This document provides an overview of basic counseling skills and techniques. It defines counseling as a helping process to solve problems, not just giving advice. Key counseling skills include empathy, active listening, questioning, awareness, and maintaining confidentiality. Techniques discussed include problem solving, exploration of the client's issues, empowering the client to find their own solutions, using confrontation to address self-defeating patterns, and encouragement to fully explore thoughts and feelings. The counseling process involves opening, exploring the client, understanding them, appropriate interventions, and empowering the client to create their own solutions.

1. BASIC COUNSELLING SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES
BY
DR.SHAZIA ZAMIR

2. CONTENTS
• Counselling
• Role of counselling skills in Process of Counselling
oSphere Of Influence
oConfrontation
oEncouraging
oReflection in Counselling

3. Counselling
• Counselling is not a process of giving advice, but it is a process of
helping your counselee who is genuinely needed.
• Counselling is a process in which professional help is given by
experts to solve the problems of others.
• It aims to help an individual to help himself to overcome his
problems.
• Counselling is a long term process and consists of professional
Communication.

4. Role of Counselling skills
Counseling skills are interpersonal and technical traits that a
counsellor uses to better understand and listen to their clients.
Using these skills, a counsellor helps a client overcome obstacles
that are preventing them from leading a happy life.

5. COMMUNICATION SKILLS
• Empathy
• Awareness
• Confidentiality
• Observation
• Understanding
• Information
• Active listening
• Questioning

6. Techniques for Counseling
Problem solving technique
It is a creative process by which individuals evaluate changes in them and
their environment, make new choices or adjustments in harmonious manner.
It involves following steps:
• Problem identifications
• Gathering of data
• Hypothesizing the process
• Decision making
• Implementation
• Follow up

7. Counseling process includes the following components.
Opening
The opening process is perhaps, one of the most important parts of the interaction
with your counselee. It is your chance to get to know your counselee and for them
to get to know you. It is also where you will set the tone for the rest of the
therapeutic relationship.
Exploring client and understanding
The exploration process is where you will begin to understand your counselee. You
will explore their past and evaluate their current concerns. Here, you will together
establish goals and set expectations
Understanding
Important in developing a strong relationship with your counselee, you can
demonstrate understanding by using verbal and nonverbal cues, as well as
reflections and paraphrases.

8. Intervention
The intervention process is about choosing the appropriate counseling
techniques that will encourage growth within your counselee.
Exploring Problems
Exploration is the process of learning more about your counselee and
why they have come to counseling. Exploration is necessary in truly
understanding a client’s thoughts and feelings in relation to their
pressing problem.
Empower to create solution
Empowering your counselee is not about providing them with all the answers. It is
about empowering them, with your counseling skills, to find their own solutions.

9. Sphere of influence
• A field or area in which an individual or organization has power to affect
events and developments.
• A person's ability to influence the beliefs and behaviors of others. There are
countless factors that contribute to the specific areas in which we wield any
influence. Some spheres of influence to consider are: themselves, immediate
family, friends, husband or wife, extended family, job or school, community,
culture or religion, and any external influences.

10. Confrontation
Confrontation is an open, honest identification of the counselee’s self defeating patterns
or manipulations. The counselor shares how those inappropriate behaviors produce
negative consequences in interpersonal relationships.
Encouraging
Encouragers, also known as intentional listening, involve fully attending to the
counselee, thus allowing them to explore their feelings and thoughts more completely.