Counseling is a short-term service delivered to individuals or groups to increase their adaptive functioning. Therefore, school-based professionals most often focus on helping student clients function more effectively in the classroom and with their peers. Counseling is also considered to be a helping process that is delivered to individuals who are basically healthy but require support to address a variety of developmental or situational difficulties.
Counseling is a specialized service of guidance, and it is an enabling process designed to help through learning to take responsibility and to make decisions for himself/herself.
It is a helping relationship which includes:-
• Someone seeking help
• Someone willing to give help
• Capable of trained to help
• In a setting that permits, help to be given and received.
‘Counseling’ denotes, “Giving of advice”.
“Counseling is a method that helps the client to use a problem-solving process to recognize and manage stress and that facilitates interpersonal relationships among client, family and health care team”.
Basic Components of Counseling:
• Rapport
• Communication
• Understanding
• Change in feeling and expressions
• Planning of counseling Interview
Importance of counseling in schools.
counseling is a very important program in our schools.It is the process by which students are given advice on how to deal with emotional conflicts and personal problems both in school and how to incorporate the same in their daily life.Some sessions involve career guidance where students are advised on which courses to do and which jobs to expect when one does a particular course.The following are some of the benefits of counseling:
1.Students are given solutions on how to deal with psychological problems which might affect their studies. Through this, the students are able to develop problem solving skills which to an extent helps them deal with particular issues surrounding their lives.
2.Students are advised on how to cope with different situations facing them in their school life. For instance, on how to relate with their peers.
3. It helps to shape a student’s behavior and instill discipline in students. Students who are counselled in a right way tend to know what to do and how to do such things.
4.Students get to learn how to live in harmony with others in the school community. In so doing, they also learn to appreciate the people around them and come to harmony with their environment.
5. It bridges the gap between the students and the school administration,since can channel their problems through guidance and counseling office.
6.Students get comprehensive pieces of advice on careers,courses and jobs which enables them to have an informed choice on what to do after school.
7.It allows students to talk about various things which they feel uncomfortable talking about their parents which include things like drug abuse. It also allows the students to become better people because they are taught by the counselors about how to behave in a proper manner.
8.It enables students undergoing difficulty in their lives have a good place to ask for questions and clarity from the counseling office. There are some questions that one may find difficult to ask even his/her parents. One can ask any question without fear because the persons in charge are very willing to help.
Reference:
Sharma.s.(10th December 2013). Counseling.Slideshare.retrieved on 10th july 2015 from
http://www.slideshare.net/tmxyz/guidance-counselling
Vann.(2nd Arpil 2013).importance of counseling.wikinut.retrieved on 10th july 2015 from
http://writing.wikinut.com/importance-of-guidance-and-counselling-in-schools./2j9-q09s/
