Mrs. JULIENNE ROSE P. SABALLA, RGCHead, Guidance Office

St. Scholastica’s College Tacloban

BASIC PEER COUNSELORS SEMINAR TRAINING WORKSHOP

PEER PEER COUNSELINGCOUNSELING

Basic Assumptions

Simply stated, counseling is any relationship in which one person is helping another person to better understand and solve some problem.

• --is a short-term, theory-based, non-directive, non-judgmental process.

• -- during this process, a person (client) who is basically psychologically healthy and facing adjustment, developmental and/or situational concerns or problems is empowered to gain awareness of him/herself and of his/her situation and to make decisions through the support and assistance offered by another person (counselor) through their relationship.

COUNSELING

PEER COUNSELING

Indications

Group Size

LocationA counseling session can be held in any private, quiet, comfortable environment which is free from disturbances.

Purpose of Counseling

GOALS of Counseling

Counseling Perspective

COUNSELOR

Counseling Perspective

COUNSELEE

PRINCIPLES of COUNSELING

RELATIONSHIP

the processIn considering the counseling process, think of a beginning, a middle and an end – each with main areas of focus/tasks to accomplish. Think process.

* Applies as a whole (1st to last session)

*Within sessionsBuilt upon a solid foundation of relationship, moving forward toward goals…a blend of art and of scienceApplies in all theoretical orientations

THE HELPING MODEL(the process)

Stage 1: PRESENT SCENARIO

(identifying/clarifying problems, situations, and unused

opportunities)

THE HELPING MODEL

(the process)Stage 2: Preferred Scenario

(goal setting / developing a more desirable scenario

THE HELPING MODEL(the process)

Stage 3: GETTING A NEW SCENARIO

(ACTION: moving towards the preferred goal)

STAGES in the Counseling PROCESS

General Counseling StrategiesRelationship Strategies

AttendingEmpathic UnderstandingRespectingGenuine and TransparentListeningRespondingCaringEnsuring Emotional Stability

General Counseling StrategiesInterviewing

StrategiesVerbalNon-VerbalSilenceMessagesClarifyingReflectingInquiringSummarizing

General Counseling StrategiesAssessment Strategies

Coping Levels Resources and Referrals

Evaluation of SituationExploring AlternativesDetermining Appropriate

Commonly used interventions and techniques in the

counseling processListeningProviding InformationSkillful questioning and summarizingNon-judgmental respectEmpathetic understandingWarmth and genuinenessHumor

BASIC Techniques

in Counseling

BASIC COUNSELING TECHNIQUES

• “Why” = Bad Counseling• Pay attention to how you

look:– Arms– Position in Chair– Face

• Pay attention to how you sound:– Tone of voice– Rate of speech

• Counselor Matching vs. Opposite Modeling of behavior

BASIC COUNSELING TECHNIQUES

• Empathy is a MUST!!!• Reflection of Feelings:– Parroting– Paraphrasing– Reflecting– Summarizing– Clarification

COUNSELING SKILLS

COUNSELING SKILLS

COUNSELING SKILLS

COUNSELING SKILLS

Characteristics of Effective Counselors

Personal Characteristics of Effective Counselors: Corey, (2001)

Characteristics of Effective Counselors

Personal Characteristics of Effective Counselors: Corey, (2001)

Characteristics of Effective Counselors

Personal Characteristics of Effective Counselors: Corey, (2001)

• Effective counselors have an identity• They respect and appreciate themselves• They are able to recognize and accept their

own power• They are open to change• They are making choices that shape their

lives• They feel alive, and their choices are life-

oriented• They are authentic, sincere, and honest.

Characteristics of Effective Counselors

Personal Characteristics of Effective Counselors: Corey, (2001)

• They have a sense of humor• They make mistakes and are willing to admit

them.• They generally live in the present.• They appreciate the influence of culture• They have a sincere interest in the welfare of

others.• They become deeply involved in their work

and derive meaning from it.• They are able to maintain healthy

boundaries.

Activities & Discussion Topics

• Take a position of the issue: “Counselors should be required to undergo their own personal therapy before they should become practitioners”. Defend your position.

• List some of your personal strengths, values, beliefs, past experiences, and so on, that you think will work in your favor in establishing a meaningful and therapeutic relationship with clients. How might these get in your way?

Topics for Discussion

• If you were looking for a counselor yourself, what characteristics would you want?

• Discuss the possible therapeutic value of developing a sense of humor. When might humor be appropriate & inappropriate in a session?

• If you were in a job interview, how would you respond to the question: “What do you consider to be the most pressing & central ethical issue facing counselors”?

Topics for Discussion

EXERCISES

Intern Jack & the “difficult client”Jack, a counselor intern, is working in a university counseling center, Mai-Ling, a freshman who came to the US from mainland China with her parents 8 years ago, has come for her first session with Jack and has agreed to let him audiotape the session from his supervisor. She states that she has come for help in deciding whether to continue in her 2-year associate degree program or switch to a baccalaureate program in computer science. Jack, very much aware that his supervisor will be listening for reflections of feelings and other attending skills, asks Mai-Ling how she feels about being confronted with this decision. She responds by simply restating her problem. The session continues in this fashion, with Jack probing for the client’s feelings and the client responding in a cognitive, content-oriented manner. After the session ends, Jack determines to ask his supervisor how to build rapport with this “difficult client.”

Intern Jack & the “difficult client”

• What is the problem in this case?• Not sensitive to cultural differences• High vs. Low context cultures• How can this be avoided in this

case?

EXERCISES

Lynn, Elaine, & the DivorceLynn has been counseling Elaine, a 30-year-old client.

During this session, Elaine states that she wishes she could just walk away from her marriage, but she can’t do it because it would traumatize her children. Lynn, herself a child of divorce whose father abandoned the family, further explores Elaine’s fears for the children. At one point she ways, “Well, yes, the statistics do show that a lot of kids lose touch with their fathers after divorce. It would be really hard for them if that happened. It could even have repercussions well into their adult years.”

EXERCISES

Lynn, Elaine, & the Divorce

• What is the problem in this case?

• Transference?• How can this be

avoided in this case?

The Parents will Know Marsha Takes Drugs!

Marsha, age 15, has been seeing her school counselor for several weeks. Although Marsha’s parents & her teachers have been concerned about her erratic behavior, Marsha has asserted that she is “just moody.” Now, she admits that she has been buying & using cocaine. After further exploration, the counselor believes that Marsha has been taking some serious risks, not only by using the drug, but also by making her purchases from various dealers in an unsafe area of the city. The counselor lets Marsha know that , because of the danger her behavior is putting her in, her parents will need to be informed. Marsha is outraged. Even though the counselor had told her that she couldn’t uphold confidentiality if her behavior posed a danger to herself or others, Marsha insists it doesn’t apply here. She says, “I know what I’m doing. I’ve been buying coke for months now and nothing bad has happened to me. I trusted you and now you’ve betrayed me. This is sure the last time I’ll ever see a counselor!”

EXERCISES

The Parents will Know Marsha Takes Drugs!

• What is the problem in this case?

• Not sensitive to cultural differences

• How can this be avoided in this case?

DOMO ARIGATOU!