What is the counselling process?

The counselling process takes place through a series of phases, which are interrelated, interconnected and overlap such as the nursing process. The process is not rigid entity; it is a flexible and can be modified based on the nature of problems and person to be counselled. 

Phase 1: Establishing Relationship

This is the first and main phase of the counselling process, and is considered as the foundation to the counselling process. It is an ice-breaking session during which the counsellor and the counselee introducing each other and establish a primary rapport that continues building further in the following phase of the counselling process. Good rapport building provides the respect, trust and sense of psychological comfort to the counsellor-counselee relationship for the progression to the counselling process. Establishing a relationship may not be possible in a single session but may require multiple session before the next phase of counselling begin, so that the Counsellor and the Counselee interact with ease. The following strategies may be used by a counsellor to establish and effective relationship:

• Introduce yourself.
• Begin the face with adequate social skills.
• Always address the individual by his or her name and remember the patient's name.
• Ensure physical comfort of the counselee and self.
• Do not interrupt the individual when he/she is talking.
• Listen attentively.
• Observe nonverbal communication.

Phase 2: Assessment

During this phase, the counsellor's job motivate the counselee to speak about the problems and listen to him patiently. The counselee's job is to provide all the relevant information pertaining to the present problems for which he is seeking counselling. During this phase, detailed information is collected from the counselee. The type of information collected from the consulate during this phase. After the collection of the information, diagnosis related to the counselee's behaviour is made. Diagnosis in the counselling situation refers to the the concise statement of the patient's problems in the his present condition. It tries to identify possible cause of difficulty to predict future patient behaviour. Diagnosis thus may be considered as a hypothesis of the counsellor regarding a counselee's present attitude, thoughts and possible future behaviour various tools may be used in the collection of information during the assessment phase.

Phase 3: Setting Goals

During this third phase of the counselling process, goals are set co-operatively by both the counsellor and the counselee. While setting goals, the counselee's strengths, weaknesses, constraints and available resources must be kept under consideration. The goal could be immediate and ultimate which directs the Counsellor and the counselee to further progress in the counselling process and finally help in evaluation of the counselling outcomes. Goals set during counselling are not fixed, but are dynamic, which may change based on the need and new information. Effective and reliable goal setting requires the following skills in counsellors:

• Multifaceted knowledge related to the problem of the counselee
• Ability to think critically and inference-drawing skills
• Judgement, planning and management skills
• Skills to segregate and differentiate the provided information
• Ability to teach individuals to think critically and realistically
• Help the counselee set feasible, reliable and achievable goals

Phase 4: Intervention

This stage counselling is an operational phase where the counselee is suggested the best possible options for the management of the present problem. This phase is affected by the counsellor's own thoughts about the counselling process. The intervention will depend on the approach used by the counsellors, the problem and the individual. The choice of the intervention is a process of adaptation and the counsellor should be prepared to change the intervention when the selected intervention does not work.

Phase 5: Termination and Follow-Up

This is the final stage of the counselling process, where counselling comes to an end. Termination must be planned well ahead so that the conselee may feel comfortable at the departure and gradually able to handle the problem independently. Some follow-up sessions may be required to help the counselee further to handle the problem independently.