GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING

Introduction
Guidance & Counseling are twin concepts & have emerged as essential elements of every
educational activity. Guidance & counseling are not synonymous term. Counseling is a part of
guidance. Guidance in educational context means to indicate, point out, show the way, lead out
& direct. Counselling is a specialized service of guidance. It is the process of helping individuals
learn more about themselves & their present & possible future situations to make a substantial
contribution to the he society.
Definition of guidance:
“Guidance is an assistance made available by a competent counselor to an individual of any age
to help him direct his own life, develop his own point of view, make his own decision & carry
his own burden.” - Hamrin & Erikson
“Guidance is a process of helping every individual, through his own effort to discover & develop
his potentialities for his personal happiness & social usefulness.” - Ruth Strang
Definition of counseling:
“Counseling is essentially a process in which the counselor assists the counselee to make
interpretations of facts relating to a choice, plan or adjustment which he needs to make.’’
-Glenn F. Smith
“Counseling is a series of direct contacts with the individual which aims to offer him assistance
in changing his attitude behaviors.” - Carl Rogers
Characteristics of guidance
 It is a continuous process
 Choice & problem points are the distinctive concerns of guidance
 It is the assistance to the individual in the process of development rather than a direction
of that development
 Guidance is a service meant for all
 Guidance is both generalized & a specialized service
 Guidance is an organized service & not an incidental activity of the school.
 Guidance is not a branch of any discipline
 Guidance bas limits
 Guidance is more an art than science
 Guidance has its roots in the education system
 Guidance is centered around the needs & aspirations of students.
Purposes of guidance and counselling
 Providing the needed information & assistance
 Helping in individual to make wise choices
 Improve the understanding of self
 Facilitate the adjustment
 Helps in adapting to the changes or new environment
 Making self-sufficient & independent
 Efficient use of capabilities & talent
 Promote the optimal personal & professional development.
 Balanced physical, psychological, emotional, social & spiritual growth
 Helps in overall development & to live productive life.
Scope of guidance and counselling
 Guidance & counselling for personal needs/problems
  Guidance & counselling for physical, emotional, social, moral & marital problems
 Guidance & counselling for career advancement
 Guidance & counselling for educational needs/problems
 Guidance & counselling for vocational, occupational & professional needs
 Guidance & counselling for holistic individual development
 Guidance & counselling for situational problems
Need of guidance and counselling
1. Need for personal & social domain
 Personal & social development of individual
 To adapt in different stages of development
 Offering art of better living
 Proper use of leisure time
 Holistic personality development
 Best use of available opportunities
 Motivates for effective utilization & development of self
II. Needs for educational/professional domain
 Helps in academic growth & development
 Helps in vocational & professional maturity
 Facilitates an individual in the right education & profession
 Offer help to handle educational & professional situations
 Helps in the proper utilization of human resources
 Helps in adapting to the changing concept of education
 Prepares to adapt in changing professional situations & emerging challenges
 Helps in making proper career choice
 Helps to minimize indiscipline
Need of Guidance and Counselling in Nursing Education
 To help students adjusting with the new environment of the nursing institute.
 To help in developing qualities required for a successful for a nursing practice.
 To help students in getting adjusted with the clinical environment.
 To help students keeping in touch with the latest trends in nursing
 To help students in developing positive learning habits, especially skill learning
 To help in the development of appropriate coping straggles in order to deal with stress in
a productive manner
 To help nursing students in establishing proper identity.
 To help them to develop a positive attitude towards life.
 To help to overcome periods of turmoil & confusion.
 To help students in developing their leadership qualities.
 To motivate them for taking membership in professional organizations after competing
their studies.
 Helps them to make advantages of technological advancement in a patient care.
 To carryout responsibilities as a health team member
 Helps them to proper selection of career
 Motivate them for higher studies.
Principles of guidance and counselling
 It is concerned with the 'whole' individual and not just with his/her intellectual life alone.
  It is concerned with all, not only with special or problem students, therefore have
adequate evidence before designating a person as abnormal.
 It is concerned with developing student's self-understanding and self-determination.
 It recognizes the existence of individual differences, hence limits and problems of each
individual are different from one another.
 It accepts that problems have causes and are interrelated, so a deep knowledge of causes
are essential.
 It is a continuous and slow process
Functions of guidance and counselling
 Adjustmental
 Orientation
 Developmental
Difference between guidance and counseling
GUIDANCE COUNSELING
Guidance is broader & comprehensive. Counseling is in-depth & narrow
Guidance is more external, helps a person Counselling helps people understand
understand alternative solutions available to themselves & is an inward analysis &
him & makes him understand his personality & alternative solutions are proposed to help
choose the right solution. understand the problem at hand.

Guidance is mainly preventive & Counseling is remedial as well as preventive &

developmental. developmental.
Intellectual attitudes are the raw material of Emotional rather than pure intellectual attitude
guidance. are raw material of the counseling process.
Decision making is operable at an intellectual Counseling operates at an emotional level .
level in guidance.
Guidance is generally education & career Counseling is offered for personal & social
related & may also be for personal problems issues.

Types/areas of guidance services

 Personal guidance
 Educational guidance
 Social guidance
 Vocational guidance
 Health guidance
 Avocational guidance
Principles of guidance
According to Crow and Crow:
 All-round development of individuals
 Principles of individual differences
 Guidance is related to every aspect of life
 Cooperating among persons
 Guidance is a continuous & life long process
 Guidance for all
 Principles of elaboration
 Responsibility of teachers & parents
  Flexibility
 Principles of evaluation & Principle of periodic appraisal
 Guidance by a trained person
According to Hollies and Hollies:
 The dignity of the individual is supreme.
 Each individual is different from every other individual.
 The primary concern of guidance is the individual, in his social setting.
 The attitude & personal perceptions of the individual are the basis on which he acts.
 The individual generally acts to enhance his perceived self.
 The individual has the innate ability to learn.
 The individual needs a continuous guidance process from early childhood through
adulthood.
 Each individual may need the information & personalized assistance given by competent
professional personnel at some time.
Ingredients of guidance and counselling services
1. The Admission Service admitting the right candidates for the right course
2. The Orientation Service a “welcome service” as it is concerned with welcoming
freshers to the world of nursing
3. The Student Information Service Assist the student to obtain a realistic picture of his
abilities, interests, personality characteristics, achievements, levels of aspiration, state of
health, etc.
4. The Information Service Information provide usually related to Education,
occupational, personal & social
5. The Counselling Service understands what he can do & what he should do, handle his
difficulties in a rational way, make his own decision, etc.
6. The Placement Service Help students to be in proper scholastic track, to realize their
career expectations, organize campus selection interviews; provide information regarding
current trends, etc.
7. The Remedial Service it is mainly oriented towards helping students to improve their
study habits, improve their adjustment in the clinical area, reducing stress, etc.
8. The follow-up Service it is that review or systematic evaluation which is carried out to
find out whether guidance services in particular & educational programme in general
satisfies the needs of the students.
9. The Research Service It is intended to examine both the personnel in the college
guidance programme & the techniques of guidance used by them so as to discover their
strong & weak points & ultimately strengthen the whole programme.
10. The Evaluation Service it determines the effectiveness & efficiency of the guidance
programme, less number of dropouts, harmonious relationship between teachers &
students, good result, well placed passed out students, sense of security, etc.
Characteristics of counselling
 Counselling involves two individuals-one seeking help & the other a professionally
trained person who can help the first.
 There should be a relationship of mutual respect between the two individuals.
 Counselling is aimed at bringing about desired changes in the individual for self-
realization & providing assistance to solve problems through an intimate personal
relationship.
  The counselor discovers the problems of the counselee & help him to set up realistic
goals
 If counselee is a student, counselling helps him to take a decision, make a choice or find a
direction in matters related to an educational programme or career.
 It helps the counselee acquire independence & develop a sense of responsibility.
 It is more than advice giving.
 It involves something more than offering an assistance to find a solution to an immediate
problem.
 Counselling is democratic.
 Counselling concerns itself with attitudes as well as actions
 Counselling is centered around the needs & aspirations of students
Organization of counselling services
Types or forms of the organization of counselling services in educational institutions are:
1. Centralized counselling services: The entire responsibilities of the guidance & counselling
services is vested upon a group of trained personnel of the department of guidance & counselling
services.
II. Decentralized counselling services
The responsibilities of the counselling services is vested upon teachers.
III. Combination of centralized & decentralized counselling services:
In this mixed form, guidance & counselling services are provided by teachers & expert
collectively.
Purposes of organization of counselling services
• To help individuals with normal development problems.
• To help individuals through a temporary crisis during the different stages of life.
• To identify signs of disturbed behavior at early stage, so manage it.
• To refer critical cases to specialists for best possible management.
• To facilitate communication within & between nursing institutions & homes.
• To support not only the tutors/nursing faculty who are helping individuals but also who
themselves want guidance & reassurance at times.
Basic components of counselling services
A. Organizational set-up
At universities: - Deans are assisted by head of departments of psychology & education, the
guidance committee & counselling officer.
For constituent colleges: - A counselling officer assisted by the guidance committee in
cooperation with the deputy chief & academic advisor can plan according to their needs &
number of students. (<1000 students need a liaison officer while >1000 students need an
assistant counselling officer.)
For affiliated colleges:-A counselling officer assisted by the guidance committee & a vocational
guidance officer are needed for > 1000 students while a liaison officer only can manage the
counselling services for <1000 students
B. Counselling centre
All universities & large colleges should have a counselling centre headed by a trained
professional, i.e, a counselling officer with PhD or a master’s degree in psychology &
counselling, with considerable experience.
C. Counselling committee
The guidance committee serves the following purposes:
• It establishes & maintains policies related to guidance & counselling services.
• It articulates the programme between the institution & the community.
• It acts in a planning capacity to ensure that the various functions of guidance are properly
coordinated.
• It helps to clarify particular roles & offers support when these roles are challenged.
• It serves as a source of ideas & recommendations to be submitted to appropriate bodies.
D. Members of the counselling committee
• Administrator
• principal/Dean
• Counselling/Liaison officer
• Counselling personnel/ Counselor
• Vocational guidance officer
• Teacher/Faculty from different department/ Specialties
• Hostel warden/ Librarian
• Students representatives
• Parents
Tools for counselling services
I. Non-testing tools • II. Psychological tests
Nontesting tools
 Interview: -it is an interaction between the counsellor & counselee with a definite
objective in mind
 Observation: -It is careful watching or monitoring of the counselee by the counsellor with
a specific objective in mind
 Anecdotal record: - It consists of recording an important incident that happened & is a
carefully recorded snapshot of the incident
 Cumulative record: -It is a method of recording & providing meaningful, significant &
comprehensive information about an individual, over a year
 Checklist: - A is used to identify the presence or absence of specific attributes or skills of
a particular expected behavior in students.
 Rating Scale: - It is better tools to assess the degree or extent of the performance of a
particular task or the possession of a trait.
 Sociometry: - It is used to measure sociability or the social distance between students or
members of a group
 Autobiography & diary: - It may also provide useful information about students.
Psychological tests
 Personality tests
 Aptitude tests
 Achievement tests
 Interest inventory tests
 Study habit inventory tests
Types of counselling approaches
• Directive counselling approach • Nondirective counselling approach • Eclectic counselling
approach
Directive Counselling Approach
 It is also known as prescriptive counselling or counsellor-centered approach of
counselling.
  In directive counselling, the counsellor plays a leading role & uses a variety of techniques
to suggest appropriate solutions to the counselee's problem.
 This approach also known as authoritarian or psychoanalytic approach.
 The counsellor is active & help individuals in making decisions & finding solution to
their problems.
 The counsellor believes in the limited capacity of the patient.
 The patient makes the decision but the counsellor does all he can to get the patient make
decision keeping with his diagnosis.
 The counsellor tries to direct the patient’s thinking by informing, explaining, interpreting
& advising.
The basic assumptions related to directive counselling approach:
 A need based approach
 Problem focused rather than patient focused approach
 Used for patients incapable of solving their problems
 Task of a competent counsellor
 Making the best possible use of counselee's intellectual abilities & resources
Advantages of the directive counselling approach
 This approach save time.
 It emphasizes the problem & not the individual. The counsellor can see the patient more
objectively than the patient himself.
 It lays more emphasis on the intellectual rather than the emotional aspects of an
individual’s personality.
 The methods used in directive counselling are direct, persuasive & explanatory.
Limitations of the directive counselling approach
 The patient does not gain any liability for self analysis or solve new problems of
adjustment by counselling.
 It makes the counselee over dependent on the counsellor.
 Problems regarding emotional maladjustment may be better solved by nondirective
counselling.
 Sometimes the counselee lacks information regarding the counselee, leads wrong
counselling.
 It does not guarantee that the counselee will able to solve the same problem on his own in
future.
Non-directive Counselling Approach
 It is also known as the permissive counselling approach where the counselor's role is
passive & the counselee’s role is active.
 It is a counselee-centred or patient-centred humanistic approach.
 The counselee makes the final decisions as individuals are thoughts to have full right to
make final decisions for the self & solve their problems.
 The counsellor has to accept the counselee’s capacity to make adjustment & adapt.
 The principles of acceptance & tolerance are extremely important in this approach.
The basic assumptions related to nondirective counselling approach are:
 Patient is given importance than the counselling directions & investigations
 Emotional aspects are more significant than intellectual aspects.
 Creation of an atmosphere where patients can work out their understanding is more
important than cultivating self understanding in the patient.
  Counselling leads to a voluntary choice of goals & a conscious selection of courses of
action.
Advantages of nondirective counselling approach
 It is a slow but sure process to make an individual capable of making adjustments.
 No tests are used so one avoids all that is laborious & difficult
 It removes emotional block & helps an individual bring repressed thoughts on a
conscious level thereby reducing tension.
Limitations of nondirective counselling approach
 It is a slow & time-consuming process.
 One cannot rely upon one’s resources, judgment & wisdom as the patient is immature in
making the decision himself.
 It depends too much on the ability & initiative of the patient.
 Sometime difficulty to control pace of the interview discussion.
 This approach is individual centric, it may not possible for counsellor to attend every
patient equally well.
 It requires high degree of motivation in the patient.
Eclectic Counselling Approach
 This approach is based on the fact that all individuals are different from one another.
 The techniques are elective in nature because they have been derived from all sources
of counselling.
 This approach is based on selecting the best & leaving out what is least required.
The basic assumption related to eclectic counselling approach:
 There is objectivity & co-ordination between counsellor & the patient during the
counselling experience.
 The patient is active & the counsellor remains passive in the beginning.
 The counsellor makes use of all the tools & methods in his armour.
 The counsellor enjoys the freedom to resort to directive & nondirective counselling
methods.
 The counselling relationship is built during the counselling interview.
 This helps the patient gain reassurance & confidence.
Advantages of eclectic counselling approach
 It is more cost effective & practical approach.
 It is a more flexible approach of counselling.
 It is more objective & coordinated approach of counselling.
Limitations of eclectic counselling approach
 The role of counsellor & the counselee are not predetermined.
 It requires more skilled counselors to handle the dynamic feature of this counselling
approach.
Other types of counselling
A) Based on length of the counselling session: • Short-term counselling • Long-term counselling
B) Based on number of counselees involved: • Individual counselling • Group counselling
C) Counselling for educational & professional purposes: • Student counselling • Educational
counselling • Vocational counselling • Career counselling • Placement counselling
D) Counselling for health-related purposes: • Psychotherapeutic counselling • Crisis counselling
• Health counselling • Genetic counseling
E) Counselling for personal/social purposes: • Personal counselling • Marriage counselling •
Motivational counselling • Developmental counselling
Role of the counsellor
 Arrange orientation programmes for the other support staff to enlist their cooperation.
 Prepare an up-to-date list of resources, information, referral & energy available to him.
 Organize the guidance committee.
 Set up an educational & occupational information centre.
 Display the information collected in an attractive way.
 Disseminate information through educational & career talks, group discussion & so on.
 Arrange talks by expert from different fields.
 Organize career days, career weeks, career conferences, parents day & so on.
 Educate students regarding proper study habits & assist them in their development.
 Arrange individual discussion with students & their parents for giving them educational
& occupational information.
 Arrange visits to place of work like industries, business, establishments, offices, higher
education institutions & other important educational places.
 Maintain an active relationship with schools, colleges, universities.
 Maintain an active liaison with club like Lions Club & Rotary Club.
 Refer serious psychological cases to clinical psychologist or psychiatrists.
 Maintain complete secrecy of the discussion between him & the patient.
 Administer psychological tests.
 Provide counselling services to students.
 Help in the student placements.
 Take up research projecting relating to the fields of educational, vocational, personal &
social guidance in colleges.
Qualities of a Good Counsellor
G – Good technical knowledge
O – Obtaining appropriate information from the patient
O – Objectively answering questions
D – Demonstrating professionalism
C - Confidentiality maintenance
O – Observant
U – Unbiased
N – Nonjudgmental
S – Sensitive to the needs of the patient
E – Empathetic
L – Listens carefully
L – Lets the patient make decisions
O – Open minded
R – Respects the rights of the patients
Characteristics or qualities of counsellor
 Personal characteristics: • Should be imbibed with basic human qualities. • Should be a
person with cultural values & awareness. • Should have a deep interest in helping people.
• Should patiently listen to others • Should be sensitive to other’s attitude & reactions •
Should have a capability for being trusted by others. • Should have respect for the
 personal autonomy of the patients. • Should be tolerate of & accept the patient point of
view.
 Interpersonal relationships: • Friendly nature • Sympathetic understanding • Sincerity •
Tactfulness • Patience • Ability to maintain confidentiality • Attentive listener • Show
concern
 Scholastic potentialities: • Relevant knowledge • Motivated & committed • Aware of
policies, beliefs, misconception & rumors in community • Possess common sense • Good
judgment Personal adjustment: • Maintain emotional stability • Emotionally sound &
healthy • Able to accept criticism • Knowledge of self • Patience
 Health & personal appearance: • Pleasing voice & appearance • Vitality & endurance •
Free from any mannerism Leadership skills: • Ability to stimulate • Reinforce important
information • Direct the counselee to ways to solve the problem
 Philosophy of life: • Good character • Integrated personality • Faith in human values
Professional dedication: • Show enthusiasm • Maintain helping relationship • Have a nice
sense of morality
Counselling Process
Phase I: Establishing relationship • It is an ice breaking session during which the counsellor &
counselee introduce each other & establish a primary rapport. • Good rapport building provides
the respect, trust & sense of psychological comfort to the counsellor counselee relationship for
progression to the counselling process.
Strategies to establish an effective relationship: • Introduce yourself • Begin the phase with
adequate social skills • Always address the individual by his or her name • Ensure physical
comfort of the counselee & self. • Do not interrupt the individual when he/she is talking. • Listen
attentively. • Observe nonverbal communication.
Phase II: Assessment • the second phase of counselling is basically a data collection phase,
where the counsellor motivates the counselee to provide complete information about the
problem. • The type of information collected from counselee like general data, physical data,
psychological data, social/environmental data, achievement data, educational & vocational data.
• After the collection of information, diagnosis related to the counselee’s behavior is made.
• Various tools & techniques used for data collection like intelligence tests, achievement tests,
aptitude tests, interest tests, personality tests, questionnaires, interview, observation,
autobiography, anecdotal records, rating scale, cumulative record & case studies.
Phase III: Setting goals • During this third phase of the counselling process, goals are set co-
operative by both the counsellor & the counselee. • While setting goals, the counselee’s
strengths, weakness, constraints & available resources must be kept under consideration. • The
goal could be immediate & ultimate which directs the counsellor & the counselee to further
progress in the counselling process.
• Effective & reliable goal setting requires following skills in counselors: • Multifaceted
knowledge related to the problem of counselee • Ability to think critically & inference-drawing
skills. • Judgment, planning & management skills • Skills to segregate &differentiate the
provided information • Ability to each individuals to think critically & realistically • Help the
counselee set feasible, reliable & achievable goals
Phase IV: Intervention • This stage of counselling is an operational phase where the counselee
is suggested the best possible options for the management of the present problem. • The phase is
affected by the counselor's own thoughts about the counselling process. • The intervention will
depend on the approach used by the counsellor, the problem & the individual. • The choice of
intervention is a process of adaptation & the counsellor should be prepared to change the
intervention when the selected intervention does not work.
Phase V: Termination and follow-up • This is the final stage of the counselling process, where
counselling comes to an end. • Termination must be planned well ahead so that the counselee
may feel comfortable at the departure & gradually able to handle the problem independently.
• Some follow-up sessions may be required to help the counselee further to handle the problem
independently.
Issues of counselling in nursing
 Scarcity of qualified & competent counselors
 Lack of awareness about needs & resources of counselling
 Minimal procounselling environment
 Lack of counselling training for nurse/nursing faculty
 Poor organizational set-up for counselling services
 Lack of interest & initiatives for counselling services
 Poor counsellor-counselee ratio
 Lack of funds for counselling services
 Noncompliance with counselling interventions
 Ethical & moral Issues.