What are the features of Counseling?
Counseling is a short-term, theory-based, non-directive, non- judgmental process. During this process, a person (client) who is basically psychologically healthy and facing adjustment, developmental and/or situational concerns or problems is empowered to gain awareness of him/herself and of his/her situation and to make decisions through the support and assistance offered by another person (counselor) through their relationship. Counseling involves befriending, listening, helping, and empowering. Counseling focuses on developm ent and on the prevention of serious mental health problems through education and short-term treatment. It emphasizes growth as well as remediation.
1. Understanding
To be truly effective, the counselor must have a thorough understanding of human behaviour in its social and cultural context and be able to apply that understanding to the particular set of problems or circumstances of each client.
2. Change in the Client
The ultimate purpose of the counseling experience is to help the client achieve some kind of change that s/he will regard as satisfying.
3. Self-Disclosure and Self-Confrontation
The counseling process consists primarily of self-disclosure and self-confrontation on the part of the client, facilitated by interaction with the counselor.
4. An Intense Working Experience
Counseling is an intense working experience for the participants. Sustained energy is required for the counselor for the related activities of attentive listening, information absorption, message clarification, hypothesis generation, and treatment planning.
5. Ethical Conduct
Ethical practice means valuing each client as a person with rights to fair dignified and compassionate service. To provide professional people helping service obligates the helper (counselor, social worker, psychologist, and so forth) to function in an ethical manner. Ethical practice may be defined as providing with care, and conscientious effort a helping service of which one has been appropriately trained.