|
|
What is Counselling?
Counselling is a therapeutic relationship between a qualified
counsellor and the client. It is both professional and intentional. In
difficult circumstances, family members and friends are unable to
provide an objective point of view. Counselling offers this objective
perspective, thus enabling the client to gain insights and strategies to
assist in managing their particular situation.
Counselling usually takes place on a one-to-one basis:
- A counsellor and client will normally sit with one another for
an hour to discuss any relevant issues which are presented by the
client.
- The counselling process involves a 'getting to know you' period just like any new relationship.
- The client is able to choose a counsellor and counselling style which is best suited to their particular situation.
- In order to make the counselling process as comfortable as possible, you may request either a male or female counsellor.
- The counsellor and client play an equal role in the counselling process. There is no 'expert' in a counselling relationship.
- The counsellor’s intention is to make the counselling process both safe and supportive.
|
Career counseling,
career guidance and
career coaching are similar in nature to other types of
counseling or
coaching,
e.g. marriage or psychological counseling. What unites all types of
professional counseling is the role of practitioners, who combine giving
advice on their topic of expertise with counseling techniques that
support clients in making complex decisions and facing difficult
situations. The focus of career counseling is generally on issues such
as
career exploration, career change, personal
career development and other career related issues.
Around the globe, countless definitions, concepts and terminology
exist for career counseling - particularly due to cultural and
linguistic differences.
[1] This even affects the most central term
counseling (or:
counselling in British English) which is often substituted with the word
guidance as in
career guidance. For example, in the
UK,
career counseling would usually be referred to as
careers advice or
guidance. Due to the widespread reference to both
career guidance and
career counseling among policy-makers, academics and practitioners around the world, references to
career guidance and counselling are becoming common.
[2] Accordingly, this article emphasizes a
broad understanding
of career counseling which involves a variety of professionals
activities commonly associated with career counseling, guidance,
coaching, and advise.
Professional career counselors can support people with career-related
challenges in many ways (see above). Through their expertise in career
development and labor markets, they can put a person's qualification,
experience, strengths and weakness in a broad perspective taking into
consideration their desired salary, personal hobbies and interests,
location, job market and educational possibilites. Through their
counselling and teaching abilities, career counselors can additionally
support people in gaining a better understanding of what really matters
for them personally, how they can plan their careers autonomously, or
help them in making tough decisions and getting through times of crisis.
Finally, career counselors are often capable of supporting their
clients in finding suitable placements/ jobs, in working out conflicts
with their employers, or finding the support of other helpful services.
It is due to these various benefits of career counseling that
policy-makers in many countries of the world publicly fund guidance
services. For example, the European Union understands career guidance
and counseling as an instrument to effectively combat social exclusion
and increase citizens' employability.
Career counseling or career guidance includes a wide spread of
professional activities which focus on supporting people in dealing with
career-related challenges - both preventively and in difficult
situations (such as unemployment). Career counselors work with people
from various walks of life, such as
adolescents
seeking to explore career options, experienced professionals
contemplating a career change, parents who want to return to the world
of work after taking time to raise their child, or people seeking
employment. Career counselling is also offered in various settings,
including in groups and individually, in person or by means of digital
communication.
Several approaches have been undertaken to systemize the variety of
professional activities related to career guidance and counseling. In
the most recent attempt, the Network for Innovation in Career Guidance
and Counselling in Europe (NICE) - a consortium of 45 European
institutions of higher education in the field of career counseling - has
agreed on a system of professional roles for guidance counselors. Each
of these five roles is seen as an important facet of the
career guidance and counselling profession.
Career counselors performing in any of these roles are expected to
behave professionally, e.g. by following ethical standards in their
practice. The NICE Professional Roles (NPR) are:
[3]
- The Career Educator "supports people in developing their own career management competences"
- The Career Information & Assessment Expert "supports
people in assessing their personal characteristics and needs, then
connecting them with the labour market and education systems"
- The Career Counsellor "supports individuals in understanding their situations, so as to work through issues towards solutions"
- The Programme & Service Manager "ensures the quality and delivery of career guidance and counselling organisations' services"
- The Social Systems Intervener & Developer "supports clients (even) in crisis and works to change systems for the better"
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT TO MAKE US SERVE YOU BETTER.
YOU CAN ALSO VISIT OUR HOME PAGE HERE FOR MORE DETAIL
We’ve all heard stories about counselling. We have probably
heard our families or friends say that counselling is only for mentally
unsound individuals or that we should avoid going to counsellors unless
it’s a crisis. Obviously, it raises many doubts in our minds about what
to expect from a counsellor. Though we may need someone to talk to, we
are not sure about who to meet or what a counsellor does. These doubts
are valid and can only be cleared if we take some time to become aware
of what counselling is and what it is not. This helps not only to
clarify the myths that are attached to counselling. Morever, everyone
has a right to know what happens in the counselling process.
Counselling is not a magical or mysterious service but a very real
and people-oriented service. Listed below are the steps that actually
occur when we meet a counsellor to help you understand
what counselling is all about.
- We make the choice to go to a counsellor.
- We go to a counsellor after finding him/her online or through word of mouth.
- The counsellor and the client meet.
- This is the stage in which a counselling relationship is built: the
client and counsellor meet for a session and get to know each other
more. The client decides whether they their counsellor is the right fit
for them or not. The counsellor uses this opportunity to understand the
client better.
- At this stage, the counsellor will take important details of the
client (like the client’s personal, family and job history) and explain
the counselling process and its guidelines. The counsellor will also
establish confidentiality of the sessions.
- After the initial stage is complete, the actual counselling session
begins. A good counsellor is someone who listens, does not judge and who
helps the client feel understood.
- During the counselling process, the client talks about his/her
problem and the counsellor asks questions and listens as the client
narrates his/her story.
- A counselling session lasts anywhere between forty five minutes to
an hour. The counsellor decides (sometimes with the client) how many
sessions are necessary to help the client with the problem at hand.
- The counsellor and client together chart a plan of action so that they can work together to take productive action.
- Since counselling is a two-way process, the client also has to
commit to the counselling process and what it requires him/her to do.
- The counsellor spends time guiding the client to arrive at a
solution for the problem without advising or suggesting possible
solutions. Sometimes, the goal of counselling might also be to increase
self-awareness, insight or personal growth.
- Once the plan of action has been implemented or change has occurred
which the client is comfortable with, the counselling process is
terminated.
- Counsellors can call for follow-up sessions to check if the client
is doing well and is progressing as per plan. If not, these follow-up
sessions are used to work with the client some more if he/she is still
having trouble functioning.
YOUR CAN SIGN UP FOR FREE $10 HERE
A Day in the Life: Work Memoirs
People
talking candidly about their jobs, that's what this book is all about.
Some of the interviews are a bit dated (copyright 2001), like all the
people in the tech sector talking about how their businesses are taking
off, but overall, the people interviewed are interesting and you get a
good survey of the fundamental questions about other people's jobs--how
they got into it, why they're doing it, how they feel about it, etc.
The book is especially good because it covers a diverse array of car...more
