Thursday, August 23, 2007

Counselling

Counselling

Counsellors' client groups are diverse: they could be young couples requiring marriage guidance and counselling, younger people with emotional problems, people in stressful jobs, patients in a hospital, students or those seeking employment.
The qualities required to become a good counsellor are percep-tiveness, sensitivity, and the ability to inspire confidence.
School guidance Counsellors

Guidance and counselling is a comparatively new addition to the field of education. In metropolitan cities there is a trend in schools to have a guidance section where students get help from professional counsellors in educational, personal and vocational matters. The counsellor provides support to the child's development at school and acts as a catalyst to help provide a conducive envi-ronment for growth and development.

Behavioural Counsellors
They work with individuals who have problems which they find difficult to face alone. These persons are not usually mentally or emotionally ill, but are often emotionally upset, anxious or strug-gling with some conflict which may be within themselves or in the environment.

Marriage Counsellors
They help to sort out the marital problems of their clients. They talk to them and make them voice their grievances. They essentially help couples resolve their differences.

Entry: Though formal training is not essential, individuals who are interested in taking up counselling as a career would do well to specialize. Most counsellors have a background in psychology as this provides an insight into human behaviour which helps them understand the problems of their clients better.

Training: A large number of institutions provide a postgraduate diploma in guidance and counselling. The duration of the course varies from a year to two years. One can also enter this field after doing a postgraduate study in psychology.
Eligibility: Candidates who have secured a Master's degree in any area are eligible for a diploma in counselling. Some institutions have a diploma course for which graduates of any discipline are eligible.

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