counselling skills

1. COUNSELLING SKILLS
By,
MEGHA GEORGE

2. Contract
• A ‘counselling contract’ (or a ‘counselling agreement’) is a mutual agreement
between the counsellor and the client in which the outline of the therapeutic
working alliance is presented. A counselling contract ensures that the counselling
process will be performed in a good, safe and professional manner and highlights
the responsibilities of the counsellor towards clients, as well as the
responsibilities of the client towards the counsellor. A counselling contract is also
a transparent basis for informed consent. It is suggested that counselling
contracts are, where appropriate, presented in writing in order to ensure clarity.
Presented as a written document can also provide the necessary space for legal
intervention should the terms not be met.

3. silence
• Silence in counselling allows the client to speak about their issues without interruption (sometimes a new experience for them).
• Silence also enables the client space to process their thoughts and feelings without distraction.
• This helps them gain clarity on the difficulties they face and consider a possible way forward.
• Culturally we have been taught to be uncomfortable with silence; this can influence the counsellor’s use of silence and the client’s
reactions to it.
• New counsellors are typically uncomfortable with pauses, often rushing in to fill the gaps.
• By doing this the counsellor assumes inappropriate responsibility for the counselling session.
• The person-centred counsellor trusts that the client will work in a way, and at a pace, that is suitable for them.
• The counsellor gives the client control of the content, pace and objectives.
• This includes listening to silences as well as words, sitting with them and recognising that the silences may facilitate the counselling
process.

4. Referring
Feltham and Dryden define ‘referral’ as ‘directing someone to a counsellor or alternative source of treatment’. Clients may be referred inwards to a
counsellor or be referred onwards by a counsellor.
 The client needs help with other issues (such as housing problems, financial difficulties, law-related matters or medical issues) instead of – or
before being ready to engage in – counselling
 The client has a mental-health issue that prevents the establishment of psychological contact (e.g. They are delusional or are hearing voices)
 The counselling issue that the client is bringing is not within your area of competence (e.g. If they need specialist counselling for substance
misuse or addiction)
 Your agency offers a limited number of sessions, and you know this amount will be insufficient to work safely with the client
 Your modality is not a good match for the client’s issue (e.g. The client needs help to overcome a fear of flying before an imminent holiday
abroad, and you are a person-centred counsellor rather than a cognitive behavioural therapist)
 The client is experiencing difficulties that mirror your own.
 You feel unsafe with the client (e.g. If lone working in private practice).

5. Interpretation
• A therapist interpretation is a technique that introduces the client to a new, theoretically based
frame of reference. An interpretation goes beyond the explicit and observable client content and
involves communicating an inferred component with the intention of adding new knowledge,
understanding, or meaning. Interpretation is the central technique in psychoanalysis and in most
psychodynamic therapies in which achieving insight and new understanding is considered
therapeutic. In early psychoanalytic formulations, interpreting client free associations served the
function of abreacting strangulated affect. Over time, modifications were made to psychoanalysis,
but the centrality of interpretation remained. In general, an interpretation refers to client content
that is out of awareness, and it serves to make the unconscious material conscious.

6. Physical attending skills
Eye contact. The most important indicator that someone is listening, eye contact is a powerful communication
tool. Making eye contact with the help conveys the helper’s confidence and involvement, and can be used to
communicate caring and comfort.
Posture/Body position. Posture may be the most frequently noticed aspect of “body language”. The goal is to
go for a relaxed body position. This may include leaning slightly forward, as part of your way of
communicating involvement and interest. Being relaxed without informally lounging says, “I am comfortable
with myself, and I have time to listen to you” . To be tense would be to shift the focus off your help onto
yourself, and might also spark tension in the help.
Facial expressions. Psychologists have distinguished six primary emotions: sadness, joy, anger, surprise,
disgust, and fear. These register in our facial expressions regardless of culture. Social worker should
purposefully express his feelings.
Gestures. These physical motions are an element of attending that we use both to convey emotion and to
emphasise important points. If our arms flail wildly, we are drumming our fingers, frequently shifting body
position, checking the watch, or playing with something, we signal anxiety, impatience, or boredom. Looking
like a stone statue, however, may communicate aloofness or lack of interest.

7. Tone of voice. The way that you use your voice in a helping encounter encompasses pitch,
volume, intensity, inflection, speed of speaking, spacing of words, the type of emphasis,
pulsation, silence, and fluency. Just as we can tell much about the helps emotional state from
their tone of voice, so too does the help make assumptions based on hearing the helper’s voice.
Physical distance and touching. Perhaps none of the non-verbal micro-skills are more
vulnerable to cultural differences and ambiguous interpretation than physical distance or
touching.
Touch should be appropriate to the situation.
Touch should not impose a greater level of intimacy than the helped can handle.
Touch should not be patronising, or otherwise communicate a negative message.

8. THANKYOU