Basic Counselling Skills for Teachers in Initial Training Program: a Literature Review and Self-Reflection


 


            It has been identified by several authors that 10-20 percent of school-age children exhibit emotional and behavioural problems ( 1993; 1993; 2000). This fact highlights the primary and significant role of the teachers in the use of basic counselling skills in helping their students. According to the  (1991),


Counselling is the skilled and principled use of a relationship to facilitate self-knowledge, emotional acceptance and growth, and the optimal development of personal resources. The overall aim is to provide an opportunity to work towards living more satisfyingly and resourcefully.


 


Counselling in schools involves helping students individually or in small groups to deal with the concerns or difficulties they are experiencing (1995). The need of counselling skills among teachers is a basic requirement that is integrated in their duties in the development of human behaviour and knowledge (1993). In order to optimise the help they can provide to children and to their parents, teachers need to develop their knowledge and skills in the areas of counselling and consultation ( 2003). Also, teachers are now expected to work more closely with parents and other professionals such as psychologists and social workers. In addition, senior teachers are expected to be able to support and appraise other teachers. To fulfil their roles in each of these areas teachers need to possess basic counselling skills (1990;  1999). But the question is: what are the characteristics of an effective counsellor?


            The attitudes, knowledge and skills which teachers need in order to provide effective counselling and guidance to students as well as parents are ones which will help them develop collaborative working relationships ( 2003). Hall and associates provides several characteristics of a good counsellor that teachers must acquire and develop.


In terms of attitude, the following attributes must be present to a teacher: genuineness, respect, and empathy. These three attitudes are the bases for healthy relationships. Thus, students and parents need teachers to be people of integrity who will not shy away from being open and honest with them, but will do this with sensitivity.


            In terms of knowledge, teachers need to have certain knowledge which is over and above that which they require for effectively teaching children. A good counsellor has a good knowledge of the strategies for working effectively with students and parents, good understanding of students’ and parents’ perspectives, and awareness of family dynamics. Teachers as counsellors need to be knowledgeable about the range of services and other resources which are available to parents. They need to be sufficiently aware of the diversity, for instance, in beliefs and customs of the ethnic groups with which they work. This is to be able to adapt their interventions and make such culturally appropriate.


The skills in which a good counsellor possesses include excellent interpersonal skills such as listening, assertion and collaboration, organisation and communication, integration, and leadership. In addition to communicating appropriate attitudes and possessing relevant knowledge, teachers need to have good interpersonal skills. An essential part of this is the possession of basic listening skills. Other interpersonal skills required by teachers include the assertion skills needed for working with students and parents and for collaborating with colleagues. Teachers also need the organisational and communication skills necessary for maintaining contact with students and their parents through meetings, home visits, letters and telephone calls. Finally, teachers need group leadership skills so that they can organize workshops for both students and parents.


 


Self-Reflection


            In the fullest level of integrity and self-actualisation, I can say that I have most, if not all of the characteristics needed by a good counsellor. My current strengths include my positive attitudes towards humanistic development. Being able to identify genuineness of emotions, respect of each person’s conditions and individuality, and established state of empathy or understanding, and integrated with my focused interpersonal skills and continuous knowledge, I can affirm that counselling is no difficult task for me. However, I must acknowledge that fact that sometimes I have difficulty in relating my existing knowledge. Thus, I recognise the need to continuously learn the dynamics of counselling and the latest facts related to the practice.


            The incessant development of knowledge and practice of effective counselling calls for constant upgrading and re-evaluation of the counsellors’ capabilities and competencies. As numerous experts and scholars take time to further study different fields of counselling, the former body of knowledge are also transformed. In some cases, what is acceptable and believed to be the best strategy or idea a decade ago is no longer similar to the recent times. Thus, this is one area that I need to improve.


            The improvement of the knowledge that I possess in relation to counselling is significantly needed. As a consequence of modernization and technological innovations, the call to upgrade my knowledge and to be kept well-versed and adept with the underlying principles of counselling is indispensable. In order to address this requirement, I must be able to read professional and academic publications focusing on counselling. Meanwhile, as learning is not only contained within printed sources, I must engage myself in more experiential activities with colleagues so as to share, adapt, and revalidate personal knowledge and philosophies.


            On last thing that I should improve is the relationship of my teaching and counselling abilities. For teaching is proven to be the noblest profession, I should not only focus on imparting theoretical and conceptual knowledge but must incorporate it with practical and realistic situations that will lead to eventual holistic development. In terms of counselling, the integration of my passion of teaching is deemed to be necessary. Teaching and counselling is likely related. In teaching, there is a need to contribute knowledge to a person, whereas, counselling also requires knowledge, but at this case not to be imparted but to be applied.


            To end, the best quality of a counsellor, in my own opinion, is the ability to remain authentic and realistic with what is really practical and functional to daily human existence.


 



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