At times one is confronted with circumstances that are
difficult to fathom or make sense of. Your reaction to those situations is also
unexplainable to yourself. Here is when counseling comes into the picture. A
counselor is a person who makes sense of your emotions, reactions,and behavior,
which are beyond yourself.
It is a sort of therapy that lets the affected person share
their lives’ turmoil, feelings,and emotionsand innermost fears to another
person in a safe and private environment without the fear that the information
will reach someone else. It is a way to explain your emotions, happening in
your life to another person who would look at it objectively give feedback and
also chart out a solution path to help the person, and assist in solving a
problem.
Counseling involves a lot of things, beginning with
theexploration of the person’s mental condition, one-on-one assessment by the
counselor. People sometimes get comfortable sharing their details with a
stranger as compared to a known person for fear of being judged. A counselor
helps to make sense of one’s behavior and attitude by delving deep into the
person’s past, their history and digging out details which the person might
think to be irrelevant and of no consequence. Counselling has helped people
deal with their past, present and also prepare them for uncertainties in the
future and strengthened their mental balance.
But counseling comes with its stigma, people known to be
taking advice are branded crazy or cuckoo by the general people, without
understanding their situation. Earlier people who consulted a counselor would
keep this information hidden, for fear of being derided or humiliated. But now
the society is moving away from this; people are more accepting of mental
health conditions and problems in general. With therise in awareness and
exposure, people are more cognizant of psychological health issues,and society
as a whole is taking measures to deal with them.
In layman’s words, counseling is asking for a friendly ear
and share personal issues and problems which every person faces, with a new
individual, to understand their perspective on the problem.
Talking and
discussing is considered to be half battle won in such situations. Most people
are very hesitant about sharing personal details, but once they do, it is known
to be hugely beneficial.
Apart from making one understand their mental state and get
a fresh perspective, counseling also helps in motivating people to reach their
best potential. Even more than helping figure about one’s problems, it plays a
significant role in resolving theconflict between individuals, be it family,
friends,etc. Relationships problems were earlier brushed under the carpet; now
they are acknowledged and determined with the help of a counselor.
Typically a counselling session involves the following steps
– identifying problems and their impact on one’s self; exploring ways to deal
with those issues; identifying patterns on recurring reactions if any and
dealing with them; charting out plans to work on relationships; building on
one’s hopes, dreams, ideas and passions and work on them.
Counseling is a very significant exercise in our society,and
a counselor needs to possess an essential skill to be able to perform to the best
of his/her abilities. The most important is the habit of actively listening and
responding appropriately to make the person comfortable to share relevant information
about his/her life. Post-listening, asking questions is the second step which
involves, asking significant issues which make the person reveal precise details
about their lives which they otherwise would not. The counselor would then need
to reflect on what transpired after the exchange of information and gauge the
sentiments of the person and how to tackle them the best.
Being empathetic is also one fundamental characteristic of a
counselor where they try and feel what the person is going through, relate to
his/her pain points so that they can assist them to the best of their
abilities. Counselors need to be kind, genuine, confident individuals who
understand human emotions and guide their client out of their difficulties by
making them emotionally and mentally stable.
Some counseling theories are used as a guideline to
understand human nature and to determine which counseling skill would work best
with a person. These range from Psychoanalytic Theory, Person-Centered Therapy,
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, The Family Systems Model among others.
Counseling is about creating healthy relationships with your
clients that will push and empower them to strive for mental health and to
reach their goals. Through the use of intentional counseling techniques and an
understanding of human behavior developed through counseling theories,
counselors can help people achieve a pinnacle of mental health. In a country
like ours where there is a shortage of doctors, there are even less medical
professionals who provide counseling assistance. But now things are changing
people are openly accepting of mental problems and seeking help, breaking away
from the stigma attached to it.
Nowadays if somebody admits being seeking counseling help,
they are more people who reach out and offer to help. It may be either by
providing their time by listening or guiding them through the process of
counseling. This is a very evident change in our society, which is applauded
able.
Sometimes our beliefs or expectations of ourselves or counseling
results in a delay in getting help until we reach our saturation point and the
circumstance become serious. While no problem is too big or small, many people
tell us that they wish they'd taken to counseling sooner and saved themselves a
lot of grief.
As individuals what we can do at a personal level is to be
aware of our mental and emotional health and strive to do that for others,
where you encourage a healthy psychological living. Assist or help people by
lending a friendly ear or take them to your nearest counselor, a certifies
professional who can help them.
Laura Wasser has rightly said,
“Sometimes, just the act of venting is helpful. Counselling
provides a haven for precisely that kind of free-ranging release. You can say
things in a therapist’s office with the therapist present, which would be
hurtful in your living room.”
Counseling Process
The counseling is a process where the concerned counselor
tries see the world through his patient’s eyes. In the process the Counselor
talks with patients about their personal life. Counseling is a process of
helping a person to learn more about themselves. So that you become aware of
your self-existence like what you are thinking at a time? What are you talking
about yourself? Thus you will better understand the inner you and your
environment as well.
Counseling will help you to have a good life and will leave
a positive impact on your life.
To get the desired results through a counseling process, one
has to be very active while the counseling process and one haveto be committed
that “I will feel better and will work together with the counselor to find out
the problem and to solve it a good manner.” In such circumstances, counseling
will help a person more rapidly.
Counseling is a process in which a person has to meet with
their counselor at least two to three times in a week to have a better
understanding between each other. Counseling creates a unique relationship
between him and the client.
Counseling is a process that will undoubtedly take time. It
is not a process in which you will see results in a day. It is a slow process
in which a counselor first understands the issue of the person and then become
a friend to person so that person can talk about their problem as well. After
knowing well about the person, the counselor uses the method which will help
the person to solve the problem. Thus counseling process is a slow process which
takes time to leave an impact on the person’s life but it will be the enjoyable
experience for the person and will change the life of the person positively.
The focus of counseling is to do slow changes in the life of
the one. The setback may be the part of the change process,but the difference
is very slow and becomes noticeable after a long time. Sometimes people think
that if they attend counseling sessions,and it will immediately change their
lives,but no it does not look accurate. Counseling will not change everything
quickly as it will take time.
Old habits and unwanted thoughts are not easy to change,but
you will see a significant difference after a long time if you are attending
counseling sessions. As it is hard to get rid of the unwanted thoughts,but you
don’t have to give up. If you try your best, then counseling will change your way
of life that you live before. Real change needs your efforts,and your hard work
so doesn’t give up whether will be the circumstance. Counseling process will
help you,and you can enhance your life in a better way. You can grow and improve your experience with
the help of a counselor or a counseling process.
Steps in the counseling process:
What are the levels that one has to follow? Now as in any activity there is a beginning,
a middle stage and an end similar to the counseling. The counseling has three
steps which are the beginning of the counseling process, the intermediate stage
of the counseling process and an end of the counseling process. So at the
beginning stage, the first step of the counseling is “entry.”
Step 1: Entry and clarification: In this step, a counselor
tells you that, everything they will talk about will be credential and does not
share withanyone. So that you will be open to open up the things which you want
to get rid of.In this step, a relationship has been created among both the
counselor and you. In this counselor will provide a comfortable environment to
you because if you are not satisfied then building relationships and solving
theproblem will be very difficult or can say it is not possible.
Step 2: Assessment and defining: In this step of
the counseling process, the counselor will understand the problem associated
with the person and the person will start sharing about their issue and open up
with the counselor. It is the most critical
step in a counseling process as if the client or person will not be comfortable
and will not share the problem with you then counselor may not help the person
to solve the problem. So creating a relationship and sharing issues are most
important.
Step 3: Goal setting:After knowing the problems associated
with the person via inquiry or observation, the counselor set goals with the
person,but the goal should be feasible, realistic and achievable. Remember
don’t set the purposes which are not possible. Then the counselor helps to
person to show the positive side of the things the person have to achieve the
goal and encourage the person to accomplish the goal.
Step 4: Interventions: This is the primary counseling
process in which a person starts to see the changes in. In an intervention, a
counselor plan a strategy to solve the problem and apply the approach to the
person. The person begins seeing a little step by step difference in behavior
and the problem start becoming unnoticeable to others. Thus the person leads
to getting success in the problem solving and will gain more confidence.
Step 5: Terminating: If the intervention is done, the
terminating stage occurs. Look intervention also depends upon the type of the
problem the person suffering from. Termination of the counseling will take
three to four sessions sometimes it can be done within two sessions only. It
depends upon whether the client has belief that in himself/ herself that the
problem is solved now. It depends on the client mindset up and as well as the
counselor should be sure about the issue is cured or it becomes unnoticeable
to others.
Thus these are the five stages of the counseling process
through which the counselor and the client have to solve the problem. At the
end of the counseling, the goal is achieved which has been setup by both
counselor and the client.
Remember a thing sometimes the problem is not entirely cured
even the problem is solved only up to ten percent of the cases,but the
counselor motivates the person to live a life as ordinary people live,and the
client will be able to live as learning with the help of the counseling
process.
Confidentiality
What does confidentiality mean?
Confidentiality means keeping things private. The
information which somebody had shared with you and then you don’t have to share
the information with anybody else that is called confidentiality. So, privacy is
nothing but to keep a matter or information secret.
While talking about the confidentiality of patient to a
counselor.Secrecy is the right of the client. Suppose you are going to meet a
counselor and you share private information of you with your counselor then it
is the duty of the counselor that he/she will keep your information private and
didn’t say to anybody. As a counselor or a therapist, you must keep the
patient’s information up to you. And you must keep the client’s data in
confidence and doesn’t say anything to anybody else.
At the first stage of the counseling, the counselor has to
explain the restrictions of confidentiality to their client so that the client
will come in confidence of the counselor and can share the information with
a counselor. A counselor will take his client in belief while telling him/her
about the complete confidence that the counselor is going to provide to
the client.
But in some cases like the illegal work like the matter of
suicide, child abuse or any other unlawful thing which the person want going to
do then you have to disclose under the terms. Confidentiality is the fundamental principle,but as
discussed above there are some exceptional situations when privacy can’t be
guaranteed. All the counseling sessions are very much confidential,and nothing
will be disclosed without the permission of the client.
When you start to take counseling sessions then firstly you
have to sign an agreement before taking the counseling sessions. In this
agreement, you have to read the terms and the conditions which the client, as
well as the counselor, has to follow. It also includes the confidentiality
policy. In which no one from outside has access to your personal information
unless you have given consent.
Confidentiality can help to give a safe space to your client
by the counselor. Secrecy is what you keep apart from any other person that the
client comes in contact with professional or otherwise.
Thus overall confidentiality is the fundamental principle
that a person does not have to reveal information about their clients to the
third party without the consent of the client or a legal reason. This becomes
law in many countries based on this concept.
This concept is also applied to the information of the bank
details and as well as on the medical record.
The responsibilities of the counselor are:
A counselor has to ensure that a client’s confidentiality
should not be breached so that you would not violate the trust of your client. When it comes to the safety of the client, then a counselor
has a right to disclose the information which a counselor has stored either in
written format or in video format with the consent of the client.
You have to provide the support to your client whatever be
the case but not in illegal circumstances. But remember if your client has
goals which are unlawful like terrorism then you have to disclose the
information. When a counselor needs the help of the family members or the
colleagues to solve the problem of the person, then the counselor should seek
the advice of any family member or colleagues to help the patient to get rid of
the situation when it is bothering someone. A counselor should improve his or
her client till then he or she can do.
You have to maintain the information of the client like the
phone number, email address, address of the client. Keep the files up to date
so that you can access the information at any time. So it is necessary to
maintain the knowledge of the client up to date.
Benefits of the confidentiality in counseling:
Confidentiality is the necessary part to maintain the
relationship between client and counselor. A lot of information is sensitive
which a client did not want to open up to others thus in such case
confidentiality is essential.
It will help a counselor to gain the faith of his client so
that he or she will open up the situation or the problem which he or she would
not want to talk about. As well as if your client know that the data is
confidential then he or she feels more comfortable to talk about their problem.
Confidentiality will improve your relationship with your
client as you will take your client in confidence that you will not go to
disclose the information with anybody else then it will make a bond between
both of you and client will generate a complete trust on you. Thus
confidentiality helps in improving the relationship between counselor and
client.
Though the use of the confidentiality a counselor will give
a comfortable environment to their client and can ask about their personal life
as the client has signed an agreement. The data whether it I wrote or verbal, any data will not be
disclosed to the third party,or even if you don’t want then it will not also
be published to your family,but there are some illegal expectations as well.
As the counselor will explain the limit of the
confidentiality as well and the risks associated with this and tell about the
benefits of the confidentiality so that one will have complete trust in
the counselor. While the counselor can have all the counseling sessions in the
video format or the written form but still counselor can’t disclose or open up
to the third party. This also applies to
the electronic counseling like telephonic counseling as well.
After signing an agreement, your counselor will behave like
as a friend with you to solve out your problems. And you will share all your
questions more comfortably as you share with your friend.
Because of a large number of benefits which are discussed
above, confidentiality is necessary when talking about counseling. Thus as a
right of the client, It becomes a duty of counselor to keep all the information
secret.
How counseling helps - Insight on counseling and counselor
Every time, every human being will have problems. It can be
financial matters; issues related to grades, studies or academics, issues
related to personal life or it could also be due to loneliness. For instance, a
wealthy person who has all the facilities that he needs, who has all the
comforts and money in his life might not have a happy life with his family.
Then that becomes a state of the problem. A person who has a happy family and
happy personal life is suffering because he has not got proper employment and
has not even a little amount of money to feed his family. Then the employment
issue becomes his problem. In this way, every person and every sector of people
on earth have their issues to deal with.
There may be a lot of difficulties in life and life is all
about dealing with these kinds of problems. But, all the question arises
only when your heart gives up at such times. At such times, the person feels
that there is nobody to help him out and there starts the actual problem in
life. This might sometimes lead to cases where the person is so stressed out
that suicidal tendencies start developing in their life. One will feel that one
have none to rely upon and will think that he has to deal with all the problems
by himself. This kind of tendencies and feelings are hard for the mind,and they
are these kind destructive thoughts that one should not even think of. To help
you out in all these, here is the method of counseling. If you feel any of such
kind of thoughts, then be sure that you consult an excellent counselor first
before you take any step further regarding the issue.
What should you do at such times in life?
Be it any situation; when you feel that you are going to
sink in such kind of thoughts, then you should make your heart strong enough to
fight all such circumstances. You should stay prepared to face any situation in
life. But, sometimes in the worst case scenario, it so happens that the job
gets entirely out of control and you no matter how much you have been preparing
for this all the time, all of that goes vain. At such times, you will feel
low,and you will think that you need to have a shoulder to rest on and share
all your sorrows. Even when that fails, many counselors are out there to help
you.
How does counseling help:
Well, counseling is a simple act wherein you will be either
given advice on how to deal with your issue or you will be prepared to be
strong enough to deal with your problems,or you will be given the moral support
depending on what suits you the best.
All you have to do is, whenever you think that you are not
able to handle any situation or if the position is such that you will not be
able to tell this to anybody and you cannot stop thinking about it, then just visit
your counselor. If you do not have a regular counselor than just take the help
of the Google and find one counselor or ask somebody who has already been there
and gets to know the details.
Go to the counselor and tell him all your problems
peacefully. You can share anything with your counselor and be sure enough that
he is not going to let your secrets to anybody else. He will assure you that he
will keep all that you discuss with him only between you and him. Such is the
dedication that they hold and the ethics that they carry about their
profession.
You might be wondering what the counseling is just a one-man
talk and then after you are done the counselor will only provide you suitable
option on how you can solve it.
A good counselor:
If you are thinking so, then you are entirely wrong. The art
of counseling itself does not follow that way. A good counselor not just
listens to you but also sees to it that he is making you feel comfortable by
being posing questions and raising doubts and being interactive enough. Because
being in that profession, he knows that being interactive with the client does
a great deal of help and one will definitely enter that comfort zone with the
counselor. He will make you forget that he is the counselor and make you feel
that he is one person whom you have known for a long time. This kind of bonding
with the client relaxes the client more and helps him to open up about his
issues.
The counselor, at the end of the conversation, will not do
any miracles as such. He will provide you with the possible options that are
there to solve your particular issue. It is not that you are not sensitive
enough to think of them. It is just that your brain is not ready to function
and work at that particular time because you are under peer pressure by all the
problems that you have been handling as such. The counselor will just take off
all those tensions from your head and get you back to the regular self.
It is a food feeling when you are over stressed,and you
cannot handle your thoughts,and someone helps you out with it to get you back
to your actual self. It is nice to have someone by your side to share all your
problems with and seek help from them. A counselor is more like a best friend
who will listen to your issues and help you out. The only difference is that he
will not be there with you all the time and he will be available only for that
period in life when you have difficulties.
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For
more details on best service counseling in New Delhi India or Online Distance
counseling, visit:
Dr S K Sharma
Dr S K Sharma
Ethos
Healthcare
T 12, Green Park Extension,
New Delhi 110016. India.
Ph: +91-11-46026700, +91-11-26164016
Cell/Whatsapp - +91-9810155920
T 12, Green Park Extension,
New Delhi 110016. India.
Ph: +91-11-46026700, +91-11-26164016
Cell/Whatsapp - +91-9810155920
Website:
www.ethoscounselingclinic.com
and
www.ethoscounselingclinic.com
and
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