Objectives

At the end of this topic you will be able to:

• discuss some definitions of counselling
• discuss why people engage with this process
• identify some outcomes of counselling
• consider the impact of contextual issues
• apply this knowledge to commence your own self-analysis
• respond to some myths about counselling.

Introduction

As a student of counselling, if you hope to arrive at a ‘right answer’ to the question of ‘what is counselling?’ you may find this a frustrating and challenging process – the study of counselling is unlike mathematics or physics where we all need to come to the same conclusion to be correct. After reading the textbook and the readings presented in this unit and discussing concepts with other students, you may find that your definition changes as you become aware of various theoretical perspectives and the perceptions of others. This is the healthy and effective process of learning in the human sciences.

As you continue your voyage of discovery of the field of counselling, you may feel more personally aligned with some theoretical perspectives than others, as these theories provide a ‘fit’ with your own values and beliefs. Through a process of self-analysis and consideration of these theories and contextual issues, after a while you may feel drawn to one or two perspectives which will underpin your eventual practice. At all levels of learning and/or practice in this field, it is only when we are sure that our way is the only right way, that we can be sure that we are wrong!

This unit introduces you to theories that inform counselling practice and the skills that enable you to practice. It also considers the development of counselling as a standalone profession. As an introductory unit, completing it may be the first step in your path towards working as a ‘counsellor’ however, it is just as likely that this unit will you be incorporate counselling into your professional practice. Thus, while the unit refers to the ‘counsellor’, it also recognise that this may only by part of your professional role.

As a counsellor or professional who uses counselling skills in your practice, you will certainly appreciate differences in people. As a student, your task is to read widely, acknowledge and appreciate differences in theoretical concepts, approaches and practices, identify common themes and synthesize this information into a framework which will work for you. Open, honest and respectful participation in the online discussion forums is one tool which will assist you in this process.

What is counselling?

Some theorists (Winmill, 1994, cited in Feltham, 1995) suggest that the very task of defining counselling is a futile attempt to intellectualise and label a process which can only be defined by the experience of the participants. Further, Howard (1996) suggests that overuse of the word ‘counselling’ without a clear and specific application has led to its abuse. Not all definitions of counselling present it in a positive light – one definition cited by Howard (1996, p. 35) is ‘a kind of aerosol to be sprayed on deteriorating relationships and traumatized individuals to deodorize and humanize them’!

Counselling has been described as:

• a relationship (Yalom, 1989)
• a series of interventions (Nelson-Jones, 1997)
• a psychological process (Safran & Muran, 1998)
• a road to discovering how to live more satisfyingly (BAC, cited in McLeod, 2000)
• providing people with an opportunity to talk (Howard, 1996)
• a process designed to allow clients to clarify understandings of their world (Burks & Stefflre, 1979, cited in McLeod, 2000)
• ‘the application of mental health, psychological, and human development principles through cognitive, affective, behavioral and systemic intervention strategies, that address wellness, personal growth, and career development, as well as pathology’ (American Counseling Association, cited in Hackney & Cormier, 2005)
• problem-solving (Burnard, 1999)
• an interactive process (Patterson & Welfel, 2005)
• a way to understand and accept the self (Feltham, 1995)
• a collaboration between therapist and client to co-construct solutions to concerns (Corey, 2005)
• a way of helping normal people cope with normal problems, life experiences and opportunities (Ivey & Ivey, 2007).

In the contemporary Australian text Counsellors and counselling: a new conversation (2008, p. xxiv) Brian Sullivan presents the following definition:

counselling is the cultivation of resilience and resources; it is a means of auditing and accessing strengths and support; it is a positive developmentally focused strategy not aimed at creating dependency but interdependency and personal growth.

From all the above definitions, we can be confident in explaining counselling as:

• a relationship between client and counsellor
• a distinct process
• a method of resolving issues.

Before coming to a conclusion on what counselling is, it is useful to consider what it is not. Although some elements of the process contain similarities, counselling is not psychiatry, psychology or psychotherapy. It is true that counsellors need to have some knowledge of the impact of mental illnesses and other physical and emotional states which may compromise a client’s wellbeing, but counsellors do not work from a medical model. In working with persons who have sought counselling, it is not the role of the practitioner to delve for some deficits which can be treated and/or cured.

Counselling is not giving advice. It seems a good idea but, in fact, counselling is aimed at encouraging self-reliance and competence (Geldard & Geldard, 2009, 11). There may be circumstances in which you need to inform your client of certain options, which may include services that are available or courses that could benefit them. However that is information, given at specific points in the session – giving advice is a ‘should’ – a way of telling a person what you think is right. Giving advice is really telling people that they don’t know, that you are the expert. It is the opposite of being ‘helpful’, because advice usually takes away the client’s power and confidence.

Why do people come to counselling?

Simply put, people go to counsellors when:

• they have a problem
• they believe that something can be done about it
• they intend to do something about it (Howard, 1996).

All of these factors need to be present for the process to be workable. Often clients are sure that they have a problem but are ambivalent about whether anything can be done about it, and/or may not be ready to do something about it. It is clear that the issue of client readiness can occur at the commencement of the process, but it can also arise at any time throughout the therapy when the client needs to become active in working towards one of their identified goals (Safran & Muran, eds., 1998).

Hackney & Cormier (2005) present three major reasons for clients to seek counselling. These are:

• Change
  

  Counselling provides an opportunity for clients to explore how they may experience different behaviour and emotional states and express negative emotions within a supportive, non-judgmental relationship.

• Prevention
  

  Counselling can assist people to build emotional strength when the stress of normal life events can be anticipated (e.g. bereavement, relationship/job loss, exposure to a traumatic event).

• Life enhancement
  

  People attend counselling to open up to new opportunities and ways of handling these well to contribute to personal growth.

Reasons for attending counselling can also be expressed existentially – clients may be unable to explain why they are coming to counselling with anything more than a general feeling of unease. Van Deurzen-Smith (1994) suggests that people attend counselling to:

• make sense of some aspects of their life
• accommodate two conflicting views
• explore what may make life more meaningful
• discover ways to accommodate changes in their life when the old approaches no longer work.

Outcomes of counselling

Hackney & Cormier (2005) state that there are four possible outcomes of counselling:

• clients begin to perceive their problems in a different way
• clients are able to better understand their issues
• clients develop resources to respond to their problems in new ways
• clients learn new ways of relating to others.

Adding to the concept of personal growth is the concept of enrichment. Payne (2000, cited in Milner & O’Byrne, 2002) states that one of the outcomes of counselling is an acknowledgement that we can enrich our lives with joyful activities bearing in mind that our ability to do so reflects a life of privilege and luxury which is not available to all people.

Contextual issues

The process of counselling and the use of counselling techniques within professional practice occurs within societal, theoretical and cultural contexts. It is most important from the outset to be aware that the modern practice of counselling is heavily influenced by western culture and underpinned by its values and beliefs. Some of these beliefs are not at all relevant to your potential clients. There are many interesting texts and journal articles on cultural awareness for counsellors. You will find some articles on cultural empathy in the readings attached to further topics, but you may wish to commence researching some other sources, as cultural issues impact on every topic presented in this unit.

Some other contexts which need to be considered are:

• the agency context
  

  As counselling and professional practice commonly occurs within a specific agency in the human services field, the process will be influenced by the agency’s client groups, its location and accessibility, availability of grants and funds for ongoing work, reporting requirements, and the agency’s code of ethics and internal operational procedures.

• the theoretical context
  

  Are you the kind of person who concentrates on other people’s feelings or thoughts more predominantly? Is it what we say or how we feel that is more important to us? Just as we naturally communicate in our own ways, different counselling theoretical approaches emphasise different personal experiences. For instance, cognitive behavioural approaches will privilege the thought/action aspects throughout the counselling process. This means that the counsellor will strive to have the client understand particular things cognitively and then to act accordingly. This, according to cognitive/behaviouralists, is the route to lasting change for the client.

  Alternatively, a psychodynamic counsellor concentrates on past events and unconscious determinants of behaviour and feeling. These theories will be explored in later topics.

• the client context
  

  There are distinct differences in working with different client populations. Let us take children and adults as examples. Those of you who have worked with children or who have had the privilege of spending time with children, know that we often speak differently to them than we would to adults. Communicating with adults allows us to use concepts that children may not understand. We typically demand particular types of responses from adults – usually verbal, with non-verbal embellishments. However, with children, we may find that alternative forms of communication may elicit the rich information for which we hope.

  An example may be with a child of four or five who is sad. To ask the child to tell us in words why she/he is sad may be an exercise in futility (especially if we don’t already have a relationship with the child, and if we are in the sterile confines of an office). However, if we structure our communication around a familiar space for the child, with particularly chosen toys and activities such as paints, we can ask the child to play or draw the sadness. We may find, after a little while, the child shows us what is making her/him sad.

Common myths about counselling

MYTH: Counselling is giving advice and telling a person what to do to solve their problems.
FACT: Counselling generally facilitates individuals solving their own problems and not doing it for them. Therefore it is more about listening, although there are exceptional circumstances (such as in a crisis situation) where advice may be appropriate and sometimes necessary. Clients are the experts on their lives.

MYTH: Counselling can only be effective if the counsellor has been through the same experience as the client.
FACT: You can become a good counsellor even if you did not have the experience, if you accept that the process is more about empathy and listening. However, it is important to realise that we have all very different reactions to similar experiences. If fact, the counsellor may be using the clients’ experiences to help come to terms with their own problems, or loss. This introduces an ethical dilemma to counselling: whose problem is it really that is being worked through?

MYTH: Counsellors are born, not made and any caring person can be a good counsellor.
FACT: Being a caring, empathic person is a good start. However, counselling involves both personal qualities and learned skills. The way to hell is paved with good intentions – meaning well is not always the same as doing well. Counsellors need extensive training and supervision to learn the skills, and also to learn to distinguish between their feelings and emotions and those of their clients.

MYTH: Going to counselling means that you do not have it together and somehow are deficient.
FACT: Life’s events, social circumstances and the dominant view on what is ‘normal’ will marginalise and reject people’s skills and coping mechanisms as defunct and abnormal.

Summary

In this topic, we have seen that counselling is not easy to define, nevertheless we have considered some diverse definitions from the literature. We have considered some reasons why people come to counselling and some outcomes which they may hope to achieve. Contextual issues such as the agency, the theoretical context and the client context have been introduced, and we have briefly considered what counselling is not. Some common myths have been explored. We have mentioned one or two of the theoretical perspectives, and these will be covered in more detail in the following topics. A process of analysis of our own thoughts and perceptions about counselling has been commenced. In the following topic we consider the most important element in promoting change in counselling – the therapeutic relationship.