One simple way to view counselling is that there is a beginning to the sessions, a middle and an end. In the beginning, counsellors are especially concerned about establishing rapport and a therapeutic relationship. This means essentially that we want to be able to connect with the client, to listen attentively and try to understand empathetically what the client is communicating. Some counsellors believe that until there is sufficient understanding and empathy communicated in the counselling session there may not be much therapeutic change. They claim that clients need a certain degree of safety, trust and confidence in a counsellor before they are willing to explore fully what needs to be addressed. While there are certain skills involved in establishing a trusting and respectful relationship, the clients determine ultimately whether the counsellor is genuine in his/her efforts to understand the nature of their concern. The first phase of counselling, rapport and relationship building, needs to be present throughout all counselling sessions. The middle phase of counselling is where the hard work begins for both the counsellor and client. While understanding and rapport are essential, more intensive work in the cognitive, affective and behavioural domains is often required. Sometimes beliefs need to be examined, clarified and even challenged. Sometimes feelings need to be explored and expressed, and sometimes various behavioural options and their consequences need to be discussed in detail. The middle phase of counselling is often where counsellors feel challenged and clients begin to question the amount of work involved in the counselling process. The final phase includes proper closure as an important aspect of a counselling session. As a rule, it is beneficial to close each session with a short summary of the
One simple way to view counselling is that there is a beginning to the sessions, a middle and an end. In the beginning, counsellors are especially concerned about establishing rapport and a therapeutic relationship. This means essentially that we want to be able to connect with the client, to listen attentively and try to understand empathetically what the client is communicating. Some counsellors believe that until there is sufficient understanding and empathy communicated in the counselling session there may not be much therapeutic change. They claim that clients need a certain degree of safety, trust and confidence in a counsellor before they are willing to explore fully what needs to be addressed. While there are certain skills involved in establishing a trusting and respectful relationship, the clients determine ultimately whether the counsellor is genuine in his/her efforts to understand the nature of their concern. The first phase of counselling, rapport and relationship building, needs to be present throughout all counselling sessions. The middle phase of counselling is where the hard work begins for both the counsellor and client. While understanding and rapport are essential, more intensive work in the cognitive, affective and behavioural domains is often required. Sometimes beliefs need to be examined, clarified and even challenged. Sometimes feelings need to be explored and expressed, and sometimes various behavioural options and their consequences need to be discussed in detail. The middle phase of counselling is often where counsellors feel challenged and clients begin to question the amount of work involved in the counselling process. The final phase includes proper closure as an important aspect of a counselling session. As a rule, it is beneficial to close each session with a short summary of the
Beginning%20Counsellor%20Sumarah%202009.docx