Counselling:- Principles, Stages, Methods and Skills Needed for a Counselor in a Correctional Setting

INTRODUCTION

Counselling is a process by means of which the helper expresses care and concern towards the person with a problem, and facilitates that person’s personal growth and brings about change through self-knowledge. The British Association for Counselling (BAC) may have been the first professional association to adopt a definition of professional counselling. In 1986 it published the following definition: “Counselling is the skilled and principled use of relationship to facilitate self-knowledge, emotional acceptance and growth and the optimal development of personal resources. The overall aim is to provide an opportunity to work towards living more satisfyingly and resourcefully.

Counselling relationships will vary according to need but may be concerned with developmental issues, addressing and resolving specific problems, making decisions, coping with the crisis, developing personal insights and knowledge, working through feelings of inner conflict or improving relationships with others. The counsellor’s role is to facilitate the clients to work in ways that respect the client’s values, personal resources and capacity for self-determination.”

In 1997, the Governing Council of the American Counselling Association (ACA) accepted the following definition of professional counselling: “Counselling is the application of mental health, psychological or human development principles, through cognitive, affective, behavioral or systemic interventions, strategies that address wellness, personal growth, or career development, as well as pathology”. The Definition Also Includes These Additional Attributes:

Counselling deals with wellness, personal growth, career, and pathological concerns. In other words, counsellors work in areas that involve relationships. It includes intrapersonal and interpersonal concerns related to finding meaning and adjustment in such settings as schools, families, and careers.

Counselling is conducted with persons who are considered to be functioning well and those who are having more serious problems. Counselling meets the needs of a wide spectrum of people.

Counselling is theory based. Counsellors draw from a number of theoretical approaches, including those that are cognitive, affective, behavioral, and systemic. These theories may be applied to individuals, groups, and families.

STAGES OF COUNSELLING

Counselling is a process that may be developmental or intervening. Counsellors focus on their clients’ goals. Thus, counselling involves both choice and change.

In some cases, “counselling is a rehearsal for action. Counselling can be conceptualized as a series of stages or steps that lead one through the counselling process. Cormier and Hackney (1987) described a five-stage process: relationship building, assessment, goal setting, interventions, and termination and follow-up. Each of the stages is discussed in detail.

Stage One: Relationship Building

The successful outcomes in counselling is associated with the counsellor- client relationship which is the outcome of all therapeutic efforts. There are two necessary conditions. They are:

Counsellor- offered conditions: The core conditions for successful counselling are

Empathic understanding: (Empathic understanding as a process that involves communicating a sense of caring and understanding)
Unconditional positive regard: (counsellor communicating to clients that they are of value and worth individuals)
Congruence: (Behaving in a manner consistent with how one thinks and feels)
respect: (focuses on the positive attributes of the client)
immediacy: (direct, mutual communication)
Confrontation: (Pointing out discrepancies what the client is saying and doing)
Concreteness: (Helping Clients Discuss Themselves In Specific Terms)
Self-disclosure: (Making the self-known to others)

These eight core conditions are necessary and sufficient for constructive personality change to occur.

Counsellor- and client offered conditions: The working alliance is another concept that can be used to describe the counselling relationship. It goes beyond focusing on counsellor- offered conditions and includes counsellor- and client- offered conditions. The Working Alliance Is Composed Of Three Parts. They Are:

agreement between the counsellor and client in terms of the goals of counselling
agreement between the counsellor and client in terms of the tasks of counselling
Emotional bond between the counsellor and client.

The strength of the working alliance depends on the degree of agreement relating to goals and tasks of counselling and the level of emotional attachment between the counsellor and client.

StageTwo: Assessment and Diagnosis

Assessment and diagnosis help a counsellor develop an in-depth understanding of a client and identify mental disorders that require attention. This understanding can facilitate goal setting and also suggest the type of Intervention Strategies. Procedures Can Be Divided Into Two Categories

standardized measures–

include psychological tests that have standardized norm groups

Non-standardized measures–

include strategies such as the clinical interview and assessment of life history.

Stage Three: Formulation of Counselling Goals

Three functions that goals serve in the counselling process

Motivational function:

The clients are involved in establishing the counselling goals. They may be more motivated when they have specific, concrete goals to work toward. It is also important for counsellors to encourage clients to make a verbal commitment to work on a specific counselling goal.

Educational function:

Clients can learn new skills and behaviors that they can use to enhance their functioning. For Example, a counselling goal might be to become more assertive. During assertiveness training clients can learn skills to enhance their functioning in interpersonal situations.

Evaluative function:

Clear goals allow the counsellor and client an opportunity to evaluate progress. Counselling goals may also be conceptualized as either processor outcome.

Process Goals: These establish the conditions necessary to make the counselling process work. These goals relate to the issues of formulating positive relationships by promoting the core conditions. Process goals are primarily the counsellor’s responsibility.

Outcome goals: These specify what the client hopes to accomplish in counselling. The Counsellor and client should agree on these goals and modify them as necessary. Five Types Of Outcome Goals Include:

Facilitating behavior change
Enhancing Coping Skills
Promoting Decision- making
Improving Relationships
Facilitating The Client’s Potential.

Stage Four: Intervention and Problem Solving

The counsellor and client may choose strategies to implement from a variety of interventions, including individual, group, couples, and family counselling. It may be best to begin with individual counselling for clients with problems of an intrapersonal nature. Couples or family counselling may be more appropriate for clients with difficulties of an interpersonal nature, as in a marital or parent- child conflict. The counsellor should provide an overview of the different treatment approaches available; describe the role of the counselor and client for each procedure; identify possible risks and benefits that may result; and estimate the time and cost of each procedure. In addition, it is important for the counsellor to be sensitive to client characteristics such as values and beliefs when selecting an intervention strategy. Counsellors should also be aware of a client’s personal strengths and weaknesses in selecting a counselling approach.

A six-stage model for problem solving strategies include:

• problem detection

• problem definition

• identification of alternative solutions

• decision-making

• execution

• verification

Stage Five: Termination and Follow-Up

Termination can be done when clients have worked through their concerns and are able to proceed forward in their lives without the counsellor’s assistance. At this point, counselling can be terminated. It is usually best for a client to agree on a termination date, reducing the chance of premature termination or feelings of ambivalence. Termination should be planned several weeks in an advance to provide an opportunity for the client to prepare psychologically. The counsellor should also arrange for appropriate follow-up with the client. An appointment for a formal follow-up

counselling session can be made 2 to 4 weeks after the final session. This can allow the counsellor and client adequate time to evaluate how things are going without counselling. Clients should be reassured that they will be able to obtain additional counselling services if the need arises. They should also be informed as to how they can request these services in the future.

Principles of counselling The major principles of counseling are;

Principle of acceptance—

accept the patient with his physical, psychological, social, economic and cultural conditions.

Principle of communication—

communication should be verbal as well as non-verbal and should be skilful.

Principle of empathy—

instead of showing sympathy put yourself in patients shoes and then give reflections accordingly (Empathy is ability to identify with a person.

Principle of non-judge—

mental attitude- do not criticize or comment negatively regarding a patient’s complaints.

Principle of confidentiality—

always keep the patient’s name, and the problem strictly secrete and assure the patient about the same.

Principle of individuality—

treat each and every patient as unique and respect his problem as well.

Principles of non-emotional involvement—

not getting emotionally involved with the patient and avoiding getting carried away with his feelings.

Basic Principles of Counseling Process

According to M.C. Danieland Shafted, the counseling process is based on some basic principles:

(a)Principle of Acceptance:

According to this principle, each client must be accepted as an individual and dealt with as such. The counselor should give due regard to the rights of the client.

(b)Principle of Permissiveness: Counseling is such a relationship which develops optimism and the environment shapes according to the person. All the thoughts accept the relative relationship of counseling.

(c)Principle of Respect for the Individual: All the schools of thought of counseling advocate for the respect of the individual i.e., respecting an individual’s feelings must be an integral part of the counseling process.

(d)Principle of Thinking with the Individual:

Counseling emphasizes thinking with the individual. It is essential to differentiate what to think, for whom? And ‘why to think’? It is the role of the counselor to think about all the forces around the client to join client’s thought process and to work collectively with the client regarding his problem

(e)Principle of Learning:

All the assumptions of counseling accept the presence of learning-elements in the counseling process.

(f)Principle of Consistency with Ideals of Democracy:

All the principles are associated with ideals of democracy. The ideals of democracy desire to accept a person and want to respect the rights of others. The process of counseling is based upon the ideals of a person’s respect. It is a process which accepts individual differences.

METHODS OF COUNSELLING

Psycho dynamic:

Focused on how past experiences affect current problems concerned with unconscious drives and conflicting aspects of personality. Traditionally, the therapist takes the expert role

Interpersonal Counseling:

Diagnosis-focused Concerned with interpersonal relationship Therapist functions as a client’s ally

Client-centered Therapy:

Humanistic approach focused on realizing human potential Supports client discovery. Counselor is empathetic, non judgmental & nondirective.

Existential Therapy :

Focused on what it means to be a Non-symptom focused Clients guided in discovering unfulfilled needs and realizing potential

Cognitive-behavioral Therapy:

Focused on how both thoughts and behaviors affect outcome Evidence- based,effective and highly versatile

Mindfulness-based Counseling:

Focused on feelings and thoughts in the moment, and without judgment. Includes CBT with a Buddhist-based mindfulness component highly versatile

Rational Emotive Therapy:

Focused on how faulty thinking relates to distress. The therapist is active and directive

RealityTherapy:

Focused on the present-day Non-symptom focused Promotes individual responsibility and taking control of one’s life. Counselor is positive and nonjudgmental

Constructionist Therapy:

Focused on how cultural influences and interpretations shape meaning Strong interest in language. Client-driven, counselor acts as collaborator

SystemicTherapy:

Focused on how systems (e.g., school, work, family) affect underlying issues. Therapist collaborates with people across and within systems

NarrativeTherapy:

Focused on the stories we tell ourselves about who we are Counselor works collaboratively to create alternate stories

CreativeTherapy:

Focused on the use of artistic expression as a cathartic release of positive feeling. Highly versatile— music and various art mediums may be used.

SKILLS NEEDED FOR A COUNSELOR IN CORRECTIONAL SETTING

The personal and professional qualities and skills of counselors are very important in facilitating any helping relationship, and thereby bringing about therapeutically transformation in another person (i.e., the client). Okun (1982) notes that “It is very hard to separate the helper’s personality characteristics from his or her levels and styles of functioning, as both are interrelated”.

Individuals who possess the following characteristics may become successful counselors.

• Self-Awareness-

It means to be aware of oneself i.e., one’s own thoughts, feelings, attitudes, strengths, weaknesses, biases, behaviors’ and their effect on others. Counselors who are self-aware are likely to have clear perception of their own and clients‟ needs and accurately assess both. Such awareness helps counselors ‟to be honest with themselves and others and build trust and communicate clearly and accurately.

•Empathy-

Theempathic behavior is the ability of a counselor to stand in the shoes of the client i.e., to see the things from the point of view of the client. The quality of empathy is a must for the counseling process to succeed. Rogers (1961) describes empathy as the counselor’s ability to “enter the client’s” phenomenal world– to experience the client’s as if it were your own without ever losing the as if quality.

Empathy has two components:

Primary empathy is the ability to respond in such a way that it is apparent to both client and counselor that the counselor has understood the client.

Advanced empathy “is a process of helping a client explore themes, issues, and emotions new to his or her awareness”.

•Unconditional Positive Regard-

Rogers came up with a term called, unconditional positive regard ‟to refer to„ necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic change ‟in the counseling relationship. Rogers emphasized that the counselor’s positive feeling for the client must never be conditional in nature. Counselor should have non-judgmental, positive and genuine dispositions towards the client irrespective of the client’s feelings or emotions.

•Genuineness-

Genuineness on the part of the counselor is very important. In its most basic sense it means acting without using a façade ”functioning without hiding behind the veneer of one’s role or professional status. A genuine interest in the client is a must for the counseling process to succeed. Rogers (1958) suggests that the counselor should be a real person to his/her clients.

•Warmth- The quality of being warm refers to a situation, where a person shows interest in another individual/group. “Cold” individuals rarely become good counselors. There is an element of support involved in being warm. Warmth implies attentiveness as well as patience to listen. A word of caution here, a too warm counselor may lead towards the development of over- dependence on the part of the client. The ideal feeling of being warm is the one which demonstrates that the counselor is non-judgmental and is honestly interested in his/her client.

•Attentiveness-

Empathy is fostered by attentiveness– the amount of verbal and nonverbal behavior shown to the client. Verbal behaviors’ include communications that show a desire to comprehend or discuss what is important to the client. (Cormierand Cormier, 1991). These behavior’s (which include probing, requesting clarification, restating, and summarizing feelings). Indicate that the counselor is focusing on the client. Equally important are the counselor’s non verbal behaviors. Egan (1990) summarizes five non verbal skills involved in attending and which conveys to the client that the counselor is interested in and open to him/her.

Skills are abbreviated as SOLER

S: Face the clients quarely; that is, adopt a posture that indicates involvement.

O: Adopt an open posture. Sit with both feet on the ground to begin with and with Your hands folded, one over the other.

L: Lean toward the client. However, be aware of the client’s space needs.

E: Maintain eye contact. Good eye contact with the clients indicates that the counselor is attuned to the client. For others, less eye contact may be appropriate.

R: As a counselor incorporates these skills into his/her attending or listening skills, he or she should relax.

•Concreteness-

It can be termed as a type of skill. It is an ability to listen to what is being said by the client, instead of what’s being implied. Concreteness in counseling is essential, if the counseling process has to succeed. A counselor possessing the skill of “concreteness” does not go for details (regarding psychological explanations) of what the client is speaking about, but instead tries to understand what the client is trying to express. Any quick, pre conceived or initial judgment about what the client is saying is not particularly helpful. In fact, it may be counter productive. The concept of concreteness almost integrates all the important elements of the counseling process. A concrete counselor, invariably, listens to and accepts what the client is saying and does not quickly make his judgments.

•Objectivity-

To remain objective in the counseling process means to be able to stand back and observe whatever is happening from a neutral frame of reference and not be distorted by perceptions, biases and expectations.

•Open Mindedness-

Open Mindedness means freedom from fixed preoccupations and an attitude of open receptivity to whatever the client is expressing. The open minded counselor is able to accommodate the client’s values, feelings and perceptions even if they are different from his or her own. Open- mindedness also implies the ability to listen, to respond, and to interact with the client free from the constraints of imposing value criteria. As per Anderson, Leper and Ross (1980) if the counselor is not open- minded he will persist in believing incorrect things about a client, even in the face of countervailing evidence.

•Sensitivity-

Sensitivity is a prime factor in contributing to counselor effectiveness. It implies that the counselor makes a deeper and spontaneous response (cognitive and emotional response) to the client’s needs, feelings, conflict, doubts and soon.

•Non Dominance-

The non-dominant counselor is one who is capable of sitting back and allowing the client to initiate and direct the course of counseling interview. Counseling requires the counselor to be able to listen to whatever the client expresses and listening is possible only if the counselor controls any dominating tendencies.

•Confrontation-

Counselor’s ability to confront should not be understood in a negative connotation. In confrontation the counselor challenges the client to examine, modify, or control an aspect of behavior that is improperly used. A good, responsible and appropriate confrontation produces growth and encourages an honest examination of oneself.

Example of Confrontation: “You have said you want to change this behavior but it seems you keep doing it over and over again. Help me to understand what is going on and how repeating this pattern is helpful to you.”

•Sense of Humor-

Humor involves giving a funny, unexpected response to a question or situation. It requires both sensitivity and timing on part of the counselor. A sense of humor comes quite handy, in rescuing most of the sensitive or delicate situations. It is never aimed at demeaning anyone. It also does not mean that a counselor should start taking the conversation during a counseling session lightly. If used properly, it is a clinical tool that has many therapeutic applications‟ (Ness 1989). Humor can circumvent client’s resistance, dispel tension and help clients distance themselves from psychology. Even subjects dubbed as taboos‟, can be easily confronted with the help of a sense of humor.

A correctional counselor, or prison counselor, works in correctional facilities to help inmates work through their issues. This counselor will work with inmates one-on-one to explore mental health concerns, mindset issues, and emotional problems that may lead to re-engaging with criminal behaviors. Counselors employed by state prisons and county jails assess inmates to determine risk of re-offending, anger and impulse control, substance abuse,mental health, education and adjustments to prison life, according to Key Sun, a former correctional counselor and author of “Correctional Counseling: A Cognitive Growth Perspective. “Counselors in correctional facilities counsel inmates and provide case management, which involves matching needs with available services and treatments. They also maintain and update records on the inmates they counsel and serve as witnesses in disciplinary hearings for offenders in their caseloads. Correctional counselors work with criminal offenders, both in and out of prison, to identify reasons for criminal behavior, provide appropriate interventions, monitor actions and try to prevent recidivist activity. These counselors work in correctional facilities, as well as probation and parole offices. Their specific roles and responsibilities vary with the settings in which they work.

CONCLUSION

Counselors may encourage the client to examine parts of their lives that they may have found difficult or impossible to face before. There may be some exploration of early childhood experiences to throw some light on why an individual reacts or responds in certain ways in given situations. This is often followed by considering ways in which the client may change such behaviors’. Good counselling should reduce the client’s confusion, allowing them to make effective decisions leading to positive changes in their attitude and/or behavior. The ultimate aim of counselling is to enable the client to make their own choices, reach their own decisions and act upon them.

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