Dr. Manju Antil | Counseling Psychologist | Psychotherapist | Educator| Founder- Wellnessnetic Care

Meaning of Counselling

Counselling is a professional helping relationship where a trained counsellor works with individuals or groups to help them address emotional, behavioral, social, educational, and vocational challenges. It is not simply advice-giving, but rather a collaborative process where clients are supported to explore their own feelings, thoughts, and choices to arrive at meaningful solutions.

Counselling encompasses different formats depending on the number of participants and the context: individual counselling, couple counselling, family counselling, and group counselling. Each of these modalities serves unique purposes while maintaining the core essence of counselling — a structured, empathetic, and confidential process aimed at facilitating growth and adjustment.

Definitions

• American Psychological Association (2010): Counselling is “a professional relationship that empowers individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.”
• Carl Rogers (1951): Counselling is a therapeutic process built on genuineness, empathy, and unconditional positive regard.
• Capuzzi & Gross (2019): Counselling is “a dynamic process that helps people understand themselves and the world around them, and develop strategies for handling challenges.”

Nature of Counselling

The essential nature of counselling lies in its:

1. Confidentiality: Trust is the foundation.
2. Empathy: Seeing the world through the client’s perspective.
3. Client-Centeredness: Respecting autonomy and encouraging self-exploration.
4. Goal-Oriented Process: Helping individuals define and achieve personal goals.
5. Adaptability: Can be preventive, developmental, or remedial depending on context.

Historical Development

Global Roots

• Psychoanalysis (Freud, 1900s): Introduced “the talking cure.”
• Vocational Guidance (Parsons, 1909): Focused on career counselling.
• Humanistic Revolution (Rogers, 1940s): Emphasis on client-centered therapy.
• Expansion (1970s onwards): Group counselling, family therapy, and marital counselling became distinct specializations.

Indian Context

• Ancient Traditions: The guru–shishya model, as depicted in the Bhagavad Gita, is one of the earliest counselling dialogues. Krishna guided Arjuna through self-doubt and existential crisis.
• Modern Era: The 1950s saw counselling emerge in schools and universities. Today, counselling spans clinical, educational, and community contexts, with increased emphasis on family systems due to India’s collectivistic culture.

Theoretical Background

• Individual Counselling: Influenced by psychoanalytic, humanistic, and cognitive-behavioral traditions.
• Couple Counselling: Draws on systems theory, Gottman’s research on marital stability, and behavioral marital therapy.
• Family Counselling: Based on family systems theory (Murray Bowen, Virginia Satir) and structural family therapy (Salvador Minuchin).
• Group Counselling: Rooted in Yalom’s therapeutic factors, Lewin’s group dynamics, and humanistic approaches promoting peer support.

Types of Counselling

1. Individual Counselling

• Definition: One-to-one interaction between a counsellor and a client.
• Nature: Focused, confidential, personal growth-oriented.
• Applications: Anxiety, depression, self-esteem, academic stress, career dilemmas.

Case (India): Ravi, a 21-year-old engineering student in Bengaluru, struggled with exam phobia. Through CBT-based individual counselling, his irrational fears were challenged, and he learned relaxation techniques. His performance improved in the following semester.

2. Couple Counselling

• Definition: A form of therapy helping partners improve communication, resolve conflicts, and strengthen relationships.
• Applications: Pre-marital counselling, marital discord, sexual issues, parenting disagreements.
• Approaches: Gottman’s Four Horsemen framework, Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).

Case (India): Priya and Amit, married for five years in Delhi, experienced frequent conflicts due to career stress. In counselling, they learned active listening and conflict resolution techniques. Within months, their relationship improved significantly.

3. Family Counselling

• Definition: Involves working with the entire family system to improve interaction and address relational issues.
• Applications: Substance abuse, domestic conflict, child behavioral problems.
• Theories Used: Bowen’s Family Systems Theory, Structural Family Therapy.

Case (India): The Sharma family in Lucknow sought counselling for their 15-year-old son’s aggression. The counsellor worked with parents and siblings to improve communication and reduce authoritarian parenting. The child’s behavior improved, and family harmony was restored.

4. Group Counselling

• Definition: Counselling conducted with a small group of individuals facing similar issues.
• Applications: Addiction recovery, grief support, stress management, adolescent issues.
• Therapeutic Factors (Yalom): Universality, altruism, interpersonal learning, group cohesion.

Case (India): A group of women in Kerala who lost their husbands in floods participated in group counselling sessions. Sharing experiences and coping strategies helped reduce isolation and fostered resilience.

Basic Principles of Counselling

1. Acceptance: Counsellors must accept clients without judgment.
2. Confidentiality: All information shared remains private.
3. Empathy: Understanding the client’s experiences from their perspective.
4. Respect for Autonomy: Clients have the right to make their own choices.
5. Non-Maleficence: “Do no harm” guides all interventions.
6. Beneficence: Strive to promote the client’s well-being.
7. Congruence: Authenticity and honesty in the counselling relationship.
8. Cultural Sensitivity: Considering socio-cultural values and diversity in practice.

Current Applications in India

• Educational Settings: School counsellors in CBSE and ICSE institutions help students with exam stress and peer issues.
• Clinical Settings: Hospitals like NIMHANS and AIIMS employ counsellors for patients with mental health issues.
• Workplace Counselling: Infosys, Wipro, and TCS run Employee Assistance Programmes.
• Community Settings: NGOs like Snehi and Sangath provide community counselling.
• Digital Platforms: Online counselling apps like YourDOST and BetterLYF are widely used.

Current Trends

1. Integration of Technology: Tele-counselling, online therapy, AI chatbots.
2. Trauma-Informed Practice: Post-pandemic focus on trauma and resilience.
3. Preventive Counselling: Schools promoting socio-emotional learning.
4. Workplace Wellness: Corporates investing in stress reduction and counselling services.
5. Indigenous Integration: Incorporating yoga, meditation, and mindfulness with counselling.
6. Policy Support: National Education Policy (NEP 2020) emphasizes guidance and counselling in schools.

Examples in the Indian Context

• Post-COVID Grief Counselling: Counsellors provided grief and trauma support to families who lost loved ones in the pandemic.
• Career Counselling in Schools: Delhi government schools now provide structured career guidance programs.
• Couple Counselling in Urban India: Increasing demand among young professionals balancing careers and relationships.

Case Histories (Summarized)

1. Anjali, a schoolgirl in Jaipur, benefited from individual counselling for bullying.
2. Rahul and Sneha, newly married in Mumbai, improved communication through couple therapy.
3. The Iyer family in Chennai resolved conflicts related to caregiving of elderly parents.
4. A group of flood survivors in Assam received group counselling to process trauma.

Citations

• Corey, G. (2021). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.
• Egan, G., & Reese, R. J. (2019). The Skilled Helper (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.
• Nair, S. R. (2019). Counselling in India: Historical roots and contemporary practices. Indian Journal of Psychological Research, 13(2), 101–114.
• Yalom, I. D., & Leszcz, M. (2020). The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy (6th ed.). Basic Books.
• Sharma, R., & Misra, G. (2020). Applications of family and couple counselling in India. Psychology and Developing Societies, 32(1), 55–70.