Unit Topic: Establish and confirm the counselling relationship

Unit Code: CHCCSL001

STUDY GUIDE 1
THE COUNSELLING RELATIONSHIP

Published by: Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors Pty Ltd ATF AIPC Trust
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All Case Histories in this text are presented as examples only

and any comparison which might be made with persons either
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Second Edition, June 2021
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Contents
UNIT OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................. 4
HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE............................................................................... 5
UNIT OUTCOMES ............................................................................................................ 6
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 9
SECTION 1 AN INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELLING ............................................ 11
An introduction to counselling....................................................................................... 12
What is counselling and how does it help? ..................................................................... 12
Counselling vs. other helping professions ...................................................................... 14
The history of counselling.............................................................................................. 16
The counselling relationship........................................................................................... 19
Counselling skills and techniques ................................................................................... 21
SECTION 2 COUNSELLOR RESPONSIBILITIES ........................................................ 33
Counsellor responsibilities ............................................................................................. 34
Respect client rights ....................................................................................................... 35
Client safety and wellbeing ............................................................................................. 39
Counsellor competence.................................................................................................. 42
Organisational requirements .......................................................................................... 47
SECTION 3 INITIATING THE COUNSELLING PROCESS ....................................... 50
Initiating the counselling process ................................................................................... 51
An overview of counselling process ............................................................................... 51
The first session ............................................................................................................. 53
Initiating the session ...................................................................................................... 54
Contracting .................................................................................................................... 55
Exploring client concerns............................................................................................... 58
Facilitating case planning................................................................................................ 59
Developing a counselling plan........................................................................................ 60
First session in action..................................................................................................... 62

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

Unit Overview
Unit Title
CHCCSL001 – Establish and confirm the counselling relationship

Unit Purpose
This unit describes the knowledge and skills required to use a structured approach to
counselling to determine, establish and confirm the nature of the counsellor-client relationship
according to the agency’s counselling model.

Prerequisites
There are no pre-requisites for this unit.

Content
▪ An introduction to counselling
▪ Counsellor responsibilities
▪ Initiating the counselling process

Resources/Readings
Readings A – H are located in the associated Book of Readings.

Suggested Hours
Although everyone will work at their own pace, we suggest you allow approximately 100 hours
to complete this unit competently, including seminars, tutorials, assignments and any practical
activities.

Time Frame
The recommended time frame for this unit is 4 weeks.
Assessment
This unit will be assessed by completing the CHCCSL001 Assessment Book and an associated
practical assessment.

Please submit your Assessment Book via your online student portal at http://my.aipc.net.au

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

How to Use This Study Guide

This Study Guide and associated Book of Readings contains all of the information that you
need to complete the assessment tasks associated with this unit. You must read through all of
the information provided (both the Study Guide and Book of Readings) before attempting the
assessment tasks.

Throughout this Study Guide there are a few icons used to help you. These include:

The Tip Icon

This is used to indicate the presence of tips or additional instructions
that may assist you as you work through this Study Guide. They are
designed to help you expand your knowledge and skills, and deepen
your understanding of how concepts and practices are applied in
workplaces.

The Reading Icon

You will find these throughout the Study Guide. They indicate that a
particular Reading contains additional information on the topic that is
being discussed at that point.
Reading A

The Reflect Icon

This indicates a self-reflection question. You are not required to submit
answers to these questions. They are designed to get you thinking more
about the topic and to consider key points in order to aid your
understanding.

The Assessment Icon

This is an assessment icon. It indicates the presence of assessment
questions related to each section of the Study Guide.

Thank you for choosing to study with The Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors.
Best Wishes!

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 Unit Outcomes

Unit Outcomes
Upon completion of this unit, you should be able to:

Element Performance Criteria

1. Use a structured approach to 1.1 Analyse existing client information prior to

counselling commencement of counselling session
1.2 Use initial session to gather additional client
information as a foundation for counselling process
1.3 Select and use communication techniques that
support the initial counselling session objectives
1.4 Follow a structured approach to counselling based
on client needs and expectations

2. Establish the nature of the 2.1 Provide information that assists clients to
helping relationship understand the nature of the counselling service on
offer
2.2 Clarify, confirm or modify client expectations of the
counselling service
2.3 Identify client anxieties about the counselling
process and explore with clients
2.4 Acknowledge and show respect for client’s
immediate concerns
2.5 Clarify both expectations and commitment to the
counselling relationship and confirm with clients
2.6 Identify indicators of client issues beyond scope of
own role and report or refer according to presenting
issue and organisation requirements

3. Confirm the helping 3.1 Explore options and approaches for the relationship
relationship with clients according to individual need
3.2 Agree priorities and develop a plan for counselling
in collaboration with the client
3.3 Make documented agreement with the client that
addresses disclosure and organisation requirements

KNOWLEDGE EVIDENCE
The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively
complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and
manage contingencies in the context of the work role. This includes knowledge of:
▪ Legal and ethical considerations for the initial stages of counselling, and how these are
applied in individual practice:
- codes of conduct/practice

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 - contract requirements, formats for contracts and key information for inclusion in a
counselling contract
- discrimination
- duty of care
- human rights
- mandatory reporting
- practitioner/client boundaries
- privacy, confidentiality and disclosure
- records management
- rights and responsibilities of workers, employers and clients
- work role boundaries – responsibilities and limitations of the counsellor role
- work health and safety
▪ the counselling process, including:
- what clients have a right to expect
- principles of person-centred practice
- purpose of counselling
- how counselling has evolved as a helping relationship
- place of counselling within the helping services
- scope and nature of the counselling relationship, including professional limitations
- impact of own values on the counselling relationship
▪ counselling planning, its scope, and techniques for creating a counselling plan, including
requirements for:
- safety or reporting issues
- recording of clients own identified priorities
- observations of client requirements
- involvement of other agencies/referral information
- special needs information
- goals
- evaluation strategies
▪ communication techniques, including:
- effective use of body language
- paraphrasing
- reflecting feelings
- open and closed questioning or probing
- summarising
- reframing
▪ types of issues with which clients may present, the extent to which these fall within the
counselling scope of practice, and options for referral, including for:
- alcohol and other drugs
- domestic and family violence
- financial difficulty
- homelessness
- mental illness
- problem gambling.

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

PERFORMANCE EVIDENCE
The candidate must show evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and
performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of
the job role. There must be evidence that the candidate has:
▪ conducted an initial session with at least 3 different clients presenting with different issues,
to establish, confirm and document the nature of the helping relationship, including:
- followed the structure and process of a counselling interview
- developed counselling plans that include required:
o safety or reporting issues
o recording of clients own identified priorities
o observations of client requirements
o involvement of other agencies/referral information
o special needs information
o goals
o evaluation strategies
- used communication techniques, including:
o effective use of body language
o paraphrasing
o reflecting feelings
o open and closed questioning or probing
o summarising
o reframing.

8
INTRODUCTION

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

Introduction
About this Unit:
This unit is designed to provide you with an introduction to counselling. The basic counselling
processes and techniques that you will learn in this unit offer a framework from which you
can structure your own counselling sessions and may assist you in later units when you study
more specific counselling strategies and approaches.

Overview of Sections:
Section 1: An introduction to counselling
In the first section of this Study Guide you will be introduced to the profession of counselling.
You will learn about the purpose of counselling and how it has evolved as a helping profession.
This section of the Study Guide also introduces you to person-centred principles and basic
counselling techniques that can be used to facilitate the development of a positive counsellor-
client relationship.

Section 2: Counsellor responsibilities

This section of the Study Guide will provide you with an introduction to key counsellor
responsibilities and practice considerations. You will learn about client rights within the
counselling process, the counsellor’s responsibilities, and some key practice issues that shape
how a counsellor works with their clients.

Section 3: Initiating the counselling process

The final section of the Study Guide draws upon the understanding you have developed from
the previous sections and illustrates the application of such knowledge and skills in the first
counselling session. Particularly, you will learn to establish rapport with clients, help clients
understand the counselling process, explore clients’ concerns and facilitating the development
of a counselling plan that documents the direction of the counselling process.

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 Section 1
AN INTRODUCTION
TO COUNSELLING

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

An Introduction to Counselling
About this section:
In this section you will learn about:
− The purpose of counselling
− History of counselling and how it has evolved as a helping profession
− The place of counselling among the helping professions
− Person-centred principles
− Skills and techniques for establishing a counselling relationship

Supporting materials:
The following materials supplement the information provided in this section:

1. Reading A
2. Reading B

Welcome to your Diploma of Counselling! Throughout this course, you will be introduced to the
world of counselling, including the many different approaches and skills that will assist you in your
practice. Before we delve too deeply into what counselling involves, it is useful to have a basic
understanding of what counselling is. This section will provide you with a brief overview of
counselling as a helping profession, as well as introduce you to the fundamentals of counselling,
specifically the helping relationship.

While you are working your way through this Study Guide, it is important to remember that the
information provided in this introductory unit is simply a brief overview. You will learn much
more about specific counselling skills and approaches as you progress throughout the course. The
goal at this stage is to lay the groundwork on which you will continue to build your skills and
knowledge, both throughout this course and onwards throughout your career.

You will also notice a number of self-reflection prompts included within the Study
Guides of this course. They are provided to assist you with thinking about the
material you are learning and do not require a written response. Simply take a few
minutes to reflect upon your learning. The ability to reflect is vital for a counsellor.

What is counselling and how does it help?

Counselling is commonly described as a form of ‘talk-based therapy’ as it is “fundamentally based
on conversation, and the capacity of people to ‘talk things through’ and to generate new
possibilities for action through dialogue” (McLeod, 2013, p.8). During counselling, clients typically
engage in discussions of issues or challenges, with a trained counsellor, with the goal of improving
their current situations in relation to those issues.

“Within mainstream Western cultures, personal counselling involves collaborative discussions

in a supportive and confidential environment aimed at arriving at an account (or accounts) of a
problem (or set of problems) for the purpose of assisting the client(s) to reach a point at which
the problem(s):

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 Section 1: An Introduction to Counselling

▪ no longer exist;
▪ are transformed into opportunities and/or better management of self, relationships or
the wider environment; or
▪ continue, but in less debilitating, more manageable form[s].”
(Moloney, 2016, p.6)

The basic purpose of counselling is to provide a client with a confidential, safe, and supportive
environment where they can tell their story, work through their emotions, and make positive
changes to their life. The role of the counsellor is to facilitate the client’s self-development by
providing the client with an opportunity to gain a better understanding of who they are, where
they want to be, and how to get there. The counsellor supports the client to achieve their goals
and gain greater insight into their lives. Furthermore, effective counsellors assist clients to build
skills that they can use to solve other difficulties in their lives. For example, if a client learns good
communication skills to help resolve a problem with their spouse, they will also be able to use
those communication skills with their children, friends, or co-workers.

Clients predominantly come to counselling because they are experiencing a situation or issue that
is overwhelming their usual problem solving or coping strategies, resulting in emotional distress.
These issues can include intrapersonal, interpersonal, and external issues that are impacting on a
client’s wellbeing and day-to-day functioning. Common issues that clients may present with include
stress, relationship difficulties, grief and loss, parenting, emotional difficulties, and addictions. As
you can imagine, experiencing one or more of these issues over a prolonged period of time can be
distressing. Clients may feel like they are going around in circles and that things will never improve.
A counsellor is often able to help the client alleviate their emotional distress using a variety of
strategies. These will vary from person to person, but may include:
▪ Insight: A counsellor may help a client to understand how his or her present issue or
problem has developed or come about, leading to emotional and behavioural changes. For
example, Linda could not understand why her relationships always fizzled out after a few
months. By discussing her past experiences with her counsellor, she identified a pattern of
distancing behaviour which was contributing to the premature ending of relationships.
Now that she was aware of this, she decided to make a concerted effort to change her way
of relating in her next relationship.
▪ Interpersonal communication. A counsellor may help a client evaluate his or her way of
communicating, thus resulting in improved relationships with others. For example, Eli
received a warning from his manager about his bullying behaviour. He worked with a
counsellor to develop alternative ways of communicating with staff to achieve what needed
to be done at work without resorting to shouting or threatening behaviour.
▪ Self-awareness. A counsellor may help a client become more aware of underlying
emotions or beliefs that may be unacknowledged, but still influence the client’s behaviour.
For example, Anna came to counselling because she wanted to address her binge eating
behaviour. By exploring some of her childhood experiences, Anna realised that she had
been carrying a great deal of unexpressed anger towards her father who abandoned the
family years before. She realised that her eating patterns were directly related to her
emotional state and worked with the counsellor to develop alternative ways of expressing
her emotions.
▪ Problem-solving. Often clients come to counselling with an issue or problem they have
not been able to resolve effectively on their own. A counsellor may help a client to expl ore

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 Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

the issue more fully, generate options, and consider potential consequences. For example,
Oliver’s eight-year-old daughter was struggling socially at school as well as academically.
The counsellor helped Oliver work through various options, evaluating the benefits and
drawbacks of each one. In the end, Oliver decided to move his daughter to a smaller, less
academic school that her best friend attends. The counsellor also gave Oliver the details
of a local educational psychologist to evaluate whether his daughter had any learning issues
that might require additional support.
▪ Acquisition of social skills. A counsellor may help a client learn specific skills or
strategies aimed at improving interpersonal difficulties. For example, Belinda was referred
to counselling by probation services for anger management. The counsellor helped Belinda
identify specific triggers as well as strategies for managing her anger response.

Reading A provides a good introduction to counselling and some of the key assumptions that
underpin the counselling relationship. You will also find several examples of ‘counselling in action’
that illustrate a variety of counselling processes that involve clients with different presenting issues
at different points of life. In addition, take note of the variety in counselling profession –
Reading A counsellors may hold different titles or role depending on the settings they work in and other
qualifications they may hold.

Self-reflection
What does the term ‘counselling’ mean to you? What ideas or notions about the purpose of
counselling or the role of a counsellor do you currently have? Consider the various definitions
of counselling that are presented in Reading A. Which of these do you identity with most? Why ?

Now that you have an idea of the different ways that counsellors may work with their clients, let’s
have a look at how the role of a counsellor may differ from other helping professions.

Counselling vs. other helping professions

Counsellors are not the only helping professionals that offer therapeutic support to clients.
Including counsellors, there are a wide range of helping professionals who may be involved in
supporting clients in relation to improving their wellbeing, such as social workers, psychologists,
psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and coaches. So how does counsellor differ from these
professions? How do clients know whether counselling is most appropriate for meeting their
needs?

As you will learn later, supporting clients to understand the nature and scope of counselling is an
important part in establishing an effective helping relationship. It is therefore beneficial to develop
an understanding of where counselling sits among the range of helping services available.

Professionals Description

Counsellors A counsellor is a trained, objective professional with whom you can build a
healing and trusting relationship. They are trained to offer different types of
assistance; most frequently talking-based styles of therapy. The counsellor
helps you to address your problems in a positive way by helping you to clarify
the issues, explore options, develop strategies and increase self-awareness.
There are many different types of counselling and approaches that
counsellors use will vary. (Department of Health Victoria, 2019)

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 Section 1: An Introduction to Counselling

Psychologists Psychologists are educated in the science of how people feel, behave and
react. They provide help with issues such as anxiety, depression, stress and
eating disorders. Psychologists do not prescribe medications but use a
number of scientifically-supported tests to determine the mental health and
wellbeing of people. Psychologists can specialise in a number of areas
including mental health disorders (clinical psychologists), jobs and careers
(organisational psychologists) and sports and exercise (sports psychologists).
(Department of Health Victoria, 2020a)

Psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a registered medical doctor who has obtained additional

qualifications and training to become a specialist in the diagnosis, treatment
and prevention of mental illness and emotional problems. Psychiatrists have
many roles and provide assessments and counselling to individuals, families
and groups and are also able to prescribe medications to assist with the
ongoing treatment and management of mental health conditions. (Anxiety
Disorders Association of Victoria, n.d.)

Social Social workers are trained to help people experiencing a range of issues
Workers including family problems, anxiety, depression, crisis and trauma. They
provide information and support to people who have mental health issues or
those who need counselling. Social workers can also refer people to other
healthcare professionals or organisations.
Social workers also act on behalf of individuals and organisations to help with
social injustice in situations including child wellbeing and protection,
domestic and family violence, homelessness and Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander communities. Some social workers may work in a particular area,
such as youth services or as refugee advocates (supporters). (Department of
Health Victoria, 2020b)

Coaches Coaches facilitate a goal-oriented process that focuses on learning and

development in the clients’ particular aspects of personal and professional
lives, such as work practices, career development, work-life balance,
professional training (Westergaard, 2016).

There are several key similarities between counsellors and the other types of helping professionals
above. For instance, all of these helping professionals utilise communication techniques (and often
counselling skills) to assess client needs and provide support within the scope of their role and
expertise. They are also expected to abide by a range of legal and ethical requirements that involve
upholding human rights and provision of a safe, ethical, and confidential service. While these
professionals may work from varying models or approaches, they are expected to from a
nonjudgmental, person-centred approach, which means they focus on supporting the clients to
determine priorities and make decisions about their lives (we will discuss person-centred principles
in more depth later).

Nevertheless, these helping roles vary in terms of their scope of responsibilities and level of
professional qualifications acquired. Take prescription of medication for example; psychiatrists
are the only professional in the list above who can prescribe and manage medication given their
qualifications and training as a medical doctor. A psychologist would normally have received four
years tertiary training and/or undertaken additional qualifications and supervised pract ice to work
in a specialised field. Similarly social workers would have acquired four years of tertiary training

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

plus additional training and supervised practice to in a specialised area (e.g., mental health,
domestic violence). Comparably, the profession of counsellor is not as regulated in Australia; a
counsellor may hold qualifications from diploma to masters level, and may work in a range of
contexts, including education, health, community services, and private practice. However,
counsellors may also undertake further training and qualifications to specialise in areas such as
addictions, grief, relationships, parenting, or careers.

In addition, the nature of issues focused in the helping relationship is another factor that highlights
the distinctions between these professions. Consider, for example, a client living with mental
illness. Where a counselling client may require specialist mental health assessments and/or
diagnoses, they will need to be referred to a psychologist or psychiatrist. Conversely, a psychiatrist
may refer a client to a counsellor or psychologist for ongoing therapeutic support in relation to
managing their wellbeing and mental health needs during recovery. The client may also approach
a social worker who acts in a case managing role to facilitate access to resources and services.
However, a coach may not be involved as they do not usually explore emotional and psychological
issues in-depth; they focus more on enabling and supporting changes in relation to more explicitly
defined goals.

In sum, each professional has their own area of expertise and training and play different important
roles in supporting clients. It is also not uncommon for a few of these helping professionals to
work collaboratively in providing integrated care and support to clients who have complex and
multi-faceted needs. Nevertheless, this highlights the need to inform clients of your qualifications
and scope of practice to facilitate understanding of the service on offer.

Self-reflection
Are there any other key differences between counsellors and other helping professions that you
can identify? Would you feel confident about explaining these differences to a client who is
trying to decide the most appropriate service that would suit their needs?

The history of counselling

The origins of counselling can be traced back to the beginning of the eighteenth century when the
industrial revolution brought large-scale changes to society. Before that time, people lived in small
rural communities and the head of the local church would usually deal with emotional and
interpersonal problems. People with more serious mental disturbances were tolerated and even
cared for by the community. However, after the community fragmentation that resulted from the
industrial revolution, there was a shift towards placing people with a mental illness into asylums.
The medical profession took control of these asylums, and towards the end of the nineteenth
century, the medical specialisation of psychiatry emerged (psychiatry is the science of treating
mental illness). It was from this new field of medicine that psychotherapy evolved.

Counselling shares some of the philosophies and methods of psychotherapy, but, as the extract
below illustrates, it has stronger connections to social reform and a strong presence in the
voluntary sector.

“The history of psychotherapy has been much more fully documented than the history of
counselling. Counselling as a distinct profession came of age only in the 1940s. One of the public
markers of the emergence of counselling at that time was that Carl Rogers, in the face of
opposition from the medical profession to the idea that anyone without medical training could
call himself a ‘psychotherapist’, began to use the term ‘counselling and psychotherapy’ to

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 Section 1: An Introduction to Counselling

describe his approach (Rogers, 1942). Although in many respects counselling, both then and
now, can be seen as an extension of psychotherapy, a parallel activity or even a means of
‘marketing’ psychotherapy to new groups of consumers, there are also at least two important
historical strands that differentiate counselling from psychotherapy: involvement in the
educational system and the role of the voluntary sector. The American Personnel and Guidance
Association, which was later to become the American Counselling Association was formed in
1952, through the merger of a number of vocational guidance professional groups that were
already well established by that time. The membership of the American Personnel and Guidance
Association consisted of counsellors who worked in schools, colleges, and career advisory
services. In Britain, the Standing Council for the Advancement of Counselling, which was later
to become the British Association for Counselling was inaugurated in 1971, by a network of
people who were primarily based in social services, social work and the voluntary sector.

The precursors to the formation of these organizations can be understood in terms of a sense
of crisis within society, or ‘moral panic’, around various areas of social life. In effect, what
happened was that there was a sense of unease around some aspect of the breakdown of social
order, or the identification of groups of individuals who were being unfairly treated in some
way. These crises were characterized by widespread publicity about the problem, de bate in
newspapers and magazines, and efforts to bring about political or legislative change. At some
point in this process, someone would have the idea that the best means of helping was to treat
each person needing assistance as an individual, and that the most effective way to proceed was
to sit down with that individual, discuss the matter, and find the best way forward for that person
in terms of his or her unique needs and circumstances. The idea of ‘counselling’ appears to have
emerged more or less simultaneously, in many different fields of social action, in this manner.”
(McLeod, 2013, pp. 31-32)

The relationship between counselling and psychotherapy remains a debatable topic today. While
counselling has connections to the psychotherapeutic approach that arose out of
medicine/psychiatry, counselling as we know it today has broader social origins. As Reeves (2015,
p.18) comments, “if psychotherapy was born out of medicine, counselling was perhaps born out
of the voluntary movement and education.” Despite all, the field of counselling and psychotherapy
continuously evolved over the years alongside developments in theories of human development
and behaviours (as we become informed by research and findings about human development),
which leads to emergence of different types and approaches of counselling.

Major theories that inform specific counselling approaches are summarised in the table below.

A Summary of the Development of Counselling Theories Over the Years

Date Theory/Theorists
Late 19 th Psychoanalytical Theory (Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Erik
Century Erikson) Psychoanalytical theorists like Freud believed that problems arise
when people attempt to repress (keep out of conscious awareness) painful
memories and emotions from childhood. Freud suggested that people use
various strategies to repress memories called defence mechanisms which they
are often not even aware of. Freud believed that problematic issues could be
resolved by having people become more conscious of their repressed memories.
He used the techniques of analysing dreams and free association (or free flow of
thought) to achieve this.

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

1950s Behaviourist theory (Ivan Pavlov, J.B. Watson, B.F. Skinner, Joseph
Wolpe) Behavioural theorists such as Skinner challenged psychanalytical views.
They proposed that a person responds to a given situation according to what
they have learned as a child. This response or behaviour may cause problems.
According to Behaviourists, behaviour can be unlearnt therefore behaviour
therapy focuses on helping the individual modify the problematic behaviour.
Humanistic (Carl Rogers, Abraham Maslow)
The Humanistic approach emerged as an alternative to the Psychoanalytical and
behaviourist approaches and focuses on how people experience life events rather
than the events themselves. The Humanistic approach to counselling encourages
people to explore their own thoughts and feelings and to work out their own
solutions to their problems. Person-centred therapy is an example of this
approach.
1960s Cognitive theory (Aaron beck, Albert Ellis)
Cognitive theorists emphasise the role of people’s cognitive (thought) processes
in problematic issues. According to Cognitive theory, problematic issues are the
result of unhelpful or distorted patterns of perception and thought. Cognitive
therapy involves working with someone to identify and change these unhelpful
beliefs or thinking processes.
1970s Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
A later approach involved combining Behavioural and Cognitive theories.
Cognitive Behavioural therapists see thoughts, feelings and behaviours as
interrelated. Therapy involves identifying unhelpful or distorted thought patterns
(as described in Cognitive therapy above) and understanding how these thoughts
manifest in unhelpful behaviour. Once people understand how unhelpful
thoughts are creating problematic behaviour, they can adjust their thinking with
the help of the counsellor resulting in a change in behaviour.
Post- Strengths-based perspective empowers people rather than focuses on problems and deficits.
modern Solution-focused therapy
approaches
– late 20 th In Solution-focused therapy, the focus is on a person’s present circumstances
century and future goals rather than past experiences. In this goal-oriented therapy, the
symptoms or issues bringing a person to therapy are not targeted directly. People
are encouraged to consider their ‘ideal’ or preferred future and identify ways of
achieving it utilising the strengths they already have.
Narrative therapy
Narrative therapy focuses on helping people separate themselves from their
problems and view their lives from a different perspective. Rather than
transforming the person, the person’s relationship to a problem is changed
through a ‘re-authoring” of their problem story.

Self-reflection
After you read through the summary table, take a few moments to reflect upon it. Which of the
counselling theories and approaches have you heard about?
At this stage of your studies, which theoretical approach appeals to you the most and why?

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 Section 1: An Introduction to Counselling

Counsellors nowadays practice from a variety of approaches built upon solid theoretical
foundations that serve to explain how and a person has become who they are and how they can
make changes to their lives. Some counsellors only practice from a particular modality or approach
while others use a variety of techniques taken from a range of approaches. This is known as taking
an “eclectic” approach. As you grow and develop your counselling skills, you may find yourself
developing a preference for a particular style of counselling or you may tailor your approach
depending upon the client and their needs.

While each approach to counselling is important, the humanistic principles have left an indelible
mark on counselling – the importance of therapeutic relationship between a client and their
counsellor to effective counselling.

Self-reflection
Before reading on, take a few moments to reflect on what you believe constitutes a good helping
relationship.
What skills or attributes do you think an effective counsellor must possess? Why?

The counselling relationship

Arguably the most important aspect within the counselling process is the relationship between the
counsellor and client. Most clients enter counselling while in a heightened state of emotions and
distress which can make the process of developing an effective counselling relationship quite
difficult.

“Clients come to counselling in pain, with problems, with decisions, in crisis and in need of
support. They need to relate to or become connected to counsellors as a means of working on
their concerns. The counselling relationship is defined here as the quality and strength of the
human connection that counsellors and clients share.”
(Nelson-Jones, 2014, p. 77)

The relationship between counsellor and client lies at the very heart of the counselling process and
is enhanced by the counsellor’s ability to build understanding and connection or rapport with his
or her client. While many people assume that counsellors are innately skilled at connecting with
clients, there are actually many skills and techniques that counsellors must learn to utilise in order
to assist them in developing an effective therapeutic relationship – you will be introduced to some
of these skills later, and in more detail in the following unit: Apply specialist interpersonal and counselling
interview skills. Before then, let’s first consider some important features of a good helping
relationship.

Person-centred counselling
One of the key humanistic concepts widely applied in counselling (as well as most helping
professions) today is the person-centred principles. These principles highlight personal qualities of
counsellors that are desirable and vital for counselling process to be effective, in addition to other
skills and approaches used to facilitate effective counselling outcomes (Geldard, Geldard & Yin
Foo, 2017).

Providing person-centred counselling involves creating a safe, non-judgemental counselling

environment that allows the client to resolve his or her own problems, without direct intervention
by the counsellor. Counsellors put the client at the centre of the counselling process – assuming

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

that clients are ‘experts’ in their own lives and therefore rely on them to lead and set the pace of
the process. They also believe that clients come to the relationship with the inherent capability to
make changes themselves and thus adopt a questioning rather than directive stance (i.e., use gentle,
non-judgmental questioning rather than ‘advising’ a client).

In a nutshell, counsellors use a range of counselling skills to facilitate a helping relationship that
demonstrates the following person-centred principles:
▪ Honest and genuine communication: A counsellor’s body language should match what
they are saying. If a client senses a mismatch in the counsellor’s expression, this may impact
on their trust and openness.
▪ Empathy: A counsellor works toward developing an understanding of the client’s
perspective and what it is like to be “in their shoes”.
▪ Acceptance, respect, and care: This does not mean agreeing with everything the client
says or does but acknowledging the client’s position and expressing concern rather than
disagreeing. Adopting a non-judgemental attitude helps the client to feel accepted and
facilitates the change process.
▪ Autonomy: Counsellors aim to facilitate autonomy right from the very first session, such
as by providing the client with sufficient information about the process, the organisation,
and what they can expect from the counselling relationship. They also work as
collaboratively as possible with clients throughout counselling process.
▪ Non-directive: The client’s needs, as opposed to the counsellor’s agenda, drive the
counselling process. A counsellor would acknowledge and show respect for clients’
concerns and provide guidance as necessary to help clients navigate towards their goals.

The following extract illustrates the importance of a person-centred counselling relationship:

“A counsellor needs to walk alongside the person seeking help and to be with them in a very
real sense so that they experience a feeling of togetherness. The precise words the counsellor
uses are less important than the ability to form a meaningful relationship with the person and
to listen intently to what they are saying. An effective counsellor listens more than talks, and
what they do say gives the person seeking help a sense of being heard and understood. The
counsellor’s role involves helping the person seeking help to explore their world and thus to
make sense out of their inner confusion. It is not the counsellor’s role to choose the direction
in which a person moves, but rather to provide the environment in which they can best decide
where to go. The counsellor accompanies them on their journey of exploration, working
collaboratively with them by purposefully making use of counselling skills within a process that
facilitates change.”
(Geldard et al., 2017, p.17)

Another important reason for counsellors to work in a person-centred manner is to reduce the
likelihood of engaging in unhelpful communications or actions driven by their own values and/or
biases. We must not forget that counsellors are also real people, who hold certain opinions, values,
and attributes that they will inevitably bring into the counselling relationship, if they were to be
genuine and congruent. Being non-judgmental and accepting towards clients can be quite
challenging if counsellors are not aware of their personal values and how these may impact on
their perceptions and behaviours in the counselling relationship. As such, reflecting on personal
values and beliefs is a key responsibility that counsellors have in order to establish an effective and
ethical relationship.

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 Section 1: An Introduction to Counselling

In the remainder of this section, we will focus on some skills and techniques that are commonly
used to help facilitate a person-centred counselling relationship. These skills are used throughout
the counselling process, but are particularly important at the initial session of counselling where
there is a strong focus on establishing a positive helping relationship.

Counselling skills and techniques

As you have learned, effective counselling takes place within a client-counsellor relationship that
is safe, non-judgmental, and collaborative. Hence, building rapport (i.e., affinity with and
understanding of the client) and establishing a connection with clients is an important focus, even
more so at the initial stage of counselling. In order to help clients to feel at ease and comfortable
enough to express themselves and share their story, counsellors use a range of communication
techniques, often known as microskills, that facilitate rapport building.

“[Microskills] are the specific communication skills that provide ways for you to reach many
types of clients. They will clarify the “how” of all theories of counseling and therapy. You
master these skills one by one and then learn to integrate them into a well-formed session.
Effective use of microskills enables you to anticipate how clients may respond to your
interventions. With practice you will be able to match the microskills to the developmental and
idiosyncratic characteristics of each client... And if clients do not respond as you expect, you
will be able to shift to skills and strategies that match their needs.”
(Ivey, Ivey & Zalaquett, 2018, p. 11)

Some of the core microskills used throughout counselling process include:

▪ Attending behaviour.
▪ Asking appropriate questions.
▪ Responding skills, e.g., encouragers, paraphrasing, summarising, and reflecting.

Once a solid relationship has been established, counsellors may also sparingly use more specialised
communication techniques, such as reframing, to deepen clients’ understanding of their own
thoughts and behaviours. In this section, we will briefly explore each of these skills, focussing on
how counsellors may use them in the initial session of counselling. You will continue to learn more
about these skills and techniques in your next Study Guide.

As you read on, keep in mind that microskills should be practised as often as possible in order to
develop an active mastery of them. Given practise and time, these skills will become second nature
to you. However, you should remember that it is not so much about the mastery of any particular
skill; it is the effective (at an appropriate time and to the appropriate level) and selective use of a
range of counselling skills that will ultimately facilitate the counselling process.

Reading B offers an overview of basic counselling skills used to build empathic and collaborative
relationship with clients and explore client’s concerns. Use this reading to review and expand your
understanding of the microskills we will be discussing next.
Reading B
Attending behaviour
As the name suggests, attending behaviours enable counsellors to demonstrate that they are
interested in, and emotionally available to, hearing the clients’ story (Nelson-Jones, 2016). This
essentially involves paying ‘active’ attention to both verbal and non-verbal messages of clients and
listening empathetically.

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

“Attending behavior, essential to an empathic relationship, is defined as supporting your client

with individually and culturally appropriate verbal following, visuals, vocal quality, and body
language/facial expression. Listening is the core skill of attending behavior and is central to
developing a relationship and making real contact with our clients.”
(Ivey et al., 2018, p. 57)

Self-reflection
Before reading on, take a few moments to reflect on a moment when you feel that someone has
failed to listen to you. What was going on?
How did you know that the person was not listening? Was it from what they said, how they
behaved, or both? How did that make you feel?

Not surprisingly, a counsellor’s body language is an important part of ‘listening’ to their clients.
An open and relaxed body posture suggests that the counsellor is receptive (i.e., open) to what the
client is saying; whereas a closed and tense body posture may suggest disapproval and
defensiveness. Nelson-Jones (2016) suggests the following non-verbal strategies to facilitate
rapport:
▪ Sit at a slight angle to client. This means that you both can still pick up non-verbal language
but it is not as confronting as sitting facing each other directly and may help the client feel
less vulnerable.
▪ Avoid crossing your legs or arms as this may be interpreted as a barrier and may send the
message that you are not receptive to the client.
▪ Be sensitive to the client’s personal space. Leaning too far forward invades the client’s
personal space. Similarly, sitting too far away and leaning backwards conveys emotional
distance. Leaning slightly forward however encourages clients to tell their story. It is
important to be guided by cultural considerations in establishing an appropriate distance
from your client. Some cultural conventions require more personal space when people are
engaging in conversation.
▪ Use appropriate eye contact. You should aim to look in the client’s direction so that your
eyes meet reasonably often. Be careful to avoid staring however, and again be sensitive to
cultural differences which may dictate acceptable levels of eye contact.
▪ Use encouraging gestures such has head nods but avoid gestures that may convey
distraction such as fidgeting with a pen.

It is important to carefully consider the appropriateness of touch to convey caring and concern.
Some people are uncomfortable with such physical gestures. If used, touch should be li mited in
time and intensity to avoid discomfort and any hint of sexual connotation. For example, a brief
pat on the arm or hand may be appropriate with some clients, particularly during times of
heightened emotion. However, issues of cultural appropriateness should be considered when
deciding upon whether or not touch is used.

Mirroring is another non-verbal technique that is commonly used to facilitate rapport-building.

This involves understanding and subtly copying the client’s own style of communication and
posture. For example, counsellors may match the level of formality in a client’s language – If the
client is using colloquial, everyday language, the counsellor will aim to do the same. Similarly, a

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 Section 1: An Introduction to Counselling

counsellor may adopt a similar (but not necessarily identical) posture to the client if they are sitting
upright and alert. This can help clients to feel comfortable with the counsellor and the counselling
process (Nelson-Jones, 2016). However, mirroring needs to be used subtly and with genuineness
(imagine someone who is outright obvious trying to copy everything you say or do!), overdoi ng
mirroring runs the risk of a client feeling uncomfortable or offended.

Of course, the counsellors’ verbal behaviours are as important too (remember that being congruent
and genuine in what you say and do is an important feature of person-centred counselling). One
way to demonstrate that you are listening with interest is through verbal tracking, which means
to stay with your client’s topic and facilitate further discussion of the subject (Ivey et al., 2018). It
is important for counsellors not to interrupt unnecessarily or change topic abruptly; instead, allow
and invite clients to talk freely and talk about the things that have brought them to you in the first
place.

Appropriate use of encouragers and brief invitations to continue are also useful ways to show that
you are listening to a client (Geldard et al., 2017):
▪ Encouragers: The use of minimal responses, such as “Uh-huh”, “Mm…”, “Right…”, and
“Really…” communicates to clients that we are listening, and encourage the client to
continue telling their story. Often, these minimal responses convey more than simply
acknowledgement; the tone and intensity of voice as well as non-verbal behaviours
associated with making these responses also communicate agreement, surprise, or query
from the counsellor. However, you need to be mindful of the frequency of encouragers –
they can become distractive or superficial when given too frequently, or the person may
not feel listened when there is not enough.
▪ Brief invitations to continue: To encourage clients to continue or elaborate on what they
have said, counsellors may use responses such as, “And…”, “Tell me more…”, “Can you tell
me more?” or “Would you like to continue?”. This is typically used when the client has paused
and have had sufficient time to think. Similarly, these responses will need to use
appropriately, in terms of frequency, tone and intensity of voice, and the non-verbal
behaviours (e.g., movement, facial expression, eye contact) that are all part of the messages
conveyed.

Notwithstanding, counsellors often use a range of responding skills to show a client that they have
been actively paying attention to what they are saying or expressing.

Responding skills
Throughout counselling process, responding skills are used not only to show that the counsellor
has been listening, but also to encourage clients to elaborate and/or to confirm that the client’s
messages have been received correctly. These skills are particularly important in the initial session
as you will be providing information to, and gathering information from the client. You have
already learned about encouragers (i.e., minimal responses), now let’s explore paraphrasing,
summarising, and reflection of feelings.

Paraphrasing (Reflection of Content)

Paraphrasing is one of the most commonly used microskill in counselling. This means that a
counsellor reflects back to their client what the client has just said, thus it is also known as reflection
of content. Note that paraphrase does not mean that you repeat what the client has said word for
word. Two examples of paraphrasing are included on the following page. As you can see in the
examples, the counsellor selects the essence of what a client has said and re-state it in their own
words.

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

Paraphrasing Example 1

Client: This morning I have been rushing around and trying to fit everything in. Getting
breakfast ready, taking the kids to school, getting things sorted at work, and now
I have this appointment.

Counsellor: It sounds like you had a very busy morning there.

More often, counsellors will spend time listening to the client and use a lengthier paraphrase when
it comes to a natural break in the conversation. Consider the following example (Geldard et al.,
2017, p. 43):

Paraphrasing Example 2

Client: I grew up in a very close family and that was important to me. Unfortunately,
two years ago my father died as a result of a heart attack. This was a terrible
shock as he exercised regularly so we all thought he was fit. Now I can’t help
thinking about him all the time. I’m preoccupied with thinking about him. I think
about the good times I had with him when I was young and about the way he
showed so much interest in me in the early days of my marriage. I remember the
way he played with my children, his grandchildren. He always seemed to be
enjoying himself, and now I’ve lost him.

Counsellor: You have a great sense of loss as you have so many good memories of your
father.

Understandably, each counsellor will have their own unique way of paraphrasing; when you
attempt the following practices, note that the suggested answers are not necessarily the only or the
best way to respond. Remember that, the focus should never be how ‘perfect’ your responses are,
but on developing a genuine empathetic relationship with the client.

Learn to paraphrase
Imagine that you are a counsellor working with a client who is seeking support in relation to
work stress. Practice using the following statements (adapted from Geldard et al., p.45) and
develop a paraphrase in response to each. Remember that this is a skill that will require practice
for most people to master (so it’s completely normal if you don’t get it right away!).
1. “I’m worried about what’s happening at work. I’m getting very stressed when I’m there.
It seems as though I am continually at odds with some of the other workers and with
my boss. I just don’t seem to be on the same wavelength as them.”
2. “I don’t agree with the policies that are being adopted by the top management because
they don’t fit in with the way I learnt to deal with customers. For years I’ve developed
ways of working which I think work but now they want me to work in a different way.
I’m beginning to think that I’ll either have to resign or compromise my principles, I’m
just not sure what to do.”
Once you have developed a paraphrase for each of the statements above, review the suggested
responses at the end of this section. Remember that these are suggested responses only, there
is always more than one way to paraphrase!

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 Section 1: An Introduction to Counselling

For most people, paraphrasing is a skill that will require practice. You will need to pay active
attention to what the client has said and catch the key words or essence of their story, in order to
paraphrase accurately. However, this is an important skill to counsellors, as it not only helps clients
to feel listened to, but also provide an opportunity for clients to clarify if they have been misheard.

“If you paraphrase is accurate, the client is likely to reward you with a “That’s right” or “Yes...”
and then go on to explore the issue in more depth. Once clients know they have been heard,
they are often able to move on to new topics. The goal of paraphrasing is to facilitate client
exploration and clarification of issues.
Accurate paraphrasing will help the client stop repeating a story unnecessarily. ”
(Ivey et al., 2018, p. 137)

Reflection of feelings
Apart from the content of client’s statements, counsellors may also choose to reflect an emotion
back to the client to show that they have understood what the client is stating. In counselling, this
helps the counsellor to demonstrate empathy and establish emotional connection with the client.
The extract below highlights the similarities and differences between paraphrasing and reflection
of feelings.

“Reflection of feelings is similar to, but also different from, paraphrasing. It is similar because
it involves reflecting back to the person information provided by them. However, it is different
because it involves reflecting back emotional feelings, whereas paraphrasing involves reflecting
back the information and thoughts that make up the content of what they are saying.”
(Geldard et al., 2017, p. 51)

Like paraphrasing, you will need to observe and pay attention to what the client is saying in order
to reflect on feelings. Some clients may tell you directly how they feel (e.g., “I am furious!”); while
others will require a careful interpretation of the content as well as the client’s nonverbal
behaviours and verbal expression (e.g., tone of voice).

When reflecting back to a client, it is not always necessary to use the word ‘feel’ or ‘feeling’. You
may begin the sentence with, “You are feeling…” or “You feel…” or “You are….” depending on the
words you have chosen.

Following are two examples of reflection of feelings (Geldard et al., pp. 56 -57).

Reflection of Feelings Example 1

Client: I keep expecting my mother to show more interest in me. Time and again I’ve
asked her to come over to see me but she never does. Yesterday it was my
birthday and she did come to visit me, but do you know she didn’t even
remember that it was my birthday. I just don’t think she cares about me at all.
(Said slowly in a flat tone of voice)

Counsellor: You feel hurt.

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

Reflection of Feelings Example 2

Client: First of all, my brother broke my electric drill. He didn’t bother to tell me that
he’d broken it, he just left it lying there. Then what do you think he did? He
borrowed my motorbike without asking me. I feel like thumping him.

Counsellor: You’re very angry.

Learn to reflect on feelings

Let’s take some time to practice on reflection of feelings. For each of the following client
statements, develop a response that would reflect on the client’s feelings.
1. I got a call from my husband who is overseas. He tells me that his plane is cancelled
because of the earthquake and he is not sure whether he can make it back. While I was
talking to him, I can hear a huge noise and things falling, and then the call was cut off.
I don’t know what happened to him!
2. He has no right to treat me like a trash and calling me names in front of everyone else
in the office. I don’t deserve that!
Note: Suggested responses are included at the end of this section.

Reflection of feeling can be particularly useful when clients have difficulty identifying and
accepting their own feelings, which is not uncommon if these feelings are painful or intense.
Counsellors can use reflecting techniques to demonstrate acceptance towards the client including
their feelings, and may go on to help them identify, explore, and express their feelings.

Note that a counsellor’s ability to reflect on feelings is also impacted by their own level of comfort
and attitude towards expressing emotions. It can be helpful to reflect on what your personal values
and beliefs are and how that may impact on your ability to develop an emotional connection with
clients.

Self-reflection
How comfortable do you feel about using ‘reflection of feelings’ with clients? Do you find it
easy to come up with the right ‘feeling’ word as you attempt the practice examples above?
Some people find it uncomfortable to work with feelings or intense emotions, particularly if
they have been taught to avoid feelings in their upbringing. However, identifying feelings is likely
to become easier with practice. If necessary, consider how you might enrich your feelings
vocabulary and practice to recognise your own feelings.
(Search online for “feeling wheel” or “feeling words” and you may be surprised by what you
will find.)

With experience, you may also combine reflection of content and feelings in your responses. This
often takes the format of “You are…. [emotion] because of…. “.

Let’s take a look at how a counsellor might use reflection of content and feelings in responding to
the two clients (Geldard et al., pp. 59-60):

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 Section 1: An Introduction to Counselling

Reflection of Content and Feelings Example 1

Client: I keep expecting my mother to show more interest in me. Time and again I’ve
asked her to come over to see me but she never does. Yesterday it was my
birthday and she did come to visit me, but do you know she didn’t even
remember that it was my birthday. I just don’t think she cares about me at all.
(Said slowly in a flat tone of voice)

Counsellor: You’re disappointed by your mother’s behaviour.

Reflection of Content and Feelings Example 2

Client: First of all, my brother broke my electric drill. He didn’t bother to tell me that
he’d broken it, he just left it lying there. Then what do you think he did? He
borrowed my motorbike without asking me. I feel like thumping him.

Counsellor: You’re very angry with your brother because he doesn’t respect your possessions.

Learn to reflect on content and feelings

Using the same examples from the previous page, this time challenge yourself to come up with
responses that reflect on both content and feelings.
1. I got a call from my husband who is overseas. He tells me that his plane is cancelled
because of the earthquake and he is not sure when he can make it back. While I was
talking to him, I can hear a huge noise and things falling, and then the call was cut
off. I don’t know what happened to him!
2. He has no right to treat me like a trash and calling me names in front of everyone
else in the office. I don’t deserve that!
Note: Suggested responses are included at the end of this section.

Summarising
Summarising is another commonly used microskill, which is often confused with paraphrasing.
While both involves the counsellor reflecting back key messages in what a client has said,
summarising and paraphrasing have distinct features and purposes:

“Summarizing encompasses a longer period of conversation than paraphrasing; at times it may

cover an entire interview or even issues discussed by the client over several interviews.
[...] In summarizing, the interviewer attends to verbal and nonverbal comments from the client
over a period of time and selectively attends to key concepts and dimensions, restating them for
the client as accurately as possible. A checkout at the end for accuracy is a key part of
summarizing.”
(Ivey et al., 2018, p. 137)

As above, summarising enables a counsellor to bring a larger part of discussion together and clarify
the key messages, A summarising statement is usually followed by a check -out (e.g., “Is that right?”

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

or “Does that sound right?”) to check the accuracy of the counsellor’s understanding. Unlike
paraphrasing that focuses primarily on content, summarising is more likely to include feeling and
emotions as well (Ivey et al., 2018).

While summarising can be useful at various points of a counselling session, it is regularly used at
the end of a session to tie together the main points that were discussed during the session. For
instance, towards the end of an initial session, you may summarise on the key issues and options
discussed with the client in order to confirm and obtain commitment towards counselling process.
Consider the example below.

Summarising Example

A client presents to counselling because he is feeling stressed about managing work and life
demands. He has recently been promoted to a manager’s position; however, he is struggling to
manage the increased work demands and the effects on his relationship with his wife.

Counsellor: “So we’ve covered quite a few things in this session. You’ve told me how you
feel about being promoted to a manager’s position and the changes it has brought
to your life overall. Particularly you are concerned about how your wife’s
reactions are towards your increased work demands. We’ve talked about the
possibility of using some sessions to explore on strategies to help you better
manage work-life balance and support your family needs, such as improving
communication with your wife. Does that sound right?”

Ultimately, there is no absolute rule in which type of responses will be most effective. Encouragers,
paraphrasing, reflection of feelings, and summarising are all useful skills to help you respond in a
way that demonstrates care and empathy towards clients and facilitate a meaningful conversation.
Your focus, particularly in the initial session, is to establish rapport and help the client feel
comfortable enough to explore their story. This will require you to use appropriate technique at
an appropriate time, and to use these skills as flexibly as necessary.

Questioning
In general, counsellors use both open and closed questions to elicit different kinds of information
and for varying reasons. The features and examples of these two types of questions are outlined
in the table below.

Types Description Examples

Closed Questions that usually require a simple ‘yes’ How old are you?
or ‘no’ answer, or a short factual response. Are you living with your parents?

Open Questions that usually require more than a What’s brought you here today?
short ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. They are designed Could you tell me more?
to allow clients to expand on their responses
and add more information if they wish. How does that make you feel?

Both types of question are useful and important in the counselling process. Typically, counsellors
would use more open questions than closed questions to facilitate counselling conversations.
However, there are times when closed questions will be more appropriate, such as when counsellor

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 Section 1: An Introduction to Counselling

is seeking a specific answer or to confirm understanding of what the client has said. Nevertheless,
‘why’ questions are seldom used because it may come across as provocative and lead to discomfort
or defensiveness in clients. Where necessary, you may want to rephrase a ‘why’ question (e.g., Why
were you angry?”) into a ‘what’ (e.g., What did you notice in yourself?) or ‘how’ question (e.g.,
How did you feel at the time?).

During the initial session of counselling, there is often a need to ask client questions in order to
gather general or specific information. For example, you may begin a session by asking a general
question of “What’s brought you here today?” to find out about the issues a client want to talk about.
As you begin to develop an understanding of the client’s situation, you are also likely use various
follow-up questions to encourage elaboration on a particular area, for instance, “Can you tell me more
about what’s happening at work?” or “You’d like to discuss about your relationship with your manager, is that
right?”. Responding to client’s statement using a relevant question can help demonstrate that you
are interested in what they are sharing and create a sense of working together.

Remember that questions should be used sparingly to avoid the session feeling like an
interrogation or compromise rapport building (Geldard et al., 2017). Even when there is a need to
collect specific client information in the initial session (often to meet organisational requirements),
it is important to do so in a conversational manner and not bombard clients with question after
question. In fact, counsellors are more likely to use questions alongside other microskills to
facilitate the counselling conversation.

Included below is a transcript of counselling conversation that took place between Matilda and
her counsellor (adapted from Nelson-Jones, 2016, p. 75). Matilda is a 19-year-old student who
comes to her counsellor worried because she is not getting on with the other students in her
dormitory. As you read the transcript, take note of how the counsellor use various microskills
interchangeably to facilitate a conversation.

Transcript Microskills Used

Matilda: I’m very concerned that I am not getting on well with
the students in my dormitory
Counsellor: You’re worried about these relationships in the dorm. Paraphrasing and
Can you tell me more? encouraging
Matilda Yes, there are six of us and the others seem to be
friends.
Counsellor: The others get on well, but how do they behave Paraphrasing and open
towards you? question
Matilda: They are not openly nasty, but they do not seem to go
out of their way to speak to me.
Counsellor So you feel excluded rather than they dislike you. Have Clarifying and checking
I got you right? in
Matilda: Yes.
Counsellor: And how do you behave towards them? Open question
Matilda: I tend to keep to myself rather than try to talk with
them. I seem to be afraid of them

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Self-reflection
Can you think other microskills that you might use to respond to Matilda? While the transcript
did not include description of body language, how do you think the counsellor’s body language
would be?
Would you be able to come up with different responses to Matilda?

In this case study, the counsellor used a number of microskills to begin drawing out the client’s
story. As the counselling conversation continues, the counsellor would use additional microskills.
For example, the counsellor may also intersperse reflection of feelings into the conversation:

Counsellor: I imagine it must be quite upsetting to feel like an outsider. I’m guess you are feeling
alone and unsure about yourself right now?

Additionally, once the counsellor has a sense of what the client is grappling with, the counsellor
can summarise the main points and check their understanding with the client. For example:

Counsellor: So, although the other girls aren’t being nasty to you, you don’t feel included either
and because you feel scared when you’re around them you tend to avoid them and
keep to yourself. Is that right?

A note on reframing
So far, we have explored a few core microskills that are useful for establishing rapport with clients
and developing an understanding of a client’s concerns. However, these may not be sufficient for
counselling, as its purpose is to facilitate positive changes that will help client reach their goals of
coming to counselling. Therefore, counsellors also use a range of specialist skills, such as
challenging, focusing, and reframing that are designed to facilitate change. You will learn more
about these specialist skills in Study Guide 2, however, we will briefly discuss reframing in the
remainder of this section.

Reframing is used to help the client think about their issue in a different and more constructive
way. It involves first understanding how the client makes sense of the issue and then providing an
alternative meaning or interpretation for the client to consider.

“When you use the microskill of interpretation/reframing, you are helping clients to connect
the dots of the story and enabling them to look at their issues from a new, more useful
perspective.”
(Ivey et al., 2018, p. 263)

Reframing needs to be used sensitively with caution. It is also best to use it only when you
have established a strong relationship base with the client, or a client may feel challenged and
perceive it as disapproval from the counsellor. Therefore, using reframing in a tentative manner
is important, so that the client is given the option to accept or reject the suggested interpretation
from the counsellor (Geldard et al., 2017). Consider the following examples of reframing (adapted
from Geldard et al., 2017, p.191; 195):

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 Section 1: An Introduction to Counselling

Reframing Example 1

Client: Things are hectic at home… I can never feel relax, not even for one second. As
soon as I turn my back, Hamish would have done something and I’ll have to
chase after him to deal with it. He just would not let me have one moment to
myself!

Counsellor: It sounds like you are feeling overwhelmed. I get the impression that you are
really important to your son and I’m wondering if he is wanting more attention
from you?

Reframing Example 2

Client: My father hates me, I’m sure. He picks on me for everything I do. All the time
he follows me around and complains about my behaviour. He wants me to
behave like a toffy-nosed snob instead of a normal human being. Not only that,
but he’s always nagging me to study more.

Counsellor: That sounds like you’ve been under a lot of pressure. Do you think it’s possible
that your father doesn’t hate you but just worries excessively about you? Maybe
he desperately wants you to be a success and worries in case you fail in life.

You may have noticed that the counsellor in both examples above first respond with a statement
reflecting on what the clients said, followed by a reframing statement to tentatively suggest an
alternate interpretation of the clients’ situations. Specialist skills like reframing are more commonly
used in conjunction with other microskills (e.g., paraphrasing, reflection of feelings) to help
counsellors maintain an empathetic connection with the clients while facilitating change.

Summary
This section of the Study Guide introduced you to the counselling profession – its purpose, role
within helping services, and historical development. You were also introduced to person-centred
principles and a range of communication skills that will help you establish an empathetic helping
relationship, which is an important focus during the initial session.

Another important aspect of initial session is to confirm that clients are informed of what
counselling process entails including the processes put in place to protect their safety and wellbeing
while accessing service. Thus, in the next section, we will explore some legal and ethical
considerations that counsellors must take into account when working with clients.

References
Department of Health Victoria. (2019). Counsellors. Better Health Channel.
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/counsellors

Department of Heatlh Victoria (2020a). Psychologists. Better Health Channel.

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/serviceprofiles/psychologist-service

Department of Health Victoria (2020b). Social worker. Better Health Channel.

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/serviceprofiles/social-worker-service

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

Geldard, D., Geldard, K., & Yin Foo (2017). Basic personal counselling: A training manual for counsellors
(8th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Ivey, A. E., Ivey, M. B.,& Zalaquett, C. P. (2018). Intentional interviewing and counseling:
Facilitating client development in a multicultural society (9th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage
Learning.

McLeod, J. (2013). An introduction to counselling (5th ed.). London, UK: Open University Press.

Moloney, L. (2016). Defining and delivering effective counselling and psychotherapy. Child Family
Community Australia Paper No. 38. Australian Institute of Family Studies.
https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/sites/default/files/cfca38-effective-counselling.pdf

Nelson-Jones, R. (2014). Practical counselling and helping skills: Texts and activities for the
lifeskills counselling model (6th ed.). Dorchester, UK: Sage Publications.

Nelson-Jones, R (2016). Basic counselling skills. A helper’s manual (4th ed.). London, UK: Sage
Publications.

Westergaard, J. (2016). Helping roles and professions: Defining the terms. In An introduction to
helping skills. SAGE Publications.

Suggested responses for paraphrasing: Suggested responses for reflection of feelings:

1. “You’re not fitting in.” 1. “You’re terribly worried.”
2. “You have a difficult choice to 2. “You’re furious.”
make.”
Suggested responses for reflection of content and feelings:
1. “You’re terribly worried because you couldn’t find out what happened to him.”
2. “You’re furious because of his behaviours.”

Assessment activities
Assessment activities relevant to this section of the Study Guide are contained in Section 1 of your
Assessment Book.

32
 Section 2
COUNSELLOR
RESPONSIBILITIES

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 Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

Counsellor Responsibilities
About this section:
In this section you will learn about:
− Key features of ethical counselling.
− The importance of counsellor competency and the role of supervision.
− Organisational roles and responsibilities.
− Indicators of referral.

Supporting materials:
The following materials supplement the information provided in this section:

1. Reading C
2. Reading D
3. Reading E
4. Reading F
5. Recommended reading: Australian Counselling Association’s Code of Ethics and Practice
(search online using title of reading)

Like all other helping professionals, counsellors have the responsibilities to work within legal and
ethical requirements that apply to their role. These requirements are set out to protect rights and
wellbeing of clients as well as counsellors, and to guide ethical and effective counselling.
Throughout your diploma, you will continue to build upon and deepen your understanding on
these principles, and learn to apply them in practice.

In this section, you will notice a number of references made to Australian Counselling Association
Code of Ethics and Practice. The Australian Counselling Association (ACA) is Australia's largest
registration body for counsellors and they provide practice guidelines to members in the form of
a code of practice. The ACA Code of Ethics and Practice outlines the ethical principles and
responsibilities that underpin a counsellor’s work with clients. It is important that counsellors refer
to it whenever guidance is necessary and continuously assess their own practice against the
principles outlined within. ACA members who failed to act in accordance to the code may face
disciplinary hearing or expulsion from membership.

To aid you in understanding these considerations, we recommend that you download a copy of
Australian Counselling Association Code of Ethics and Practice and refer to it as you read along
this section. The document is freely downloadable from the internet; search using the title of
document and make sure that you are accessing the latest version
Reading
In addition, counsellors practising within an organisation will also need to be aware of
organisational responsibilities that may apply to the workplace. We will discuss these requirements
later on in this section. For now, we will explore some important practice requirements that guide
a counsellor’s practice.

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 Section 2: Counsellor Responsibilities

Respect client rights

Respect for a client’s human rights represents the overarching feature of ethical practice in
counselling. The following extract from the Australian Human Rights Commission highlights the
fundamentals of human rights consideration:

“Human rights recognise the inherent value of each person, regardless of background, where
we live, what we look like, what we think or what we believe.
They are based on principles of dignity, equality and mutual respect, which are shared across
cultures, religions and philosophies. They are about being treated fairly, treating others fairly
and having the ability to make genuine choices in our daily lives.
Respect for human rights is the cornerstone of strong communities in which everyone can make
a contribution and feel included.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations on 10 December
1948, sets out the basic rights and freedoms that apply to all people. Drafted in the aftermath
of World War Two, it has become a foundation document that has inspired many legally-binding
international human rights laws.”
(Australian Human Rights Commission, n.d.)

As above, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights informs the development of a range of laws and
ethical principles set out to protect human rights, including those that set the base for ethical
counselling. As such, counsellors are required to provide service in a way that uphold human rights
which features:
▪ Respect for the client’s individuality, values, and beliefs.
▪ Respect for the client’s autonomy (self-determination and independence).
▪ A duty to safeguard client’s safety and wellbeing
▪ Clear boundaries of the counselling relationship.
▪ Competent and professional service.

Respect for client values

Respect for client’s human rights is also demonstrated in the ACA Code of Ethics and Practice, which
requires counsellors to provide an anti-discriminatory service through demonstrating respect for
client’s individuality and autonomy with an emphasis on counsellor’s self-awareness.

4.3 Anti-Discriminatory Practice

(a) Client Respect
i. Counsellors work with clients in ways that affirm both the common humanity and the
uniqueness of each individual. They must be sensitive to the cultural context and world-
view of the client, for instance whether the individual, family or the community is taken
as central.
(b) Client Autonomy
i. Counsellors are responsible for working in ways that respect and promote the clients
ability to make decisions in the light of his/her own beliefs, values and context.
(c) Counsellor Awareness

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i. Counsellors are responsible for ensuring that any problems with mutual comprehension
due to language, cultural differences or for any other reason are addressed at an early
stage. The use of an interpreter needs to be carefully considered at the outset of
counselling.
ii. Counsellors have a responsibility to consider and address their own prejudices,
stereotyping attitudes and behaviour. They are to give particular consideration to ways
in which these may be affecting the counselling relationship and influencing their
responses.
(ACA, 2019, p. 10)

As shown in the extract, counsellors must seek to understand and work with clients within the
social, cultural, and personal contexts in which they live. All clients will differ from the counsellor
in some way and they may hold values that are significantly different. Acknowledging and
respecting someone’s individuality differs from discrimination which occurs when someone is
treated differently (in a way that is not helpful) based on a characteristic (e.g., gender, disability,
race, age or sexual preferences) about them.

Reading C looks at the place of personal values and ethics in the helping relationship and the role
of supervision in assisting counsellor to increase self-awareness and manage discrepancies in values
and beliefs.
Reading C
In other words, counsellors should not impose their own values (i.e., beliefs that a specific way of
being or behaving is preferable to another) on to clients. In order to do this, counsellors need to
examine their own values (often determined by cultural background) and continuously monitor
and evaluate how these may be impacting on the counselling process. The example below describes
a situation where a counsellor imposes her own values on her client.

Case study
Travis attends the student counselling centre at his high school. There is a lot of confl ict at
home about his future plan and this is starting to affect his school work. Travis tells Abeda, his
counsellor, that his parents are very keen for him to study engineering and are putting a lot of
pressure on him to start applying to universities. Travis is not sure what to do. He reveals that
he actually does not want to go to university and thinks he might like to do an apprenticeship
in carpentry when he finishes school.
Abeda is the daughter of immigrants. Education is very highly valued in her family and she has
worked hard to gain a degree in counselling. She was expected to have a profession and there
was no question of her or her siblings not attending university. She is convinced that Travis is
making a mistake by not applying to do engineering and spends the session telling him all about
university life and the benefits of having a university degree.
Travis does not say much during the session. He feels like Abeda is siding with his parents and
feels even more confused and frustrated than before.

This case study demonstrates the importance of counsellors’ self-awareness. You can see how
counsellor’s values and assumptions can negatively influence the counselling process, when a
counsellor fails to continuously monitor their own values and evaluate how these could impact on
the counselling relationship. Although Abeda has every right to value higher education, as a
counsellor it is important that she recognises what Travis considers as important, which may differ
from her own values. Abeda should demonstrate respect and acknowledgement and use the

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 Section 2: Counsellor Responsibilities

counselling skills described earlier in this Study Guide to facilitate Travis’ exploration and support
him to come to an independent decision that aligns with his own values.

It is important to recognise that providing anti-discriminatory service is not just an ethical

responsibility, but also a legal requirement. There are a range of anti-discrimination laws in place
that aim to protect people from certain kinds of discrimination in public life and from breaches of
their human rights. Examples of anti-discriminatory legislation that operates at a federal level
include the Age Discrimination Act 2004, Racial Discrimination Act 1975, and Sex Discrimination Act
1984. Counsellors must also comply with anti-discriminatory legislation that applies to the state or
territory they are in.

If you become aware that conflicting value systems are impacting on the counselling process, you
should first discuss this in supervision (which we will be discussing shortly) to explore ways of
reducing the impact. If it appears to be a continuing problem, you should consider referral, making
it clear that this the reason for this referral is because of your personal reasons not due to any
‘fault’ with the client.

Throughout your development as a counsellor you should continually assess your personal
strengths and limitations. Developing the competence to work with clients from a diverse range
of backgrounds involves ongoing personal and professional development through a process of
structured self-reflection, supervision, and continuing education. You will learn more about how
to facilitate your own personal and professional development throughout this diploma.

The RESPECTFUL model included below can be a useful tool for helping new counsellors to
understand themselves as a multicultural being (adapted from Ivey et al., 2018, p. 33). For each of
the ten dimensions below, reflect on your identity and values that you hold about that dimension.
Then, examine how you might act towards those who are similar to or different from you in
relation to that dimension.

10 Dimensions How do you identify How effective will you

within this dimension? be with individuals who
differ from you?
R- Religion/spirituality
E – Economic/social class background
S – Sexual identity
P – Personal style and education
E – Ethnic/ racial identity
C – Chronological/lifespan status and
challenges
T - Trauma/crisis
F – Family background and history
U – Unique physical
L – Location of residence, language
differences

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Self-reflection
Consider what you have learned about yourself from the RESPECTFUL exercise. Also,
consider what steps you could take to increase your awareness and ability to work with clients
who are different to yourself.

Promote client’s autonomy

Another key ethical principle relevant to protecting client rights is respecting the client’s
autonomy (self-determination and independence). This means that counsellors should support
clients in making decisions for themselves (with exception of when clients are facing imminent
risk and unable to make decision). As per the ACA’s guidelines, counsellors are expected to
support client self-determination:

(b) Client Self-determination

i. In counselling the balance of power is unequal and counsellors must take care not to
abuse their power.
ii. Counsellors do not normally act on behalf of their clients. If they do, it will only be with
express written consent of their client, or else in exceptional circumstances.
iii. Counsellors do not normally give advice.
iv. Counsellors have a responsibility to establish with clients at the outset of counselling the
existence of any other therapeutic or helping relationships in which the client is involved
and to consider whether counselling is appropriate. Counsellors should gain the client's
permission before conferring in any way with other professional workers.
(ACA, 2019, pp. 8-9)

Counselling is not about pushing a person in a certain direction, judging clients, or giving them
advice. You should not encourage client dependence on the counselling process by advising or
recommending specific courses of action. The role of counsellor is to facilitate client autonomy by
encouraging and empowering clients to take responsibility for decision-making and change
themselves. At times, it may be necessary to explicitly discuss this with clients before entering a
counselling process, which is often done as part of a contracting process.

Contracting and informed consent

Another key practice in place to protect clients’ rights is contracting. It is the counsellor’s
responsibility to engage clients in a contracting process to “ensure that the client is given a free
choice whether or not to participate in counselling” (ACA, 2019, p.12) – this is known as informed
consent. This supports the client’s right and autonomy to decide whether to participate or decline
counselling once they have had an opportunity to find out about the risks and benefits of such
process.

Community services organisations generally develop strict policies around contracting as well as
formal written contracts (e.g., counselling contract) to assist in the process of obtaining informed
consent. Of course, counsellors do not just provide clients with a written contract – they also have
a detailed contracting conversation with each client, including confirming the client’s
understanding. This means making sure that, before service is offered, client is informed of their
own rights and responsibilities, the worker’s role and responsibilities, the process of counselling,
and what engaging in this process will involve.

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 Section 2: Counsellor Responsibilities

On the other hand, having a signed documented agreement also protects the counsellor from
providing service beyond the scope of their organisational requirements (e.g., a client request s to
have 2-hour session instead of the agreed 40 minute-session). As you will learn later, contracting
involves discussing limits to confidentiality and disclosure of information. Counsellors can refer
to the signed contract throughout the counselling process whenever relevant situations arise.

Generally, contracts and contracting conversations should:

▪ Provide the client with information about the counselling services offered.
▪ Explain the counselling approach used.
▪ Provide an overview of what the client can expect to occur during service process.
▪ Ensure that the client is familiar with organisational requirements such as payment
schedules, cancellation policies, termination, and complaints procedures.
▪ Discuss the logistics of service delivery, such as the venue, personnel involved, and number
of sessions being contracted.
▪ Outline confidentiality and the limits to confidentiality.
▪ Outline record keeping procedures and how clients can access their own information.
▪ Ensure that the client knows that they can withdraw their consent at any time and have
the right to refuse to engage with any strategy or technique the worker uses or suggests.

You will learn more about how to engage clients in contracting conversations in the final section
of this Study Guide.

Client safety and wellbeing

The process of counselling can put clients in a vulnerable position and counsellors have a
responsibility to protect the wellbeing of both your client and others. This responsibility is often
referred to as a duty of care. Duty of care responsibilities may encompass taking actions to
maintain physical and environmental safety, such as following work health and safety
requirements, as well as promoting clients’ emotional safety. As a helping professional, duty of
care underpins many of the decisions you have to make to determine the most appropriate actions,
including whether client information needs to be disclosed, when supervision may need to be
sought, and when referrals may be appropriate.

Privacy, confidentiality, and disclosure

Clients have a legal right to privacy and counsellors have the responsibility to make sure sessions
are not conducted where they may be overheard, recorded, or observed unless with the explicit
consent of the client. Counsellors also have a duty to protect client’s personal information,
including the fact that they are accessing counselling. All client records, both computerised and
hard copy, must be kept securely so they are only accessible by authorised personnel. In addition,
client cases should not be discussed with anyone except in the context of supervision (which the
client needs to be made aware of). It would not be appropriate to discuss your clients with other
people, including the client’s family or another worker whom the client is seeing, without obtaining
the client’s consent.

In counselling clients may disclose very sensitive and personal information during sessions and
you should take care to keep this information confidential in order to safeguard the client’s
wellbeing. Clients are entitled to a private and confidential service provision but should be made
aware of the limits to that confidentiality (i.e., situations where what they have disclosed to the

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counsellor cannot be kept confidential) before the counselling process begins. Situations that may
fall within exceptions of confidentiality include:
▪ Your client discloses that they may harm themselves or another person.
▪ Your client discloses information that indicates potential or actual child abuse.
▪ Your client discloses that they have committed a crime.
▪ Your client file is subpoenaed by a court of law.
▪ The client provides the counsellor with written permission to disclose (e.g., when making
a referral to another service provider)

Reading D explores confidentiality requirements in relation to record-keeping, supervision,

responsibility to protect others, collaboration with other professionals, educational and training,
and where the law requires disclosure of information.
Reading D
If you believe there is a risk of harm occurring, it is important that you take appropriate actions as
per your organisational policy and procedures to reduce risk to clients or others. Specifically, if you
have developed concerns that a child or young person may be at risk, you will need to take into
account the legal requirement of mandatory reporting.

Mandatory reporting requirements may vary from state to state but generally applies where there
are reasons to suspect or believe that a child is being abused. This means that confidentiality may
be overridden and relevant information will be disclosed to child services department responsible
for the particular state/territory.

Case study
Mei-Lin is a school counsellor. Her 11-year-old client has shown up to her session with extensive
bruising. When Mei-Lin asks what happened, her client tells her that one of the other girls
knocked her over in netball. Mei-Lin knows her client does not play netball and this is not the
first time she has noticed bruising. Furthermore, her client has revealed in a previous session
that her father ‘has a massive temper’’. Mei-Lin is concerned for her wellbeing and contacts
child protection services to advise them of her concerns.

While the case study above relates to a school counsellor, note that mandatory reporting is not
limited to those who are working directly with children. Counsellors who work with adult clients
must also remain vigilant about information that indicate a child may be at risk of harm. If you are
unsure whether you are a mandatory reporter, it is important to check with your supervisor or
manager. Your organisation should also have mandatory reporting policies in place to guide
workers on relevant procedures and considerations.

Similarly, if you believe your client may be at imminent risk of self-harming, you should discuss
your decision to break confidentiality with the client and limit the disclosure of relevant
information to those directly involved in the client’s care such as ambulance personnel.

Case study
Sarah arrives to her counselling session distraught and in tears. Although has been doing well in
counselling, her boyfriend has unexpectedly ended their relationship. Sarah has made numerous
suicide attempts in the past and admits to her counsellor that she has a stash of pills at home
that she intends to take. She is also bleeding a little from a cut to her arm. The counsellor talks

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 Section 2: Counsellor Responsibilities

through the steps with Sarah that need to be taken to ensure her safety and tells Sarah that she
will need to involve her mother and hospital staff in her care. The counsellor then calls Sarah’s
mother to accompany her to the emergency department of the local hospital and calls ahead to
let the emergency department know that Sarah will be attending.

In situations where the court requests or subpoenas copies of case notes or other records, you
need to comply with the court’s request. You should discuss the request with the client first and
may show him/her the case notes you will be sending to the courts. For this reason, your case
notes should be kept factual and brief. You will learn more about how to take appropriate notes
later in this course.

Case study
Kevin is attending counselling to work through some of the difficulties he has been
experiencing as a father of a young boy with severe disabilities. Unfortunately, this has put
a great deal of stress on his marriage resulting in divorce proceedings. His wife has requested
full care of their son which he is contesting, and the family court has subpoenaed the
counsellor’s case notes in order to assess Kevin’s suitability to care for his son.

As a counsellor, it is your responsibility to ensure your client understands these rights and
limitations by outlining the concept of confidentiality and its limits before you begin the
counselling process. Your client needs to be aware of what circumstances may warrant a breach
of confidentiality. As mentioned, confidentiality requirements are usually included in the formal
service agreement (e.g., counselling contract) to make sure that clients have been informed and
may be reminded of these requirements as necessary throughout the process of counselling.

Self-Reflection
Take a few moments to consider confidentiality requirements and its limits. How might you
explain these requirements to your clients and confirm their understanding?
How would you feel if your client told you that they were planning on hurting someone? What
should you do and who might you seek support from?

Counsellor-client boundaries
The process of counselling can put clients in a vulnerable position and counsellors should take
care not to exploit clients, for example by taking advantage of them financially, emotionally or
psychologically. This is done through establishing and maintaining appropriate counsellor/client
boundaries throughout the counselling sessions. For example, counsellors must make it clear to
clients that “counselling is a formal and contracted relationship and nothing else”; and “must not
be concurrent with a supervisory, training or other form of relationship (sexual or non-sexual)”
(ACA, 2019, pp. 12-13).

“The person-to-person counselling relationship is a special type of relationship, established by

the person seeking help for a particular purpose. They enter into the relationship entrusting the
counsellor with their wellbeing and expecting that the counsellor will throughout the
relationship, provide them with a safe environment in which they can work on the issues that
trouble them.
[T]he person-to-person counselling relationship is not an equal relationship and, inevitably,
whether the counsellor wishes it or not, they are in a position of power and influence.

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Counsellors often work with people who are in highly emotional states and are consequently
very vulnerable. The way that a counsellor relates to a person seeking help is not characteristic
of human behaviour generally. A counsellor devotes most of their energy to listening to and
understanding the person, so the person sees only a part of the counsellor’s character. In these
circumstances, they may perceive a counsellor as unrealistically caring and giving. The
counsellor’s power and the person’s biased perception combine to make the person very
vulnerable to offers of friendship or closeness.
The counsellor is also vulnerable. In the counselling relationship, the person seeking help often
shares innermost secrets, and so inevitably there may develop a real closeness between the
person and the counsellor. Counsellors learn to be empathic, and so they develop special
relationships with the people they seek to help. If they are not careful they too become
vulnerable to offers of closer relationships than are appropriate. Counsellors therefore need to
be careful not to discount signs that the counselling relationship is being compromised. ”
(Geldard et al., 2017, p. 343-344)

By maintaining these professional boundaries, counsellors can protect both themselves and clients
from poor or unethical practice. If the counsellor establishes professional boundaries from the
beginning of the counselling relationship, they are far less likely to take on a role that i s not
appropriate as counselling progresses. Furthermore, a client who understands the professional
nature of the counselling relationship is less likely to extend the counselling process beyond its
natural conclusion. For example, if a client views the counsellor as a friend, the ending of the
counselling process may be viewed as abandonment, which can be detrimental to the client.

Counsellor competence
Part of safeguarding client well-being involves ensuring that counsellors gain and maintain the
level of skill and knowledge appropriate to meet client needs. Counsellors should be able to
develop an effective client-counsellor relationship through mutual understanding, rapport building
as well as to competently use counselling techniques to work with clients. It is also important that
a counsellor’s practice approach is evidence-based (i.e., informed by updated research and
literature) and continuously reviewed.

According to the ACA Code of Ethics and Practice (ACA, 2019) a counsellor has an ethical
responsibility to:
▪ Achieve and maintain require level of competence to provide counselling.
▪ Regularly monitor own competence through supervision and feedback from others.
▪ Monitor impacts of own emotional needs on relationships with clients.
▪ Identify when referral may be appropriate.
▪ Engage in regular supervision, research, and continuing education.

Supervision
One of the most important responsibilities and support you will have as a counsellor is to access
appropriate professional supervision. Supervision is also a mandatory requirement for many
professional counselling organisations, including the Australian Counselling Association. The
following extract outlines what supervision is and is not, and the importance of supervision to a
counsellor’s practice.

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 Section 2: Counsellor Responsibilities

“Supervision is not:
▪ Someone watching over your shoulder whilst you practise.
▪ A discussion between two or more practitioners;
▪ Being supervised whilst on a field placement when completing your initial counselling
qualification;
▪ Discussing personal matters with a counsellor.
Supervision is:
A formal arrangement for Registered Counsellors to discuss their work regularly with someone
who is experienced in counselling and supervision. The task is to work together to ensure and
develop the efficiency of the counsellor/client relationship. Professional supervision is a process
to maintain adequate standards of counselling. It is a contractual agreement made between a
Supervisor and a Supervisee. Private or external supervision is usually a professional fee-paying
service or in an agency it can be part of the employment contract.
Counselling exposes counsellors to situations that impose a great demand on practitioners
emotional and professional well-being. This demand can lead to becoming enmeshed and
overinvolved leading to ineffective practice. Counsellors cannot in all cases be objective about
their own abilities, agendas and practices. A supervisor can be objective and help the counsellor
to grow and learn. The supervisor can ensure that the counsellor is meeting the needs of their
clients and keeping to ethical and professional standards. Supervisors will also help counsellors
relate practice to theory and vice-versa. Supervisors are most likely to identify potential mental
health issues in the Supervisee before they become a problem. “
(ACA, 2018, p. 5)

Supervision can be conducted one-on-one, in a group setting, or with a peer. It is an ethical

requirement for all counsellors, no matter how many years they have been practicing. As
mentioned in the extract above, it is unrealistic to expect counsellors (or any helping professional)
to be completely objective and value-free; counsellors are human, too, and are subjected to making
errors, judgments, and impulsive decisions. Supervision processes support a counsellor to develop
self-awareness and maintain their competence while at the same time protect clients from potential
unethical conduct.

On the other hand, supervision also helps counsellors to monitor their emotional needs and
manage stressors or any factors that may impact on their work with clients. Counselling can be a
mentally and emotionally challenging role; therefore, it is important that counsellors become aware
of their own strengths and limitations, and implement self-care strategies to reduce risk of vicarious
trauma (i.e., being traumatised due to exposure to clients’ story) and burnout. Through self-
reflection and regular supervision, counsellors are supported to examine their feelings, thoughts,
and behaviours in working with particular clients, and make sure they are providing an ethical and
competent service.

Reading E provides an overview of supervision, including some forms and functions of

supervision. Throughout this diploma, you will continue to develop your understanding and skills
in relation to engaging in reflective practices as well as accessing professional support (e.g.,
supervisor and peers) to assist you in evaluating and improving your own practice.
Reading E

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

Work-role boundaries
In addition, it is important that counsellors have a good understanding of what their professional
role involves within respective organisation and make sure that they do not provide service beyond
their work-role. As you have learned in Section 1, counsellors play a specific kind of role alongside
other helping professionals, and there are limitations to what services a counsellor can provide
(e.g., counsellors do not diagnose mental illness or prescribe medication). The scope of a
counsellor’s role will also depend on their expertise in particular areas (e.g., alcohol and other
drugs) and professional work context (e.g., a counsellor may be employed specifically to work with
clients aged 12-18 years old).

Imagine, for example, a client has sought counselling for support with transitioning to a new
country and asks if you could see his children who are struggling too, as you already have a good
understanding of the family. In this case, you will have to consider whether children counselling is
part of your expertise - working with children and young people usually requires specialised
training and qualification – as well as whether this is within the scope of your role and your
organisation’s service provision (e.g., your organisation may only be funded to work with adults).
It would be unethical to see the client’s children in this case, if it is not within your competence
and work-role to do so. Even if you possess relevant skills and qualifications, you will still need to
check with your manager/supervisor about acting beyond your designated work-role.

As such, it is important to clarify your work-role (i.e., what you can do and cannot do) with clients
from the start of the counselling process, and connect clients with appropriate services to meet
other needs that are beyond your work-role.

Referral
When a counsellor becomes aware that either they or the organisation that they work for does not
have the expertise to deal with a particular client’s concerns, they should discuss appropriate
referral with the client. According to the ACA (2019, p.14) “competence includes being able to
recognise when it is appropriate to refer a client elsewhere”. Understanding your own competence,
strengths, and limitations will help you to be realistic about the kinds of clients and cases that you
excel at and the areas that you may require more practice in.

Some common issues that may indicate a need for referral and/or additional professional support
include:
▪ Child safety issues: While mandatory requirements vary from state to state, most
counsellors are required to report any suspected child abuse/neglect to the child protection
agency in their state/territory. The decision to report is usually made in consultation with
a supervisor or service manager. Where necessary, the counsellor can also refer clients to
family support services that offer additional support in relation to keeping their children
safe. Depending on the context of your organisation, the issues may affect suitability of
counselling, so it is important that you always check with your supervisor or manager about
the appropriate steps to manage these issues.
▪ Suicide and self-injury: Learning that a client is thinking about suicide or has been
engaged in self-injurious behaviours can be very stressful for counsellors. If a client is
facing imminent risk, counsellors have a duty of care to connect the client with emergency
or crisis support services immediately. It is important to make sure that you always have
someone (e.g., supervisor, manager or an experienced colleague) you can seek support
from, and be familiar with relevant policy and procedures in case of emergency.
▪ Domestic and family violence (DFV): It is not uncommon for counselling clients to
present with DFV-relevant issues, even if that is not the reason for seeking counselling in

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 Section 2: Counsellor Responsibilities

the first place. Counsellors typically engage in assessment with their clients, as part of their
duty of care, to make sure any safety issues are appropriately addressed. Often, clients
experiencing DFV and wanting to access counselling specifically for DFV-relevant needs
would benefit from a referral to services specialising in DFV areas. Knowledge of local
crisis services, such as women’s or men’s shelters, is also important for addressing clients’
immediate safety needs.
▪ Mental illness: As you have learned in the first section, counsellors may be engaged in
promoting clients’ wellbeing as they are recovering from mental health difficulties;
however, counsellors do not make diagnosis or mental health treatment. Clients
demonstrating indicators of mental illness will need to be referred to appropriate specialist
care, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist or crisis assessment and treatment team. Indicators
of severe mental health issues may include hallucinations, strange or erratic behaviour,
extreme mood swings, agitation, aggression, extreme withdrawal, unusual or exaggerated
beliefs, paranoia, or problems with logical thinking.
▪ Alcohol and other drugs (AOD) issues: It is not unusual for clients who are
experiencing emotional distress to engage in using alcohol, cigarette, and other substance
for relief. While generalist counsellors may provide support with managing life stressors
and maintaining wellbeing; clients with persistent substance use problems may require
referral to a range of AOD-specific service, such as medical services, withdrawal services,
rehabilitation services, or AOD counselling for specialised intervention and support.
▪ Problem gambling and other compulsions: Depending on the counsellor’s training
and experience, behaviours such as compulsive gambling, compulsive eating, or sex
addiction often indicate a referral to an appropriate specialist. You may also be supporting
a client who is impacted by gambling addiction of their spouse, family, or friend. It is
important that you take the initiative to find out relevant referral agencies within your local
area. For instance, you may use Gamblinghelp Online‘s website to find information of a
specific services near you. Many of these services offer information as well as counselling
for gambling-related problems.
▪ Financial difficulties: Experiencing financial difficulties and debts can be extremely
stressful and often contribute to the emotional distress that a client is presenting to
counselling with. While generalist counsellors can support a client in managing their level
of distress, clients experiencing financial difficulties and debts may benefit from seeing a
financial counsellor for assistance with budgeting, debt management, and dealing with debt
collection agencies.
▪ Loss and grief issues: Generalist counsellors can provide support to people who have
been impacted by losses in life, such as managing intense emotional reactions and life after
loss. Nevertheless, a referral to specialist support (e.g., support group, loss and grief
counsellor; mental health professional) may be required where clients are presenting with
complicated grief symptoms. Indicators of complicated grief may include prolonged
intensified feelings that are difficult to control and preoccupied memories and thoughts of
the loss.
▪ Physical health issues: It is not a part of a counsellor’s role to treat or give medical advice
about clients’ physical health problems. However, some clients may acquire counselling in
conjunction with medical treatment (e.g., clients with eating disorders, chronic pain, or
substance issues) to facilitate recovery. It is also wise to ensure that clients presenting with
somatic complaints (e.g., headaches, stomach pain) have been thoroughly medically
evaluated.

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 Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

▪ Homelessness: Some clients who present at counselling may also have other urgent
needs, such as accommodation, food, and safety. It is a counsellor’s role to assess for these
needs and connect clients with appropriate support or services. Counselling may not be as
appropriate until clients have had some stability (e.g., stable accommodation) and their
urgent needs are met. As such, counsellors must facilitate access to an appropriate specialist
homelessness services who can offer emergency accommodation and assistance. (You can
search for local specialist homelessness services using My Community Directory).

The list above is not exhaustive; however, outlines some issues that commonly require specialist
intervention and support. As a counsellor, you will generally need to carefully assess a client’s
concerns and continuously reflect on your work with the client. If you feel that you lack experience
and skills in a particular area of counselling you may need to refer the client to a counsellor who
specialises in that area. Remember, too, that this may not come up right at the beginning of the
counselling process, therefore ongoing monitoring and reviewing counselling process is important.

For example, a client may have initially come to counselling with concerns about anxiety issues
but as you work with the client over time, you suspect that he may be experiencing post-traumatic
stress symptoms, an area you do not have experience in. You should bring this to a discussion with
your supervisor in order to determine whether a referral to another counsellor or specialist service
may be appropriate. Where a referral may be appropriate, it is important to discuss (as opposed to
impose) it with the client and provide clear reasons for the referral. As pointed out by Geldard and
colleagues, it is important that referral is made in the client’s best interests:

“When a client’s needs cannot be adequately met by a counsellor, then that counsellor has a
responsibility to make an appropriate referral, in consultation with the client, to another suitable
professional. However, it is not appropriate for a counselor to avoid all difficult and unenjoyable
work by excessively referring people to others. There is a responsibility on all counselors to carry
a fair load, and to be sensible about referral decisions. Such decisions are best made in
consultation with a supervisor. [...]
When referring clients to others, it may be useful to contact the professional to whom the
referral is being made, with the client’s permission, to ensure that the referral is acceptable and
appropriate.”
(Geldard et al., 2017, p. 346)

Reading F provides a brief overview of referral in helping processes. As you have learned this is
built upon a good understanding of your strengths, limitation, work-role boundaries, and available
services, with careful consideration of the client’s situation. The decision to refer is usually made
in consultation with your supervisor or manager.
Reading F
You should now have an understanding of both the responsibilities and limitations of a
counsellor’s role. As a counsellor, you must show respect for clients and strive to safeguard their
and others’ well-being, which includes maintaining appropriate boundaries. You also need to
ensure that your level of skills and knowledge is appropriate to meet client needs while
acknowledging the limitations of your role as a counsellor. Inexperienced counsellors sometimes
feel solely responsible for their client’s progress and experience tremendous anxiety as a result of
this. It is important to recognise the limitations of counselling and remember that ultimately it is
the client’s responsibility to make the necessary changes in his or her own life. Referring clients on
to other counsellors or helping services when a client’s issue falls outside your field of competence
is an appropriate form of help, too.

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 Section 2: Counsellor Responsibilities

Arriving at this point, you may be wondering how a counsellor could make sure that they are
adhering to all of these legal and ethical requirements that we have discussed. Typically, all of the
legal and ethical requirements we have covered would have been incorporated into your
organisational policies and procedures which you must gain familiarity with and be able to refer to
whenever necessary.

Organisational requirements
While counsellors have responsibilities to their clients and to themselves (i.e., self-care), they also
have responsibilities to the organisation that they work for. Counsellors who work within
organisations must ensure that they understand their role within their organisation and provide
services according to organisational policies and procedures. It is the right of the counselling
organisation (i.e., the employer) to expect counsellors to adhere to the organisational requirements,
to review and update these requirements, and to dismiss staff whose behaviours violate these
requirements. As such, the organisation has a responsibility to make sure organisational policies
and procedures are continuously reviewed and all staff are provided with access and training on
updated requirements. This may include policies and procedures related to:
▪ Service entry and provision. Counselling organisations may have specific requirements
on clients entering the service and the way counselling service is provided. For example,
an organisation may require counsellors to work from a certain counselling approach (e.g.,
cognitive behavioural therapy) or they might have specific funding requirement that limit
number of sessions or service entry requirements (e.g., specific age group or client issues).
▪ Records management. Given the sensitivity of information discussed in counselling, it
is important that organisations provide sufficient guidance in relation to how client
information should be recorded and stored in accordance to privacy and confidentiality
requirements. Documents that are typically included on a client’s file are referral form or
information, signed consent forms and counselling contract, counselling plan, counsellor’s
case notes, and completed risk assessment tool or form. It is important that the counsellors
are familiar with and adhere to these requirements as they manage and store client
information.
Typically, organisations will require any case documents to be kept in the client’s file in a
secure location not easily accessible by third parties (e.g., a locked filing cabinet in the
counsellor’s office, which is also locked overnight). These days, most organisations
document electronically (or use a combination of electronic and handwritten
documentation). Maintaining client documentation electronically involves a number of
additional considerations, including:
- Security – who can access the computer or other hardware? Is it password
protected? If files are stored on a central server, are there appropriate restrictions
in place for their access? Is there internet security/virus protection installed?
- Physical premises – check your organisation’s policy about client files leaving the
premises. For example, if you take work home on a USB stick you will need to
take extra precautions to protect that information.
▪ Work health and safety (WHS). The counsellor has a responsibility ensure the
counselling environment is safe – for themselves, other staff, and clients. As such,
counsellors must follow the WHS guidelines specified by the organisation they are working
in, such as reporting identified risks and incidents and adhering to safe work practices.
WHS aspects relevant to counselling work may include:

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Study Guide 1: The Counselling Relationship

− Maintaining a safe service environment, such as addressing tripping hazards,

making sure light and ventilation are working properly; monitoring workspace
setup, posture and appropriate seating; and making sure electronic devices are
regularly serviced and maintained so as to reduce fire hazards.
− Managing risk to clients, such as assessing for possible safety and risk issues and
addressing them if any; and using appropriate techniques (e.g., grounding, taking
breaks) to promote emotional safety of client during counselling.
− Managing risk to counsellors, such as having appropriate safety strategies to
manage aggressive client; making sure counsellors take regular breaks for self-care
and accessing support (e.g., supervision) to carry out work in a safe manner.
As such, part of a counsellor’s WHS responsibility include making sure that they implement
adaptive coping and self-care strategies (e.g., maintaining physical exercise and a healthy
lifestyle, expressing their feelings, seeking support from their personal and professional
networks, and using effective problem-solving techniques). It is also important that the
organisation works collaboratively with workers to identify possible WHS risks associated
with client work and develop appropriate strategies to prevent, minimise or eliminate these
risks.
▪ Referral. Most organisations will also have specific policies and processes regarding
referral. For example, your service may have a policy that any client who is showing signs
of acute mental illness or who mentions that they have considered suicide should be
referred to a service that specialises in helping people in these situations. This ensures that
the client is thoroughly assessed and receives the help they need (e.g., emergency services
or mental health assessment team). In cases where you are unsure whether a client requires
referral or not, you should always discuss the matter with your supervisor manager. In all
cases, make sure that you:
- Accurately and objectively record the client’s behaviour, including what they have
said that has caused you concern.
- Discuss the matter with your supervisor or manager.
- Complete the relevant documentation such as client referrals form or case notes.
Some organisations will have a standard form that all outgoing referrals must be
carried out on, it is your responsibility to be familiar with relevant documentation.

Ultimately, counsellors need to ensure that they comply with all relevant guidelines, policies, and
procedures of the organisation for which they work. You will learn much more about common
organisational requirements (as well as a counsellor’s legal and ethical requirements) as you
progress through this course.

Summary
In this section of the Study Guide you were introduced to the legal and ethical responsibilities you
will have as a counsellor, including respecting and empowering clients, maintaining professional
boundaries and confidentiality, and the importance of ensuring that you have the appropriate skills
and competence to meet client needs. You also learned about the limitations of the counsellor
role, including the importance of referral for some client issues. Finally, you learned about the
importance of complying with organisational requirements. All of these requirements are
important considerations to working with clients in counselling, which is what we turn to in the
final section.

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 Section 2: Counsellor Responsibilities

References
Australian Counselling Association (2018). ACA policy document on professional supervision. Retrieved
from https://www.theaca.net.au/documents/ACA%20Supervision%20Policy.pdf

Australian Counselling Association (2019). Code of ethics and practice of the association for counsellors of
Australia. Retrieved from
https://www.theaca.net.au/documents/ACA%20Code%20of%20Ethics%20and%20Pra
ctice%20Ver15.pdf

Australian Human Rights Commission (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2021 from:
https://www.humanrights.gov.au/about/what-are-human-rights

Geldard, D., Geldard, K., & Yin Foo (2017). Basic personal counselling: A training manual for counsellors
(8th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Assessment activities
Assessment activities relevant to this section are contained in Section 2 of your Assessment Book .

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 Section 3
INITIATING THE
COUNSELLING PROCESS

50
Initiating the Counselling Process
About this section:
In this section you will learn to:
− Conduct an initial counselling session.
− Establish and confirm the nature of helping relationship.
− Use appropriate counselling skills.
− Develop a counselling plan.

Supporting materials:
The following materials supplement the information provided in this section:

1. Reading G
2. Reading H

The first two sections of this Study Guide focus on laying down the foundation work – we have
explored what counselling is, the counselling relationship, and a range of practice considerations
in counselling practice. In the final section, the focus is on the counselling process – we will look
at how counsellors bring all of these understandings and skills together in the actual counselling
process, particularly in the initial session.

Let’s begin with an overview of a generic counselling process.

An overview of counselling process

While counsellors from different theoretical orientations will have different approaches to the
process, most forms of counselling will follow a similar basic structure that is comprised of a
preparatory, beginning, middle, and ending phase. The following table provides an overview of
counselling process and outlines primary tasks and events carried out in each of the four phases
(adapted from Horton, 2012, pp. 122-127).

Phase Goals/tasks of the phase

Preparatory Phase ▪ Revision of prior knowledge of the client (such as a referral letter or
report).
▪ Introductory leaflet given to the client.
▪ The first telephone call between counsellor and client.
▪ Letter of appointment.

Beginning Phase ▪ Build the relationship, establish rapport and an effective working
alliance, clarify boundaries, conditions and the client’s role, and work
towards developing mutual aims about the work of counselling.
▪ Facilitate client self-disclosure; identify the client’s presenting problem
through understanding the client’s worldview and experiences,
exploring antecedents, precipitating events, social/cultural context

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and assessment of client strengths and resources. The counsellor may

begin to develop a tentative assessment of the nature, origins and
ramifications of the client’s problem(s) in a way that suggests a
possible target for change. In some psychodynamic work the early
fostering of a positive transference might be a key task.
▪ Negotiate therapeutic and business contracts, and monitor and review
progress.

Middle Phase ▪ Typically the longest phase in counselling; dependent upon the
counsellor’s theoretical orientation and how they explain the origin
and maintenance of psychological problems and the principles of
change.
▪ Conflicts and problems are more clearly defined and worked through.
▪ Counsellor is concerned with facilitating learning and change.
▪ Process goals may involve searching for patterns and key themes in
the client’s experiences and behaviours, affirming and, where possible
and appropriate, using the client’s strengths and ways of coping,
working towards new perspectives, deeper self-awareness or
understanding and learning different ways of thinking, feeling, and/or
behaving.
▪ May contain regular review sessions.

Ending Phase ▪ Seek resolution of the client’s issues around ending.

▪ Explore ways of consolidating learning and change through helping
clients to apply and assimilate change into new ways of being or living
and through identifying obstacles and ways of sustaining and
expanding change.
▪ Evaluating the outcomes of therapy and the effectiveness (or
otherwise) of the therapeutic process and relationship.

Keeping this structure in mind as you complete this section, and the future units, will help you
learn the fundamental aspects of counselling. However, it is important to note that this counselling
structure is a generic guide only. The process that each counsellor use will vary dependi ng on the
modality they use, their organisational context, clientele whom they work with, and whether they
work with individuals or multiple clients. Additionally, the counselling process do not usually
progress in a linear manner:

“As a structural overview of the developmental process, the framework provides therapists with
a sense of grounding and direction. But it is only a cognitive map and as such cannot reflect the
actual experience or dynamics of a process that seldom, if ever, follows a straightforward linear
progression through discrete and clearly defined phases. As the relationship between therapist
and client develops, new issues may emerge, goals are evaluated and often redefined, and earlier
phase-related tasks may be revisited and worked on more deeply. It is a fluid, multidimensional
and complex process.”
(Horton, 2012, p. 122)

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Moreover, while a counsellor will have a particular or preferred structure in mind when they meet
with a new client; counselling is a collaborative or interactional process hence it is important to be
flexible and responsive to a client’s individual needs. Counsellors should aim to clarify client’s
expectations on the process and use appropriate communication techniques to facilitate a
collaborative agreement on how the client may best make use of the counselling process.

In sum, a counselling process is not set in stone and need to be tailored to meet the needs of the
client. Therefore, it is important that as a counsellor you remain flexible, patient, and willing to
adapt the structure of counselling in accordance with the client’s needs. It is also important to note
that you will ultimately be guided by the organisation that you work for. Many organisations have
preferred methods and you may be limited by the kinds of services they are equipped to provide.
For example, while you may prefer to spend twenty sessions with a client, your organisation may
be time limited and only allow six sessions. It is good practice to inform the client of all of these
factors from the outset in order to clarify their expectations and understanding of the counselling
process and the services offered by your organisation.

In the remainder of this unit, we will focus primarily on the initial counselling session (and the
subsequent sessions will be covered in the following Study Guides), which may include
‘preparatory phase’ but more typically resembles the start of the ‘beginning phase’.

Self-reflection
Imagine that you are a client who is entering a counselling session for the very first time.
How would you feel if you knew very little about counselling and was unsure of what to expect?
What information would you expect from the counsellor in order to feel sufficiently informed
about the process?

The first session

The initial session is important as it lays down the groundwork for the entire counselling process
and significantly reduces the likelihood of misunderstandings further down the line. It is also often
the first face to face contact you will have with your client and sets the tone of subsequent
counselling interactions. Each counsellor will have their own personal style in how they conduct
an initial session; however, main events involved in this session generally include:
▪ Promote and clarify the client’s understanding of the counselling process, including what
they can expect from the process and what approach you may use.
▪ Provide information and confirm the client’s understanding of organisational services and
requirements. This may include information about what type of service the organisation
offers, cancellation policies, and payment schedules.
▪ Explore any anxieties or concerns the client may have about engaging in counselling or
organisational requirements.
▪ Signing a counselling contract.
▪ Develop an understanding of the clients’ needs and concerns, as well as their
circumstances.
▪ Assess significant risk or safety issues or referral needs.
▪ Prioritise needs, identify preliminary goals and discuss options.
▪ Create a counselling plan in consultation with the client.

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Preparation before session

For you as the counsellor, the counselling process begins before the client even arrives. Adequate
preparation ensures that you are aware of any important information about the client, and are
relaxed and mentally prepared to engage with him or her. Specific attention should also be paid to
the counselling environment. It is good practice to:
▪ Arrive a little early to check the room and adjust seating, lighting and window coverings.
▪ Ensure the room is clean and tidy and check for trip hazards.
▪ Place a box of tissues within easy reach of the client.
▪ Read through any referral reports or case notes from previous counsellor.
▪ Prepare yourself – doing a few simple physical relaxation techniques or breathing exercises
or just sitting in silence for a few minutes can help you to prepare mentally.

If there is a referral form attached, it may contain information which the counsellor needs to take
into account for working appropriately with the client. For example, a referral form may indicate
possible health or mental health concerns (e.g., a client has been referred by GP for management
of anxiety), reporting requirements (e.g., a client has been mandated to attend counselling as part
of parole program), or risk issues (e.g., history of suicide). Note that you should not fully rely on
the existing referral information as the client’s situation may have changed – instead, seek
clarification from clients as they are the best source of information.

Self-reflection
Take a few moments to reflect upon the importance of preparation.
Imagine that you are a client attending your first ever counselling session. How different would
you feel entering a tidy, well-lit, and organised room with a counsellor who appeared relaxed,
compared to entering a room with a counsellor who appeared to be stressed and rushed around
moving chairs and turning on lights before you were able to sit down?

Reading G discusses some common counsellor tasks and skills involved in commencing the first
counselling session (based on lifeskills counselling model). Remember that these are merely
included as generic guidelines; counsellors will have to adapt their approach to suit their individual
styles, clients’ needs, and organisational context.
Reading G
Initiating the session
When you first met a client, it is important that you greet your client by name and introduce
yourself. As most people can feel uneasy entering a strange environment, it is useful to incorporate
some brief ‘small-talk’ with clients to help them settle in and become comfortable with the session.
You may say, for example, “Hi Lauren, my name is Alex. Thanks for coming. I hope you had no trouble find
us?”

Remember to use your microskills to build rapport with the client and help them feel comfortable.
You may also want to stay at surface-level conversations (e.g., general details or day-to-day topics)
instead of jumping straight into a discussion of issues right away to allow more space for rapport
building. Particularly if you are walking your client from a waiting room into a counselling room,
it is important not to discuss any sensitive or confidential information until you have entered and
settled in a private room.

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Some counsellors might choose to briefly explore client’s issues at this point, such as by asking,
“What would you like to talk about today?” or “Would you like to tell me briefly about what’s brought you here
today?”. Through demonstration of microskills and empathy in this brief ‘opening’ conversation,
counsellors focus on building rapport with clients and developing an initial understanding on the
client’s expectations of counselling. Nevertheless, the focus should be on relationship building at
this stage and gently preparing the client for contracting conversations, instead of gathering
information.

Addressing anxieties about counselling

New clients are often anxious, upset, or in turmoil. If they are new to counselling, they may not
know what to expect of the session. Some clients may have difficulty with the idea of opening up
to a complete stranger and sharing stories and concerns that they may not have shared with their
closest friend and family. You may identify this through their body language, such as hand
wringing, food tapping, abrupt or brusque answers, and avoiding eye contact; or the client’s verbal
statements. Of course, it will not be appropriate to make assumptions and make comments such
as, “Are you anxious?” or “You are having a panic attack”. Rather, take a tentative and respectful
approach. Strategies that counsellors may use include:
▪ Ask open question: e.g., “How do you feel about coming to counselling, Andy?”
▪ Normalise their anxiety: e.g., “Most people find it quite nerve-wrecking to come to
counselling, I’m not sure if you are feeling the same way?”
▪ Reflect what you have observed: e.g., “Henry, I noticed that you seem a bit uneasy, is
everything alright there?”

As client responds, make sure that you acknowledge and respect their concerns, instead of simply
dismissing them. It can also be useful to explain what is likely to happen in the session, so that
clients feel more in the ‘know’ – also known as ‘structuring’ the session. For example, you may
say, “We’ve set aside about 40 minutes for this appointment today. We'll take some time at the start of the session
to go through important information about the counselling services, so you have a good understanding of what is
involved and what support we can offer you. Then we can have a discussion ab out your concerns and talk about some
options to address these concerns. About ten minutes before the end of session, I usually wrap up the session and we
can talk about how you might want to proceed from here. How does that sound to you?” As always, it is important
to check and confirm client’s understanding to make sure that you are both on ‘the same page’.

Contracting
An important objective of the initial session is to establish a shared understanding of what the
counselling process will entail. It is important that when clients engage in counselling, they
understand exactly what is involved, including the risks and benefits of counselling. As you have
learned in Section 2, this is often done through contracting process in which clients are made fully
aware of what to expect before they provide informed consent to engage in the counselling
process. In order to obtain informed consent, the counsellor will need to make sure that they have
provided sufficient information to help the client decide whether to participate in the counselling
service on offer.

Information that you will discuss with clients generally include:

▪ Information about the counselling service, e.g., what resources and services the
organisation can offer; how many sessions it usually takes, and how long each session is;
payment schedules, cancellation policies and termination procedures.

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Study Guide 1: Counselling and the counselling process

▪ The counselling approach you intend to use. A client may have worked with other
counsellors or seen an example of counselling and assume all counsellors work in the same
way. For example, a client may like the idea of a particular kind of counselling, such as
cognitive behavioural therapy, and want to work in this way. However, if a counsellor and
their agency/organisation only work from a specific approach, then the counsellor would
need to explain this method to the client so that they have an understanding of what is
involved and can decide whether they would be happy with this service. You might prepare
a short introduction, such as the one below, followed by a check-in question:

“We offer a counselling service here which means I’ll be aiming to help you figure out
what’s been affecting your life and put together a plan to improve things. I work from a
person-centred approach which means that I believe that you’re the expert in your own
life and ultimately have the ability to make the changes you need to. We’ll talk about
what’s been going on for you and I’ll be encouraging you to come up with ideas and
options to change things. I won’t be giving you lots of advice or telling you what to do.
If you have something going on that needs more specialised care, we also have great
links with other agencies so I can also refer you to other services if it’s a better way to
go. Does this sound like what you had in mind?”

If the client prefers another counselling approach or you feel that the current service is not
appropriate for the client’s particular preference or needs, you should offer to refer the
client to a more appropriate counsellor/service.
▪ Privacy and confidentiality information: It is important to help client understand how
information is handled and make them aware of circumstances in which confidentiality
may be overridden, including:
− If the client discloses that they may harm themselves or harm may come to them;
− If the client discloses that they may harm others, or;
− If the client’s file is subpoenaed by a court of law; or
− If the client has provided written permission for you to do so.
▪ Boundaries and limitations of counselling relationship. It is useful to clarify what your
role and responsibilities are as counsellors and what you can or cannot do to establish
mutual understanding of the relationship. This may when clients may contact you and
situations when clients will need to seek emergency support.

Typically, your organisation would have developed policies around contracting as well as formal
contracts that you may use to assist with this process. A counselling contract is essentially a
document that summarises what the client can expect from the counselling process as described
above. It also helps the client develop realistic expectations of the counselling process and
relationship, and allows them to understand the level of commitment that is expected of them
(e.g., attendance at appointments, payment.).

While each organisation will have their own format, an example of a counselling contract is
included on the next page.

Self-reflection
Why do you think it is important for a counsellor to go through the counsellor contract with a
client? What do you think could happen if they do not take the time to do this?

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 WELLNESS COUNSELLING CENTRE
Counselling Contract

Counselling approach
I believe that my clients have the desire and the capacity to grow towards fulfilling their true potential,
and that they are the experts on their own lives. Therefore, I will not give you advice or offer solutions,
but will work with you to help you understand yourself more fully and to find your own inner resources.
With greater self-awareness and trust in yourself, I hope that you will be able to make constructive
changes, leading to a more satisfying and meaningful life.

Confidentiality
The content of the sessions will be treated as highly confidential. I will need to discuss my work with my
supervisor and I will only use your first name but not any other identifying details of you. However, there
are a few circumstances in which I may be required to break confidentiality:
• If I consider you to be at risk of seriously harming yourself or someone else
• If your counselling records have been requested by a court of law
• If another party or agency has requested your information, and you have agreed and provided
your written consent to this.

Sessions
Our initial contract will run for 6 sessions, after which we will review the counselling process and
negotiate further sessions as appropriate. Normally we will meet on a weekly basis at a regular time. The
duration of counselling session is 1 hour.

Payments/cancellations
Each 1-hour session costs $120. Payment will be taken at the beginning of each session and may be made
by cash, EFTPOS, credit card, or cheque. Late cancellation fees are payable as follows: 0-24 hours’ notice
– full session fee payable. 24-48 hours’ notice – 50% of session fee is payable.

Record keeping
I will take notes during or after each session to help me keep track of our progress together. Thes e notes
will be stored in a private and secure location and may be viewed by you if you so wish. Your counselling
records will be kept by the service for a period of seven (7) years from the date of your last contact with
the service.

Email/telephone contact
Email or telephone contact will be limited to practical arrangements only. I will not enter into telephone
or email counselling except by prior arrangement.
If you are faced with an emergency in between sessions, please contact the appropriate emergen cy service
(see overleaf). In a life-threatening situation, call 000 without delay.

Ending counselling
Normally, the end of counselling would be by mutual prior agreement. However, you have the right to
end your counselling at any time. I would appreciate you letting me know if you decide not to return to
counselling, giving at least 48 hours’ notice. If at any time I feel that our counselling is no longer
appropriate for you, I will discuss this with you and may suggest discontinuation or a referral to a more
appropriate service.

Client signature: _________________________ Date: _______

Counsellor signature: __________________________ Date: ________

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Study Guide 1: Counselling and the counselling process

Remember that some clients who are experiencing emotional distress may struggle to take in all
information at once, other clients may have literacy issues that impede them from reading or
understanding the contract. Thus, you should not just provide your clients with the contract; it is
important to take the time to explain the details in the contract and invite questions from clients
to obtain informed consent. By signing the contract, clients are giving their explicit consent or
agreement to the counselling treatment as outlined in the contract. They are also agreeing to the
payment and cancellation notice requirements and confirming that they understand confidentiality
and privacy/record keeping arrangements.

To initiate the contracting conversation can be challenging at times. Understandably, some clients
would want to offload information about their issues and circumstances as soon as they get into
the session. In this case, it is important that you do not dismiss their concerns, but utilise
appropriate listening skills to acknowledge their concerns and gently guide them in the
conversation. For example, you may say, “Henry, I can hear that this is important for you, and I’d like to
hear more about it in a moment. But before we get there, there is some important information that I need to discuss
with you to make sure that you have a good understanding of what this is involved. Is that alright with you?”

It is also helpful to introduce the conversation in a normalised way, such as by saying, “Usually at
the beginning of the first session, I’ll go through some basic information about the proce ss to make sure that you have
a good understanding of what this is involved, and decide if this is the right process for you . If at any point you need
clarification or have any questions, please feel free to let me know. How does this sound to you?”

Once you have gone through these essential elements with your client and answered any questions
they may have, you should request the client to sign the contract and provide them with a copy of
the signed contract.

Exploring client concerns

A significant part of the initial session will be spent on gaining a broad understanding on the client’s
concerns and their circumstances. Arriving at this point of the session, you may already have some
understanding of the immediate needs or concerns that a client has; however additional
information may be required to generate a fuller picture of the client’s circumstances. For example,
it may be useful to ask questions around:
▪ What are the most pressing issues/concerns?
▪ How long has the issues been in place for? When did it first start?
▪ What impacts are the issues having on the client’s life?
▪ What have the client attempted to manage the concerns?
▪ Who are involved? Who has the client turned to for support?

Once again, it is important to acknowledge and show respect for the client’s concerns using the
counselling techniques and microskills that you learned about in the previous section of the Study
Guide. For example, you may use receptive body language, encouragers, paraphrasing and
reflecting feelings, and appropriate questions to expand understanding of client’s concerns. Use of
appropriate techniques at an appropriate time will also help facilitate rapport and enable the client
to feel validated.

Remember that this should not come across as an interrogation – as previously mentioned,
questioning needs to be used sparingly alongside other counselling techniques – you should aim
to facilitate client’s exploration and at times, summarise or reflect back what you have heard instead

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 of focusing entirely on information gathering. If you notice that the client is in distress or finding
it difficult to express their concerns, it may be appropriate to focus initially on the more factual
elements of the client’s situation or focus on helping the client regulate their emotions. Ultimately,
you want to be led by the client and make sure that you look after their emotional safety.

Assess for risk and referral

Occasionally it becomes evident during the initial session that the issue the client is presenting with
requires the input of specially trained professionals. You have learned about the work-role and
limitations of counsellor in the previous section (it can be helpful to review “Work-Role Boundaries”
and “Referral” in Section 2 before continuing). In these cases, counselling may not be the most
appropriate way of meeting the client’s needs and you should consider referring the client to a
more suitable professional. For example, a client seeking help with regards to trauma -relevant
issues may be best referred to a trauma specialist. If you believe referral may be required, you
should always discuss the referral options with your client, explaining why you believe they will
benefit from the referral, and provide clear information about the process.

As part of your duty of care, you will also need to look out for potential risks or safety issues
that may be affecting the client. Occasionally, a client will present with threats of suicide, self-
harm, or harm to others that may necessitate the involvement of emergency services and/or
specialist interventions. Risk and safety must be documented in the counselling plan as well as any
other relevant organisational documents as per the policies and procedures.

As you have learned in Section 1, counsellors apply a variety of counselling skills and techniques
to build rapport with clients while developing an understanding of the client’s concerns. Reading
H provides an overview of skills that helpers use to facilitate exploration of client concerns. The
author also discusses some common difficulties that beginning helpers may encounter in
Reading H implementing these skills, and some strategies that you may use to address these difficulties. This
reading also includes an example transcript demonstrating the integration of various counselling
skills in an initial helping session.

Facilitating case planning

Once you have gained an understanding of the client’s concerns and issues, you can then work
with the client to identify how counselling can be best used to assist them. Remember that this
needs to be done in a collaborative manner – while counsellors may be more knowledgeable
about the process, promoting the clients’ sense of ownership in the process is vital for encouraging
a commitment to counselling. It is also unethical for counsellors to impose their preferences or
agenda on the client; instead, counsellors support their client through developing achievable goals
and coming up with a plan of meeting those goals.

Identifying priorities and goals

Often, there will be multiple issues emerging from the client’s story in which case you will need to
work collaboratively with clients to decide on which issue they would like to address first, while
documenting all the other issues for subsequent attention. Be careful not to fall into the trap of
talking the client into focusing on the issue you feel is most important or over-reliance on issues
identified in any referral information.

This involves encouraging clients to both gain an understanding of their current situation and also
consider exactly how they would like to improve it. You should encourage clients to think about
their overall goals and how these would fit in with their current circumstances. Some questions
that might be asked include:

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Study Guide 1: Counselling and the counselling process

▪ What changes are necessary to alleviate the distress caused by this issue?
▪ What will we need to change to bring about the desired result?
▪ How will we know if the change has occurred?

Although goals are continuously reviewed and may be modified at a later point in the counselling
process, establishing an initial set of goals in the first session increases the continuity of sessions,
gives some structure to the counselling process, and enables the client and counsellor to assess
progress. Here are some important tips to goal setting:
1. Identify broad goals. These often affect important areas of functioning – for example,
family, work, social relationships, financial concerns, health. Broad goals are derived from
the client’s presenting problem.
2. Prioritise. This process involves determining the most central issues that cause concern
and arranging them from most important to least important. Starting with the problem
that has the best chance of being solved can help increase the patient’s commitment to
counselling.
3. Break each goal into smaller steps. This will help the client accomplish the goal without
feeling overwhelmed by a huge task.

Exploring options
Once the client has decided upon realistic goals, it is important to help him or her to consider how
each of these goals might be achieved through counselling. One commonly used technique at this
stage is to brainstorm with the client all potential courses of action for achieving identified goals.
You can then support clients to consider costs and benefits, what specific steps would need to be
taken, as well as the possible consequences of each course of action. Sometimes a client may be
unsure of how to go about achieving the specified goals and the counsellor may suggest potential
strategies based upon their experience; however, it is important to present these opinions as
tentative suggestions only and not something to impose upon the client.

For example, Melissa’s goal is to develop confidence to express her thoughts to her parents, and
possible options may include to learn and practice assertive communication skills; write her
thoughts in a letter to her parents; obtain support from another trusted family member who can
facilitate the discussion; and practice relaxation strategies she could use before talking to her
parents. Melissa may decide that she would like to focus on learning relaxation strategies in the
next counselling session.

Ultimately, the counsellor and the client will collaboratively decide on how counselling can be most
appropriately used in the client’s best interests. It is important to help clients consider the
practicalities of options and their willingness to commit to specific actions required to achieve their
goals. As always, clarify and check client’s understanding to make sure that you are both on the
same page. Finally, you can record the details of discussion using a counselling plan.

Developing a counselling plan

Counselling plan is a way of documenting the information that the counsellor gathers throughout
the first session with a client. It is essentially a record of client information gathered through talking
with the client as well as the agreed priorities or goals of counselling. Developing a written
counselling plan can bring several benefits, for example:
▪ It helps to make sure both counsellor and client are on the same page about the outcomes
of their discussion. In the process of developing a written plan, counsellors can clarify and

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 confirm clients’ understanding on how the counselling process will be undertaken.
▪ Having a written plan helps clients to visualise goals and may increase client’s commitment
to achieving goals and to the process.
▪ The plan helps to keep counselling process on track and allow evaluation of progress (e.g.,
whether goal has been met or progress has been made).
▪ It helps to provide continuation in the counselling process. For example, if for some reason
you are unable to continue counselling a client, another counsellor should be a ble to use
the counselling plan to continue the counselling process rather than having to start all over
again.

A counselling plan is typically completed during or immediately after the first session by
documenting the information gathered in that session. As well as documenting information and
the outcome of the initial session, the counselling plan also sets out ‘check points’ in the
counselling process – certain points when the counsellor will request feedback from the client to
ensure they are satisfied with the counselling process and is making progress. Importantly, a
counselling plan is never set in stone; it should be reviewed and updated to reflect changes in
clients’ circumstances or priorities.

Apart from the client’s identification information (e.g., name, date of birth, contact details),
elements documented in a counselling plan typically include:
▪ Any safety or risk issues. For example, if the referral report indicates that the client has
a history of aggression, you should document this in the counselling plan and make sure
that appropriate strategies are in place (e.g., duress alarm; make sure there are other staff
around). Sometimes you may become aware of other risks such as suicidal thoughts, DFV
issues and child safety concerns which you must document and address according to your
organisational policies and procedures.
▪ Special needs information. This may include any information about the client that is
important to take into account during service provision. For instance, it is important to
note mobility issues, hearing difficulties, or need for interpreter that may require
adjustment to counselling process. A client who has safety concerns may request to have
all communications of counselling appointments made through her private email. You may
also note down any factors that may affect a client’s capacity to attend and commit to
counselling, such as the client is working shift work hence require confirmation of
appointment one week ahead; the client may require a reduction in fee due to financial
difficulty.
▪ Other agencies or helping professionals involved. It can be useful to list agency that
has referred the client to counselling (if any) or other professionals or support services that
the client is engaged with. These details can be helpful in understanding a client’s access to
support system and resources, and in the case that the client wishes to share content of
their discussion with another service.
▪ The self-identified needs, concerns and goals of the client. This may include what the
client has identified as priorities and their intended outcomes of counselling.
▪ Goals of counselling. This refers to the agreed priorities and goals that the counsellor
and client collaboratively determined, which may be different to the client’s self-identified
goals. However, both should be recorded in the plan.
▪ Counsellor’s observation of clients. During the session, the counsellor may have
observed or made note of client statements or behaviours that may require further

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exploration in the following sessions. For instance, a counsellor may take note that a client
was very upset when they were asked about their relationship with a specific family
member, so that the counsellor can follow up or take this into account in future sessions.
Remember that any observation about clients must be written in a clear, factual way. You
should record the exact words that client has stated (e.g., client stated that…) and your
perspective as an ‘observation’ (e.g., Client seemed upset…) instead of a ‘conclusion’.
▪ Evaluation strategies or ways of ensuring that the client is satisfied with the counselling
you are providing and is making progress towards achieving his or her goals. While there
are numerous methods available to monitor counselling progress, some of the most
commonly used methods involve giving the client a feedback form to fill in or conducting
a verbal review of the counselling process with the client. The frequency of reviews is up
to you and your client. Some counsellors choose to conduct a brief review after every
session; others choose a predictable timeframe, such as every three sessions or every six
weeks. Some organisations will have procedures in place that outline how counselling
reviews are to be conducted. You will learn more about feedback processes later in this
course. For now, the main point to remember is that you should have some agreed way of
evaluating whether the counselling you are providing is helping your client.

First session in action

Now that you have learned about the various tasks involved in an initial counselling session, let’s
have a look at how this might work in an actual client session. You will read about a counselling
transcript between a client, Julie, and her counsellor, Tom. We encourage you to take note of how
Tom uses various counselling techniques to facilitate the session as well as develop rapport with
Julie. A copy of Julie’s counselling plan is also included at the end of this section.

Julie’s First Counselling Session

Julie is Tom’s first client of the day. Tom has arrived a little earlier than Preparation before
the scheduled 9am start to check the counselling room which had been session
used by another counsellor the previous day. There is a referral report
from Julie’s doctor in Julie’s new client file and Tom has a quick look
through this to get a general idea of the issues that Julie might be dealing
with and to note any safety or risks that he should be aware of.
The report does not mention any specific concerns. Tom takes a few
minutes to clear his head by closing his eyes and breathing deeply. He
then goes into the reception room to meet Julie and shows her to the
counselling room.
Tom: “Hi Julie, I’m Tom, please come in, sit down. Was it easy to find your way Greeting and rapport
here?” building
Julie has never sought counselling before and feels very anxious and
nervous. She is sure the counsellor will ‘tell her off’’ for letting her Address anxieties
temper get the best of her and is worried about how she will react in the about counselling
session. Tom notices that Julie seems anxious – she is fidgeting and her process
face is a bit flushed. He starts by asking her if she would like to know a
bit more about the services available at the practice and what
counselling might involve. Julie is relieved as she has no idea of what to
expect.
Tom: “We offer a counselling service here which means I’ll be aiming to help you Provide information

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figure out what’s been affecting your life and put together a plan to improve things. about the services
I work from a person-centred approach which means that I believe that you’re the Explain your
expert in your own life and ultimately have the ability to make the changes you need counselling
to. We’ll talk about what’s been going on for you and I’ll be encouraging you to come approach, the
up with ideas and options to change things. I won’t be giving you lots of advice or process and
telling you what to do. We’ll start with six sessions but we can extend this if we both expectations
agree it’s needed.
If you have something going on that needs more specialised care, we also have great Explain referral
links with other agencies so I can also refer you to other services if it’s a better way to processes
go.
Is this sounding like what you had in mind?” Clarify and confirm
Julie feels much less vulnerable and more in control after hearing this. client understanding
She had assumed that the counsellor would tell her what was wrong of the counselling
with her and give her a long list of instructions of what to do. Julie tells process
Tom she likes the idea of being an ‘expert’ and having some say about
how things go. Julie feels very concerned though about people finding
about the road rage incident and thinks that Tom might even contact
child protection services because of her temper. She asks him if he will
tell anyone about their sessions.
Tom: “Everything you tell me stays in this room except if I believe you might hurt Explain
yourself or someone else. Then I’ll need to get some help from other people to keep confidentiality
everyone safe. Also, if your case notes are subpoenaed by the courts for any reason, limitations
I’ll have to let them see those. You might even give me written permission to get
someone else involved. In any event, I’ll let you know what I’m going to be doing
first.”
Tom then went on to explain a bit about how the practice worked Explain
including payment schedules and cancellation policies. Julie didn’t know organisational
that she would need to cancel her appointment with 48 hours’ notice so policies
was grateful to be told that. Tom also reassured Julie that her case notes
these would be kept in a locked drawer at the practice. Tom gave her a
copy of the counselling contract which set out all the information that
they had discussed and asked her if she had any questions. Julie was Contracting
happy that Tom had explained everything and signed the contract. She
was given a copy to take home with her which was useful as she didn’t
remember everything they had talked about.
Although now feeling much less anxious, Julie has no idea of where to Body language
start her story. Tom can see that Julie is feeling unsure. He leans in
slightly to let her know that he is listening to her and makes eye
contact.
Open question
Tom: “Perhaps you could tell me a little about what’s brought you here today.”
Julie: “It’s my temper. I have problems with my temper.”
Paraphrasing and
Tom: “Your temper is a bit of an issue? Can you describe an example of when it’s
open question
caused a problem?
Julie: “Well there was this road rage incident...”
Julie trails off. Tom can see she is embarrassed. He smiles reassuringly
and nods being careful to indicate a non-judgmental stance.
Tom: “uh-huh” Encouragers

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Study Guide 1: Counselling and the counselling process

Julie: “It was just awful... it was at the school and all the mothers were watching.”
Tom: “Gosh, it sounds like you were really embarrassed. Can you tell me a bit Reflection of feeling
about what happened? Open question
Julie goes on to describe what happened at the school and tells him a
little about how it felt.
Tom: “So really you were already feeling quite stressed out before it even happened. Summarising
The kids were late for school and arguing in the back and it was important to you
that they were on time. You felt it building up like a volcano inside and then when
the other mother pulled out in front of you, it felt like an elastic band snapping. Have
I got it right?
Julie: “Yes that’s exactly how it felt! I just seem to feel so angry all the time and
then it just takes something small to tip things over.”
Tom identifies Julie’s immediate need/concern and checks in with Julie
to make sure they’re on the same page.
Tom: “It sounds like this issue with anger is having really big impact on your life Clarifying client’s
and I’m guessing you’d like to deal things with things differently in the future? Is this priorities and
what you’d like to focus on in your counselling sessions?” concerns
Tom has listened carefully to Julie’s story and he has not identified any Assess risks and
safety or risks that need to be addressed. Her issue is within his field of safety
competence and experience and he does not believe she needs Consider referral (if
specialised treatment. necessary)
Tom works with Julie to explore initial options to improve her situation. Agree on priorities
Julie tells Tom that the anger seems to come out of nowhere and Tom Develop goals
suggests that maybe it would be a good idea to start with figuring out Explore options
what tends to ‘trigger’ Julie’s anger. As the unpredictability of the anger
is really scary for Julie, she thinks that is a good idea. They agree to focus
on this in their next session and Julie promises to notice instances over
the next week when she feels angry. Julie also says she would like to
learn relaxation skills and ways of calming down and also discuss new
rules for the children with her husband.
In the last 5 minutes of the session, Tom explains that he’d like to get Discuss and agree
some feedback from Julie in their third session to check that things are monitoring process
on track and make sure Julie is happy with the approach Tom is taking
in their counselling sessions. Julie is surprised but relieved that she can
tell Tom if something is not working for her in the counselling sessions
and not just have to put up with it. They set an appointment for the
following week and Julie leaves.
Tom has 10 minutes until his next client appointment which he uses to Develop the
complete Julie’s counselling plan ready for the next session. He notes counselling plan
the name of Julie’s doctor as a contact. There are no special needs that
he has identified. He then documents the priorities and goals that Julie
has identified as well as his own ideas about what might be needed.
Details of the monitoring process they have agreed to (i.e., feedback
after session 3) are also documented.
Tom then takes a few minutes to clear his head, checks the room for Preparation for next
tidiness and goes to the reception room to find his next client. session

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 Self-reflection
Reflect upon Tom’s actions as a counsellor in this example. Can you see how he used counselling
microskills to help Julie up and share her story? Can you see how Tom has structured the initial
counselling session to help ensure that Julie was fully aware of the counselling process? Can you
see how Tom helped Julie establish goals to be included in the counselling plan?

In a nutshell, counsellors follow a structured approach in the initial session of counselling in order
to set the scene for effective counselling. It is important for counsellors to:
▪ Explain the counselling process.
▪ Clarify client expectations of the counselling process through contracting.
▪ Identify immediate client needs.
▪ Agree on goals to work towards.

Counsellors also use counselling skills and techniques to help the client tell their story and develop
an effective counsellor-client relationship. The information and outcomes of the session are
recorded in a counselling plan. An example of a counselling plan that Tom might develop for Julie
is included below.

COUNSELLING PLAN
Wellness Counselling Service
Client details:
Julie Macdonald
This information was
Involvement of other agencies/referral information: available in the referral
report and evaluated as
Dr David O’Dell. Referral report filed.
the session progressed.
Special needs information: You may become aware
None noted. of these as the session
progresses but could
Safety/reporting issues: also discuss this as part
of the contracting
None noted.
process.

Recording of client’s own identified priorities: Tom records the

Julie would like to focus on managing her anger issues. client’s immediate
needs and concerns.
Observed client requirements:
Julie may benefit from stress management in general Tom notes an
additional issue.
Goals:
1. Identify anger triggers. Tom records the results
2. Learn relaxation skills and ways of calming down. of the goals and agreed
3. Agree some rules for the children with husband. courses of action.

Monitoring: Tom records the agreed

Julie agreed to complete a client satisfaction feedback form in session 3. monitoring
arrangement.
Counsellor signature: ______________ Date: ________

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In this example you can see the main sections of the counselling plan and how Tom gathers the
information required to complete each section. While different organisations will have different
formats for counselling plans, the above example provides a common format that you can use in
your first session.

Summary
Congratulations for completing the first unit of your diploma! This unit introduces you to the
profession of counsellor as well as the responsibilities, skills, and process that a counsellor (or
other helping profession) may employ to establish a solid helping relationship. Remember that the
helping relationship is at the heart of your work with clients, therefore being able to conduct the
initial session effectively is a vital first step. In the following units, we will continue to build on and
expand the counselling knowledge and skills you have learned in this unit.

References
Horton, I. (2012). Structuring work with clients. In C. Feltham & I. Horton (Eds.), The Sage
handbook of counselling and psychotherapy (3rd ed.; pp. 122-128). London, UK: Sage.

Nelson-Jones, R. (2014). Practical counselling and helping skills (6th ed.). London, UK: Sage.

Assessment activities
Assessment activities relevant to this section are contained in Section 3 of your Assessment Book.

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