Types of Counseling ($1) Introduction There are different types or forms of counselling. However, these fall into two main -categories, namely individual and group. Individual counselling Indiv ...

---

Types of Counseling ($1)
Introduction
There are different types or forms of counselling. However, these fall into two main -categories, namely individual and group.
Individual counselling
Individual counselling means counselling one client at a time. It involves a counsellor and a counselee. The client is helped to make an honest look at him or herself, become aware of his or her potential and weaknesses, consider alternatives in the light, of existing facts and information, and then make his or her decisions. Confidentiality and privacy are essential requirements.
The person with a psychological problem .s seen as being 'stuck'.Counseling is not about giving advice to cheats but is about empowering them so that they can be in a state of "wholeness' and well-being. The goal of therapy and counselling" is to help the person get on the move again. Individual counselling is based on Carl Rogers' (1902-1987) person-centered theory which teaches that man is basically good and has the ability to direct his life towards a desired goal. He also teaches that every human being, if given conditions of worth and a favorable climate for maturation and growth, is a positive and promising gift to the world. According to Rogers, maladjusted, behaviour mainly results from the difference between what one thinks of themselves and what one actually experiences. The major goal of a counsellor is to increase the congruence (similarity between the self and experience) of the client through a process of integration.
Individual counselling facilitates the exploration and resolution of personal, problems and issues according to the needs of the individual. Some of the issues often addressed in individual counselling are:
Stress.
Failure to cope with life circumstances.
Depression
anxiety
Lack of self-esteem.
identity issues including cultural, religious and ethnic matters
body image
loneliness
difficulty in forming or maintaining healthy relationships
physical or emotional abuse (past or present)
cross-cultural issues including cultural conflicts between parents and child
difficulty in defining problems
marked changes in functioning
suicidal thinking
academic problems
Self-image and self-concept.
There are two techniques a counsellor may use to help the client to clearly see his or her problem (s):
Clarification of feelings. The counsellor integrates several statements of emotions. All the statements are placed into a single feeling and restated so that the client can clearly see the emotions he or she is expressing.
Restatement of content. The counsellor restates all the client's ideas