One way or many ways of helping people, involves the use of particular skills for specific purposes. Most common way involves giving others particular help. People come to counselling for help in resolving their problems. Effective counselling helps people change. Counsellors empower clients so that they can make their own decisions. A form of communication with explicit contract. Contracting helps make the counselling process transparent.
It is a confidential and non-judgemental form of helping
It is based on the principle of empowerment
Is it a relationship in which one person help another
It may take place a group setting, where one person may help several people in a group
Special kind of listening called ‘active listening’
It is a process which helps people to clarify and address problems
It recognises that each person is unique with unique experiences
It is guided by theories about the causes of problems, and the methods needed for help
It is an activity carried out by trained professions.
The following is a definition offered by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy: “counselling takes place when a counsellor sees a client in a private and confidential setting to explore a difficulty the client the client is having, distress they may be experiencing or perhaps their dissatisfaction with