UNIT 8 Counselling Techniques

• The aim of this chapter is to enhance the teacher trainees' knowledge about counselling techniques; further, to guide them how to implement these techniques in a classroom to help children who might be experiencing psychological, emotional, social and educational problems
• Intended learning outcomes (ILOs)

  • ILO 1: Being able to understand what are counselling techniques
  • ILO 2: Gain a broader knowledge about various skills and techniques pertaining to counselling
  • ILO 3: Application of counselling techniques in a therapeutic setting
• Content: Chapter 8 - Counselling Techniques

  • 8.1 Introduction
  • 8.2 Counselling Process
  • 8.3 Significant differences in adult and child counselling/therapy
  • 8.4 Counselling Theories
  • 8.5 Layout of counselling techniques discussed in this unit
• Technique

  Methods or ways we can do certain task or performing an act efficiently
• Counselling techniques


  Methods and strategies used by professional counsellors/psychologists in a therapeutic setting to help and assist counselees/clients to understand and overcome the issues they are experiencing
• Techniques are usually acquired through training by professionals to assists their clients to manage their concerns
• Counselling


  Working with an individual (adult or a child) or group of people providing emotional, relationship, development and crisis support; further, making therapeutic intervention, guiding and problem solving
• The task of counselling is to help clients develop an insight of what they are experiencing and give them the opportunity and space to explore, discover and resolve their problems with their own understanding
• Counselling techniques


  The application of basic counseling and psychotherapy skills and theories in the counseling process for the purposes of establishing and sustaining the counseling relationship; diagnosing the problem; formulating a preventative, treatment, or rehabilitative plan; and facilitating appropriate interventions
• Forms of professional counselling

  • Individual counseling
  • Couples or marriage counseling
  • Family counseling
  • Group counseling
• Child counselling


  An affective (emotional) process where counselor/teacher can play the role of the facilitator with the relevant counselling skills and knowledge to help the child deal with underlying emotional issues
• The only big difference between adult therapy and child therapy is the emphasis on making sure children understand what is happening, and how they are not alone
• Counselling theories


  • Psychoanalytic Theory
  • Person-Centered Therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • The Family Systems Model
• Counselling techniques discussed in this unit

  • Active Listening
  • Empathy
  • Solution Focused Therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
  • Mindfulness
  • Stress Management
  • Collaborative Problem-Solving
• Active listening


  Key elements of active listening
• Empathy


  How it differs from sympathy
• Solution Focused Therapy/Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)

  A strength-based approach to psychotherapy based on solution-building rather than problem-solving; it concentrates on how your current conditions and future expectations
• Types of questions in SFBT

  • Miracle Questions
  • Exception Questions
  • Scaling Questions
• Benefits of SFBT


  It's best when a client is trying to reach a goal or overcome a particular problem; it's used to treat people of all ages and a wide range of issues; it's a form of "brief therapy," typically lasting between 5–8 sessions; it's often less costly than other forms of therapy
• Professionals who can deliver SFBT

  • Social workers (including clinical social workers)
  • School counsellors
  • Therapists
  • Teachers
  • Master's-level psychology students
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)


  A type of psychotherapeutic treatment (talk therapy) that helps people learn how to identify and change the destructive or disturbing thought patterns that have a negative influence on their behavior and emotions

  
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Techniques

  • Identifying Negative Thoughts
  • Practicing New Skills
  • Challenging Negative Thoughts
  • Relaxation Techniques
  • Exposure Therapy

  
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)


  Combines cognitive therapy with behavior therapy by identifying maladaptive patterns of thinking, emotional responses, or behaviors and replacing them with more desirable patterns

  
• CBT


  • Focuses on changing the automatic negative thoughts that can contribute to and worsen emotional difficulties, depression, and anxiety
  • Leads to significant improvement in functioning and quality of life
• CBT differs from many other forms of psychological treatment
• CBT Techniques


  • Identifying Negative Thoughts
  • Practicing New Skills
  • Goal-Setting
  • Problem-Solving
  • Self-Monitoring
• Identifying Negative Thoughts


  Learning what thoughts, feelings, and situations are contributing to maladaptive behaviors
• Practicing New Skills


  Learning new skills that can be used in real-world situations
• Goal-Setting


  Setting SMART goals to make changes and improve health and life
• Problem-Solving


  1. Identify the problem

  2. Generate a list of potential solutions

  3. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each potential solution

  4. Choose a solution to implement

  5. Implement the solution
• Self-Monitoring


  Tracking behaviors, symptoms, or experiences over time and sharing them with a therapist
• Types of CBT


  • Cognitive Therapy
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
  • Multimodal Therapy
  • Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)
• Applications of CBT


  • Addiction
  • Anger issues
  • Anxiety
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Depression
  • Eating disorders
  • Panic attacks
  • Personality disorders
  • Phobias
• Other areas CBT can help with

  • Chronic pain or serious illnesses
  • Divorce or break-ups
  • Grief or loss of a loved one
  • Insomnia
  • Low self-esteem
  • Relationship problems
  • Stress management
• CBT for children

  • Helps children understand negative thought patterns and learn to replace them with more positive ones
  • Gives children realistic strategies to improve their lives in the here and now
• CBT techniques for children

  • Play therapy
  • Trauma-focused CBT
  • Modeling
  • Restructuring
  • Exposure
• Mindfulness is a type of meditation that focuses on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment
• Mindfulness meditation

  Involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress
• Situations where mindfulness meditation can be used

  • Stress
  • Anxiety
  • Pain
  • Depression
  • Insomnia
  • High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Benefits of mindfulness meditation

  • Improve attention
  • Decrease job burnout
  • Improve sleep
  • Improve diabetes control