The document outlines the goals of counseling, emphasizing that it is a structured process aimed at achieving positive outcomes. It identifies five major goals, including facilitating behavior change, improving interpersonal relationships, enhancing coping abilities, promoting decision-making, and fostering client potential. Additionally, it highlights the collaborative nature of goal-setting between counselors and clients to ensure the latter feels ownership over their counseling objectives.

1. G O A L S O F
C O U N S E L I N G

2. • Counseling is a deliberate and
carefully thought-out process. No
client goes into counseling and no
counselor conducts counseling
just because it strikes their fancy.
Goals are very important in
counseling. Establishing clear
goals means that a positive
outcome is expected after the
counseling relationship is
terminated.

3. F I V E M A J O R
G O A L S O F
C O U N S E L I N G
( A C C O R D I N G
T O G E O R G E
A N D
C R I S T I A N I
( 1 9 9 5 A S
C I T E D B Y
N Y S T U L ,
2 0 1 6 ) )
Facilitating behavior
change
Improving the client’s ability to
establish and maintain
relationships
Enhancing the client’s
effectiveness and ability to
cope
Promoting the decision-
making process
Facilitating client potential
and development

4. F A C I L I TAT I N G B E H A V I O R
C H A N G E
One major goal in
counseling is to foster
behavior change on the part
of the client. Certain
behavior changes are
needed to resolve clients'
concerns or improve clients'
lives.
For example, a teenage boy
who spends most of his time
playing video games and
surfing the Internet may
undergo counseling to help
him learn how to manage
his time better and improve
his study habits.

5. I M P R O V I N G T H E C L I E N T ' S A B I L I T Y T O
E S T A B L I S H A N D M A I N T A I N R E L A T I O N S H I P S
Counseling helps clients
overcome difficulties in
their interpersonal
relationships and
improve how they relate
with the people around
them.
For instance, an 11-year-
old girl who feels isolated
and has trouble
expressing herself to
others may seek a
counselor to help her be
confident in dealing with
people.

6. E N H A N C I N G T H E C L I E N T ' S
E F F E C T I V E N E S S A N D A B I L I T Y T O C O P E
Clients may turn to
counseling to help them
learn how to cope and
adapt to change.
For example, a transfer
student who finds
adjusting to a new
environment difficult with
its new set of rules,
teachers, and classmates
may seek the help of a
school counselor.

7. P R O M OT I N G T H E
D E C I S I O N -
M A K I N G P R O C E S
• Counseling helps clients make decisions. Counselors
assist clients in exploring the different aspects of the self
(namely physical, social, emotional, mental, moral, and
spiritual), which can influence decision-making. Clients
are also guided in identifying options and their respective
consequences to help them make informed decisions.
• A high school student from a poor family, for example,
may consult with a counselor to explore the possibility of
supporting his family without having to drop out of
school

8. F A C I L I TAT I N G
C L I E N T P O T E N T I A L
A N D D E V E L O P M E N T
• Counseling aims to maximize clients’ potentials
and ensure clients’ growth. Counseling helps
clients discover what they are capable of doing
and helps them actualize their goals.
• For instance, a junior high school student who is
intelligent but is not performing well in class may
undergo counseling to help him determine
reasons for his low performance and discover
ways of overcoming perceived obstacles.

9. T H R E E G E N E R A L
P O T E N T I A L
O U T C O M E S O F
C O U N S E L I N G
( M C L E O D ( 2 0 1 3 , 9 ) )
: R E S O L U T I O N O F T H E
O R I G I N A L P R O B L E M I N
L I V I N G , L E A R N I N G , A N D
S O C I A L I N C L U S I O N .

10. Resolution may include
“achieving an understanding
or perspective on the
problem, arriving at a
personal acceptance of the
problem or dilemma and
taking action to change the
situation in which the
problem arose.”
Learning may include
acquiring new
“understandings, skills, and
strategies”.
While social inclusion may
help the client engage with
others and the community.

11. 1 5 S P E C I F I C
WAY S I N W H I C H
C O U N S E L I N G
M AY H E L P
( M C L E O D, 2 0 1 3 )

12. I N S I G H T
•Clients gain knowledge
about people, processes,
and events, which can
further heighten their
understanding of
themselves and their
world.

13. R E L AT I N G W I T H
OT H E R S
•Clients learn how to
establish “meaningful
and satisfying
relationships” with the
people around them.

14. S E L F -
AWA R E N E S S
C L I E N T S B E CO M E
M O R E AWA R E O F
T H E I R T H O U G H T S ,
F E E L I N G S , A N D
AC T I O N S .

15. S E L F -
A C C E P T A N C E
CLIEN TS GAIN A POSITIVE VIEW
OF THEMSELVES.

16. S E L F -
A C T U A L I Z AT I O N O R
I N D I V I D U AT I O N
•Clients maximize their full
potential and develop
themselves as individuals
rather than just part of a
group.

17. E N L I G H T E N M E N T
CLIENTS R EACH A HIGH ER
STATE OF SPIRITUA LITY.

18. P R O B L E M - S O LV I N G
CLIENTS DEVELOP PROBLEM-
SOLVIN G SKILLS.

19. P S Y C H O L O G I C A L
E D U C AT I O N
C L I E N T S AT TA I N A N U N D E R S TA N D I N G
O F P E O P L E ’ S B E H AV I O R S .

20. A C Q U I S I T I O N
O F S O C I A L
S K I L L S
C L I E N T S D E V E LO P A N D E N H A N C E
S O C I A L A N D I N T E R P E R S O N A L
S K I L L S .

21. C O G N I T I V E C H A N G E
C L I E N T S M O D I F Y I R R AT I O N A L
B E L I E F S O R S E L F - D E F E AT I N G
T H O U G H T S T H AT H I N D E R T H E I R
D E V E LO P M E N T.

22. B E H AV I O R
C H A N G E
•Clients replace maladaptive
behaviors that impede them
from maximizing their
potentials and hinder them
from building and maintaining
interpersonal relationships.

23. S Y S T E M I C
C H A N G E
•Clients realize that problems
are also rooted in social
institutions and processes;
thus, initiating changes in
these areas is also important.

24. E M P O W E R M E N T
•Clients develop
knowledge, skills, and
attitudes that can help
them take better control
of their lives.

25. C L I E N T S M A K E P E AC E W I T H
T H E M S E LV E S F O R T H E I R PA S T
M I S TA K E S .
R E S T I T U T I O N

26. G E N E R AT I V I T Y
A N D S O C I A L
A C T I O N
C L I E N T S A R E TO T H I N K A N D D O
S O M E T H I N G F O R OT H E R S .

27. •Goal setting in counseling is
a shared responsibility of
both counselors and clients.
This clients can stake
ownership on their
counseling goals and would
not feel that the counselors
themselves decided on what
the goals should be.