THE PROCESS OF COUNSELING

The first session

a) Making contact.

If you have a chance to contact the clients before the first meeting, establish what they
want from you as a counselor and communicate to that you are an empathic, accepting
listener

The following is a checklist of questions to ask new clients prior to the first session.

Ø Who referred them and for what reason?

Ø What issues do they want to address?
Ø Are they in a crisis –if so what is the crisis?
Ø Who else have they seen? If it’s a doctor /psychiatrist, you may want information
to gain permission to seek information.
Ø If you cannot see them, would you like to refer them on?
Ø Is there anything they would like to share with you?

You will want to establish the first session as an “assessment session “ by which both of
the counselor and the client can asses whether or not to work together .The negotiation
starts with the first conversation.

1) Preparing to meet the client

The first meeting between the client and counselor is probably the most important
because it lays the foundation of hope of productive counseling .A relationship of trust
and safety has to be established where both the counselor and the clients feels
comfortable to work together on the concerns the clients brings.

2) The physical arrangements

The room should be as free from destruction as possible and barriers such as desks
and tables should be avoided .The chair should be uniform and placed approximately
three or four feet apart. They could be set in an angle or facing each other. A small
clock needs to be situated where the counselor can glance at it. Attention should be
paid to the lighting and the box of tissues should be placed where the client can easily
reach them .A vase of fresh flowers or a potted plant can add warmth and color to the
setting. With the client’s permission, the counselor may tape the session.
The ideal physical environment for counseling then is a quite place, tastefully furnished
to represent the therapist competence and qualification, free from distraction, soothing
to soul.

3 introductions
It would be more accurate to talk of an introductory phase, because the introduction
encompasses more than just initial remarks you and the make .(hobson,1985)Your
purpose during this phase will be as follows ;-
a) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT WHO THE CLIENT IS- Check that you are both seeing
whom you are seeing. Call client by their first name, unless the client is elderly or
very formal and we give our first names and surnames without titles.
b) ACKNOWLEDGE ANY PREVIOUS CONTACT OR INFORMATION –for example
“I have some notes of your intake interview with Jane and I have read them .I would
find it helpful in getting to know if you could tell me how you see your concerns”
b) ISSUING AN OPEN INVITATION TO TALK – Your opening sentence should be
empathic and your posture should demonstrate to the client that you are ready to
listen. “Patrick we have 50 minutes to talk together today. Where would you like
to begin?”
OTHER POSITIVE INTRODUCTORY REMARKS MAY BE AS FOLLLOWS: -
· “James, perhaps you would like to tell me in your own time what has prompted
you to come and see me.”
· “What need to happen here today for you to say that it was worthwhile coming to
see me

d) ESTABLISHING A PATTERN (ROWAN, 1983)

Clients may both expects and want you to take control for a variety of reasons .For
example they may believe they are helpless, or they may be scared of ‘taking the
plunge’ and revealing painful experiences.

You need to establish a pattern of interaction, which communicates to them that they
will do more of the talking and sharing in responsibility for the work.

Seek a more open introduction, which offers the client a focus together with an
opportunity to start where he/she wishes might say something like this;

Counselor:’ my understanding is that your doctor suggested we discuss counseling. The

issues as he saw it, it was your anxiety attack and disrupted sleep patterns. We could
begin with that or perhaps you have other things on your mind.

perhaps you could ask me some questions, you can respond in one of the following
ways’
· Tell me what concerns you most
· You mentioned you wanted to talk about… perhaps you could begin with that.
 · You seem to have difficulties knowing where to start …you could begin from
what issues you are comfortable with.

Take time with the client to reach a clear mutual understanding of your respective
Expectations. You need to state clearly that any decision made, goals set or actions
taken will be the clients, that you will be helping them and not deciding for them or
acting on their behalf.

EXPLORATION STAGE
Exploration means helping clients to articulate their concerns. To explore means to look for, to
discover, to try and find out something, to go far deep and wide in order to find out what is
hidden. This is what the client is supposed to do. To look deep within themselves to search for
any hidden. Motives thought feelings and all that he has pushed away from his awareness.

Exploration is essentially an enabling and clarification procedure through which hey discovers
what is important for them by examining their own behaviors and finding meanings in their
feelings. It also involves helping them in the often painful process of sharing their experiences,
hopes and feelings

In summery helping clients to explore, means helping them to talk about themselves and their
concerns in a specific and focused ways that they acknowledge their strength and
weaknesses, their achievements and their values and interests. It also means taking stalk of
their relationship deficits, community backups and economic and cultural factors.

AIMS OF EXPLORATION STAGE

· To establish a working relationship

· To clarify and define the problem
· To make an assessment
· To negotiate a contract

These aims provide a framework for focusing your work and for assessing both process and
progress. They are stage specific that is their outcome is more appropriate at the beginning
stage of counseling than any other stage. If they are not addressed, it is likely that the
counseling will not have a secure basis from which to proceed to other stages.
1. To establish a relationship.

Counseling is much more than an organized collection of skills and strategies (Bond, 1989). It is
essentially a human activity characterized a by a particular kind of relationship between the
client and the counselor. While counseling relationship has much more in common with other
relationships, it has specific characteristics which distinguish it from other helping activities.
These are the core-conditions

According to Tyler (1969) Gilmore (1973) an effective counseling relationship will be

characterized by EMPATHY, GENUINESS, And UNCONDITIONAL POSITIVE REGARDS

Counselling as a relationship

Relationship creates a foundation on which counselling is based. The councillor needs to have
qualities that create a conducive environment in which the client feels safe and secure to explore
themselves. Trust and confidentiality promote a good relationship. Core conditions are very
important in the creation of therapeutic relationship. They were borrowed form doctor Carl
Rogers who developed the person-centred theory. They are as follows

a) Empathy (feeling with the client)- it is process where the councillor lays aside his/her
own way of experiencing the world and refers to sense and respond experiences and
perceptions of the client. In empathising with the client, the councillor leaves aside
his/her side of reference and for the time being adopts the frame of reference of the client.
Empathy is demonstrated through the following;
· Careful listening
· Identifying feeling exposed by the client
· Facial expression
· body posture
· Smiling
· Eye contact
 · Genuine interest
· Tone setting
b) Unconditional positive regard (UPR/Being non-judgmental)- this is being non-
possessive, caring and accepting the client irrespective of how offensive their behaviour
is. Therapist value and warmly accept the client without placing stipulations of their
acceptance. NB: it is not about accepting, approving or condoning the client’s behaviour
but it is about not condemning the client. According to Rogers, research indicates the
greater the degree of caring, pricing (making the client feeling worthy) and accepting the
client, the grater the chance that therapy will be successful. UPR is demonstrated through
the following
· Communicating non evaluative attitude
· Responding with accurate empathy
· Demonstrating positivism
c) Genuineness/ congruent (being real)- implies that therapies are real/genuine and
authentic during therapy. They are without a false form their inner experience and outer
expression is consistent. They can openly express feeling and attitude that is present in
the relationship with the client. It is demonstrated through the following:
· By being non defensive
· Consistency
· sharing about self

RELATIONSHIP ENHANCEMENT VARIABLES

Counseling is conceptualized as a social influence process where both the counselor and the
client try to influence each other during the process. Strong (1968) identified three variables that
enhance the counseling relationship. THESE ARE; -

· Expertness
· Trustworthiness
· Attractiveness

These three relationship enhancers make the quality of relationship better and they encourage
client’s involvement in counseling. The three variables are related to clients satisfaction of
counseling, change in clients self concept, and less likelihood of premature client termination in
therapy.

· EXPERTNESS: - It is also known as competence. It is the client’s perception that that

the counselor will be helpful in resolving the clients concerns. Clients develop this
perception from such things as the counselor’s apparent level of skills, relevant
education, specialized training, seniority, history of success solving problems of others. It
is demonstrated behaviorally through both verbal and non-verbal cues. Expert helpers
are those perceived as confident attentive and because of background and behavior are
capable of helping the client solve and work towards goals.
· ATTRACTIVENESS;-This is inferred by the client from such things as counselors
apparent friendliness, likeability, and similarity. It is most effective when it is mutual.
Interpersonal attractiveness help-s the client to open up and self disclose by reducing
anxiety. Attractiveness consists of both physical and interpersonal dimensions. It is the
main descriptive cue associated with relationship enhancement variable. It has the most
impact during the exploration stage when impression formation by clients is based on
relatively apparent and accessible cues

· TRUSTWORTHINESS:-It is the client’s perception and belief that the

counselor will not mislead or injure them in any way (fond and Cox 1983). It is
perceived from by the client from such things as the counselor’s role, reputation for
honesty demonstrated sincerity, openness and lack of ulterior motives
2. To clarify and define the problem
If the helper and the client are to work effectively together both of them need to know as clearly
and as precisely as possible what issues/concerns they are both addressing. The counselor
also needs to establish how the client is viewing himself and his problems i.e. what they belief
and experience and who else is concerned. Clarifying and defining of course continues
throughout the counseling work. Client’s view of themselves and their concerns may change as
the counseling progresses and as they gain new insight and information about themselves.
However clarifying and defining the problem form the basis for subsequent deeper exploration.

3. To make an assessment
Problem assessment consists of procedures and tools used to collect and process information
from which the entire counseling program is developed.

Purpose of assessment

§ To obtain information on the client’s presenting problems and any other related
problems.
§ To identify the Contributing variables associated with the problems.
§ To determine the client’s goals for counseling.
 § To gather the baseline data that would be compared to subsequent data to assess and
evaluate the client’s progress and effect of the of the treatment strategy.
§ To motivate the client.
§ To use the information obtained from the client to plan effective treatment strategy.

ASSESSMENT TOOL
There are a wide variety of frameworks available for assisting counselors in making
assessment. However Susan Gilmore’s assessment tool is both comprehensive and simple. It
offers a broad classification by identifying three dimensions in human existence, which presents
different developmental tasks in human life. These three dimension are relationship; identity;
and work.

Work; - This refers to what individuals are doing with their time energy and resources at their
disposal. At every stage in human life individuals face the task of how to invest their energy to
make life safer, more enjoyable and more satisfying. The concept of work as Gilmore uses it,
encompasses more than work as in employment and includes all activities, goals and ambitions
which each of us pursue.

RELATIONSHIP; - This dimension embraces the complexities of human relationship upon

which they depend for existence and substance. Relationships are not static; they either grow
and develop or become distant and wither. Individuals move in relation to one another to give
and receive care (physical and emotional), support, encouragement stability and continuity. In
considering the salient relationship issues for each of our clients the counselor should ask
himself; who cares for the client and whom does the client care for?

Identity; - while all individuals have much in common they must cope with their uniqueness
and their separateness. They are responsible for deciding what is important or unimportant for
them. They should be able to make choices and identify options while responding to life’s
challenges and demands. Problems arise when individuals delegate their existence to others as
they are responsible for choosing who they are.

4. To negotiate a contract
Counseling is a contractual activity. A contract is a negotiated agreement between the
counselor and the client, which is in two forms
 § THE CONTRACT TO COUNSEL; - this means an initial explicit agreement
between parties that counseling will take place and not friendship or sexual
relationship or advise. Making the contract to counsel typically means
§ THE COUNSELING CONTRACT; - This spells out clearly what will happe4n in
counseling in the counseling process. This is in terms of what client’s want to
achieve and what the counselor can offer. counseling contracts are typically
made when desired outcomes have been sufficiently clarified and they generally
entail some ordering priorities

Conclusion
Introducing the joharis window
How do clients become more self- aware? The joharis window helps the counselor
understand how the client gains self-awareness. The joharis window is designed from
the work of Joseph and Harry Ingham (1955)

The self

1. Known

To all 2.Blind

Hidden

a) Window 1 –known to all

This part can be viewed as our open window. It’s the part of attitudes, our behaviors and
us that we freely display and other people see, for example .the open are of the clients
window can be enlarged as the self disclose to the counselor.

b) Window 2 - Blind

This part can be viewed as the blind spot of our window .It is the part of us that we
cannot see, for example body language and other aspects of our behavior that we are
unaware of .The blind spot of the client’s window can be enlarged through feedback
from the counselor as well as from other people.
c) Window 3 - hidden

This part can be viewed as private part of our window .It is the part of us that we know
but chooses not to share with others, for examples our secrets or the thing that we feel
ashamed about. Taking risks for example by disclosing some secrets to the counselor
enlarge the hidden are of the client.

D) Widow 4 unknown to all

This part can be viewed as our closed widow .It is the part of us, which others and we
are unaware of. This part may include our motivations, unconscious needs, anxieties
and undiscovered potential .The unknown part of the client’s window can be enlarged
through the counseling process by gradually opening up memories and the gaining of
insight.

When clients come for counseling the open widow is small. When they self disclose
they expand the hidden widow.
When counselor gives feedback about you the blind window is now open.

When people get insight they are becoming aware of things, which were not in there
awareness.
The unknown window becomes open.

THE UNDERSTANDING STAGE

The understanding stage is concerned primarily with helping their clients see
themselves and their concerns in a new and more empowe5ring light .The counselor
also influences the clients to adjust their frame of references and to adopt different
views through challenging strategies. Clients are assisted to piece together the picture
that has emerged from stage one.

Challenging stimulates clients to review and to question their current frame of

references and to embrace more liberating perspective. Challenging places demand on
the clients to risk facing aspects of themselves and their concerns which they may be
avoiding or overlooking.

The understanding phase therefore is a process of journeying deeper into one self, to
clarify the impact of feeling values, attitudes and beliefs on current behavior .In this
stage the client is helped to loosen the constraining uni-dimensional forces perspectives
that remove or reduce the clients capacity for action.

What are the aims of understanding stage?

· to reassess
· To maintain the working relationship.
· To pursue the work of the contract.

To Reassess:

Reassessment means helping the clients to gain greater self-understanding and to see
their problems from a different perspective that is more empowering.

Reassessment if done well is so effective that once the clients have been faced with
alternatives they are less likely to return to their former view of reality.

To help the clients reassess the counselor’s needs to understand and take their clients’
current views or reality into account.

To maintain a working relationship

Maintaining a relationship in which they feel free to question themselves and to explore
themselves is essential. Deeper exploration also means that your relationship with them
will inevitably become closer.
NB
When clients are challenged to re assess their position they generally experience
discomfort. Letting to go their habitual ways of reviewing themselves and the world and
being prepared to change may be risky for them. Maintains the relationship as a
supportive, understanding partnership is essential in helping them express to tolerate
their discomfort and anxiety

To pursue the work of the contract

Counseling is a contractual relationship and any attempts to encourage clients to
reassess their problems should keep the contract in minds a guiding a principle.
Counselor needs to ask themselves the question ’is what am doing helping the client
towards fulfilling their contracts.”

At this of counseling, am I helping the client to understand there concern in such a way
that they se possibility for change.

STRATEGIES USED TO ACHIEVE THESE AIMS

The major strategy of achieving these aims is challenging. To challenge means to
question, to dispute, to stimulate, and to arouse. Challenge encourages clients to review
and question their current frames of reference in order to adopt new ones that are
different and more empowering.
DEEPER EXPLORATION
The focus of deeper exploration is to examine clients issues that client are either
unaware or dimly aware of as well as what they may be avoiding overlooking or
ignoring. Deeper exploration is a development of the exploration initiated in the first
stage.

HOW TO FACILITATE DEEPER EXPLORATION

· Focusing on the client’s hint.
· Identifying themes and patterns that permeate the clients life and which provide
an explanation for what is going on for them today.
· Making connections; clients may fail to make connections between events
which would enable them to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their
concerns.

WHAT TO CHALLENGE
The counselor challenges the way clients interpret events to make sense of and to fit
their view of the world or their frames of reference. The aims of challenging are to
enable the client to reassess and to gain different, less obstructed view. It is from these
different views that clients are ale to identify possibility for constructive change. A client
is challenged when any of the following is noticed

· Client overlooks resources and deficits

· Discrepancies in what the client does or say
· Any irrational believes that the client has and any inferences made from these
inferences.
· Un expressed feelings, challenging client to explore underlying feelings help
them begin to view themselves and their problems from a different angle.

HOW TO CHALLENGE
· Be tentative: this mean that communicating what you are saying is open to
correction. Challenging is aimed at helping the client to reassess themselves and
the concerns they bring in order that they set goals and take effective actions.
· Consider whether the client is able to receive the challenge and use it. Keep the
perspective you are offering close to the message, which the client is offering
close to the message which the client is conveying; Once the client hears your
review they a should wonder how they have overlooked such an obvious
perspective which reveal important clues as to how they are behaving as they
are.
· Be concrete and state precisely and clearly what you notice and think.
 · Avoid blaming; Challenging DOES NOT MEAN APPORTIONONG BLAME.
Clients are more likely to use a challenge if they feel accepted and understood
rather than criticized.
· Encourage and facilitate self challenge
Be open to challenge yourself; you should listen non-defensively when clients point out
what ways you may be helpful. you should openly share with the client when you think
the counseling process has been inhibited by imagined as having the layered
characteristics of an onion.

Action stage
The action stage of counseling deals with goals actions and termination. As a result of
self exploration and understanding process work, the client has gained a kind of clearer
understanding of themselves and their concerns .This provides the impetus for change.
Planning and taking effective action are made possible by the work done at the
exploration and understanding stages. Some clients may choose not to travel any
further with you because they have explored their concerns and gained a new view
about themselves. They are now able to see clearly what they want and how to achieve
it. Others may need help to decide what change they want t to make and they may also
need help as they try out new behaviors.

The process of action planning includes a careful evaluation of alternative goals to help
the client reach their goals and a mutual agreement to implement the chosen actions.
This means change on visible behaviors as well as changes in thinking or feelings.

Action plans are initiated in the counseling session, but a good portion of their
implementation involves activities outside the session .Real changes requires more
practice that is allowed within the sessions. In addition the transfer of learning to other
settings is critical if counseling goals are to be achieved.

AIMS OF ACTION STAGE

The following are the aims of action stage
· To decide on the appropriate changes
· To implement the changes
· To transfer the learning
· To end the counseling relationship

1. TO DECIDE ON THE APPROPRIATE CHANGES

If clients are to cope more effectively with their concerns or solve their problems they
will need to do the following;-
a. They will need to identify the specific changes they want to
make
b. The will need to check that those changes will have a particular
impact that they want
The fact that clients have explored and reassessed their problems means that they are
inclined toward change and they can see potential action. Helping clients to decide on
the appropriate change means helping them asses whatever outcome they want which
are within their resources with costs and benefits that are acceptable.

2. To implement the changes

In this stage counselors help
Decide on what actions to take and to take them. This involve exploring different
options and choosing ones that seems more appropriate as well as timing
and sequencing any actions.

An important aspect of facilitating changes is to attend to the reward and pay-off that will
accrue to the client.

3. To transfer the learning

Through the process of exploration and challenging, clients learn about aspects of
themselves and their behaviors. They are able to identify recourses which they which
they have not been utilizing fully as well as skills which they may have to develop-.
A basic assumption in counseling is that clients will be able to transfer their learning to
real life situation; however it is important to help the clients to transfer this learning by
identifying obstacles to change and planning how to overcome these obstacles. This
may involve coaching them into new behaviors.

Finally, the client will take away a mental picture of the Helper. An internalized view of
the counselor will give some clients a recourse which they can access when confronting
future problems and decisions.

4. To end the counseling relationship

The action stage of counseling relationship, in addition to goal setting an action planning
has to do with ending the counseling relationship. For most clients and counselors,
ending the relationship
Means recognizing the loss of the relationship as well as celebrating client’s new
learning. The client should be given the opportunity to explore what the end of the
counseling relationship means to them and plan a good ending.

The ending usually occurs when the client has achieved or when they are out to achieve
or when they are coping sufficiently with their concerns to need no further assistance.

Planning the end

· Counselors need to plan the end carefully by constantly checking the client’s
achievement which should signal the end of counseling.
· Adequate time should be left for client to identify and explore their feelings about
the end and loss of the relationship.
 · Clients should be alerted on the possibility of feeling sad and an experience of
loss. This is a way of giving them permission and preparing them for what may
occur.

Note; - Not all counseling relationship end when clients have completed their contract.
Some clients end prematurely they cannot be helped.

Ending the relationship

Ending provides an opportunity for clients to review their learning and their development
.the following are useful ending guideline tips;-
· Ask the client to think back to how they were at the beginning of counseling and
to compare that with what they are doing differently.
· Relate their new behaviors to the contract they made at the beginning of the
sessions and encourage them to take credit for their achievements.
· Share your perception of how they have changed and developed.
· Share and discuss what has been critical or important times in the counseling
sessions
· Explore with the client how they will use their new knowledge to tackle other
problems in future.

GOAL SETTING
Goal setting provides a rational strategy for helping clients both to generate and decide
on options for change. Goals are what the client wants to achieve .Action plans are the
how these goals will be achieved. Identifying clear outcomes helps clients avoid
ineffective action.

DEVELOPING GOALS
If goals are to be both practicable and feasible, they will need to fulfill several criteria;-
· The client should want the goals
· The client must tailor the goals
· Goals must be observable
· They must be in line with the clients values
· They must be smarty
Effective goal setting requires continued exploration and challenging. It is important that
clients are helped to explore and express both feelings and thoughts which may arise at
this time.

HOW TO SET GOALS

Clients should be helped to see their outcome from a different perspective and one that
is potentially more change oriented. Helping clients identify specifically what they want
to change entails the following;
· Imaging different futures
· Brainstorming
 · Sentence completion

Appraising the goals

(FORCE- FIELD ANALYSIS)
It is important to help the client appraise goals and decide which option to opt for. Kurt
Lewis force field analysis is useful method of making decisions. Force-field analysis
identifies two forces in the life of a client that are for or against change. These are the
restraining and facilitating forces

Restraining forces are the obstacles that are hindering the client from implementing
their action plans. Once the restraining forces have been identified, ways of coping with
them are discussed. The counselor must ensure that the client does not dwell o much
on these forces lest he becomes demoralized.

Facilitating forces are positive forces that push the client towards change. They may
be other people or recourses that they posses. Any factor that may assist they client
achieve their goals should be enhance.