would you convey this in the session?

Q7: Just as non-verbal communication can have a positive effect in counseling, it can have negative effects also.

a) What signals would you, as a counselor, try to avoid during consultation?

b) Describe the negative effects that each of the signals that you just wrote for part (a) may have in the consultation.

Q8: There are 2 groups of people who use counseling skills. One group is those who use counseling as an occupation (the professional counselors). The second group is of those who use counseling skills to enhance their job role and support those around them.

a) How do you think the use of counseling skills may help in a job role?

b) Think of a time when you used counseling skills to help someone ( It could be your friend or family member). Explain how you did it.

Q9:  a) There are 3 basic elements involved in counseling. What are they?

b) Personal development involves being able to separate your own feelings from those of the client. Why do you think this is important for the counselor?

c) How can you, as a counselor, convey non-possessive warmth to the clients?

d) What must you take into consideration when conveying non-possessive warmth to the clients?

e) Why is it important to respect and value the client (unconditional positive regard) regardless of your personal views?

Q10: a) What does ‘acceptance’ mean in the field of counseling?

b) There are some obstacles to acceptance. One of those obstacles is stereotyping. Define stereotyping.

c) Give 5 examples of stereotyping behavior in society.

Q11: a) A counselor should not be judgmental. Why?

b) It is very important for the counselor to develop a non-judgmental attitude. Explain how a counselor can develop a non-judgmental attitude.

Q 12: Explain in detail why empathy is more effective with a client as compared to pity or sympathy (130 words).

Q 13: a) What is meant by a client’s frame of reference?

b) Explain why a lack of self-awareness can obstruct the counselor from understanding a client’s frame of reference.

Q 14: a) Why is it important for the relationship between client and counselor to be an equal one?

b) Creating a safe and welcoming environment for consultation is an important part of creating thus dynamic. Describe how a counselor can arrange his own room to make it welcoming for a client (You are welcome to use your own ideas for answering this question).

c) How can body language and non-verbal communication be used to put the client  at ease?  (120 words)

Q 15: Boundaries and structure are important in providing counseling for the client as this distinguishes counseling from a social discussion. Counseling is a productive service aimed at facilitating change. There should be rules, a contract, and time frame for each session and for consultation as a whole.

If the above mentioned are not properly implemented, how might this change the dynamic of the counseling session? (130 words answer required)

Q16:  Counseling can be an emotional and stressful process for the client and sometimes the counselor may receive an aggressive response from the client.

a) How do you think a counselor should react to an aggressive client to diffuse the situation?

b) What should the counselor avoid doing to prevent an escalation in the aggression?

Q 17:  The counselor may be presented with risky situations when visiting clients in their own homes.

a) List some potential risks to the counselor.

b) In your opinion, what procedures should a counselor put in place to ensure his safety?

c) What are the advantages of holding consultations in the client’s own home?

Q 18: Counseling between a counselor and client is a purposeful relationship, so the consultation period should never be indefinite.

a) Why could prolonged consultation present problems?

b) Why should the timing of the termination of consultation be carefully considered and discussed?

c) What does a terminal evaluation give the client?

Q 19: a) What is Supervision?

b) How can the Supervisor enhance the counselor’s skills?

c) What are the components of the supervisory relationship?

d) Name different types of Supervision.

SOLUTION

Q1: a) Complete the following sentences by write 10 suitable adjectives:

• A counselor should be:   __genuine, unconditional, understanding, non-possessive, courteous, compassionate, firm, astute listener, concerned, positive regard______   (Write 10 adjectives, for example:  i) Non-judgmental, ii) Attentive listener etc. Basically, you have to write 10 qualities of counselors that need to be present in them)
• For all the 10 adjectives that you just wrote for part (a), write a reason for each explaining why you feel a counselor should be this way.

The qualities and the relevant reasons for them are as follows:

Genuine: This means that the counselor should be transparent and open in his/ her relationship with the client.

Unconditional: The counselor should not put any conditions while accepting the client. The acceptance of the client should be non- judgmental.

Understanding: The counselor should understand the problems and issues being faced by the client. He/ She should deal with the issue with interest and resolve the issue feeling as if in the clients’ shoes.

Non- possessive: This refers to the fact that the counselor should not be very possessive. This makes the client feel comfortable and he/ she can easily talk about the problems and issues being faced.

Courteous: A courteous behavior of the counselor encourages the client for self help. It makes the client feel comfortable and self confident.

Compassionate: A compassionate behavior is very important as it makes a client feel  accepted and in turn client also accepts the counselor completely. This makes the client bond with the counselor.

Firm: A counselors’ firm behavior helps the counselor be on track despite being attached to the client. This makes the counselor keep a focus on the main aim, i.e. to help the client out of the problem.

Astute listener: The counselor should give ample amount of time to the client to speak. The client should be allowed to clearly and completely describe his/ her problems.

Concerned: A client can easily find out if the counselor is actually interested or just being professional. A concerned behavior makes a client comfortable and easy while discussing the problem.

Positive regard:  A positive regard means valuing and respecting the client. This is very essential as it conveys a caring gesture to the client.

• What should a counselor not be in your opinion? List 10 adjectives along with a reason for each.

According to me, a counselor should not be judgmental as it is the opposite of acceptance and judgmentalism takes in no account of feelings in a study. A counselor should not have a negative attitude and should not be very critical about the client. This demoralizes the client and he/ she is unable to speak openly. Moreover, a counselor should not be possessive about the subject and should not be emotionally attached, as it spoils the result analysis. The choice of the client should not be based on criteria like caste, age, sex, etc. It is the duty of the counselor to attend to all problems. The counselor should not be conditional in his choice of the client and no conditions should be put on the client during the interview sessions. This spoils the flow of information.

 Q2: a) Explain the differences between advice, guidance and counseling.

Advice and guidance involve listening carefully to the individual problems and discussing the possible solutions for it. These are not done by trained professionals but by the general people we know. The solutions are not always accepted but depends on the persons’ will to choose.

Counseling, on the other hand involves serious talking and listening. The counselor is a trained professional who has got experience to deal with the problems and provide a suitable solution. The solution often results in the client having a concrete solution to the problem. The client is more confident and can take future decisions.

Advice and guidance are broader concepts, whereas counseling involves an in- depth analysis of the problem.

Advice/ guidance only gives an option to the individual, whereas counseling provides a complete solution along with a change in the individual thinking.

Advice/ guidance is mostly on career related issues, whereas counseling is on personal/ social issues.

b) Give an example of scenario where each of these services may be used effectively.

During the time of admission to a college, when the children are in a dilemma to choose a career path, a good advice/ guidance can be of help. It gives the student with a number of choices to choose from.

When a person is suffering from any sexually transmitted disease and he does not know how to reveal it to the society and how to get the proper treatment, he/ she requires counseling. A proper counseling not only gives a concrete solution, but also helps the individual regain his/ her confidence.

Q3: a) What is manipulation?

In terms of counseling, manipulation refers to controlling the counseling environment. The manipulation is mainly for the purpose of creating a situation in which the client feels comfortable and free of any kind of restrictions (Patterson, C.H., 2000). In the controlled environment, the individual becomes self controlled and finds it easy to talk.

In a counseling session, manipulation of an individual variant can help find out the cause of the effect. The manipulated environment helps the counselor find out the real cause of the event by manipulating individual variants, one at a time.

b) Why is it important for clients to choose their own course of action within counseling?

During counseling, it is very important for the client to choose their own course of action as it makes the client feel comfortable and free of any unwanted boundaries. The client feels easy to speak and without shame, taking his/ her own time. It also makes it convenient for the client to connect with the counselor, clearly expressing his/ her problems and the issues being faced.

Moreover, a client knows what his/ her problems are which problems need to be tackled immediately. When a client chooses his/ her own course of action, the more intense issues are given priority and sorted out prior to the other issues.

Q4: Describe the following:

• Psychodynamic therapy

Also known as the insight- oriented therapy, the psychodynamic therapy focuses on the unconscious processes. It enables the client to examine unresolved conflicts and symptoms that arise from past dysfunctional relationships and manifest themselves in the need and desire to abuse substances

• Person centred therapy

This theory was developed by Carl Rogers, in which the core of the theory is that the humans have an inherent self- actualizing tendency. Through this therapy, people can meet their needs, develop a view of themselves and interact in the society in a beneficial way.

• Cognitive behavioural therapy

The Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy, which aims to solve problems concerning dysfunctional emotions, behaviors and cognitions through a goal-oriented, systematic procedure in the present.

Q5:  a)What is confidentiality?

Confidentiality means not disclosing the client details which have been revealed during the counseling session (Learning to counsel, Sutton, J. & Stewart, W., 2002). The counselors are often the recipients of confidential information about the clients’ work, lifestyle, family matters, etc.

Basically, there are two types of information gathered during a counseling session, secret and confidential. Everything said during the interview is confidential, but not everything is a secret. This means, that certain facts can be revealed depending on the priority. This is important as some information must be shared as it may lead to somebody else’s problems.

b) List some possible circumstances with reasons why information may need to be disclosed.

There are certain circumstances under which the information received by a counselor during an interview may be disclosed. For example, if a client during his interview discloses that he has been stealing from his place of work, it is the counselor’s work to notify the organization of work about their loss. This, however can be without revealing the name of the client.

Another example, in which a serious action needs to be taken could be the case of a serial killer, who may be a threat to the society. If any counselor comes in contact with such a client, he/ she should immediately take serious action and notify the concerned authorities.

Confidentiality comes with some limitations and the counselor needs to prioritize and also make a decision for the welfare of the society, as a whole.

c) Clients should always be made aware that their confidentiality may be broken and information shared if the client is seen to be at a risk to others. Explain how, as a counselor, would you make the client aware of this?

All clients are very particular about their interview being kept a secret. No client would want their secrets to be revealed. However, certain information needs to be disclosed looking at the welfare of the society. The counselor has to decide which information has to revealed and which should be kept a secret.

As a counselor, I would very politely explain to the client about societal responsibility and about being responsible citizens. He/ she should be made aware that the counseling session is for his/ her own good and would solve the problems completely, with benefit to the individual and the society.

Q6: Imagine you are counseling a client.

a) What non-verbal signals would you wish to express to your client?

To the client, the non verbal signals that I would wish to express to the client are eye contact and facial expression, which makes the client feel very comfortable. Moreover, I would keep an open attitude would keep myself totally engaged in the conversation. This gives confidence to the client and motivates him/ her to speak clearly about the problem. I would show feelings of security, calmness and confidence. This would make the client feel safe about revealing the problems and would feel confident about the confidentiality of the interview.

b) How would you convey this in the session?

During the session, the non verbal signals are usually conveyed during the interview session. The proper gestures and attitude make the client easy and he/ she feels positive about the interview.

Q7: Just as non-verbal communication can have a positive effect in counseling, it can have negative effects also.

a) What signals would you, as a counselor, try to avoid during consultation?   

During the consultation, I would try to avoid silencing for a long time. This, sometimes makes the client uncomfortable and he/ she feels let down( Sutton, J. Steward, W., 2002). Instead, the client should be encouraged at regular intervals and motivated to speak about the personal issues.

The listening process should be active and the client should feel interest by the counselor. Silencing should be avoided for a long span of time. The counselor should keep the client engaged and focussed with regular interventions and motivations.

b) Describe the negative effects that each of the signals that you just wrote for part (a) may have in the consultation.

Sometimes, eye contact and facial expressions can be deceptive. They may make the client feel uncomfortable, if not proper. These expressions clearly represent what a person is thinking. Hence, they should be proper and should motivate the client and make him/ her feel comfortable.

The attitude of the counselor should be proper. Otherwise, it may distract the client, making him/ her uneasy.

Proper feelings should be reflected. The client should not feel trapped and the gestures should not seem unreal.

Q8: There are 2 groups of people who use counseling skills. One group is those who use counseling as an occupation (the professional counselors). The second group is of those who use counseling skills to enhance their job role and support those around them.

a) How do you think the use of counseling skills may help in a job role?  

In a job role, the counseling skills help one to increase self awareness. It helps one to realize one’s thoughts, intuitions, self believes, attitudes, etc. The person is able to clearly identify the needs and issues and this helps one to become aware of what clicks with people and what not.

b) Think of a time when you used counseling skills to help someone ( It could be your friend or family member). Explain how you did it.

I used my counseling skills to help my friend who faced a problem with her family. I helped her with the issue giving references of the prior problems. The advice I gave to her was helpful and it helped her with a number of options to choose from. Moreover, she grew confident and secure.

Q9:  a) There are 3 basic elements involved in counseling. What are they?

The three basic elements involved in counseling are genuineness, unconditional positive regard and conveying a deep level of understanding.

b) Personal development involves being able to separate your own feelings from those of the client. Why do you think this is important for the counselor?

A counselor should not his/ her feelings with the client. This affects the counseling procedure.The counselor should never interfere or relate his/ her feelings with those of the client.

c) How can you, as a counselor, convey non-possessive warmth to the clients?

To show non- possessive warmth to the client, one needs to be friendly. A friendly behavior is liberating and also melts the coldness and hardness within the people’s hearts.

d) What must you take into consideration when conveying non-possessive warmth to the clients?

While conveying non- possessive warmth to the clients, the important aspects are body language, like posture, etc., words and the way we speak and the other non verbal parts of speech.

e) Why is it important to respect and value the client (unconditional positive regard) regardless of your personal views?

Regardless of our personal views, it is important to respect and value the client as it conveys the caring attitude and also acceptance of the client. It brings about a change and it conveys a deep and caring attitude, which is not filtered through one’s own thoughts, behaviors and feelings.

Q10: a) What does ‘acceptance’ mean in the field of counseling?

In the field of counseling, acceptance means to avoid pressurizing the client to become someone else. It is to avoid being judgmental and critical. If the counselors accept the clients as they are, the clients also accept the counselors with all their strengths and weaknesses.

b) There are some obstacles to acceptance. One of those obstacles is stereotyping. Define stereotyping.

Stereotyping is also known as labeling/ classifying. It is defined as a pre- assumption of pre- judgment about people. Stereotyping is negative and allows no room for individuality.

c) Give 5 examples of stereotyping behavior in society.

Stereotyping can be done for specific groups in the community like gays, specific minority communities, people in specific occupations, smokers, unmarried mothers, etc.

Q11: a) A counselor should not be judgmental. Why?

A counselor should not be judgmental because judgmentalism is the opposite of acceptance and it paralyses acceptance and encourages action. A judgmental response has a tendency to indicate that the counselor has made a judgment of relative goodness and rightness. In some way, the counselor implies what the client might do.

b) It is very important for the counselor to develop a non-judgmental attitude. Explain how a counselor can develop a non-judgmental attitude.

A counselor can develop a non- judgmental attitude by recognizing and carefully scrutinizing his/ her own values and standards. The counselor should try to see the World from the clients’ frame of reference. The counselor should not jump to conclusions and not become over- involved.

Q 12: Explain in detail why empathy is more effective with a client as compared to pity or sympathy (130 words).

Counseling is essentially about facilitating a  change. While sympathy and pity keep the client stuck, empathy works in such a way that the client feels that an understanding has been done. Empathy is generally marked as one of the highest qualities that a counselor can achieve. It is basically a transient phase in which the levels are related to the degree to which the client is able to explore and reach self understanding.

Empathy has mainly three parts, namely thinking, feeling and behavioural. It is also expressed non verbally. Empathy is a skill that we can all develop. A non- empathic body language weakens the spoken message.

Q 13: a) What is meant by a client’s frame of reference?

This concept is emphasized in a person- centered counseling. It includes cultural influences, beliefs and values, thoughts, emotions and feelings, meanings, sensations and perceptions, experiences, behaviors, etc.

b) Explain why a lack of self-awareness can obstruct the counselor from understanding a client’s frame of reference.

A lack of self- awareness can obstruct the counselor from understanding a client’s frame of reference. If a counselor does not know who he is, he/ she is likely to be impeded in his/ her abilty to help others. By increasing self understanding, the counselor becomes more empathic and understanding and becomes aware of what makes the other people tick.

Q 14: a) Why is it important for the relationship between client and counselor to be an equal one?

The relationship between the counselor and the client should be of equals so that the client feels comfortable in talking about his/ her problems. The relationship should be at par so that the client can freely discuss about his/ her problems.

b) Creating a safe and welcoming environment for consultation is an important part of creating thus dynamic. Describe how a counselor can arrange his own room to make it welcoming for a client (You are welcome to use your own ideas for answering this question).

A warm and safe physical environment are two important aspects which make a counseling session reasonable and easy. The room should be well lit with proper ventilation.

c) How can body language and non-verbal communication be used to put the client  at ease?  (120 words)

The body language and the non- verbal communication can be used to put the client at ease. The right facial expressions, attitude, etc. of the counselor makes the client feel at ease.

Q 15: Boundaries and structure are important in providing counseling for the client as this distinguishes counseling from a social discussion. Counseling is a productive service aimed at facilitating change. There should be rules, a contract, and time frame for each session and for consultation as a whole.

If the above mentioned are not properly implemented, how might this change the dynamic of the counseling session? (130 words answer required)

In a counseling session, setting up of definite boundaries is very important so as to ensure safety to the counselor. However, this does not mean that the counselor should be afraid to ask questions to the client. Instead, sometimes the counselor may derive a lot of information by pushing the client.

Counselors encourage client growth and development in ways that foster the interest and welfare of clients and promote formation of healthy relationships. However, there should be set terms and rules for the counseling sessions. The course of action should be set and pre- determined so that the sessions are not interrupted in between during the course of flow. This may make the client uneasy and uncomfortable and may lead to loss of some important information. A proper contract needs to be made in which the terms on which counseling is done are made clear before the counseling commences. A contract helps to ensure a professional relationship. The important points to be included in a contract are venue, fees, frequency of the sessions, evaluation procedures, goals of counseling, details of supervision, setting up of boundaries, etc.

Q16:  Counseling can be an emotional and stressful process for the client and sometimes the counselor may receive an aggressive response from the client.

a) How do you think a counselor should react to an aggressive client to diffuse the situation?

In situations where a client suddenly gets aggressive, the counselor should remain calm and relaxed. It is important to analyze why a client gets agitated and due to which discussion.

b) What should the counselor avoid doing to prevent an escalation in the aggression? 

A counselor should avoid arguing with the client. Instead, being relaxed and calm is the best option. The issues which agitate the client should be noted and proper action be taken on them.

Q 17:  The counselor may be presented with risky situations when visiting clients in their own homes.

a) List some potential risks to the counselor.

When a client has some communicable disease, it can be a potential health hazard for the counselor. Moreover, in case of mentally ill clients, the counselor can be at a risk.

b) In your opinion, what procedures should a counselor put in place to ensure his safety?

In case of violent clients, the counselor should remain calm. He/ she should work in groups, usually with a co- worker. Counseling should be done during the day time and the counselor should remain in touch with the police department. A standard plan for dealing with the violent clients should be made and a client who leaves the session mid- way should never be chased.

c) What are the advantages of holding consultations in the client’s own home?

Holding a consultation in the client’s own home is advantageous to the client. The client feels comfortable and finds it safe and easy to express his/ her feelings and problems.

Q 18: Counseling between a counselor and client is a purposeful relationship, so the consultation period should never be indefinite.

 a) Why could prolonged consultation present problems?

A client needs consultation when he/ she has a problem or issue to solve. The time factor is very important as a timely solution helps the client and the counselor to be on track. Whereas, if the consultation procedure goes on endlessly, the main subject of consultation gets ignored. Moreover, it is important for each session to end on time. This makes the client feel safe and understand the ground rules.

b) Why should the timing of the termination of consultation be carefully considered and discussed?

The timing of the termination of consultation should be carefully considered because this gives the client an idea about the possible time it would take to arrive at the solution. Moreover, it helps the counselor to decide on the charges.

c) What does a terminal evaluation give the client?

The terminal evaluation helps the counselor arrive at a final solution for the clients’ problem. The client finally receives the word from the counselor as to what could possibly be done regarding the issue.

Q 19: a) What is Supervision?

Supervision means that a counselor uses the services of another counselor to review their work with the clients (http://counsellingresource.com/lib/therapy/aboutcouns/supervision/). It is a kind of professional service and is often for the professional and personal development of the counselor.

b) How can the Supervisor enhance the counselor’s skills?

A supervisor can enhance the counselors’ skills by providing a third party insight. Moreover, it helps the counselor to improve the insight they are providing to the client.

c) What are the components of the supervisory relationship?

The components of the supervisory relationship are Interpersonal structure of the relationship, Phases of the relationship and the Supervisory contract.

d) Name different types of Supervision.

The different types of supervision are Informal Self Reflection, Self Reflection Using Form, Informal Case Presentation, Written Case Presentation, Direct Observation, direct Observations Using Checklists, Direct Observation Using One Way Mirror, Use Of Transcripts, Taped Sessions and Videotaped Sessions.

References

Patterson, C.H., Personnel and Guidance Journal, 1963, 41, 680- 686, In Understanding Psychotherapy: Fifty years of client centered theory and practice, PCCS Books, 2000.

Sutton, J. Steward, W., 1997, Learning to Counsel: Develop the skills you need to counsel others, How to books Ltd., 2002.

Web references:

Mulhauser, G., Counseling and therapy Supervision, http://counsellingresource.com/lib/therapy/aboutcouns/supervision/, viewed on Oct 17, 2011.

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