Counselling Skills

📖 The Scoop

There are three parts of the book which follow.

Part One – ‘Different Voices in the Counselling Profession’ emphasises that as counselling evolved, a kaleidoscope of helping initiatives emerged to meet the needs of the human condition. Each given time period had its clashes of prominent theorists and ideologies. In the 1940s, Freud and psychoanalytic theory was perhaps the initial major influence on all other formal systems of counselling. Many other perspectives evolved as an extension of or rebellion against psychoanalytical principles, such as the ego psychologists or neo-Freudians of the 1950s and the convincing ideas of Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, Erich Fromm, Harry Stack Sullivan, Erick Erikson, and Wilhelm Reich, who felt that interpersonal aspects have a more significant influence on the development of the individual. Existential approach evolved as the third force in counselling as an alternative to psychoanalysis and behavioural approaches, with the person-centered approach developed by Carl Rogers and the gestalt approach of Fritz Perls.

Essentially, the 1960s was touted as the decade of person-centered counselling, with the emphasis on feelings, and the importance of relationships, and focus on the congruency between the ideal and the real self. The 1970s was the decade of behaviourism and behavioural counselling, focusing on measurable and observable data to monitor clients growth and change. The 1980s emerged as the decade of cognition and cognitive approaches to counselling, focusing on the client’s ability to change perceptions, attitudes, and thinking regarding the human condition.

The 1990s rapidly emerged as what some have termed as the age of dysfunction and the decade of eclecticism. In the 21 stcentury, counselling profession will have to sustain their worth in response to the constraints of managed care. Transpersonal approaches (“the fourth force”) is attempting a synthesis that rethinks both spirituality and the practice of counselling today. The prolific writings of eminent psychologists have been included to describe the above mentioned theoretical models and their innovative counselling techniques.

Part Two – ‘The Counselling Process : Developing Eclectic Skills’ which the reader would find more enriching and inclusive that expands and strengthens the four stage model of the counselling process (relationship stage – extended exploration stage – problem resolution stage – termination and follow-up). Here an attempt is being made with the help of examples, cases, and activities to enhance social, emotional, and cognitive skills to maximize human potential.

Part Three – ‘Special Areas of Counselling’ makes the book unique and of value to the demanding needs of today’s clients and specific populations with a wide range of problems namely, developmental concerns of children, adolescents, elderly; family dysfunctions; crises intervention, etc.

Yet another primary focus of the book is on Assessment Tools for the diverse clientele used by the counselors and adding to their repertoires are Skill Development Exercises as well; which brings existential meaning to the work of the helping professional. This brings content and consciousness together and provides hope and meaning for the reader.

Genre: Psychology / Psychotherapy / Counseling (fancy, right?)