Counseling
Counseling is a necessity to humanity. Peter Drucker one of the most influential and greatest management intellectuals of this day and age once said that in a few years, hundred or so, when the history of the 21st century will be written from a long duration point of view, it is likely that the most vital happenings the historians will record is not technology nor the ever-expansive commerce .It is the exceptional change of the humans’ conditions. For the first time, a large number of the human population are independent and make their own choices. For the first time, they have the ability to manage their lives .The society at large is not prepared. This independence has created the need for counseling at workplaces, in homes, marriages and other social settings. (Heppner & Wampold, 2010 p56).
Counseling normally puts its focus on assisting patients or clients to find a particular problem in their own personal lives and come up with skills that will assist to overcome the challenge identified. Counsellors manage clients by helping them to adapt new ways of dealing with their problems in their surroundings. This adaptation is what facilitates change. In any standard health setting, a counsellor is supposed to corporate and work on a one on one basis with their client to facilitate improvement in the daily lives of the client and they surroundings societies’. Counsellors concentrate on how one can manage stress and emotions efficiently and how to sustain healthy relations with other people. Other than developing an individual personality traits, counselors come up with supportive agendas and pinpointing areas which have society’s resources that can also support the client adherence to the advice of a counselor. For example if a client comes for counseling because they have been fired, a counselor will assist the client pinpoint to emotions he often experiences because of being fired. The counsellor will then help her to cultivate various alternative ways of coping with the emotions .The counselor can also recommend modifications that can be made to the environment to help the client to cope better with the situation (Heppner & Wampold, 2010 p 78).
Counselling is one of the best ways through which people can learn how to manage themselves and help to cope with different issues in their life. From the cradle of mankind different people e.g. friends, families and teachers used counselling in one form or another. The family doctor was one of the source that people seek counselling services from. Nowadays, it is a very specialized service and an occupation in itself. Due to the current independence in today’s society, pressure can emerge from different places such as the workplace or even at home. Lack of a proper support system is what has led to disunity among marriages. Failing to meet ones expectations has also contributed to alienation in the society. (Heppner & Wampold, 2010 p 90).
Psychodynamic is a one of the best known approaches to counseling .It is based on the ideology that individuals’ challenges can be truly understood by studying concepts behind the human mind namely: Alert mind and the innermost though. The alert brain is based on matters that humans normally aware of whereas such as emotions .Innermost thought is not easily noted but can influence choices and emotion patterns .The other method of counseling is the through human approach. This is the exact opposite of the psychodynamic method .This approach approves that everyone is different and unique which makes them different from one another hence everyone has the potential to progress positively in emotions and in their psychology which then leads to fulfilment .When humanistic method is used during counseling ,the counselor takes the perspective that human challenges are not caused by life’s situations but the manner in which the person experiences the situation .This will in turn change the way an individual emotions operate. The experiences will also determine the manner in which one’s emotions are interpreted. The third approach is the client based approach. This approach elaborates the fact that everyone has the solutions to their own problems. The solutions are found in humanity’s ability to be able to look deep into themselves and evaluate their own problems. The counselor will use the client’s data to urge him or her to find a solution (Mcleod .J. (2010 p52).
Tata consultancy services (TCS) launched an organization network ‘maitree’ in the year 2005 to provide counselling services to mainly employees although other people can be involved in .It has specialized in employees because most people spend much of their time in the work place. Under this initiative, 90%of most offices organize family gatherings or get together. Activities they engage in include ball dancing. Yoga, theater workshops and assisting employees who work for long durations to keep healthy (Mcleod, 2010 p 69).
They also offer in house services that aims to reduce stress among people who work for very long hours. This is done by training other employees so that they can easily reach out to other colleagues. This is one of the many dimensions that they have taken to have an extensive outreach. Other techniques that have been added are: training managers to equip them with basic counselling skills, growing and developing workshops to conduct emotional intelligence, transaction analysis and other areas can also get a chance to conducted by counselor’s counsellor in a working environment can work with a designated group to help in solving issues. The group will help in setting the pace on issues that need immediate attention. A counselor can assist to influence the main abilities of employees. Many employers know that many problems usually stem from the workplace and spill to other areas of people’s lives (Mcleod, 2010 p 73)
The person who is in charge of counselling in Tata consultancy is usually a psychiatrist or a psychologist. The functions of counselling can be taken by anyone who has been train in the field such as a social worker or any other individual familiar with the field .Counsellor should be very discrete with their clients and keep the affair of people very private. They should assure their clients of total confidentiality. Apart from being discrete it is the responsibility of a counsellor to establish the boundaries during the therapy sessions. This may involve an environment that promotes a warm and caring atmosphere. It is also important for the therapist to define his or her role and the administrative duties that he or she is supposed to take part in. This enables stipulate what to do and what not to do. Any medication or expense that may arise from a counselling session can be settled privately (Mcleod, 2010 p 103).
The unique bound created between the worker and the counsellor or therapist can be used to channel inquiry and progress in terms of growth. The counsellor has the responsibility of building and maturing these relationships. This can only be done if he listens, cares and he is friendly to the workers. The success of any counselling work can be judged by consistent relationship that emerges between the workers and the psychotherapist.as trust continues to build between the therapist and the workers, so does insight and knowledge of oneself. . (Perry, 2008 p 101).
Counselling at the workplace is meant to form a relationship between the therapist and the employee. The relationship is supposed to change both of them through the process of social interaction with each other during therapy sessions. The relationship is asymmetrical in that, the employee is supposed to change more than the specialist offering therapy. . (Perry, 2008 p 221).
The goal of therapy is not just to assist workers at Tata consultancy but to maintain the relationship they have during therapy sessions. Factors that can hinder the relationship to prosper can be rectified by identifying this factors and working towards eliminating them. Typically the factors that can affect the relationship between a therapist and the worker are normally the same that hinder other relationship in different area of life .Authenticity, genuineness and transparency are some of the factors that can lead to a storing relationship. As the relationship improves between the therapist and the employee it reflects in other relationships outside therapy situations. . (Perry, 2008 p 100).
TSC usually ensures the security and safety of its employee’s .Providing personal counseling and growth activities. The utilization of brief mediation and brief counselling procedures has become a major part in dealing with social issues in the workplace. Brief mediation provides the chance for therapists to increase their effectiveness and positive outcomes with employees who have any mental instability .Brief intervention can help change behavior and reduce stress levels among workers. There are concerns that can be handle and monitored by brief interventions .For example attendance of group sessions or efficiency while handling work. (Perry, 2008 p 42).
At the work place of or any organization , counsellors are there to provide the much needed supportive system for anyone who has stress related to his or her occupation or any other addictions that might be affecting the life of the individual at that particular time. (Perry, 2008 33).
The setting up of a therapeutic friendly association between the counselor and the patients is very important. The choice to seek assistance for any problem is not always easy and more if you seek to confide your problems to someone else. A high level of trust is needed between any person and the counselors. Counselors should ensure that that an alliance is formed between them and their patients. This enable their clients to trust them more and therefore they will not feel any vulnerability when the counsellors are solving their challenges .Trust will create a platform where the best interests of the workers are safeguarded from any form of intrusion .Trust has a way of making people work effectively together even when they are faced either challenges. Trust keeps a lot of things intact when it is maintained. Although it takes time to develop and nurture trust between a counsellor and their patient, patients should feel free to talk openly and relief their burdens during the session with the counsellor. (Perry, 2008 26).
In today’s world, a lot challenges can be solved by a simple word: counselling .The current world has a lot of challenges ranging from illnesses such as cancer and natural calamities such as the elnino .The mind of a human needs to ease off the pressure brought about by stress and dynamics of the world. The only way of dealing with external problems is through one entry point: the mind. It has already been proven that the mind is an organ that if controlled, can cause calm in an ever changing violent world. Counselling has a lot of benefits than the eye can see or a crowd can discuss (Perry, 2008 134).
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References
Heppner.p. & Wampold .E. (2010). Research design in couselling. Cengage Learning.
Mcleod .J. (2010) Case Study .Research in Couseling and Psychotherapy.Bacp.
Perry.p. (2008).Basic counselling techniques. Author house.
