Client-Centered Counselling Approach PDF

**3.5.2 Client centered counselling approach** This is also an affectively oriented counselling approach like psychoanalysis earlier discussed. Client-centered counselling is often called self-theory counselling, non -directive counselling and Rogerian counselling. The theories Carl R. Rogers label...

**3.5.2 Client centered counselling approach** This is also an affectively oriented counselling approach like psychoanalysis earlier discussed. Client-centered counselling is often called self-theory counselling, non -directive counselling and Rogerian counselling. The theories Carl R. Rogers labelled it "client-centered therapy". Like Freud, Carl Rogers had many proponents e.g. Peterson, Nicholas Hobbs and E.T. Gendlin (Shertzer and Stone. 1980). The client-centered approach stresses the ability of the client to determine the issues important to them and to solve their problems. The key quality of the counselling relationship according to this theory is the establishment of a warm permissive and acceptable climate that permits clients to explore their self-structure in relation to their unique experiences, in that way students are able to face their unacceptable characteristics without feeling threatened and anxious, they move towards acceptance of themselves and their values and are able to change these aspects of themselves that they select a needing modifications. The key concept of the self-theory according to Rogers is the self or the self as perceived object in a phenomenal field. Rogers defined the self as: An organized configuration of perceptions of the self that are admissible to awareness. It is composed of such elements as the perceptions of one's characteristics and abilities; the precepts and concepts of the self in relation to others and the environment, the value qualities that are perceived as associated with experiences and objects and goals and ideals that are perceived as having positive and negative valence (Shertzer and Stone, 1980). In the counselling process of this theory, the technique of the counsellor is the verbal reflection and or interpretation of feelings including clarification, reformulation and summarization. The client-centered counsellor does not manipulate or direct since he has no goals for the client. For the same reason he would see no point in advising the client nor would he be seen as a source of information as to how the client might better live his life. Nor does the counsellor become involved with the client as a person in an emotional or physical sense. He is kind and gentle and caring, but he must remain relatively aloof and does not share very much of himself. **3.5.3 Behavioral Counselling Viewpoint** The behavioral counselling theory is a cognitively oriented approach of taking change to students. It was propounded by as many as five more authors viz: John D. Krumboltz, Carl E. Thoresen, Jack Michael. Lee Meyerson and Ray F. Hosford. However, the contribution of Krumboltz. Thoresen and Hosford dominates literature. The theory views behavior as the function of the interaction of heredity and environment, that most common behavior is learned. Also, that behavior is modifiable by manipulation and the creation of learning conditions. Manipulation of the environment entails the use of reinforcement which is the central concept. Reinforcement are coded as: 1. Positive reinforcers if they will encourage the incidence of preferred behavior e.g. praise, affection and grades 2. Negative reinforcers or behavior that preceded the removal of stimulus events e.g. social disapproval, criticism and nagging 3. Neutral stimuli --- where behavior is not reinforced, this leads to the extinction of operation or needed action. 4. The counsellor provides affective experiences to modify client behavior in appropriate directions. 5. He stresses the use of techniques and procedures determined by him, in collaboration with the client, to remedy the inappropriate behavior patterns of the client. The manipulation of the client and/or the environment by the counsellor should he a deliberately planned technique. Since client Choice is considered as a fantasy, the client can hardly be expected to accept responsibility for what happens in the counselling process. The counsellor as an expert accepts responsibility for determining the behavior modification to be used and the means by which their effect can be measured. The counsellor as an objective scientist has the goal and duty of modifying inappropriate behavior to more appropriate behavior. He feels free to use any technique that works. Manipulation, interpretation, advising, reflection of feeling, questioning and probing, the use of information --- all of these would be acceptable technique. The key acid test question should be of the technique that work. **3.5.4 Rational Emotive Therapy** Remember that whether it is called therapy, counselling or approach in this module, we mean counselling. So rational/emotive therapy (theory of counselling) was propounded by Abed Ellis --- a clinical psychologist who specialized in the field of marriage and family counselling. The major concepts of this theory include: 1. Human beings are both rational and irrational. 2. People behave in certain ways because they believe they should or must act in such ways. 3. People possess a high degree of suggestibility and negative emotionalism (emotional guilt and hostility). 4. Emotional problems lie in illogical thinking. By maximizing one's intellectual powers one can free oneself of emotional disturbances. 5. No person is to be blamed for anything he/she does, but each person is responsible for his/her behavior. 6. Blame and anger are viewed as dysfunctional and irrational feelings 7. Thinking and emotion are not two disparate processes. The two overlap and are the same thing. Ellis believes that emotion can be controlled in the following ways: 1. By electrical or biochemical means (e.g. electroshock. treatment barbiturates or tranquilizing or energizing drugs). 2. By using one's sensory motor systems (e.g. doing movement, exercises or using yoga breathing techniques). 3. By employing one's existing emotional states and prejudices (e.g: changing oneself out of love for a parent or therapist). 4. By using one's cerebral processes (e.g. reflecting. thinking or telling oneself to calm down or become excited). The counsellor in this theory sees himself as teaching the client more appropriate modes of behavior. He sees much of the behavior as inborn, thus irrational thinking and behavior is a natural human state. The patient or client is not to blame so he cannot be expected to accept responsibility for it. The patient or client cannot be considered to be irresponsible because of inappropriate behavior which may be damaging to himself and others. The key objective is the here and now and not why. The counsellor is the teacher in control of what and which techniques to employ on the client because the other person (the client) feels something is wrong but doesn't know what to do about it.