TITLE Professionals and Practitioners in Counseling

OVERVIEW This lesson will focus on the roles and functions of

professional counselors and practitioners. You will be able to
appreciate the significance of the discipline by knowing the
roles and functions of a professional counselor, the
competencies of effective counselors, the areas of
specialization and career opportunities for counselors, and the
ethics for professional counselors.
CONTENT STANDARD The learners demonstrate an understanding of professionals
and practitioners in counseling.
PERFORMANCE The learners shall be able to undertake participant observation
STANDARD (e.g., a day in a life of a counselor) to adequately document
and critique their roles, functions, and competencies.

OBJECTIVES At the end of this lesson, the learner is expected to:

1. discuss roles and functions of counselors.
2. identify specific work areas in which counselors work,
value rights, responsibilities, and accountabilities of
counselors
3. distinguish between ethical and unethical behaviors among
counselors

DISCUSSION OF THE TOPIC:

Roles and Functions of Counselors

Erford (2014) emphasized that professional school counselors do not take

rigid and static set of functions in the educational system. This means that
professional counselors perform their roles in a continuous state of transformation
in response to the current challenges.

FUNCTIONS DESCRIPTIONS
1. Providers of individual and group School counselors take an active role in counseling groups
counseling services of individuals. In a school setting, professional counselors
are equipped not only in helping individuals understand
themselves, but also in providing correct evaluation for

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 either behavioral or clinical problems as student may have.
2. Developmental classroom Professional counselors also prepare lessons and implement
guidance specialists guidance instructions to students. These are executed by
developing clear and measurable objectives to meet the
needs of the students. To meet these objectives, professional
counselors deliver talks, seminars, workshops, and other
interesting activities. Lastly, professional counselors
improve their programs and mode of instruction through
consistent feedback and evaluation.
3. Leaders and advocates of Professional school counselors have an ethical responsibility
academic success of promoting academic success by helping students identify
barriers affecting school performance. These barriers may
be:
 Personal (living with an absentee or separated
parents)
 Socio-emotional (peer pressure)
 Moral dilemmas (failing an exam or cheating to pass
an exam)
 Career-related (indecisiveness about a course in
college)
4. Career development specialists Professional counselors also provide activities that will
prepare students for the demands and requirements of their
chosen profession. These activities include formal writing of
resumes, having proper responses to job interviews, and
knowing appropriate clothing for job applications.
Furthermore, to ensure proper coping and success in the
workplace, professional counselors help students develop
essential, basic skills such as effective communication,
creativity, decision-making, critical thinking and work
ethics.
5. Agents of diversity and Professional school counselors are trained to deal with and
multiculturalism address the needs of people from different cultural
backgrounds.
Example: because of the ASEAN Integration, the
Philippines will now be more accommodating of students
from foreign countries. There will be an increasing number
of students from other Asian countries. The counselor my
provide assistance to these foreign students through
activities that allow interaction with Filipino students, aimed

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 at helping them cope with their new environment.
6. Advocates of students with Professional counselors give attention to students with
special needs and students-at-risk special needs-such as the athletes, honor students, students
with absentee parents, those with learning disabilities, and
other clinically diagnosed students. They are special groups
who need additional assistance to help them cope better-by
providing comprehensive assessment programs to better
understand and address their special needs.
7. Advocates of a safe school Conflicts, which may lead to violence, happen in some
environment school communities.
Example: there are issues on bullying- physical, verbal,
cyber, psychological, etc.—nowadays.
8. School and community To ensure student’s holistic development and success,
collaboration specialists professional school counselors work in collaboration with
the other school authorities and with the parents of the
students.
Example: they cooperate with the teachers to better assist
students with learning difficulties or behavioral problems. At
times, school counselors are tasked to prepare seminar-
workshops to facilitate teachers’ better understanding of the
personality dynamics of students.

NOTE: Counselors also collaborate with mental health practitioners when a

student needs referral. To provide proper response to the circumstance, the
professional help of a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist is needed.

Activity 1: (Refer to Evaluation Sheet)

Characteristics of a Professional Counselors

1. Empathy: is the counselor’s ability to accurately sense the feelings and understand
the counselee’s experience. It also includes the counselor’s capacity to communicate
acceptance and understanding of the counselee’s point of view.

2. Acceptance: acceptance is the counselor’s ability to demonstrate an attitude that is

accepting of the client’s insights as expressed during the counseling session. This is
also referred to as unconditional positive regard.

3. Genuineness: this means that he/she is authentic, open, and in touch with his/her
thoughts and feelings.

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4. Self- Awareness- an awareness of one’s strengths and limitations is necessary for
an efficient and ethical practice of the profession (Parsons and Zhang, 2013). When a
counselor has self-awareness, he/she is conscious about his/her personal motivations,
values, world views and biases- and how these influence his/her professional
decisions which may affect his/her work as well as the relationship with the client.

5. Cultural Competence: effective counselors need to be culturally competent in order

to facilitate change to diverse populations. This implies that counselors must know
and understand the background of their clients such as traditions, beliefs, and family
systems.

6. Open- mindedness: counselors must also be open-minded about improving

themselves- new possibilities, knowledge or suggestions they may obtain from
colleagues and other professionals—to help themselves grow in maturity and develop
professionally.

7. Integrity: professional counselors must demonstrate personal values expressed in

the ethical practice of their profession. For example, if a counselor believes that
honesty is important in work and personal relationships, honesty must be evident in
how he/she lives his/her life and deals with people-on an everyday basis.

8. Competence: professional counselors must be highly skilful and knowledgeable in

applying the theories and strategies to effectively help people. This is done when they
keep themselves updated about recent and most effective practices in counseling,
research, program development, and evaluation.

9. Problem-solving Skills and Creativity: professional counselors see problems not as

mere difficulties, but also as opportunities for psychological growth. With these,
counselors must be able to facilitate the client’s realization of the possible solutions
given his/her circumstances.

10. Embracing a Perspective of Wellness: q wellness perspective is the counselor’s

ability to see the importance of taking care of himself or herself the way he/she takes
care of others.

Areas of Specialization

1. School Counseling- in the Philippines, counseling is typical in the academe.

Guidance counselors usually ensure students’ academic success and assist those with
various career, social, and personal development needs. Guidance counselors provide
various services to the school and community.

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2. Mental Health or Clinical Counseling- a professional counselor may also focus
on mental health counseling by providing programs and services specifically
designed to address the needs of individuals with mental health issues like depression,
anxiety, and substance or chemical dependency.

3. Rehabilitation Counseling- rehabilitation counselors are responsible for helping

patients with physical, mental, or emotional issues. They deal with psychological and
physical issues like illness affecting the individual.

4. Industrial Counseling- counselors may also specialize in the industrial setting,

where they could provide workplace counseling to respond to the concerns of the
employees.

5. Marriage and Family Counseling- marriage and family counselors explore issues
and concerns that affect the relationship of husband and wife, and their roles as
parents.

6. Private Practice- counselors may have their own wellness center or private clinic.
This clinic can accommodate children and/or adults, depending on the counselor’s
specialization.

7. Community Counseling- is provided to members of the society who encounter

difficulties in the community setting. Counselors who work in the community setting
are usually adept in the community’s background, culture, or practices.

Professional Ethical Principles in Guidance and Counseling

-personal ethics pertain to values that determine the counselor’s behaviors.

Professional counselors stick to ethical principles that serve as an overall guide in
their practice.

1. Confidentiality- this principle states that counselees have the right to privacy in
working with his/her counselor (Hutchinson, 2014). All information shared by the
counselee, including his or her identity, must be kept secret. This means that that the
counselor should not divulge any information and protect all documents (including
the records found in his/her computer) about the counselee. It must be noted,
however, that there are important exceptions regarding confidentiality. For example, a
counselor is now required to break the confidential bond if the situation poses threat
on the life of the counselee (for example, the counselee wants to commit suicide).

2. Client Welfare- it is the counselor’s primary responsibility to protect the welfare of

the clients. Hence, if the identified needs of the counselee are beyond the expertise of
the counselor, then the counselor must refer the client to another professional.

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3. Informed Consent- professional counselors are required to provide their clients an
overview of what counseling is counseling all about and what the counseling process
entails (for example, information on policies and goals).

4. Relationship with Clients- a professional counselor must establish and maintain

boundaries in his/her relationship with the clients. Within and outside the counseling
session, the counselor must be aware and be bound by the ethics of professional
relationship with clients. Counselors should not engage in any personal relationship
with the clients.

5. Professionalism- a professional counselor should clarify with the client the types of
activities other than counseling which will be utilized to address the presenting
concerns, the techniques and counseling procedures that will be employed, and the
sort of payment that is expected to be paid if working on a private setting.

Valuing Rights of Individuals, Professional Responsibilities, and

Accountabilities of Counselors

-professional counselors must not only adhere to the ethics of their profession but also
manifest their commitment, by giving value to the rights of individuals and
demonstrating accountability to their clients.

a. Respecting the rights and dignity of every human person- professional counselors
must bear in mind that each individual is unique. No matter how unruly or how
disruptive the behavior of an individual is, he/she deserves to be treated fairly, to be
listened to about what he/she thinks and feels, and to be respected.

b. Respecting the client’s rights as self-governing individual- counselors feel

responsible for the welfare of their clients. However, counselors must remember that
their clients are capable of helping themselves and are capable of choosing.

c. Being committed to the client’s well-being- professional counselors demonstrate

dedication for their work by showing concern to their client during counseling session
and even after the session.

d. Bing fair to all clients by providing equal opportunity to all who availed the
counseling service- counselors do not only provide counseling to few and selected
groups, but they accommodate individuals from all walks of life; students,
professionals, and those coming from high or low socioeconomic conditions.

e. Enhancing the quality of their professional knowledge and application- counselors

provide quality service by keeping themselves updated on issues and trends in their
profession. Counselors must continuously attend conferences, conventions,

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f. Being responsive to the society- counselor collaborate with other members of the
community to provide the best services for their clients. For example, they
collaborate with the parents, teachers, school administrations, and other stakeholders
to further help the students.

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