Counselling goals and skills

Some of the major goals of counseling generally accepted by the counselors are given below:-

1. Achievement of positive mental health
It is identified as an important goal of counseling by some individuals who claim that when one reaches positive mental health one learns to adjust and response more positively to people and situations. Kell and Mueller (1962) hold that the “promotion and development of feelings of being liked, sharing with, and receiving and giving interaction rewards from other human beings is the legitimate goal of counseling”
2. Resolution of Problems
Another goal of counseling is the resolving of the problem brought to the counselor. This, in essence, is an outcome of the former goal and implies positive mental health. In behavioral terms three categories of behavioral goals can be identified, namely, altering maladaptive behavior, learning the decision – making process and preventing problems (Krumboltz, 1966).
3. Improving Personal Effectiveness
Yet another goal of counseling is that of improving personal effectiveness. This is closely related to the preservation of good mental health and securing desirable behavioral change(s).
4. Counseling to Help Change
Blocher (1966) adds two other goals. The first, according to him, is that counseling should maximize individual freedom to choose and act within the conditions imposed by the environment. The other goal is that counseling should increase the effectiveness of the individual responses evolved by the environment. Tiedeman (1964) holds that the goal of counseling is to focus on the mechanism of change and that the counselee should be helped in the process of ‘becoming’ – the change which pervades the period of adolescence through early adulthood during which the individual is assisted to actualize his potential. Shoben (1965) also views the goal of counseling as personal development.
5. Decision – Making as a Goal of Counseling
Some counselors hold the view that counseling should enable the counselee to make decisions. It is through the process of making critical decisions that personal growth is fostered. Reaves and Reaves (1965) point out that “the primary objective of counseling is that of stimulating the individuals to evaluate, make, accept and act upon his choice”.
Sometimes the counselees have goals which are vague and their implications are not fully appreciated. It is perhaps one of the primary functions of a counselor to help clarify a counselee’s goal.
6. Modification of Behavior as a Goal
Behaviorally-oriented counselors stress the need for modification of behavior, for example, removal of undesirable behavior or action or reduction of an irritating symptom such that the individual attains satisfaction and effectiveness. Growth-oriented counselors stress on the development of potentialities within the individual. Existentially-oriented counselors stress self-enhancement and self-fulfillment. Obviously the latter cannot be realize without first securing the former, namely, symptom removal or reduction as a necessary pre-condition for personal effectiveness.
Conclusion
The general public tends to view counseling as a remedial function and emphasizes immediate goals, such as problem resolution, tension reduction, and the like. Counselee may refer to the resolution of a particular conflict or problem situation. However, the goals of counseling are appropriately concerned with such fundamental and basic aspects such as self-understanding and self-actualization. These help provide the counselee with self-direction and self-motivation. Counseling in its spirit and essence is generative. It aims at assisting the individual to develop such that he becomes psychologically mature and is capable of realizing his potentialities optimally.
Counseling has no magical solutions. The only meaningful, sensible and realistic view of counseling is that it is not and cannot be everything to everybody. It is concerned with helping individuals find realistic and workable solutions to their problems by helping them gain an insight into themselves so that they are able to utilize their own potentialities and opportunities and thus become self-sufficient, self-directed and self-actualized.
Reference:-
1. S.Narayana Rao- Counselling and Guidance,Second edition, (1997)Tata McGraw –Hill Publishing Company Limited.NewDelhi.(Pg:63-68)

Facilitating Behavior Change

• Rogers (1961) sees behavior change as a necessary result of counseling process, although specific behaviors receive little emphasis during the counseling experience.
• Dustin and George (1971), on the other hand, suggest that the counselor must establish specific counseling goals.
• Almost all theorists agree to bring about a change in behavior enabling the client to live a more productive and satisfying life. They believe that the specific goals make both understand the specific change.

Enhancing Coping Skills

• Few people completely achieve developmental tasks.
• Inconsistency of significant others can result in ineffective learning in children.
• New interpersonal or occupational role demands may create an overload and excessive anxiety.
• Counselor helps individuals to cope effectively.

Promoting Decision Making

• Counselor just promotes not makes decisions. Counselor provides information, clarifies and sorts out personal characteristics and emotions, and even attitudes affecting decision making.
• The client learns to estimate the probable consequences in personal sacrifice, time, energy, money, risk, and the like.
• One question emerges from the points discussed above that if client has the major responsibility of improving himself/ herself, then where does the counselor fit in? The answer to this question is that client works as a facilitator for the client and provides a safe and comfortable environment where the client will perceive the counselor as a trustworthy person and will be able to share his problems with the counselor. In this kind of therapeutic atmosphere, the client will be able to find the solutions of his problems himself/herself.

Improving Relationships

• Many people have problems relating to others as much of our life is spent in social interactions. Bowlby’s attachment theory states that children of insecure and rejecting parents establish their adult relationships differently than those of secure and understanding parents.
• This problem can be due to “poor self image”, “unstable self-esteem”, or “inadequate social skills”
• Counselor strives to helps improve quality of relationships. Sometimes counselor improves relationships by improving client counselor relationship.

Facilitating the Client’s Potential

• The counselor attempts to promote the client’s growth by improving personal effectiveness and skills like interpersonal relationships and problematic behaviors like smoking, eating, drinking, shyness, anxiety, and depression.
• Blocher (1966) suggests that:
• First counselor maximizes an individual’s possible freedom within limitations.
• Second, counselor seeks to maximize a client’s effectiveness promoted by giving him control over the environment.