Post on 26-Apr-2023
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Introduction
Counselling is an art of helping
people According to C H Patterson, “Counselling is a
process involving a special kind of relationship
between a person who asks for help with a
psychological problem and a person who is trained to
provide that help.”1 The need of counselling is
obviously clear in the present world of insecurities
where men live with stress and strain deep inside but
all alone and has no shoulder to cry upon or to get
practical and rational assistance in deciding the
course of life. This gives birth to the necessity of
help that is scientific; professionals who assist
people in overcoming the stress and pressure of their
1 JOAN CHUNKAPURA and ANTONY MANNARKULAM, Psychotherapies and Counselling (Kottayam,Trada Publications 1997) 14. Hereafter referred as PC.
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lives. Counselling had been present from the
beginning of human civilization in its rudimentary
form as men might have sought help from his close
associates at the time of distress. But as a science
it developed in the 1960’s.2 At present counselling
is a full fledged, systematic science that deals with
multiple fields like family, youth, children,
educational settings, old aged etc. Of which
school/educational counselling is one that is worth
mentioning.
“Educational counselling has emerged
as a discipline to provide help to students on
campuses of schools, colleges and universities such
that they are not tormented by their internal
2 Cf. PC.15
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conflicts, do not become cynical and do not resort to
self destructive strategies.”3 Educational
counselling thus begins from elementary school and
extends to the higher education systems too ensuring
that the developmental tasks of every age during
education is met and problems are not let to be
accumulated by tackling them at the very onset.
Educational institutions are where the citizens of
the future bloom and right steps taken during this
time is very essential in creating a society that is
peaceful and serene. Hence counselling during this
period is crucial.
Theoretical Basis of School Counselling
There are three major theories that have shaped how
3 NARAYANA RAO, Counselling and Guidance (New Delhi, McGraw Publications 1991) 203. Hereafter referred as CG.
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counselors provide therapeutic interventions in
schools.
1. Psycho Analysis
The first of these is based on the theoretical
foundation provided by psychoanalysis, first defined
and elaborated by Sigmund Freud. These approaches
include those that can be described as neo-Freudian
and those that contain elements first identified in
Freud’s writings.Eric H. Erikson, Alfred Adler, and
Otto Rank have built models for practice based on
these approaches and theories.
2. Behaviorist Theory
The early behaviorists provided the second theory
that guided approaches to therapeutic interventions.
Behaviorism was first defined in psychological
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laboratories with carefully controlled experiments to
look into how individuals learn and respond to their
environments. Related theories describe goal setting
and brief solutions-focused counseling, strengths-
based counseling, cognitive therapy, behavioral
counseling, and cognitive behavioral techniques. Each
of these methods is based on helping clients learn
new ways of thinking, processing information, and
responding to their environments.
3. Person Centered Approach
The third major theoretical basis in counseling is
devised by Carl R. Rogers. His person or child-
centered approach is one that does away with the
notion that a counselor is going to fix a problem the
student is having. The approach is one that helps the
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student better understand his or her own thinking and
find a resolution within. School counselors have also
adopted an abbreviated approach for providing
student-focused interventions that are time efficient
and highly effective. Central to these solutions-
focused methods are strength-based school counseling
and narrative therapies.4
General Principles of Value for School Counseling
The principles basic to counseling are evident in the
works of Miller, Gribbons, Beck, Wren and Kehas. The
general principles of value for the practice of
counseling in educational setting or school are:
1. Counseling is concerned primarily and
systematically with the personal development of the
4 Cf. Vernon, A., Thinking, Feling, Behaving: An Emotional Curriculum for Adolescents(Illinos, 2006) 7–12.
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pupil.
2. The approach and technique to be adopted depend on
the individuals behaviour.
3. Counseling is oriented towards cooperation between
the pupil and and the counselor and is not a
compulsive predetermined process.
4. The counselor firmly recognizes individual’s worth
and dignity and one’s right to choose and to make
decisions.
5. Counseling in its essence is an educational
process. It is an essential dimension of education.
6. Counseling in school should never be treated as an
emergency reaction pattern but as continous,
sequential and programmatic.
Basic Rules To be Observed by a School counselor
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Counselors working in public schools must establish
ground rules with students who begin the counseling
relationship.
1. Everything discussed by the student and counselor
is kept in confidence by both parties.
2. There is a strict time limit to the length of each
counseling session.
3. Counselors must establish boundaries, including
the fact that they are paid
professional employees of the school who may never
break the school’s rules or policies.
4. The counselor works in the interest of each
individual student; however, as a professional, the
counselor maintains a separation from students who
are receiving counseling services.
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5. Counselors do not play favorites, make exceptions,
or do anything to discourage any student or group of
students from seeking assistance.
Factors Necessitating Counseling at School
The factors that contribute to the necessity of
counseling at the level of school is manifold of
which a few are as follows:
1. New comers find it difficult to adjust with the
changed situations presented newly at the school.
2. The changes in body and emotions are often seen as
distress by the children.
3. The curiosity regarding matters of sex during the
phases of growth has to be properly channelized and
guided
4. Growth is identical to freedom. With rising
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freedom the children should learn to use it
effectively.
5. There are students who finds it difficult to study
and hence fail to succeed academically who need
proper guidance.
6. Some students are poor in establishing good
relationships with colleagues.
7. A few find it difficult to communicate with
others.
8. Rarely, there are also students who frequently
resort to neurotic patterns of behaviour.
9. There might be students who posses learning
disabilities and a counselor can locate them at the
initial stage and provide professional help.
10. Counselling ensures that a student never trails
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in personality.
General Functions of Counselors at School Level
1. The counselor helps emotionally disturbed children
to arrive at happier and satisfying solutions to
their problems
2. The counselor helps the children with their
academic difficulties.
3. The counselor is concerned with preventive and
remedial measures.
4. The counselor cooperatively works with teachers to
help them gain a greater understanding of pupils in
their classes.
5. The counselor helps parents obtain a better
understanding and appreciation of their children.
6. The counselor uses appropriate test devices for
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diagnosis and counseling purposes.
7. The counselor maintains extensive reports
concerning pupils for whom he is responsible.
8. The secondary school counselor spends much of his
time in helping students to opt the college, course
or job that suits them.
9. The school counselor aids needy students to obtain
assistance.
10. All school counselors work closely with other
specialized personals.5
Levels of School Counseling
1. Elementary School Counseling
Children of elementary school are often
observed to be happy and are seemingly ignorant about
the problems of adjustment. They are taken up by
5 CG 210.
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little things and hence if they encounter a hostile
childhood at school it may lead to a lot of problems
in later stages of life. Counseling children at the
elementary school level involves helping them with
learning problems and making their experience at
school enjoyable and engaging. The major aim of
counselling at his level is the prevention of
emotional breakdown which may arise from adjusting
problems during the transition from home to school or
resulting from victimization of bullying.6 Counseling
at elementary school is supposed to provide students
with assistance in:
Understanding self and developing a positive self
image.
6 Cf. CG 205.
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Showing respect for the feeling of others.
Understand the decision making process.
Maintaining effective relationships with peers and
adults.
Developing effective study skills.
Being prepared to make the transition to the
intermediate school.7
2. Counseling at High School
The students of high school are
adolescents and hence their school lives are co-
terminous with early adolescence and post puberty
years. Hence the major task of a high school
counselor hence is to help the students to deal with
the problems of growing up. The students, during
their age of adolescence, have individualistic ideas,
7 RAMESH CHATURVEDI, Guidance and counselling for School Students, (Delhi,Cresent Publishing Corporation 2007) 2. Hereafter referred as GCS.
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interests and emotions and are keen to express them.
The role of a counselor at this stage lies in showing
warmth and friendliness by which he can gain the
confidence and trust of the pupil and using this
trust and confidence cultivate and nurture desirable
attitudes, interests and goals. The counselor helps
the pupil to gain insight into his problem and seek
rational and practical solutions to the same. He can
also help the student to develop vocational
consciousness and occupational interest. Further,
academic performance can also be helped with, by
directing the students in matters like:
Choosing the curriculum which suits the student’s
abilities, interests and aspirations.
Acquiring efficient study habits like and
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practices which could enable one to achieve
desirable level of academic success.
Developing skills and talents that are outside the
general curriculum requirements.
Understanding the purpose of education and the
functions of education in relation to one’s needs.
Developing vocational interests and an urge to
work in the chosen vocation.8
3. Counseling at College Level
At college level an individual is
supposed to develop a sound philosophy of life, an
ability to enjoy life in its multidimensional
aspects, sensitivity to different aspect of
environment and a capacity to be a free willed
individual. The essential theme of counseling at this
8 CG 206.
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level involves understanding the personal experiences
of pupils in all their variety, depth and intensity
in terms of the opportunities available and choices
open to them. Counseling, hence, help the pupil in
recognize their strength and weaknesses and interpret
them realistically. Hence, counseling should be
viewed as an integral part of total college program.
Counseling at this stage hence has a few specialties.
It is the culmination of the guidance the pupil
receives at all the lower school levels.
It emphasizes constructive self guidance among
students in meeting adult responsibilities.
It provides necessary assistance to overcome
academic and social deficiencies and thus helps to
enrich their lives.
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It helps in developing healthy vocational and
professional interests among the students.
The functions of counseling are manifold and the
major functions among them include:
The appraisal service to asses objectively the
potential of pupil - academic, vocational,
personality - by utilizing a variety of personal,
psychological and social data.
The information service to provide accurate, up to
date, exhaustive and reliable knowledge in
educational, vocational and social fields so that
the students are able to make better choices and
take wiser decisions.
Assistance towards self understanding and
development through face to face and small group
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relationships.
The planning, placement and followup services
designed to increase vocational development by
facilitating students to choose and utilize
appropriate employment opportunities.
The evaluation service to provide feedback
information for the benefit of the college
administration and the community at large.9
Conclusion
To summarize educational counseling is a
philosophy, a function, a role and an activity. As a
philosophy, counseling, in educational context, is a
process by which educational experiences are related
to students’ experience. As a function, counseling is
a set of responsibilities that the institution should
9 CG 208.
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legitimately perform. As a role, counseling should be
seen as the institution’s responsibility to provide
services to the students. As an activity, counseling
comprises a variety of functions that different
persons with counseling role perform for students
which are consistent with the philosophy, the
function and the role. The realm of counseling at
school level runs through diverse situations like
counseling for gifted children, ethnic minority,
abused children, migrant students etc. Counseling at
the level of educational settings poses a large
challenge to the counselor and proper theoretical
knowledge aided by experience can lead to the welfare
of the pupil.
Bibliography
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1.CHATURVEDI, RAMESH Guidance and Counselling for School Students,
(Delhi,Cresent Publishing Corporation 2007) 2. Hereafter
referred as GCS.
2.CHUNKAPURA, JOAN and MANNARKULAM, ANTONY Psychotherapies and
Counselling (Kottayam, Trada Publications 1997)
3.RAO, NARAYANA Counselling and Guidance (New Delhi, McGraw
Publications 1991)
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