5 Role of child counsellors

M. Priya

Introduction:

Child counselling helps the children to cope up better with their emotions, feelings, understands their problems, develops coping skills and will help them to make positive choices. Throughout the counselling process children are encouraged to discover and explore their emotions, feelings through different types of media depending on child’s preferences. Eg: drawing, art work, drama, speaking or play. The main role of child counsellors is to focus in treating children with emotional, behavioural, educational, mental disorders. They must have a masters or doctoral degreeand obtain state licensure. Job growth for this profession is much higher than the average for all occupations.

Objectives:

• To know about who are child counsellors
• To know the role and job description of child counsellors
• To learn the preparation of child counsellors
• To find out the benefits of child counselling

    “Counselling young children has a vigorous role in preventing mental or psychological ill-health. It is informal for parents, teachers and other adults to identify signs and difficulties developing in children and young individuals. Identified these difficulties, there should be authentic procedures in place which allow the children/young individual to be referred, with their consent, to counselling. Counselling is always enlightening welfare and encourages children and young individuals to make more positive choices for themselves. When we use counselling in this way, it will be an effective, early intervention.

“It is very essential to get support for young children at an early stage, and that is why school-based counselling is very successful. Usually in school counselling services young people usually access an appointment with a counsellor within two to three weeks. Quick actions have the effect of improving immediate distress and decreasing problems, or preventing them from becoming more complex, expensive or referral to off-site specialist services.” (Karen Cromarty,2014).

Counsellors must carry out their roles and functions irrespective of the situations. The first of these is what might be called professional measurements, or determinants, that designate what is applicable and not applicable to the counsellor’s role, comprisingof guidelines and policy statements of professional administrations, licensing or certification limitations, accreditation guidelines and requirements, and the expectations of professional training programmes. With respect to these professional constants, personal factors are also certainly influence the role and function; the interest of the counsellor, such as what he or she likes to do; the counsellors attitudes, principles, values and experiences both on and off the profession can influence how he or she views the job (Gibson, R.L.,2008).

Child counselling helpful to:

• Children who find it difficult to manage with their emotions
• Children who be unsuccessful to acquire social skills
• Children who have experienced bereavement through family crisis
• Children who have experienced abuse within or outside the family
• Children with anxiety, low self-esteem or depression
• Children whose behaviours are potentially life threatening or behavioural problems
• Childrenwhofaceproblemsinschool settings/environment (http://southwestcounselling.ie/services/child-counselling/)

What is Child Counseling?

When people think of mental illness, they think of adults. The stress of maintaining family, career and family obligations, financial conditions can be extremely stressful at time, sometimes manifesting itself into mental illnesses.

The mental health of children, however, is sometimes unnoticed. Most people undertake that childhood period is a happy time, and they may discharge the fact that children often contract with emotion and psychological disorders as well. Because children normally think differently than adults and have a different way of looking at the world, traditional adult psychologists and counselors might find it somewhat difficult to treat mental disorder in children.

Child counseling, or youth counseling, however, is a type of counseling which focuses on children that are analysed with mental disorders.

Children can experience the same mental and psychological problems that adults do, including anxiety, stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and grief. These disorders have symptoms which may manifest themselves differently in children. For example, instead of becoming quiet and hostile, a child suffering from a mental disorder such as depression or anxiety might have emotional explosions or exhibit behavioral problems. There may be a number of grounds for mental and emotional problems in children. These may include such things as new school environment, meeting new people, problem in school environment, poverty, abuse, divorce of parentsand trouble with peers. There are also evidence that some mental or behavioural disorders are hereditary and caused by genetic factors.

How to become a Child Counselor?

To become a child counselor’s, we need to go through a rigorous amount of training. This includes obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree or a Master’s Degree or a doctorate in specific area such as child psychology/clinical psychology.

Why Do We Need Child Counselors?

Childhood would be a happy time in every individual’s life. However dealing with mental and emotional problems can put a discouragement on this carefree time. If we neglect in this period, it can also lead to more problems during later stage or in adulthood.

Child counselors can help children to become more mentally and emotionally stable, healthier and happier adults.

What Does a Child Counselors Do?

Child counselor’s generally deal with children to help them become emotionally-mentally stable and happy. Some child counselor’s specialize in certain areas, like childhood depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or abuse. Others, however, treat a wide range of mental and emotional disorders in children.

Child counsellors may help to treat a number of mental and emotional disorders and illnesses, for instance. This may be often done through something called “play therapy”. In this therapy, children are encouraged to play games or play with toys that they enjoy. Child counsellors will then supervise the children’s activities, which can disclose a great deal about their emotions and feelings.

Individual counselling also might be used by child counsellor’s as well. During this type of therapy, children are frequently encouraged to talk about and explore their feelings and emotions. Counsellor’s can also help children cope with and work through past problems and present challenges that they may make them feel angry, scared, or generally uneasy. When training children with mental or emotional problems, in order to ensure success child counsellor’s must have open communication with the children’s primary and secondary caregivers, such as parents, grandparents or other guardians. They often educate caregivers on what to expect during a child’s recovery, for instance, as well as give them tips on how they can help during the recovery process.

Where Do Child Counselors Work?

Child counsellor’s usually work with children in need of mental health services. This may include schools, college, hospitals, juvenile homes, children’s homes, domestic violence shelters, homeless shelters, and social service offices.

Like many other counselling professionals, child counsellors can also choose to open their own private practices. In doing so, they may counsel children in their own offices, or travel to the children’s homes or schools where they are in need of service (Karen Cromarty, 2014). Child therapists, or child psychologists, diagnose and treat children aged 17 and younger with mental, behavioural or emotional problems. These highly trained professionals may work in a clinical setting in private practices, as part of a medical team or in a school environment. State regulations for child psychologists require a doctoral degree and proven practice experience.

Job Description

Children and adolescents face emotional or behavioural problems that are specific to their age group, and child counsellors attempt to help their clients with these particular issues. Some children experiment with drugs and alcohol due to anxiety, depression or sexuality concerns, schoolwork and self-discipline, time management issues and family crises such as divorce or death all affect children inversely than adults. Child psychologist or counsellors should spend their time considering the depth of these problems with their clients and working with them to develop coping skills, management and solutions.

Duties

Clinical psychologists or child counsellors focus on the diagnosis and treatment of emotional or mental disorders ranging from anxiety, depression to schizophrenia. These professionals function in a clinical setting or in private practice but sometimes in a hospital, and are trained them to provide approaches for coping with specific disorders related with child. They interview clients and conduct tests, and they may provide child or family psychotherapy. If substance abuse is involved, a child therapist/ counsellors might formulate a treatment plan or intervention; if a child suffers from phobias, the child therapist/counsellors may implement a behavior modification program.

Counseling any child, psychologists/ counsellors take a behavioral approach to emotional problems with children and adolescents. These child counsellors focus on helping their clients to develop ways to use their own strengths to cope with issues, and if needed they counsel entire families. A counselling child psychologist’s training is based on behaviour that is influenced by numerous factors such as environment, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion and culture, and as such, each child’s psychological problems and potential well-being are exceptional. These professionals work in private practice, hospitals and also in schools. Sometimes child counsellors may join a health care practice such as a family practice physician’s office or a pediatrician’s office, leading to a team approach to overall development of a child.

School Psychologists

A child therapist or counsellors are uniquely qualified to become a school psychologist. These school psychologists provide special assistance to students who are with learning disabilities, social or emotional problems. They work with faculty to determine the best learning strategies for students, and they perform crisis management if needed. Child counsellors in this role often train parents and can serve as effective liaisons between the school and its family members.

When to see a counsellor?

“The best time to see a counsellor is when we think we need to”

The time when we feel difficult to cope with, we realise that we are in need of counsellors help to find our way. Since counsellors are sympathetic and empathetic and do not part of their client’s personal life, it is the feeling of relaxation if we open up and get to the core of our worries.

What do counsellors do?

Counsellors do not give answers and do not ‘fix’ their clients’ difficulties. Counsellors’ role is to consent their clients to find their own answers.

Counsellors are non-judgemental and surround their clients with unconditional positive regard, providing them with a safe satisfying environment where clients can unload their life’s problems.

Counsellors listen to their clients with full recognition and empathy, helping them to share, explore, understand and deal with their feelings efficiently. Counsellors always support their clients to assess their life.

They help their clients to progress strategies which will help them to admit and accept their situation, or change it. They support their clients to develop their self-awareness, self-regulation and individuality, and promote their overall well-being.

Why going to see a child counsellor?

There are many reasons why the help of a child counsellor is required, primarily when a situation is affecting the child’s ability to carry out their daily life, is preventing them to make important decisions and/or is stopping them to reach self-actualisation. These difficulties may be about:

–  Home, school, family, relationships

–  Low self-esteem

–  Depression

–  Stress

–  Anxiety

–  Loss (death, separation, divorce of parents)

–  Parenting

What to expect from counselling?

In counselling, the client has to accept to meet a caring, respectful, empathic and non-judgemental human being who is committed to listen and guide him/her in such an environment of trust and confidentiality. The first session evaluates the needs and the expectations of the client, estimates the number of sessions needed according to the depth of problem. The number of counselling sessions can be studied, reviewed or cancelled at anytime as per the improvements. If the needs of the client are out of the counsellor’s competence, referrals to more appropriate professionals may be provided.

One of the main aims of child counselling is to facilitate development of an assimilated and well-adjusted individual. As children grow and develop physically, they also develop morals, emotions, language, cognition and values. They learn about societal and cultural norms, expressions and collaborations in different social settings (such as family, community, school, etc.). Child development during the early years from birth to adolescence is rapid and takes place in all spheres such as physical, social, cognitive, cultural and emotional, i.e. it is multi- dimensional. Interaction of a number of factors contributes to the development in children. The school along with the family plays a significant role in an individual’s life during childhood years. However, when child enters school and through the beginning years of schooling, there is a major shift in them from self-centeredness towards accepting others’ viewpoint and from impulsive to autonomous behaviour. As they approach adolescence (i.e., secondary stage of schooling), they become progressively aware of the need to reflect upon and develop an understanding of the responsibility they have towards their personal self and to the society. Hence, during the school years, it is essential for children to be encouraged to understand their own feelings, to learn appropriate and acceptable social behaviour keeping in mind others’ needs and learn skills for leading a healthy and dynamic life. An optimal personal-social development in children is vital for a well-adjusted and integrated individual whose development needs to be made during the schooling years. During the school years, irrespective of the stage of education, students encounter many problems / crises in their academic, social, emotional and personal lives. Some of these may have roots in the developmental process; some may have in the context of the students’ present lives ; while some may have roots in the students’ past development. In order to ensure that a student is able to successfully deal with the crises and continue with quality endeavour in her/his academic pursuit, it is crucial to identify the root problem and extending timely support through appropriate guidance and counselling (wherever required) following a life-span developmental approach (which helps to address the students’ problem holistically). The role of child counselling is not only to facilitate optimal developmental and academic accomplishments but also to take steps prior to any crisis occurrence as well as extend remedial inputs to the learner as well as to the school.

Child counsellor’s role in different field:

1.Educational Counsellor- who support in academic success and solve problems that may be barriers to success guide in understanding policy and adjust with curriculum Assist in the choice of subject, courses and studies, college help students to improve their study habits, Help in future job and education Aware about various opportunities regarding education Help to change in his illogical thinking and unhappiness.

2.Vocational Counsellor Helping students become aware of job opportunities and employments Understanding an occupational interest inventory to a student Assist individual to choose profession according their interest,ability Role-playing a job interview in preparation for the real thing Help to person to adopt a vocation Help to achieve goal of vocation.

3.Avocational counsellor : Provide opportunities for participation in extracurricular activities. Assist students in developing hobbies and interests. Provide awareness for recreation. Improve interest in games and other forms of recreation. Assist in using leisure time profitably.

4.Family and Marriage Counsellor Assess family situation conduct therapy program to develop effective and satisfactory relationships; sometimes referral to other programs to treat individual problem of one member that results in family conflict (e.g. addictions, anger).

5.Addictions Counsellor Identify addictions; support and encourage recovery; develop treatment plans and prepare written reports on progress; educate community about prevention programs.

6.Genetic Counsellor Analyse clues from family history of sickness; perform genetic testing; provide medical information about genetic disorders; identify risks and show options to solve problems.

7. Crisis Counsellors: Help client in sudden crisis, distress, with suicidal intentions, victims of crime, tragedy Assess the client’s situation and provide emotional and mental health support help the client to understand that their situation is common, and they will return to their normal functionality.

• https://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/counselling.html

Conclusion:

First thing that counsellor is aware that no two individuals are alike. No two individuals understand the same language in the same way, the way they understand will depends upon the personal experience to outside world.

Hence, at the time of counselling process it is essential that counsellor does not try to fit clients in his idea in regard with their behaviour or how they should act.

The role of a child counsellor is to facilitate the client to discover many aspects of their life and emotional state, by open and free conversation. It is essential that the counsellor is not emotionally involved with the client and the counsellor neither judges, nor offers assistance. The counsellor must give the client an opportunity to express their difficult feelings such as anger, resentment, guilt and fear in a confidential environment.

Such type of effective counselling helps to reduces confusion, tension and letting the client to make effective decisions which leads to positive changes in their attitude and/or behaviour. Counsellors must assure that effective counselling is not advice-giving and is not acting on someone else’s behalf (these are more the roles of a life coach). The eventual aim of counselling is to permit the client to make their own decisions, choices, reach their own judgments and acting accordingly. So for good counselling require a professional, qualified expert counsellor.

Because everyone is unique, it is not possible to guarantee the benefits of counselling which although life changing can be different for each individual. Counselling will not help out any individual unless you really want to restore your problems. Overall child counsellors should see that children who benefitted by counselling must have developed self-confidence, social skills, promotes open communication and restores appropriate behaviours.

References:

• Jumpup^ Bolton, Derek (2008). What is Mental Disorder?: An Essay in Philosophy, Science, and Values. OUP Oxford. p. 6. ISBN 9780198565925.
• “Mental Disorders”. Medline Plus. U.S. National Library of Medicine. 15 September 2014. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
• Lisa Bustamante, Debbie Howe-Tennant, andChristina Ramo (1996). The behavioural approach, http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/BEH/BEHAVIOR.HTML
• Mahaveer Swarnkar(2016).Role and preparation of counsellor, LinkedIn Corporation , USA
• Karen Cromarty (2014).Counselling for children and young people is effective and accessible but under-resourced, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, BACP House, Lutterworth.
• Gibson, R.L.(2008). Introduction to Counselling and Guidance, 7th edition, Prentice-Hall of India Private Limited, New Delhi.