3 Need/Scope of Guidance, Principles, Objectives of Counselling

Tania Ruby M Thomas

1.1 Introduction

We are social beings and require some kind of help in regulating our life at some point or the other. This positive regulation of a person’s emotional, mental and physical actions by some external factor – guide – is termed as GUIDANCE.

Guidance is as old as civilization. People are dependent on each other to regulate their activities since the very beginning, to the extent that guiding each other has been the way of life. It has been one of the traditional method used by many. Parents, grandparents, teachers, friends etc. guide individuals for peaceful and successful living. However, due to industrialization and changing life-style, the need for professional guidance is felt in the present day.

1.2 Meaning of Guidance

Guidance means to “direct”, “help”, “recommend” for the progress and development of an individual. Man needs guidance throughout his life time and every individual encountered by him renders guidance for development, achievement and all round progress. It is the help given out to by an experienced person to an individual, who is less experienced. Help is rendered to solve few issues faced by the individual i.e. education, career, personal etc.

Guidance is considered as a concept and process. Guidance as a concept deals with the optimal development of an individual and as a process helps an individual to evaluate oneself and helps in understanding oneself (strength, weaknesses, limitations etc.).

According to Lester. D. Crow and Alice Crow (1962) “Guidance is not giving directions. It is not the imposition of one person’s point of view upon another person. It is not making decisions for an individual, which he should make for himself. It is not carrying the burdens of another life”.

“Guidance is an assistance made available by a qualified and trained personnel, to an individual of any age, to help him/her manage their life activities, make decisions and be successful in their life”.

1.3 Scope of Guidance

A person can be guided at any point of time and this can include persons of different age, interests, personalities or nature. Guidance should be tailored for each individual according to his needs.

The scope of Guidance is to:

• Provide the needed information and assistance
• Help individuals make wise choices
• Improve one’s understanding of self
• Help adapt to the changes or a new environment
• Make a person self-sufficient and independent
• Help people make efficient use of their capabilities and talents
• Encourage personal and professional development
• Boost an individual’s physical, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual growth
• Help in overall development and to live a productive life

1.4 Need for Guidance

Guidance is needed at all times and the need for guidance is universal. It is based on the fact that guidance is needed by man at one point or the other. Jones has rightly said, “Everyone needs assistance at some time in his life. Some will need constantly and throughout their entire life, while others need it only at rare intervals at times of great crisis. There always have been and will continue to be people with an occasional need for the help of the older or more experienced associates in meeting problem situation”. Now a days there is a greater need of guidance, as there is an advancement in technology, social change, changes in life styles, globalization, industrialization, expectations of people and change in the standards of moral values, all these contribute to the need for guidance at every phase of life and at every sector.

1.4.1 Personal Needs:

Due to the changing life style and social change, individuals are facing a lot of personal problems. As each person is different and their needs are different, guidance is needed:

• During every development stage (adolescent years, adult years etc.)
• For the holistic/optimum development of an individual.
• For solving different problems of an individual.
• For triggering the abilities in an individual.
• To guide individuals on different phases of life (marriage, family, separation, empty nest phase etc.)

1.4.2 Educational Needs:

Educational sector is becoming competitive and there is a rapid expansion in the educational field. This has paved way to guide students at every juncture, so they become successful and goal oriented individuals. Educational guidance can be rendered for varied reasons such as:

• Academic growth and optimum achievement of an individual
• ·Guiding students in the proper allocation of diverse courses available.
• Guiding individuals to realize their strengths and to enable them to work on the skill.
• Guidance can be given for the qualitative improvement of the education sector.

1.4.3 Career / vocational Needs:

Individuals require guidance services while choices are made on the vocational needs.

• Guidance helps in improving the vocational efficiency of an individual.
• Vocational guidance helps in national development/ economic development.
• Awareness about the career options available.
• Balances in between the labour needs and the man power.

1.5 Principles of Guidance

According to Crow and Crow, guidance is based on the following principles:

1. Every aspect of person’s complex personality pattern constitutes a significant factor of his total displayed attitudes and form of behaviour. Guidance service which are aimed at bringing about desirable adjustments in any particular area of experience must take in to account, the all-round development of the individual.

2.Although all human beings are similar in many respect, individual difference must be recognized and considered in any effort aimed at providing help or guidance to a particular child.

3.The functions of the guidance is to help a person

• Formulate and accept stimulating , worthwhile and attainable goals of behaviour
• Apply the goals to conduct his behaviour.

4. Existing social, economic and politic unrest is giving rise to many maladaptive factors that require the cooperation of experienced and thoroughly trained guidance workers and the individuals with the problem.

5. Guidance should be regarded as a continuing process of service to an individual from young childhood through adulthood.

6.Guidance service should not be limited to the few who give observable evidence of its need, but should be extended to the all person of all ages who can benefit there from either directly or indirectly.

7.Curriculum materials and teaching procedure should evidence a guidance point of view.

8.Parents and teachers have guidance appointed responsibilities.

9.To administer guidance intelligently and with as thorough knowledge of the individual as is possible , programs of individual evaluation should be conducted and accurate consultative records of progress should made accessible to guidance workers.

10. An organized guidance programme should be flexible according to the individual and social needs.

11. The responsibilities for administration of guidance programme should be centered in a personally qualified and adequately trained person, working cooperatively with his assistance and other community welfare and guidance agencies.

12. Periodical appraisal should be made for existing guidance programmes.

13.  Guidance touches every phase of an individual’s life pattern.

14.  Specific guidance problems on any age level should be referred to persons who are trained to deal with particular areas of adjustment.

1.6 Counselling

Counselling is defined as both a self-confirming experience and a validating experience that help establish productive methods of self-defining behaviour for each individual person. Counselling is a systematic process in which the counsellor and the client collaboratively view the problem, set goals, formulate action plans and evaluate advancement towards the goals. It is a helping process in which the counsellors help the clients to achieve goals with the minimal assistance given by the counsellor.

1.6.1 The Types of Counselling

Counselling is based on various techniques, this is to suggest appropriate solutions to the problems faced by the client or the counselee. There are three types of counselling, directive counselling, non- directive counselling and eclectic counselling. The role of the counsellor and the counselee changes in both the methods.

1.6.1 (a) Directive Counselling or Prescriptive Counselling

In directive counselling, the counsellor plays an important role in the counselling process. It is a counsellor centered approach, where the solutions to the problems are suggested to the client. Directive counselling begins when the counselee is possible to accumulate adequate data to form the basis of analytic diagnosis of the problem. The counsellor’s role is to assist the counselee in getting the required data, so suitable solutions can be provided.

The counsellor gives direct advice, suggestions and explanations to the counselee for the problem suggested by him/her. The counsellor is to analyse the problem, find out the causes, make decisions and suggest the solutions to the counselee for implementation.

E. G Williamson was a great profounder of this approach and this is a good counselling method to address problems related to education, vocational, avocation etc. This counselling method does not focus on the personality development of the individual. The six steps

formulated by Williamson  are:

1)Analysis: It includes collection of information about the individual from various sources. This can be obtained from the individual or people in close relationship with that particular individual. The information can be obtained from various sources such as, from the individual himself/herself, from family members and friends, relatives etc. The information can be obtained using various methods such as, interviews, analysing the case history of the individual, psychological test etc.

2)Synthesis: After collection of data the information is organized to understand the liabilities, adjustments and maladjustments of the individual. The information or data obtained can be organised in terms of his/ her family background, cultural background, qualification, potentials, assets, liabilities, strengths, weaknesses, adjustments etc.

3) Diagnosis: it simply means to dig into the problem. Diagnosis literally means to identify the nature, causes and the source of the problem.

4) Prognosis: prognosis means to “foresee” it is a medical term for predicting the outcome of the problem and understand the present situation. In counselling, prognosis means to predict the future of the problem faced by the client.

5) Counselling: During counselling process the attitude, interest, skills, strengths and weaknesses are considered. Counselling as a process can change the behaviour, attitude and the skill of the person. He/ she can bring about an adjustment to his/her behaviour according to the problem that the individual is facing. Counselling can change the attitude of the individual taking in account of his/her strength and weaknesses.

6)Follow -up: The sixth step in directive counselling and the extremely important step in the counselling process. Though there is a change in the individual’s attitude and behaviour, he/she will require some help in the future. An individual may be able to solve immediate problems when new ones occur or the original problem may reoccur.

Advantages of Directive Counselling:

This method is useful from the time consuming view- point .It saves time.In this type of counselling, there is more focus on the problem and the person.

The counsellor can look the client directly. Counselling focuses more on the intellectual aspects of the person than emotional aspect of the personality. In this process, the counsellor becomes readily available to help which makes the client very happy.

Limitations of Directive Counselling:

In this process the client is more dependent.

The counselee may agree to the suggestions put by the counsellor, but may find it difficult to implement the same.

The counselee may also develop a tendency to become totally dependent on others for finding solutions to any problem.

The counselee fails to develop attitude from his/her experiences because he/she is not involved in the counselling process.

1.6.1 (b) Non-directive Counselling

Non-directive counselling focuses on the client. It is a counselee centered approach, where the counselee is guided to use his/her inner resources to solve the problems. The role of the counsellor is only to guide the counselee to identify the cause, formulating the strategies, help in decision making and implementing the same to solve the problem. Carl R. Rogers, was the main exponent of this counselling method (Also called the “Father of Counselling”). It is mainly used to solve issues related to the interpersonal, intrapersonal or personal problems of the counselee.

Non- directive counselling has various phases, which involves:

• Opening session
• Establishing rapport
• Exploration of the problems
• Discovering alternative solutions
• Termination of the session
•  Follow up

Advantages of Non-directive Counselling

• It is slow but the counselling method makes the individual capable of making adjustments in future.
• No tests are used in it and thus one avoids laborious and difficult process.
• It removes the emotional block and helps the individual to bring the repressed thoughts on conscious level thereby reducing the tension.

Limitations of Non-directive Counselling

• It is a slow and time consuming process.
• The client or the counselee may be immature to make decisions and cannot rely on the resources, judgement, and wisdom.
• The counsellor’s passive attitude might irritate the counselee that he/she may hesitate to express his/her hidden feelings.

1.6.1 (c) Eclectic counselling

Eclectic counselling involves the use of directive and non-directive counselling method. It is a flexible method wherein the counsellor may start the session or the counselling process with directive approach, but may incorporate non-directive approach according to the situation. The main proponent for this method is F.C Thorne.

In eclectic counselling the counsellor first takes into consideration of the personality and the needs of the counselee. The counsellor selects the directive or non-directive technique that seems to serve the purpose best.

Steps in Eclectic Counselling

The process of eclectic counselling are as follows;

1)  Diagnosis of the cause.

2)  Analysis of the problem.

3)  Preparation of a tentative plan for modifying factors.

4)  Securing effective conditions for counselling.

5)  Interviewing and stimulating the client to develop his own resources and to assume its responsibility for trying new modes of adjustment.

6) Proper handling of any related problems which may contribute to adjustment.

Expectations of Eclectic Counselling

1) in general, passive methods should be used whenever possible.

2) Active methods may be used with specific indications.

3) In the early stages when the client is telling his story, passive techniques are usually the methods of choice. This permits emotional release.

4) Until simple methods have failed, complicated methods should not be attempted.

5) All counselling should be client centered.

6) Every client should be given an opportunity to resolve his problems indirectly. Inability of the client to progress through therapy as using passive methods alone is an indication for utilizing more directive methods.

7) Directive methods are usually indicated in situational mal adjustment where a solution cannot be achieved without co-operation from other persons.

Disadvantages of Eclectic Counselling

1) Eclecticism is vague, superficial and opportunistic.

2) Both directive and non-directive counselling cannot be mixed together.

3) The problem with an eclectic orientation is that counsellors often do more harm than good if they have little or no understanding about what is helping the client.

1.6.2 Principles of Counselling

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy’s Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP, 2002) presents six ethical principles which should be followed by the counsellors and the counselling trainees.

1.      Respect for Autonomy

2.      Non-maleficence

3.      Beneficence

4.      Justice

5.      Fidelity

6.      Self-respect

Respect for Autonomy

Autonomy literally means to take decision of any kind according to the individual (without any external control). Respect for autonomy means the freedom of the client to choose their own direction. This is a stage where client is respected for his/her ability to make decisions. The role of the counsellor is to respect the choice of the client. Autonomy helps the clients in understanding the effect of the decision by considering others and themselves.

Non-maleficence

This term means to do no harm. It is a concept derived from the medical profession. Autonomy relates to the individual client, non-maleficence refers to the abilities of the counsellor. Counsellors have a responsibility to avoid utilizing interventions that could or have the potential to harm clients. In practice counsellors are expected to undertake thorough evaluation of the client’s concerns and apply appropriately determined and explained interventions.

Beneficence

Beneficence means a commitment to promoting the client’s well-being on professional assessment. The counsellor is expected to do the best for the client and if unable to assist, to offer alternatives as appropriate. Beneficence ‘requires that counsellors to engage in professional activities that provide general benefit to the public.’

Justice

Justice is to act fairly or justly. It is expected that counsellor should act justly with the clients in a non-discriminating manner. Counsellor should acknowledge inequality and apply intervention to suit the client needs.

Fidelity

This principle deals with the trust relationship between the counsellor and their client. The interests of the client are placed before those of the counsellor even if such loyalty (towards the client) is inconvenient or uncomfortable for the counsellor. A client needs to be able to trust that the words and actions of the counsellor are truthful and reliable.

Self-respect

Counselling practitioners need to foster self-knowledge and care for themselves. They should seek counselling and other forms of personal development as needed. There is an ethical responsibility to use supervision for appropriate personal and professional support and development, and to seek training and other opportunities for continuing professional development. Guarding against financial liabilities arising from work undertaken usually requires obtaining appropriate insurance. The principle of self-respect encourages active engagement in life-enhancing activities and relationships that are independent of relationships in counselling or psychotherapy.

1.6.3 Objectives of Counselling

The goals of counselling are to help individuals overcome their immediate problems and also equip them to meet future problems. Counselling is to be meaningful, has to be specific for each client, since it involves her/his unique problems and expectations. The goal of counselling may be described as immediate, long range and process goals. The immediate goal is to obtain relief for the client and the long range goal is to enhance the adaptability of the client.

Counselling goals may be classified in terms of counsellor goals and client goals of therapy.

These may be further classified as follows.

Developmental goals: are those where in the client is associated in meeting or advancing her or his anticipated human growth and development.

Preventive goals: are those in which the counsellor helps the client avoid some undesired outcome.

Enhancement goals: If the client possesses special skills and abilities, enhancement means, they can be identified and/or further developed through the assistance of a counsellor. Remedial goals: involves assisting a client to overcome and/or treat an undesirable development.

Exploratory goals: represents goals appropriate to the examining of options, testing of skills, and trying new and different activities, environments, relationships and so on.

Reinforcement goals: are those used in the instances where clients need help in recognizing that what they are doing, thinking and feeling is okay.

Cognitive goals: are those which involve the acquisition of the basic foundations of learning and cognitive skills.

Physiological goals: are those which include acquiring the basic understanding and habits for good health.

Psychological goals: aids in developing good social interaction skills, learning emotional control, developing a positive self-concept and so on.

All these goals will lead to the ultimate goals, which are discussed following.

1. Achievement of positive mental health: The individual will learn to adjust and respond more positively to people and situations, to prevent the emotional tension, anxieties, indecision etc. and thereby to lead to positive feelings and warmth.

2.Resolution of the problems: The individual will learn to alter maladaptive behaviour, to make good decisions and to prevent problems.

3. Improving personal effectiveness: The individual will be able to commit himself to projects, investigating time and energy and to take appropriate economic, psychological and physical risk.

4.Change: The individual will understand the mechanism of change, and be able to freely choose and act within the conditions impressed by the environment. The effectiveness of the individual responses evolved by the environment shall be enhanced.

5.Decision making: The individual will be able to make clear cut decisions that foster personal growth. 6. Modification of behaviour: The client will be able to remove undesirable behaviour or action, or to reduce an irritating function that hinders personal growth

Conclusion

Being social beings we require help from other members of the society in one way or the other. This guidance can be of many different types. Counselling is a form of guidance where another person (counsellor) guides a person. The counsellor should have good qualities which would encourage the counselee. Thus the ultimate aim of counselling is to empower the individual so that he solve his present problems and give him the means to deal with future matters thus making him a strong and self-reliant person.

References

1. Windy. D and Andrew. R (2008) Key Issues for Counselling in Action, SAGE publications, London.
2. McMahon. G and Palmer. S (2014), Handbook of Counselling, Routledge, New York.
3. Francesca Inskipp (1996) Skills Training for Counselling, Sage Publications, London
4. Michael Scott Nystul(2014) Introduction to Counselling – An Art and Science Perspective, Sage Publications, London