Defining the Counselling Process

All of us will, occasionally, take on the role of counsellor. We informally offer

family, friends, and colleagues advice regarding their relationships, finances,
career, and education.

On the other hand, “a professional counsellor is a highly trained individual who is

able to use a different range of counselling approaches with their clients”
(Krishnan, n.d., p. 5).

Counselling as a profession involves (Krishnan, n.d.):

• Dedicated time set aside to explore difficulties, stressful situations, or

emotional upset faced by a client
• Helping that client see their situation and feelings from a different
viewpoint, potentially to facilitate change
• Building a relationship based on trust and confidentiality

The counselling process should not include:

• Providing advice
• Being judgmental
• Pushing the counselor’s values
• Encouraging the client to behave as the counsellor would in their own life
• Emotional attachment between the counselor and client

According to the American Psychological Association (2008), counselling

psychologists “help people with physical, emotional and mental health issues
improve their sense of wellbeing, alleviate feelings of distress and resolve crises.”

Counselling works with clients from childhood through to old age, focusing on
“developmental (lifespan), environmental and cultural perspectives,” including
(American Psychological Association, 2008):

• Issues and concerns in education and career

• Decisions regarding school, work, and retirement transitions
• Marital and family relationship difficulties
• Managing stressful life events
• Coping with ill health and physical disability
• Mental disorders
• Ongoing difficulties with getting along with people in general

While we often see counselling and psychotherapy as interchangeable, there are

subtle distinctions. Counselling is typically short term, dealing with present issues
and involving a helping approach that “highlights the emotional and intellectual
experience of a client,” including how they feel and think about a problem or
concern (Krishnan, n.d., p. 6).

Psychotherapy is often a longer term intensive treatment, helping the client

overcome profound difficulties resulting from their psychological history and
requiring them to return to earlier experiences (Krishnan, n.d.; Australia
Counselling, n.d.).
The counselling process has been described as both an art and a science, helping to
bring about changes in thought, emotion, and behavior in the client (Sajjad, 2017).

The Stages of the Counselling Process

While counselling varies in both form

and purpose, most counselling theories embody some form of the following three
stages (Krishnan, n.d.): relationship building, problem assessment, and goal
setting.

Counselors and clients must both be aware that the counselling process requires
patience. There is rarely a quick fix, and things may need to get worse before they
get better. In addition, the counselling process is collaborative. The counselor does
not fix the client; the work requires interaction and commitment from both parties
(Krishnan, n.d.).

The counselling process is a planned and structured dialogue between client and
counselor. The counselor is a trained and qualified professional who helps the
client identify the source of their concerns or difficulties; then, together, they
find counselling approaches to help deal with the problems faced (Krishnan, n.d.).

Hackney and Cormier (2005) propose a five-stage model for defining the
counselling process through which both counselor and client move (Krishnan,
n.d.).

Stage one: (Initial disclosure) Relationship building

The counselling process begins with relationship building. This stage focuses on
the counselor engaging with the client to explore the issues that directly affect
them.

The vital first interview can set the scene for what is to come, with the client
reading the counselor’s verbal and nonverbal signals to draw inferences about the
counselor and the process. The counselor focuses on using good listening skills and
building a positive relationship.

When successful, it ensures a strong foundation for future dialogue and the
continuing counselling process.
Stage two: (In-depth exploration) Problem assessment

While the counselor and client continue to build a beneficial, collaborative

relationship, another process is underway: problem assessment.

The counselor carefully listens and draws out information regarding the client’s
situation (life, work, home, education, etc.) and the reason they have engaged in
counselling.

Information crucial to subsequent stages of counselling includes identifying

triggers, timing, environmental factors, stress levels, and other contributing factors.

Stage three: (Commitment to action) Goal setting

Effective counselling relies on setting appropriate and realistic goals, building on

the previous stages. The goals must be identified and developed collaboratively,
with the client committing to a set of steps leading to a particular outcome.

Stage four: Counselling intervention

This stage varies depending on the counselor and the theories they are familiar
with, as well as the situation the client faces.

For example, a behavioral approach may suggest engaging in activities designed

to help the client alter their behavior. In comparison, a person-centered
approach seeks to engage the client’s self-actualizing tendency.

Stage five: Evaluation, termination, or referral

Termination may not seem like a stage, but the art of ending the counselling is
critical.

Drawing counselling to a close must be planned well in advance to ensure a

positive conclusion is reached while avoiding anger, sadness, or anxiety
(Fragkiadaki & Strauss, 2012).

Part of the process is to reach an early agreement on how the therapy will end and
what success looks like. This may lead to a referral if required.

While there are clear stages to the typical counselling process, other than
termination, each may be ongoing. For example, while setting goals, new
information or understanding may surface that requires additional assessment of
the problem.
7 Steps in the Counselling Process
Many crucial steps go together to form the five stages of the counselling process.
How well they are performed can affect the success of each stage and overall
outcome of counselling (Krishnan, n.d.).

Key steps for the client

The client must take the following four steps for counselling to be successful
(Krishnan, n.d.):

1. Willingness
Being willing to seek and attend counselling is a crucial step for any
individual. It involves the recognition that they need to make changes and
require help to do so. Taking the next action often involves overcoming the
anxiety of moving out of the comfort zone and engaging in new thinking
patterns and behaviors.

2. Motivation
Being willing to make changes and engage in them involves maintaining
and sustaining motivation. Without it, the counselling process will falter
when the real work begins.

3. Commitment
The client may be willing and motivated, but change will not happen
without continued patience and commitment. Commitment may be a series
of repeating decisions to persist and move forward.

4. Faith
Counselling is unlikely to succeed unless the client has faith in themselves,
the counselor, and the process. Taking the step to begin and continue with
counselling requires the belief that it can be successful.

Key steps for the counselor

Each step in the counselling process is vital to forming and maintaining an

effective counselor–client relationship. Together they support what Carl
Rogers (1957) describes as the core conditions for successful therapy:

1. Unconditional positive regard

Through acceptance and nonjudgmental behavior, the therapist makes space
for the needs of the client and treats them with dignity. For more on
developing this, we have these Unconditional Positive Regard
worksheets, which may prove helpful.
2. Empathy
The counselor shows genuine understanding, even if they disagree with the
client.
 3. Congruence
The words, feelings, and actions of the counselor embody consistency.

Counselors often help clients make important and emotional decisions in their
lives. To form empathy, they must intimately take part in the client’s inner realm
or inscape.

Several well-performed steps can help the counselor engage with the client and
ensure they listen openly, without judgment or expectation. The counselor must
work on the following measures to build and maintain the relationship with the
client (Krishnan, n.d.):

1. Introduce themselves clearly and with warmth.

2. Invite the client to take a seat.
3. Address the client by the name they are most comfortable with.
4. Engage in relaxed social conversation to reduce anxiety.
5. Pay attention to nonverbal communication to identify the client’s emotional
state.
6. Invite the client using open questions to explain their reason for coming to
counselling.
7. Allow the client time to answer fully, without pressure.
8. Show that they are interested in the client as a person.

Each of the above steps is important. Taken together, they can facilitate the
formation of a valuable counselling relationship.

Ultimately, counselling is collaborative and requires a series of ongoing steps –

some taken by the client, others by the counselor, and several jointly. For a
successful outcome, appropriate resources, time, and focus must be given to each
one, and every win must be recognized and used to support the next.

Each client’s story is personal and unique.

While there are guiding theories and principles, the counselor must make the
counselling process specific to the individual.

The following two real-life examples provide a brief insight into the counselling
process and richness of the scenarios counselors face.

12 Valuable Skills for Each Phase

Good communication is vital to all stages of counselling. Skills should ideally
include (Krishnan, n.d.; Lesley University, n.d.; American Psychological
Association, 2008):

• Active listening techniques

• Clarification
• Reflection
• Effective questioning

Beyond that, to build rapport with the client, counselors must also:
 • Be able to experience and show empathy (rather than sympathy)
• See things from the client’s perspective
• Have a genuine interest in others’ wellbeing
• Use self-reflection to observe themselves and empathize with others
• Show accessibility and authenticity during counselling sessions
• Be flexible in their views and thinking regarding differing values and
multicultural issues
• Be able to maintain a sense of humor
• Be resilient and able to bounce back from difficult situations

A mental health practitioner delivering positive outcomes in increasingly diverse

populations benefits from developing theory, knowledge, and skills.