Foundation of Education

Key Unit Competence:

Identify cases where guidance and counselling is needed in the classroom

context and devise appropriate strategies for intervention

Introductory activity

Read the case scenario and reflect on it.

DUSENGE is a 9 years old, primary school learner, who was diagnosed with a chronic disease when he was 3 months old. While growing up, he has been required to go to the hospital every other month. He now only has to go about once or twice a year. Unfortunately, DUSENGE started refusing medicines. His mother, Sylvia, is concerned about the fact that DUSENGE is refusing to take his medication. She has noticed that DUSENGE is starting to cough more and gets exhausted much easier and his academic performance has lowered noticeably. He stopped taking the medication about two months after Patrick, a friend that DUSENGE had met in the hospital and were studying in the same grade, died. DUSENGE had maintained a friendship with Patrick for about 2 years. DUSENGE respected Patrick because he was one of the few learners who did not consider him a sick person. Patrick had been waiting for a lung transplant, and DUSENGE had observed him rapidly decline in health. DUSENGE refused to discuss Patrick’s death with his mother. And recently, there were long periods of time when he would not speak to her at all.

a) Does this case need guidance and counselling? Why?

b) What action a teacher can take?

c) In your school/class, do you find any other cases similar to the above one, which need guidance and counselling?

9.1. Qualities of a counsellor

Activity 9.1

Explore these pictures and answer to questions.

a) Which activity is being taken place on pictures above?

b) Describe different skills which are on these pictures above.

c) How will you relate these situations with what does your teacher or members of school staff?

Professional counsellors are licensed mental health therapists who provide assessment, diagnosis and counselling to people facing a variety of life stresses and psychological problems. They help people with relationship issues, family problems, job stress, mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, and many other challenging problems that can impact feelings of well-being and happiness. To be effective in their roles, counsellors should enjoy helping others and possess specific attributes and skills.

Rowland (2014) asserted that being a school counsellor is difficult work. School counsellors often have little time to tend to hundreds or thousands of students, but the impact that they can have makes the profession one of the most helpful. She further established 10 of the top traits every school counsellor should have:

Be a good listener.

The first thing that comes to mind is that school counsellors must be able to listen. To their students, parents, and other faculty members…A large portion of a counsellor’s time is spent listening and processing the information given to you by others. Remember to listen first and ask questions later. If you need clarification on something, always speak up but be sure to add details that let the person know you heard what they said in the first place. Listening is a crucial trait for any school counsellor to possess.

Be able to assess.

Part of a counsellor’s job is to make accurate assessments of their students to prepare them for life beyond school. If you want to work in a high school setting, this includes being able to accurately assess a student’s successes and shortcomings when it comes to making college choices, where to apply, and helping them narrow down what can be a daunting list of choices. Making these assessments accurately – and being able to report your findings to parents, another faculty, or higher education institutions – is an important part of counselling.

Be an excellent communicator.

Having excellent communication skills is one of the most important skills a school counsellor can have. Being able to communicate ideas, thoughts, and feelings verbally is a trait that can never go unsung as a school counsellor. Often, you

will be bouncing ideas off a student to help them reach a crucial decision – or discussing a student with their parent or a team of faculty members. Making sure that you can convey your assessment of your student verbally is vital.

Appreciate diversity.

Students come from a multitude of backgrounds, and being able to accept and embrace diversity is another trait that is crucial of a school counsellor. Students come from all walks of life and all types of families, and helping students learn to accept and embrace their own diversity in a school setting is critical to a counsellor’s success.

Be friendly.

School counsellors must be warm and approachable to their students, and also to parents and faculty members. Being open and gregarious will often mean that students will trust you more than they trust their parents, and getting students to open up and let go of their burdens is one of the most rewarding things a school counsellor can accomplish. Often, students are overworked and set with heavy accomplishment lists, so having someone to listen to their troubles is a way to make students feel less stressed.

Be authoritative.

When the situation calls for it, a guidance counsellor must cross the boundary from friend to professional. If abuse or neglect is suspected or present, or if a student is engaging in risky or harmful behaviour, a counsellor must know when to show their authority and take the proper steps to ensure their student’s safety.

Be well-rounded.

A school counsellor will often have a wide range of interests outside of work, and you never know when one of these interests will resonate with a student and prompt a connection that gets your student to open up to you. Having a variety of hobbies and talents outside of the office makes school counsellor happier and friendlier. Being able to speak about your experiences in life will allow you to bridge gaps with students and offer advice and share tips and building blocks for social development that you may not have otherwise had.

Be able to coordinate.

Counsellors serve as coordinators for many school programs and activities. From college visits, setting standardized test schedules, and even administrative tasks – the counsellor must be able to coordinate a number of tasks at a time. Making sure these things dovetail and all run smoothly (even when they may look chaotic on the outside) is a vital part of what makes a successful school counsellor.

Have good evaluation skills

Counsellors spend a lot of their time evaluating test scores or administering tests to students. Being able to accurately evaluate and translate these results to discuss a student’s academic performance, or aid a professor in making an accurate assessment of a student’s skills is vital. Being able to evaluate the results of these exams as more than just numbers on paper, and seeing the meaning beyond the exam is a part of what makes an effective school counsellor. Often, students will see their test scores as very black-and-white in regards to their future prospects. It is the job of their guidance counsellor to offer the many shades of grey in between and explore all opportunities available to their students, regardless of test scores.

Have a sense of humour

Often, having a sense of humour will be a school counsellor’s biggest asset in gaining a student’s trust. Being able to laugh at yourself, and offer amusing anecdotes for what you have experienced in life will show students that you’re surprisingly human, too! Being able to see things with a side of laughter is a crucial trait for any school counsellor, and goes a long way toward making your days brighter.

Lidiya (2019) clarified that counselling children or young adults is different from counselling adults. For teacher who are expected to work with students, here are some major characteristics a professional school counsellor must have:

Be open and friendly.

Students open up about their issues depending on the environment. If they feel safe and free, they will talk about any issues that the counsellor brings up. 

Sometimes parents are too harsh or have high expectations of their children. Children from such homes tend to hide their issue until they find a friendly setting. A good school counsellor bridges the gap between parents and children. 

The counsellor must be open and friendly enough for students to open up and tell the truth.

However, he/she must also be firm and have a professional approach to solving issues. Sometimes students will not do their part after a session if the counsellor has no boundaries. Children are quick to learn boundaries and determine if the environment is safe or not.

Excellent listening and communication skills

One of the lessons that counsellors learn when pursuing their Master of Education in School Counselling is communication skills. Effective communication includes good listening skills. You cannot help anyone to solve an issue if you do not listen and understand the real problem.

Sometimes the child will go for counselling to improve their learning abilities or grades. However, if the counsellor listens keenly to the child, he/she will uncover some issues that led to poor performance.

The counsellor should have good communication skills that enable him/her to advise children or teenagers in their language. The tone and attitude of the counsellor will either invite the student to implement the advice or avoid further counselling sessions.

Organization skills

Most schools do not have enough resources to hire as many counsellors as the students need. The ratio of students to counsellors is often high. In some cases, teachers assume the role of a counsellor if they have basic training in school counselling. Hence, a good school counsellor must be organized to handle his/her workload.

A day at work may include counselling sessions from morning to evening with no breaks in between. Parents and administrators expect reports of the performance of students and other issues from the counselling sessions. Hence, counsellors must have excellent organization skills to handle their all responsibilities without feeling overwhelmed.

Fatigue will affect the counsellor’s listening skills and assessment when handling students

Evaluation and assessment Skills

Counsellors do more than listen and give advice. Some issues require students to take tests before, during, and after the counselling sessions. In some cases, the counsellor must assess a student’s performance over time to define his/her problem clearly. In addition, sometimes students are unable

to articulate issues clearly or are unwilling to open up to the counsellors. With excellent evaluation and assessment skills, counsellors can decipher additional information from the students.

The skills are also critical when preparing reports because school  administrators and parents rely on such reports to make decisions. The decisions, in this case, include further measures to improve the learning environment or help students improve their learning skills. 

Be willing to offer support.

School counsellors must have a different approach from other professionals. Counselling goes beyond completing a series of tasks within a certain period or in a day. The professionals are hired to offer support and improve the learning environment.

The students need a professional guide to issues or events that affect their learning. Some require a series of sessions to overcome their fears and resume normal learning. The school counsellor must be willing to offer the care and support that each student under their care requires until they complete their studies. Some students may require support after traumatizing events, even if the issues do not affect their school performance.

Trustworthy

Counselling sessions ought to be confidential, even when children are involved. Students will only talk freely about their private lives if they think that the school counsellor is trustworthy.

Some issues must be communicated to the parents, especially when a student needs urgent or additional help. However, the counsellor must know what to share with parents, depending on the problem at hand.

For instance, some children who open up about abuse at home expect the counsellor to offer support without involving the perpetrators. If the counsellor breaks the trust, a child may choose to suffer in silence to avoid further victimization. At the same time, the counsellor must win the trust of parents and school administrators.

Living a balanced life

Sometimes the workload placed on a school counsellor pushes them to work for long hours every week. Counsellors need enough time to rest and rejuvenate. These professionals play a critical role that requires a clear and focused mind to make a sound judgment.

They need to be able to disconnect and spend time with their families or pursue their hobbies and interests after work. Good counsellors apply the same advice they give to others to their personal lives. Otherwise, workrelated stress and excess fatigue will affect their effectiveness in their role.

Empathy

Students long for compassion, care, and love when going through hardship. Most of the issues that bother students come from home or their social groups. School counsellors must be quick to discern when a student needs compassion or attention from an adult.

The counselling session does not have to end with a list of do’s and don’ts. Sometimes the students just need to know that someone knows and cares about their personal struggles.

Good counsellors are naturally empathetic.

The compassion compels them to offer continued support until their patients overcome their issues. However, empathy should not crowd a counsellor’s judgment or decisions. Sometimes deviant students manipulate school counsellors with emotions and tantrums. A good counsellor knows when to be compassionate and when to be authoritative.

Confidence

School counsellors encounter difficult students occasionally who challenge their decisions or advice. Some parents may also question their professionalism, especially when a child’s performance does not improve immediately.

The professional school counsellors must have confidence in their assessment and decisions. Sometimes the decisions involve discontinuing sessions when students refuse to cooperate or listen to the counsellors.

Students can tell if their mean words or attitude intimidate the counsellors or not. The good news is that any professional can boost his/her personal confidence. For instance, professional training and good preparation before any session boost a counsellor’s confidence in his/her skills.

Application activity 9.1

After learning this lesson; describe briefly qualities of a good counsellor/ counsellor teacher.

9.2. Guidance services provided by a teacher

Activity 9.2

Read the following scenario and answers the questions that follow.

HIRWA is a 11-year-old Pupil in a primary school. When he was in the Primary 4, other Pupils started calling him “girlish.” From primary 5, the harassment became more frequent and severe. By Primary 6, verbal abuse was a constant occurrence. Pupils regularly called him “fag” and “queer.” HIRWA was frustrated to use the playgrounds with other pupils. HIRWA’s mother and close friends reported it. HIRWA’s teachers and other school officials were aware that HIRWA was being bullied. After years of abuse, HIRWA wrote a letter to his classmate-friend saying how he felt like he couldn’t go on with all of the abuse and fear that he was experiencing. The letter was found by a parent at the school.

Question

The parent is an acquaintance of yours and talks to you about his concerns regarding HIRWA. He wants to get your input on this situation.

a) Explain your views and reasons for your position and comment on any of the larger issues in a case like the above one.

b) Advise what can be done to prevent these issues in terms of guidance and counselling.

Introduction

There are a growing number of social problems which affect the lives of young people such as competitiveness, bullying, teenage pregnancy, family crises, sibling rivalry, school failure, abuse, peer pressure and substance abuse are but a few of the problems that pupils face every day. Some pupils are affected by HIV/AIDS because their parents and relatives suffer from it. All these problems affect children in a negative way, and as a result their academic activities are

negatively affected. The need for guidance and counselling in schools has become imperative in order to promote the well-being of learners. It is therefore important that school guidance and counselling services are fully functional and available to all learners in all schools to help ease the problems that they face.

Guidance and counselling services are a set of tasks and activities designed to assist students to cope with some problems and challenges as well as to adjust and improve their academic activities in schools. Some of the important guidance services are; Individual inventory service, Orientation service, Information service, Counselling service, Placement service, Referral Service, Remedial service, Follow-up service, and Evaluation service.

a) Individual Inventory Service

This service aims to gather information about the student that will help her/him know and understand herself/himself and assist the teachers, counsellors, administrators and parents in understanding the students. The data are gathered through test and non-test techniques. The test techniques include the different tests such as Mental Ability, Scholastic Ability, Achievement, Aptitude, Personality, Values, Interests and Critical Thinking. As all teachers were not trained about those tests, they can use non-test techniques such as inventory forms, interviews, checklist and rating scale.

b) Orientation Service

This service assists new students and transferees in becoming at home in their new environment. It talks on various topics that deal with adjusting to school life and the various programs/subjects. Old students are also reoriented with the various Guidance programs and services through their student assemblies, group guidance and classroom sessions.

c) Information Service

This service provides valid information which is educational, social, personal and occupational in nature so that the student may be able to develop his/her decision making competencies. It is implemented through Group Guidance and information materials are also made available to the student through the Guidance bulletin board and collected from various sources such as: Teachers, Parents, School guidance personnel or Counsellor, Intimate friends and mates, News papers and different useful journals and, other mass media such as Radio and T.V. 

The information which students get from different sources should be authenti and free from all bias and errors as a result of which student would be able totake right decision in regards to his educational and vocational careers.

d) Counselling Service.

Respect for the dignity of the person and recognition of individual differences underlie this service. This service is rendered through individual counselling, group counselling, home visits, and referrals. The latter is rendered to anyone in difficult situation needing specialized counselling or advising. This service aims to help students attain self awareness so that they can be responsible for themselves, overcome personal difficulties. Counselling may be walk in, referred or call in. Peer counsellors are also available to students who are hesitant to approach their counsellors or teachers.

e) Placement Service:

Like other guidance services, placement service is a kind of guidance service which is especially carried on by teachers on guidance workers to assist students to find out his own place in the educational setting on occupational world considering his abilities, interests, skills, aptitudes and attitudes.

f) Referral Service:

The referral service is meant for the students who are not subject to be guided and counselled by the teachers or guidance and counselling workers in a normal group. This referral service is arranged for the purpose of specialized help. In this special case, the student is advised by teachers and counsellors to go for taking special help from specialized person or agency.

g) Remedial Service

Like referral service, the remedial service is a kind of specialized service, which is meant for exceptional children such as student having speech defects, hard of hearing, incapable of reading and developing study habits etc. These exceptional cases need special treatment by specialized professionals for remedial help.

h) Follow up Service

Follow up service focuses on looking into the effectiveness and adequacy of the guidance program and the educational program in general. Follow up is done through letters, telephone calls, personal interview or questionnaires. This may also include contact with school heads, counsellors of former students to gain insight into their level of adjustment.

i) Evaluation Service

The evaluation process is an essential part of the process of guidance which is continuous in nature and done from time to time. It completes the entire process of guidance provided in the school. It is needed to evaluate the following considerations such as:

- Use and application of collected information has to continue activities to find its effectiveness.

- How far guidance services satisfy the needs and the student’s efficiency.

- To what extent the time consumed for guidance service is appropriate.

- To what extent the money spent for guidance service is appropriate.

- How far guidance personnel involved in the guidance programme have done their work.

Application activity 9.2

After learning this lesson; briefly, explain the guidance services that a teacher can provide.

9.3. Roles of teachers in guidance and counselling

Activity 9.3

Look at these picture and answer to questions below:

a) Talk about these two classrooms, what do you appreciate on these pictures?

b) What are the benefits of the School guidance and counselling Program for Students?

With reference to the Best College Reviews (2019), school guidance counsellors fulfil many roles within the sphere of children’s education, and their responsibilities may change depending upon the level at which they work. Counsellors are trained educators with an additional focus on mental health and development. This provides them with the skill set they require to face the challenges of their chosen work environment.

Depending on the day or student’s age

Emotional, intellectual, and social needs change as children grow up. School counsellors play an active part in helping individuals to develop healthy relationships with their peers, cope with academic challenges, and create a resilient sense of self during this critical developmental period. They will engage in small group or class to mitigate negative trends perceived by teachers and administrators, such as bullying or violent behaviours and inappropriate activities. They provide resources for children displaying tendencies that may put them in academic jeopardy and actively intervene in cases of abuse, emotional and psychological disturbance, or unaddressed cognitive issues. 

For older students in a secondary educational environment, counsellors help them cope with peer pressure, adolescence related issues and the pressure to succeed academically. During this time, individuals are identifying and adopting systems of ethics that are unique to them. While earlier periods are often mapped onto the systems of adults in their lives, children begin to experiment with different social concepts and ethical frameworks during this time. Counsellors assist them in this exploration via direct or indirect involvement.

Specific identification and interaction

School guidance counsellors work with many different parties in and around the educational field. While they have specific duties to directly interface with students, they also collaborate with the adults in students’ lives.

Administrators rely on the specialized education of these counsellors to craft the overall mood of the school in question. They also address specific disturbances by crafting behavioural management plans for individuals or performing needs assessments to identify problems and provide solutions. Data gathering and interpretation is a cornerstone of the job, whether assisting in the administering of standardized testing, gifted or general placement tests or behavioural assessments for individuals and groups.

Planning for the future

While career planning may be most nebulous at the elementary level, counsellors also guide students in this capacity. As children grow, this aspect of counselling becomes more focused and concrete.

During the early years, counsellors help to provide opportunities for learning and exploring different fields. At later points, they work directly with students and teachers to help individuals find the educational paths that will take them where they want to go. During high school and beyond, their focus on career guidance intensifies further. They may directly consult with students to find solutions to specific problems, address career goals, and provide for academic needs.

The responsibilities of a school counsellor are all geared towards creating a healthy developmental environment and assisting individual students in their quest to succeed.

Application activity 9.3

After learning this lesson;

Identify with concrete examples roles of teacher in guidance and counselling.

9.4. Ethical considerations of guidance and counselling

Activity 9.4

Read this case study and answer to the question.

Suzan comes to you for a help at the Restroom for girls. She is your cousin’s daughter and the first thing she requests from you is not to tell her mother. Suzan is four months pregnant and is not sure who is responsible. Her father died four years ago and the mother has been struggling to educate Suzan and her three brothers. Suzan is in Primary 6 class and it is expected that she will perform very well and be admitted to the best government school.

Question:

As Suzan’s aunt (a teacher), how would you deal with this case?

In supporting and counselling learners with emotional, behavioural and disciplinary problems requires establishing liaison between teachers and learners. It is focused on developing a positive child–teacher relationship in which the child feels comfortable, safe, valued, respected, and free to share their story. In setting up this supportive environment, a number of ethical considerations arise.

a) Confidentiality

School counsellors need to develop trusting relationships with students, and an understanding of confidentiality in communications and discussions helps built that trust. However, school counsellors are sometimes obligated to break that confidentiality under circumstances where the law or professional ethics require it. They may also breach confidentiality to parents or appropriate third parties in instances where it would ultimately be in the best interests of the student or when they are required to do so by law. For instance, if a student is threatening to harm him- or herself, the parents and/or medical authorities may have to be notified (OLLU, 2019).

b) Relationships

Keeping your client-counsellor relationship professional is not always easy. You may find you both move in the same social circle, or you might discover a mutual attraction. Once a child–counsellor relationship has been developed, the next step is maintenance of this relationship in such a way as to support increased awareness and change.

Boundaries and power in the child–counsellor relationship

School counsellors should be mindful of relationships that could compromise their objectivity and impair their ability to serve students fairly — such as counselling children of close friends or romantic partners. If such relationships are unavoidable, counsellors should take extra steps to maintain their objectivity by well-defined and established boundaries (OLLU, 2019). Setting up boundaries about your role as a counsellor includes:

- Time (for example, session length and availability outside the session);

- Place (where the sessions take place);

- Self-disclosure (how much disclosure is appropriate);

- Behaviour during the session; and

- Appropriate touch.

School counsellors’ relationships with students should always remain within the context of the counsellor’s professional abilities. Since students are minors who may not always understand relationship boundaries, the burden is on counsellors to act professionally and ethically, and explain those boundaries where necessary.

c) Objectivity

The need to be objective in counselling relationship is important. You need to be impersonal in your dealing with the client, and be objective with your view, offer options that are clear and understood by the client, merits and demerits spelt out very clearly, so that the client is very clear of the kinds of decisions he/ she is going to make. Counsellor’s views should not be imposed on the client.

d) Voluntary participation

It is important that you practice tolerance with your client, and unnecessary pressure on the client is totally unacceptable. Request for counselling is voluntary and therefore is improper to force the client

e) Professionalism

Having an ethical code also guides you as a career professional interacting with clients. Professional competence is that of self-care: it is difficult to provide a supportive counselling relationship when you require support yourself! Again, being self-reflective about your capacity to provide support is important; as is being able to identify when you may be close to burning out.

Application activity 9.4

After learning this session:

Briefly describe ethical considerations in guidance and counselling.

9.5. Steps and procedures of counselling

Activity 9.5

Sometimes you will be communicating with someone who differs from you in terms of his or her social status, gender or education. How will this affect the counselling process?

0. Beginning of counselling session (introduction): As the patient enters the room, greet the person, call the person by name, welcome the client and make him/her comfortable. Introduce yourself if meeting for the first time and tell the person the purpose of the meeting (to understand the health problem and its best management). Encourage the counselee to talk about himself or herself.

1) Active attending or Listening

It is most important step in counselling because the details provided by the client are based on it. Active listening means listening carefully and paying attention to verbal as well as non verbal signals.

Provide in-depth information to relieve fears and worries of the client. Similarly, counsellor’s words, expression and posture/gesture (verbal/non verbal communication) indicate that attention is being paid to what is being said. By demonstrating an attending behaviour we enhance the client’s self-respect, establish a safe atmosphere and facilitate free expression of thought by the counselee.

Active listening includes reflection of feelings, questioning, paraphrasing and clarification. Similarly, actions of the counselee communicate many unexpressed feeling. Some of these nonverbal activities are counselee entering the room, Voice quality, Breathing, Eyes, Facial expressions, Leg movement & Body posture

Reflection of content and Feelings: People respond differently to their illness. They may express their feelings as fear, anger, anxiety or sadness about disease. E.g. depression may be expressed as short temper, Irritable behaviour, less interest in daily routine, inability to sleep, loss of weight and feeling of worthlessness and anxiety. Do not try to stop, let the person express their feelings, do not stop patient/ family members from crying. Do not take anger personally and try to stay calm. The counsellor must recognize such feelings in a direct, unemotional way. The focus is kept on the emotions of the client and his/her subjective experiences in coping with the situation. Counsellor reflects the contents and feeling of the other persons by responding back to the client and communicating a message though empathy, questioning or paraphrasing that conveys that counsellor is listening and trying to understand counselee’s circumstances.

Questioning: Always try to use questions and establish communications so that both the problem and the solutions are clear. Asks questions in order to clarify the situation and make client aware of all the dimensions of the problem and help the clients to understand the core issue underlying his/her fears or concerns. Do not ask too many closed question (closed questions are those questions that can be answered by one word like yes /no). Ask open questions to make communication easier, encourage further discussion and facilitate building of trust and warmth in the relationships. Use questions containing why with caution as it may easily sound judgmental. If you need to use “why”, use it in the middle of a sentence and not in the beginning of a sentence.

Paraphrasing and clarification: Paraphrasing is repetition of the jest of client’s feelings by the counsellor in their own words. For example, “You seem to be saying that you are afraid that your family is not going to take care of you”. The clients might then agree with the interpretation. If not, the counsellor can seek clarification by saying “will you please explain it with more details?” Utilizing this technique, the counsellor attempts to give feed back to the client; the essence or content of what the client has just said and clarifies understanding of the client’s world. Clarification helps the client to come to understand themselves better. When you ask the client to explain something in more details or in a different way; by doing this clients not only explore their own feelings further, but will also feel that you are trying hard to understand their situation. In the process, counsellors also tell the client about the scientific facts not known to them.

2) Interpretation: Often people avoid focusing on the real problem and talk around the issue. Interpretation goes beyond what is explicitly expressed by the feelings and implied meanings of the client’s statements. Even client is unaware of this. Counsellor redefines the problem from a different point of view to bring out more clarity to the problem and make client aware to the core problem. The counsellor also helps client to establish what is relevant, emphasising the important points – for example, “Of all the things you talked about today, it seems to me you are most concerned about....”

3) Repeating: At times of stress and crisis, clients are in a state of denial or feeling overwhelmed. They may not always understand everything they are told. As a counsellor, do not hesitate and repeat salient points of the discussion, statements of support or necessary facts. It ensures that the clients clearly understand the problem and requisite action. Client would usually convey that they understand and accept the information.

4) Summarizing: Many people who are stunned by news of the disease may respond by talking quickly and trying to provide more details or ask more questions; than counsellor can absorb or comprehend. It is then helpful for the counsellor to interrupt at times and summarize what has been said. This is like paraphrasing and helps to ensure that each understands the other correctly. Summarizing towards the end of the counselling provides guidance and direction to both counsellor and counselee; to deal with practical matters of the problem and decide plan of action. A summary resembles a combination of reflection of feeling and paraphrasing over a longer period of time. At the end of each session, the counsellor should summarize the salient points of the discussion, highlight decisions which have been made and need to be acted on.

5) Confrontation: Many a time’s clients are so much preoccupied with their fears that cannot see the connection between their behaviour and the responses of the others. Confrontation involves a direct examination of incongruities and discrepancies in the client’s thinking, feeling and/or behaviour. The counsellor tells the client that how their thoughts affect their action and behaviour, which in turn affect the behaviour of others towards them. E.g. Because of fear of discrimination, people withdraw themselves and do not speak to friends and relatives. Friends and relatives in turn also respond by not talking to them. Establishment of strong relationship and rapport is essential before commenting on such issues. It is a highly intrusive skill hence timing is very important and advice on confrontation must be delivered in an atmosphere of warmth, care and concern.

6) Respecting: As a counsellor, try to appreciate that people see their problems in unique personal ways determined by culture, social class and personality. Respect client’s views and beliefs and build on them. Show respect, for instance, by asking a client to explain different aspects of the culture or personal beliefs that are strange to you; for example, “you feel strongly about this. I don’t know about it. Tell me more about it”.

7) Structuring or Prioritization: Structuring means helping the client to see relationship between facts and feelings. It helps clients to determine the important aspects of their concern that needs immediate attention and other less important aspects that can be put off until later. It is essential part of planning and probably one of the most critical skills in counselling.

8) Deciding Plan of action: Based on the scientific knowledge, cultural and socioeconomic aspect of the client, help the client to explore all the possible solution for the prioritised aspect and choose the most relevant option for action. Encourage the client to take his or her own decision and act accordingly.

9) Concluding a counselling session: While ending the session summarize the salient points and decision taken, congratulate client for their efforts, wish them luck and fix next visit.

Application activity 9.5

After learning this lesson: briefly what are steps and procedures of counselling?

9.6. Strategies/techniques for solving problems and staging interventions

Activity 9.6

Read this scenario and answer to the question.

Client: “it is just two weeks until graduation and I don’t have any idea about what will I do next.”

Counsellor: “it sounds like you’re feeling some pressure about this. Help me understand what you have been thinking about doing up till now.”

Question:

As you have studied about steps and procedures in counselling; which step could you locate this short scenario?

There are as many examples of Counselling strategies/techniques as there are approaches or theories in Counselling. Examples of some of the approaches are psychoanalysis, Behaviour modification, Rational Emotive Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Gestalt, Logo therapy, Reality Impressive, Client-cantered, Adlerian and Trait and Factor.

While each of these approaches is unique and therefore distinguishable from the others, there still exists relationship among them because they are all tended towards helping the clients to understand himself and lead a well-adjusted life. It is therefore the technique in each of the approaches that often shows which of the approaches is being employed in practice. However, there are some strategies/techniques that cut across some counselling approaches.

Generally, examples of counselling strategies/techniques are listening, responding, emphasizing, questioning, prodding, interpretation, reflection, confronting, restatement, probing, self-disclosure, catharsis, assuring, immediacy, encouraging, clarifying, concretising, summarising, homework, silence homework, catharses and exploring.

Some of the major techniques are discussed below:

• Listening: Listening is a very crucial technique in the counselling relationship. It involves every part of the body i.e. eyes, voice, ears and hears. Listening is often regarded as the foundation stone upon which other lards of helping service are built. Active listening conveys to chats that they are valued by the counsellor. If the counsellor does not listen attentively, he may not be able to hear and understand what his client’s problems are and observe the exact nature of both the verbal and nonverbal responses by his client. The use of listening as a strategy/technique means being able to communicate understanding of the client’s problems, meaning content. Similarly, it means being able to show to the client that you understand how he feels particularly to show the client that you have an idea of the impact of the existing problems on his psychological well - being.

• Responding: This is a strategy/technique of counselling that involves the counsellor’s verbal and non-verbal reactions to the problems presented by the client. Responding is very crucial in the helping relationship. It is important to mention that adequate response depends on the counsellor’s attentive and understanding skills. It is important for the counsellor to respond promptly and adequately to the client’s verbal and non-verbal communications. With appropriate and useful response, it is likely that the client would be able to get help in understanding his problems and be able to take positive actions towards the solution of his problems. It is essential that counsellors should be able to respond to the contents feeling and the meaning of the client’s expression if he, the counsellor would provide effective assistance to the client.

• Questioning: This strategy/ technique helps the Counsellor in probing and thereby explores the problem being presented by the client. It helps to bring to fore, some important fact that will assist in promoting an effective discussion in the interpersonal relationship between the client and the counsellor. Questioning readily helps the client in identifying and having clearer understanding of his problem.

• Restatement: This involves a process in which the Counsellor having heard and understood what the client said, he (the Counsellor) repeats what was said for the sake of clarification. Specifically, restatement assists the counsellor and the client to reach a lard of mutual understanding of true nature of the problem as it represents the mind of the client. It also affords the client the opportunity of explaining further if what he said was not properly heard or understood by the counsellor. When the counsellor restates the client’s problem, the client is thereby reassured of the counsellor’s attentiveness and ability to follow with the client’s explanation. Although it is important for the counsellor to maintain a listening role, there are certain kinds of responses which communicate not only that; the counsellor is listening, but also that the counsellor is a person with an active role. The restatement is one of these responses.

An example is the following interaction:

- Client: “I don’t know whether to stay in school or to drop out and get a job but if I do, I don’t know what kind of job I can find”

- Counsellor: “You are wondering whether to stay in school or to drop out and work;

• Assuring: Assuring as a counselling strategy/ technique, demands that a counsellor makes a conscious effort to gain the client’s confidence in the process of assisting him to solve his (client’s) problem. The counsellor exhibits a personal quality, which makes the client to trust and rely on the counsellor as a worthy provider of assistance that can solve his problem.

• Silence: This strategy/technique involves sudden cessation or suspension of sound by both the counsellor and the client temporarily. It is important for the counsellor to know the appropriate time and way of using silence if not it can be mistaken for his inability of knowing what to say. In case the counsellor does not know a lot to say when silence is applied, he could make statements such as:

- You must be deeply touched by your problems.

- Are you thinking of a better way to state your problems?

- You are not sure; you should discuss certain aspect of your problem with me.

These statements will enable the client to know that you are still in the process of helping him to follow through his problem.

• Self-disclosure: This strategy/technique refers to the act of making known someone’s feelings/reactions or uncovering someone’s feelings or reactions to situations or persons. Such feelings are of course secret until they are made known. A counsellor who uses self-disclosure will definitely make known his feelings and reactions to his client’s presentations. It is, however, important to note that such feelings that are made known must be genuine, sincere and authentic. The use of self-disclosure also demands that the counsellor must have understood his client and in fact gained his confidence in their interpersonal relationship. This is because if the counsellor disclosed his genuine feelings upon first contact with client, the client may withdraw from counselling session. But if he understands the client, and the client has developed trust in him, then self-disclosure will serve its functions in helping the client to develop:

- Develop appropriate honest behaviour;

- Complete counselling relationship.

When a Counsellor is genuine and transparent in his interaction with the client, he could be:

- Seen as a model to the client who also learn to imbibe the counsellor’s behaviour;

- Able to succeed in expending less energy in withholding his real self;

- Able to provide a conducive and facilitating environment for himself and the client.

Both the client and the counsellor are therefore able to feel very free in their discussion. Where the client is initially reluctant, a good use of self-disclosure by the counsellor would help the client express his problem fully. An example of self-disclosure is when the counsellor ways “I have heard similar problem before and it was resolved”.

Application activity 9.6

Prepare a scenario and role-play it. The scenario is about girls early pregnancy and make a selection, devise appropriate strategies/ techniques for interventions or problem-solving in supporting children who need guidance and counselling.

9.7. Tools or techniques used when conducting guidance and counselling

Activity 9.7

How do you think or in which way, information/data of client/students are collected?

9.7.1. Observation

This is an oral and visual way of measuring what a person says and what a person does. It is basic to other guidance techniques which do not necessarily pertain only to verbal language. In this technique, behaviour is studied through observation by a trained observer. The effectiveness of the technique depends upon the skilfulness of the observer. An observer is expected to observe well defined behaviours free from biases and prejudices. Parent, teacher, and counsellor should know what to observe, how and what to describe and how to interpret. Observational techniques are useful in the study of students and individuals but their usefulness depends upon the manner and purpose with which they are conducted. It takes time which is made on several occasions and records will reveal the personality and a portion of the totality of the individual

9.7.2. Interview

The interview technique is used for collecting information’s about the individual by interview his parents and peers or other family members. When the child has shown difficulties in adjustment, it is usually advisable for interviews to be held with at least one of the parents and preferably both. The conference will be facilitated or hindered by the general attitude on the part of the parents toward the child, and by the community’s conception of the role of the teacher.

9.7.3. Cumulative record

The cumulative record has been defined as “a method of recording, filing and using information essential for the guidance of students”. It is a record of information concerned with the appraisal of an individual student.

The information which is obtained periodically through various sources, techniques, tests, interviews, observations, case study and the like, is assembled in a summary form on a cumulative record card, so that it may be used when the student needs advice for the solution of some educational or vocational problem.

A cumulative record card supplies information on points such as the following:

- Personal: (i) name, (ii) date of birth, (iii) place of birth, (iv) sex, (v) colour,

(vi) residence.

- Home: (i) names of parents, (ii) occupations of the parents, (iii) parents

alive or dead, (iv) economic status, (v) number of siblings, older or younger,

(vi) language spoken at home.

- Test scores: (i) general intelligence, (ii) achievement, (iii) other test scores, and (iv) personality traits.

- School attendance: (i) days present or absent each year, (ii) schools attended with dates.

- Health: record of physical disabilities, vaccination record, diseases suffered from.

- Miscellaneous: (i) vocational plans, (ii) extracurricular activities, (iii) employment during studies, and (iv) counsellor’s note.

The cumulative records about students provide useful information to teachers, counsellors and administrators.

9.7.4. Questionnaire

A questionnaire is a list of questions to be answered by an individual or a group of individuals, especially to get facts or information. It should be elaborated to match with other techniques. Questions are designed to get information about conditions and practices about which the respondents are presumed to have the knowledge. Questions should be few in number and simple to be understood and answered.

They should directly cover the point of information.

9.7.5. Case study

A case study is defined as a collection of all available information – social, physiological, biographical, environmental, vocational – that promises to help explain a single individual. A case study is a comprehensive collection of information gathered using different tools and techniques of data collection. It is the most important technique and the best method of studying the whole individual. Its purpose is to say positively and with confidence that, as far as possible, all sources of information have been tapped and all kinds of data have been gathered about the client. In case study, information about the individual is so organized and combined into a whole that the individual studied is viewed as a dynamic one trying to adjust to the environment in which he is. The main object behind a case study is to observe the individual as a whole.

Application activity 9.7

Read this scenario and answer to related questions.

A young primary 3 learner comes into the classroom late with tears in his eyes. You find out that his father is very sick in the hospital. His father works for Department of Education and they stay in a government house. His mother told him that his father might die and they will be forced to leave their home. There will be no money for his school fees.

Questions:

1) Identify tools or techniques that you may use when conducting guidance and counselling to this learner.

2) How will you use those identified tools?

9.8. Referral mechanisms

Activity 9.8

Read this scenario and answer to question

You are a teacher offering counselling to students and young children. A young couple comes to you wanting couple counselling they say you are the only counsellor they know. You have no experience of couple counselling, but would like to get some. You realise that if you turn them down they will probably not get any counselling at all.

Question

What can you do as a counsellor?

A referral is the process of directing a client to another service provider because she/he requires help that is beyond the expertise or scope of work of the current service provider. A referral can be made to a variety of services, for example health, psychosocial activities, protection services, nutrition, education, shelter, material or financial assistance, physical rehabilitation, community centre and/ or a social service agency. 

Steps required to make a successful referral are:

1) Identify the problem- what does the client need? Identify and/or assess the client’s problems, needs, and strengths with her/ him and/ or their caregiver (e.g. if the client is a minor or with severely impaired functioning requiring caregiver help).

2) Identify which institution or agency can meet this need. Identify and map other service providers who may be able to assist the client and/ or the caregiver with her/his needs. Information about other services in your geographical areas can be obtained from service guides, 4Ws mapping reports or Coordination meetings. Check if the child is already included within the child protection management system.

3) Contact the service provider to confirm eligibility. Contact the other service providers in advance to find out more about their services and eligibility criteria, unless the specific type of referral is commonly done with the service provider. Requested information should include what their referral protocol entails and whether or not they will be able to assist the client.

4) Explain referral to the client. Provide information about available services and explain the referral to the client and/ or caregivers (e.g. what services are provided? Where is the service provider located? How can the client get there and receive services? Why do you recommend the referral?). Keep in mind that the client can choose to not be referred.

5) Document consent. If the client agrees to the referral, obtain consent before the client’s information is shared with others and agree with the client, which information can be shared. Parental/ care giver consent should be obtained if the client is a minor.

6) Make the referral. Fill out the inter-agency referral form in triplicate (x1 copy with referring agency, x1 copy with client/ caregiver, x1 copy to receiving agency). Provide the referral agency’s contact information to the client and accompany them to the referral agency if needed. Referrals can also be made over the phone (if in an emergency), via e-mail or through an App or a database.

7) Follow up with the client and the receiving agency to ensure the referral was successful and exchange information, where client consent allows for this. Areas for follow up include: did the client receive the planned services? What was the outcome? Was the client and/ or the caregiver satisfied with the referral process, and the services received?

8) Storage of information and confidentiality. All referrals forms and case files should be stored in secure (locked) cabinets to ensure the implementation of safe and ethical data collection, management and storage of information.

At a minimum, referral should include providing the client with information about whom to contact as well as where, when and how to contact them. Client referral works best if the care provider makes the contact and schedules an appointment in the presence of the client, making a note of the contact and the organization in the client’s file.

Effective referral involves:

- Communicating with the client about the referral process;

- Consent for information transfer to referral services (shared confidentiality);

- Supporting the client in getting to the referral services (strategies, treatment “buddies”, etc.); and

- Tracking referrals (following up – did the client get there?).

Application activity 9.8

After learning this lesson; What are professionals to whom students with severe problems can be referred? And when to seek them?

9.9. Special considerations when counselling young children (ECLPE)

Activity 9.9

Observe the picture and answer to questions

1. What is the contribution of parents and teachers to make these young children engaging in playful activities?

2. How can you collaborate with parents and teachers to address problems of young children?

9.9.1. Introduction

Counselling and guidance are referred to as the ways regarding which individuals need some kind of help, support and assistance regarding the problems, they are experiencing. In the field of early childhood education, children are young; they are in between two to six years of age. Hence, parents are the ones, who seek these services from professionals and experts to provide solutions to various problems and challenges.

Counselling and guidance services in early childhood education, cover number of aspects such as, skills, knowledge, attitudes, habits, communication means and so forth for the development of the mind-set of the child and it also

contributes towards the development of the child in order to enable him/her make an effective entry into the system of higher education.

9.9.2. Purposes of counselling and guidance for young children

There have been many purposes of counselling and guidance in all aspects; the following significant purposes were identified from the perspective of education:

- The young children should learn how to analyze their weaknesses and then overcoming them; the role of the counsellor and a guide is to help them how to catch the fish on their own and not catching fish by themselves and giving it to them.

- The young children may also need counselling and guidance services regarding making wise decisions. They are also provided with information regarding how to manage the finances and not try to spend their parent’s money on the items, which they do not require. The young children are required to be assisted in making appropriate, substantial and interesting educational choices.

- The teachers as well as the parents should also meet with the counsellor or the guide, because it is crucial for them to assist especially young students, who are undergoing counselling and guidance sessions. The parents and the teachers should understand the needs and problems of the students and harsh behaviour or screaming at the students is strictly prohibited.

- The school authorities or the administrators should be assisted in improving the educational objectives, planning and the course curriculum.

- The school environment should be formed in such a manner that the young children should feel safe and sound, they should develop proper attitude towards school, teachers, classmates, values, norms, policies, interests, beliefs, discipline and rules.

- The young children should be directed to ascertain their flaws and inconsistencies in the field of education and improve upon their learning. They should be guided in a manner to promote efficiency.

- The young children, who depict behavioural and attitudinal problems should be shown the right direction and prescribe ways to get rid of such things because they are the major hindrances to one’s personal and professional development.

- It is essential to promote amongst the young children a sense of awareness, ability to acquire sufficient knowledge regarding their studies, when studying they should put complete focus, and become more proficient and accomplished

- Empowering children to deal with painful emotional problems: 

In early childhood education, children do experience problems and difficulties, which they have to deal with adequately and it is of utmost significance of these services to empower the child. These may include, when the child is unable to achieve good grades in academic performance, unable to participate in extracurricular activities, health problems, getting involved into conflicts and disputes with anybody, unable to acquire what he may desire and so forth. It is the duty of the counsellor to explain to the child that problems and difficulties are an integral part of an individual’s life, but they are required to keep themselves calm and take things smoothly. Young children in most cases, get upset, because they feel they are not being given what they desire and when their needs and aspirations are not being fulfilled. Parents usually provide for their children, what suits them best. If they refuse something, their refusal is also based upon their betterment, hence, it is vital for the children to understand the cause and not feel emotionally stressed.

9.9.3. Areas of Counselling and Guidance Services in Early Childhood Education

Counselling and guidance services in early childhood education are primarily concerned with effective growth and development of children. Counselling and guidance services that are provided are mainly concerning the following areas:

- Vulnerability within the school environment – When children get enrolled in nursery schools, at the initial stage, they feel vulnerable and apprehensive due to the school environmental conditions. Young children are normally close to their mothers and repeatedly ask for their mothers within the school environment. The vulnerability exists within the mind-sets of the children upon observing the school environmental conditions. In most cases, when the children observe a new environment, new people and visit a new place, where their parents are not present, they feel anxious. In such cases, they show hesitance in going to school and parents and teachers possess this viewpoint that they need counselling and guidance to gain more confidence in them.

- Learning disabilities – The children in nursery schools differ in their learning disabilities. Some are sharp minded and are able to understand the information and concepts taught to them by teachers in schools and parents at home. On the other hand, some students possess learning disabilities and are not able to acquire understanding of concepts rapidly. When students possess learning problems, then parents do get anxious, as they want their child to develop proper learning abilities leading to their effective growth and development. The professional counsellors make provision of adequate assistance and supervision to help the children overcome their learning disabilities. They provide them information regarding putting into practice adequate learning methods.

- Communication – It is vital for the child to develop effective communication with individuals, within and outside the school environment. It is essential for the efficient well-being, growth and development of the individuals. In schools, when teachers teach academic concepts, rhymes, poems and other concepts to the students, it is vital for them to communicate in an effective manner with the teachers and fellow students. When children experience problems in communicating in an effective manner with the other individuals, either they do not respond or get easily aggravated, then it is vital to take guidance and counselling services from experts.

- Introversion – When children go to schools, it is vital for the teachers to possess a friendly and an amiable nature. This nature on the part of the teachers will help the students to gain in more confidence in them, communicate in an effective manner, learn academic concepts in an appropriate manner and render an effective contribution in extra-curricular activities and competitions. The feelings of introversion are in some cases present amongst the children. They feel reluctant in communicating withthe people around in schools as well as in homes and keep to themselves. The services of the counsellors are obtained to provide information and assistance to possess a sociable nature. Introversion does not generate positive outcomes and enables the individuals to experience unfavourable effects. Normally, the mind-sets of the individuals gets affected in a negative manner.

- Stress and Anxiety – Stress and anxiety are psychological problems that normally individuals belonging to all age groups experience. Nursery school students do experience stress and anxiety regarding academic concepts, learning, home-work assignments, class assignments, communication with the teachers and fellow students, extra-curricular activities, play, sports and so forth. They may experience stress and anxiety, when participating in competitions or functions. When they experience stress and anxiety, they are not able to adequately concentrate and have problems. Therefore, counselling and guidance services may help the child to overcome any kinds of problems and difficulties that might take place within the course of acquisition to education and learning.

- Diet and Nutrition – Services of the counsellors are acquired, when the child does not consume a healthy and a nutritious diet. There are some children, who do not eat healthy food and have cravings for sweets and other junk food items. In some cases, children do not eat regular meals and have meals at sporadic timings, which may affect their health. In some cases, too much of craving for sweets and other unhealthy food items makes them overweight. Therefore, it is vital for the parents to be aware that children should obtain adequate and a nutritious diet, comprising of milk, fruits, cereals, vegetables and so forth. Sweets are not recommended to be completely avoided but they should get consumed once in a while.

- Behaviour Problems – As the child learns to speak and understand, parents teach their children proper values, norms, cultural traits and principles. They want their children to communicate with respect and decency with every person within as well as outside the house. Learn to recognize one’s duties and responsibilities, such as, not being untidy, putting playthings in their respective places, when done playing, maintaining neatness, not scribbling on the walls, not being aggressive and so forth. When a child is unable to implement any of these proper behaviours, then the parents seek the services of the counsellors to enable the child behave in a normal manner. At the initial stage, it is vital for the parents to detect the behaviour and attitude of the children, so that they are able to make their future lives productive.

- Aggression – The feelings of anger and frustration are normally common among individuals and in some cases, even young children. Young children may turn violent and aggressive, they may start screaming and crying, when they feel that their wishes and desires have not been met or if they have got involved into a dispute with anybody. The counsellors in this case, recommend the aspects, which would help the child to calm down and overcome the feelings of resentment or antagonism, they may have. It is vital for the children to deal with aggressions, so that in the long term, it would not impose any kinds of detrimental effects. If the child shows aggression in schools, then the teachers may report the matter to the parents and give him one chance, but if he does not get this problem solved, he may get terminated from the school. Learning can take place in an adequate manner, when the attitude of aggression is eliminated.

- Identification of talents and skills

Counselling and guidance services in the early childhood environments are also useful for identifying the talents, skills and interests of the individuals. Teachers and parents are aware of the fact that every child is different. Each child differs from the other with regards to learning abilities, nature, understanding, thinking, behaviour and attitude. Children have different interests and skills, which need to be identified and then developed as they grow up.

Application activity 9.9

What are the purposes and areas of guidance and counselling to the young children?

End unit assesment

After learning this unit;

1. Identify problems related to academic, career, social, emotional and intellectual capability that our young children face and how to respond to those problems.

2. What are cases where guidance and counselling is needed in the classroom context and how the teacher as a counsellor intervenes?

3. Based on your answers to Question 1:

a) Create scenarios that reflect problems that pre-primary and primary learners may face in Rwanda.

b) In groups, role-play as a school counsellor helping learners to overcome those problems

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