Meaning of Counselling:

1. Counselling is not a process of giving advice, but it is a process of helping your

patient who is genuinely in need.
2. It aims to help an individual to help himself to overcome his problem.
3. Counselling is different from a casual conversation as it builds a professional
relationship with the patient.
4. It is totally FOCUSED, SPECIFIC and PURPOSEFUL.
5. Counselling is a long-term process and consists of professional communication.
6. What is Communication?
It is a process in which there is exchange of thoughts, ideas and feelings. It happens
between two or more persons. It differs from casual communication.
7. Types of Communication – Verbal and non-verbal.
Supportive Verbal:
1. Use language that patient understands.
2. Convey interest in him by remembering name or the problem he has told.
3. Use encouraging statements.
4. Give the needed information.
5. Use humour or other means to reduce tensions.
6. Speak slowly, softly and clearly.
ADVERTISEMENTS:

Non-Supportive Verbal:
1. Direct advising.
2. Criticizing blaming.
3. Scolding.
4. Discussing your personal problems.
5. Interrupting and imposing your own values.
6. Non-accepting patients feelings.
7. Asking direct and embarrassing questions.
8. Arguing.
9. Excessive curiosity in personal things.
10. Giving un-guaranteed reassurance.
11. Talking too much.
Supportive Non-verbal:
1. Maintain suitable conversational distance.
2. Maintain proper eye contact.
3. Attentive body posture.
4. Use occasional gestures.
Non-supportive Non-verbal:
1. Looking away frequently.
2. Inappropriate distance.
3. Looking bored and irritated.
4. Looking at watch and showing restlessness.
5. Unpleasant tone of voice.
6. Unwanted or hating expressions.
Skills and Techniques of Counselling:
1. Listening skills—you should always listen carefully and not question the patient
too frequently. Allow him to ventilate through your listen-ing.
2. Attending skill—your proper attention should be given to the patient to show
interest and concern-verbal and non-verbal.
3. Feedback—expressing the meaning of patient’s feelings and summariz­ing his
problems.
4. Probing—focusing in depth on particular aspects of the situation.
5. Confronting—help the patient to realize his problems or help him to become aware
of what he is suffering from, by making proper state-ments.
6. Interpreting—presenting the alternative ways or angles to look at his situation.
7. Self-disclosure—share your attitude, opinions and experiences.
8. Non-dependence—do not make the patient dependent rather make him self
sufficient to solve his problems independently.
9. Questioning—ask open ended questions so that the patients gets the clue to open
up with you. Do not ask too many close-ended questions.
10. Incomplete sentence—encourage the patient to complete the sentence if he is not
able to do so.
11. Refocusing—if the patient is going off track or talking in circles get him back to
maintain the theme without hurting any of his feelings.
12. Silence—be with the patient’s feelings while he is crying and do not prevent him
from crying. Let him cry and ventilate himself.
13. Connecting—show connection between thought, behaviour and result or effect of
what has gone before.
Principles of Counselling:
1. Principle of acceptance—accept the patient with his physical, psycho-logical, social,
economical and cultural conditions.
2. Principle of communication—communication should be verbal as well as non-
verbal and should be skilful.
3. Principle of empathy—instead of showing sympathy put yourself in patients shoes
and then give reflections accordingly (Empathy is ability to identify with a person.)
4. Principle of non-judge—mental attitude-do not criticize or comment negatively
regarding patient’s complaints.
5. Principle of confidentiality—always keep the patient’s name, and the problem
strictly secrete and assure the patient about the same.
6. Principle of individuality—treat each and every patient as unique and respect his
problem as well.
7. Principles of non-emotional involvement—not getting emotionally in-volved with
the patient and avoid getting carried away with his feelings.
Goals of Counselling:
1. Listening keenly to the patient is the main goal.
2. Identify the need of the patient. E.g., parents need counselling for their children’s
behaviour problems.
3. To make the patient to ventilate his emotions properly and help him to be aware
of his own emotions and encourage him to be independent.
4. Main problem should be focused so that the sub-problems should be identified by
the patient himself.
5. Make the patient to accept himself with his problem and help him to adjust with
it till it gets over.
6. To focus on his strengths by studying the case and produce positive attitude in
him and ultimately help him to reduce his negativity.