What is Counselling?
Counselling should provide a caring relationship and a clarity about moving from crisis to a place where a client can cope
Counselling will involve a process of learning to change to meet the demands of a changing world. This means facilitating a process of positive change in a client's mindset and behaviours involving:
- Dealing with the past.
- Changing behaviours in the present
- Building a new future
- Always centring on the client, their choices, and their development.
Also most importantly, a good, trusting relationship must be created and maintained. Everything that occurs in a counselling session is confidential and remains so, between the client and counsellor.
Underlying the counselling sessions should be a process that will guide the client towards an ability to confront and cope with their circumstances both in the here and now and the future. One such process would comprise:
- where are you now
- where would you like to be
- how do you get there
The client always decides what issues to address, in which order, and how fast. Usually, the counsellor will only ask questions that influence the direction of the conversation. However, there are occasions when the counsellor will choose to introduce a helpful technique, explaining its purpose and form.
These techniques could include ways of dealing with intrusive memories, relaxation exercises, rehearsal of upcoming situations, and more.
The substance of the counselling sessions focus on feelings, memoires, aspirations, and barriers to progress
