GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING

INTRODUCTION

Everyone in the universe does come across some problems irrespective of their age, sex and
profession or occupation, for which from the time immemorial man has been taking help of his
elders, parents, friends and teachers in solving problems. In the field of education, most teachers
need to require special knowledge and attitude to recognize pupil's problem. Due to explosion of
knowledge, industrialization and changes in socioeconomic set-up, the need for professional
guidance is felt in the present day society. The guidance is the act of showing someone how to
do something.

GUIDANCE

A sure way for one to lift himself up is by helping lift someone else."

-Booker T Washington

Guidance means 'to direct', 'to point out', and 'to show the path'. It is the assistance or help
rendered by more experienced person to solve certain major problems of the individual (less
experienced), i.e. educational, vocational, personal, etc. and social environment and to solve the
problems of life.

Guidance covers the whole spectrum of education, which starts from the birth of the child and
continues till his death. This is a wide meaning of the term, which includes all types of education
such as formal,

DEFINITIONS AND VIEWS OF EXPERTS ON GUIDANCE

'Guidance is an assistance made available by professionally qualified and adequately trained

men or women to an individual of any age to help him to manage his own life activities, develop
his own point, make his own decisions and carry his own burdens.'

-Lester D. Crow and Alice Crow (1962)

'Guidance is the process of helping young persons learn to adjust to self, to others, and to
circumstances."

-Jones

'Guidance is a process through which an individual is able to solve their problem and pursue a
path suited to their abilities and aspirations."

-JM Brewer

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"Guidance is a process consists of a group of services to individuals to assist them in securing the
knowledge and skills needed in making adequate choices, plans and interpretation essential to
satisfactorily adjustment in varieties of areas to solve his personal and other problems."
-Smith

'Guidance facilitates people throughout their lives to manage their educational, training,
occupational, personal, and social and life choices so that they reach their full potential and
contribute to the development of a better society."

- National Guidance Forum 2007

PRINCIPLES OF GUIDANCE

Guidance is holistic: Guidance service helps in overall development of an individual. It focuses

on meeting all the needs of an individual such as physical mental, social, spiritual, vocational,
etc.
All individuals are unique: Each individual is the combination of characteristics which
provides uniqueness to each person. Understanding of the uniqueness of each individual is
fundamental. Any guidance work that does not recognize this is useless. Even in group guidance,
individual differences are respected. Individuals differ in their capacities, skills, personality,
aptitude and attitude and so their problems also vary.

Guidance is for all students: According to crow and crow, guidance services should not be
limited to the few who gave observable evidence of its need, but should be extended to all
persons of all ages who can benefit there from, either directly or indirectly.

Guidance should be regarded as a continuing process of service to an individual from young

childhood through adulthood. According to Lupdag, human development is a continuous
process. It follows then that guidance also is continuous to assist the individual in coping with
development demands. In very broad sense, according to Crow and Crow, guidance continues
from birth in a family till the last stage of man's life.

Guidance is counsel and not compulsion: It is not prescriptive, but is designed to make the
individual increasingly, self directive. It is flexible approach.

Guidance is integrative: All aspects of life emotional,mental, social, economic, physical and
religious are looked into for the development of an integrated personality.

Guidance involves using skills: Guidance is a skilled process and carried out by a counselor and
more educated person with special skills of counseling to communicate love, regard, respect for
others.

Guidance is based on individual needs: Guidance is based on individual needs, i.e. freedom,
respect and dignity. Individual needs vary from one individual to other and guidance focuses on
the needs of each Guidance is based on cooperation: In guidance, each individual.

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NEED FOR GUIDANCE

Guidance is needed at every stage of development right from the beginning of life till the end.
Everyone needs guidance at one time or the other. If properly guided, every individual will be
satisfied in life. Guidance is needed wherever there are problems. The need and importance of
guidance are as follows:

Complex nature of society: Changes have taken place in the entire structure of the economic,
social and political system. The process of consumption, production, distribution, exchange has
become very complex and intricate. It has become very difficult for an individual to achieve
satisfactory results without the aid of guidance.

Individual differences: No two human beings have ever been found to be alike. On the whole
world, there are probably no two things exactly alike. They differ physically in size, weight,
color, hair, texture and skin, mental (emotional characteristics), social and spiritual life also:
personality traits- ability, interest, achievement, etc. The requirement of various occupations also
differs; this makes increasingly necessary to have a definite provision for certain form of
guidance.

Welfare state and the individual: Every individual must be helped in every way and in every
direction. It helps the individual to improve and express himself as a better person. Through
guidance services, the individual is aided in self-development and self- realization and a wide
use of human resources.

Change industrial and educational pattern of the country: Attempts are being made to
change the educational system of our country. The problems of selection of subjects and
vocations are formidable problems and in the absence of the guidance services the scheme is not
likely to make such progress.

COUNSELING

"The greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings by changing the inner attitudes of
their minds can change the outer aspects of the lives."

-William James, US psychologist (1842-1910)

Counseling is a helping relationship someone seeking help, someone willing to give help,
capable or trained to help in a setting that permit help to be given and received in which client
learns to discuss freely what respects them, to define their goals to acquire essential social skills
and to develop the courage and self-confidence to implement desired new behavior.

MEANING OF COUNSELING

Counseling is a process of changing one's cognitive, affective, and behavioral orientations that
can help an individual from abnormal destructive behaviors to normal constructive behaviors. It
is a process of releasing old, individual behaviors, value, attitudes, thinking, expectations to
learning holistic, and positive, constructive and productive behaviors.

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DEFINITIONS AND VIEWS OF EXPERTS ON

Counseling a form of interviewing in which the client is helped to understand himself more
accurately, in order that he may correct an environment or adjustment difficulty."

- Wolber
"Counseling denotes a professional relationship between a trained counselor and a client. This
relationship is usually person to person, although it may sometimes involve more than two
people. It is designed to help client to understand and clarify their views of their life space, and
to learn to reach their self determined goals through, meaningful well informed choices and
through resolution of problems of an emotional or interpersonal nature.'

- Burks and Steffire, 1979

Counseling is a one to one relationship between an individual troubled by problems with which
he cannot cope alone and professional worker whose training and experience have qualified him
to help others reach solutions to various types of personal difficulties.

-Halm and Mcheall (1955)

Counseling is a dynamic and purposeful relationship between two people, which approach a
mutually defined problem with mutual consideration of each other to the end that troubled one or
less mature is aided to a self- determined resolution of his problem.

-Wren 1962

PRINCIPLES OF COUNSELING

In counselor should follow the following principles:

Face-to-face interaction: It involves a face to face relationship between two persons. One
person the counselor gives advises to the counselee with direct contact which have a direct
influence and effectiveness will be enhanced.

Emotional perspective than rather intellectual: It is not only concerned with the intellectual
perspective of the individual, but also focus on the emotional perspective. It is emotional rather
than purely intellectual attitude. Listen attentively to the client in an attempt to understand both
the content of their problem, as they see it, and the emotions they are experiencing related to the
problem. Do not make interpretations of the client's problems or offer any premature suggestions
as to how to deal with, or solve the issues presented. Listen and try to understand the concerns
being presented. Most people want their needs to be heard and understood, not advised.

More than just giving advice: It is more than advice giving. The progress comes through the
thinking that a person with a problem does for himself.

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Focus on solution of immediate problem: It involves solution of immediate problem as well as
the future decision of the individual.

Warmth: The counselor should communicate personal warmth and make the client feel
welcome valued as individuals. Initial contact and effective interpersonal relationship are the
techniques which promote warmth and enhance counseling process.

Acceptance: The counselor should accept the person and his feelings without criticizing him. He
should also accept the person irrespective of age, race, sex, etc.

Genuineness: The counselor should be with himself and with client he should be very open

Empathy: Instead of showing sympathy to the person having problem, the counselor should
show empathy. He should counsel the patient's problem as his own and provide the effective
paths to the and friendly.

Respect: Respect is the basic element of all therapies. Without this basic element, successful
therapy is impossible. Counsellors do not have to like the client, or their values, their behavior,
but must put their personal feelings aside and treat them with respect.

NEED OF COUNSELING

Counseling is an integral part of overall program of guidance. Counseling is a specific process of

assistance extended by an expert individual situation to a needy person. This means a counseling
situation arises when a needy person is face to face with an expert who makes available his
assistance to the needy individual to fulfill his needs:

 To encourage and develop special abilities and right attitudes. To inspire successful
endeavor towards attainment.

 To assist the students in planning for educational and vocational choices.

 To help the students to workout and plan for solving their difficulties. It helps in proper
choice of course according to the interest, aptitude and interest of the students.

 To help the students to grow, explore, maintain and develop their overall personality.

 To develop readiness for choices and changes to face new challenges.

 To minimize the incidence of indiscipline that is leading to destructive activity

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CURRENT TRENDS IN GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING

Some professionals in the field prefer to be called guidance counselor, while an increasing
number prefer the term school counselor. Evaluation: A major trend in education is the demand
for accountability and evaluation. Prevention versus remediation: A growing trend in the field of
counseling is the focus on prevention instead of remediation. In the past it was not uncommon
for counselor to have interaction with students only after some crisis had occurred. There is now
a shift for school counselors to intercede prior to any incidents and to become more proactive in
developing and enacting school wide prevention plans. The school, community and families are
requesting assistance in preventing students from being involved in many difficulties, such as:

GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING SERVICES

The guidance services are used in educational as well as vocational guidance guidance. The
student's ability, aptitude and needs are identified to understand, accept and utilize his traits,
opportunities for learning about areas of education and vocational endeavor; obtaining
experiences assisting him in making of free and appropriate choices. It helps in developing his
potential to the optimum so that he maybe a capable individual.

Various types of guidance services are employed to achieve the objectives. The following are the
major guidance services.

 Entrance examination services or preadmission services

 Admission services
 Orientation services

 Student information services Remedial services

 Information services Self-inventory services Counseling services

 Placement services Research services

 Follow-up services

 Evaluation services.

ORGANIZATION OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING SERVICES

The enormous growth in our population, uses of technology in all sectors such as medicine,
business, industry and increased job opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled professions have
necessitated the introduction of guidance and counseling services.

The purposes and need for student's guidance and counseling as discussed above, clearly place
an emphasis on guidance and counseling program to be made as an integral part of higher

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education to make it more meaningful and purposeful for students. The kind of program that
maybe introduced can be:

Inherent: Unintentional, and unorganized. Informal: Intention but coordinated. Professional:

Well-organized.

Organizational Setup

For constituent colleges on the campus: When the strength of students is 1000, a counseling
officer assisted by the guidance committee can plan the program according to the needs and
implement the same with the cooperation of the Deputy Chief and Academic Adviser and if the
students is less than 1000, a Liaison officer maybe appointed to assist the counseling officer.

For affiliated colleges at a distance: When the strength of students is 1000, a counseling officer
assisted by Guidance Committee can plan the program and implement the same with the help of
Vocational Guidance Officer. If the strength of student is less than 1000, a Liaison officer maybe
appointed to assist the counseling officer for every 1000 students.

University: Deans of students, specially assisted by the Head of the Department of Psychology
and Education and the guidance committee with the counseling officer can plan the program and
implement the same with the cooperation of the Deputy Chief and Academic Adviser. The ratio
of students to counseling officers is similar to the requirement of the college on the campus. •

Medical Staff
A positive relationship has been found between the incidence of physical defects and scholastic
rating of students. The condition that hinder academic progress may not be serious illness but
generalized conditions like septic tonsils, malnutrition, etc, which requires medical assistance.

Parents
There are no two opinions about the fact that parents the principal counselors of the students.
The favorable upbringing, plus the special help in the form of praise, admonition reproof an
advise in difficult situation-all contribute to the guidance process.

Counseling Officer

The counseling officer is the nerve center of the guidance program. The counselor in the words
of Williamson, should be clearly more than a competent technician, he should be viewed as a
broadly informed and cultivated educator'.

Dean

The Radhakrishnan report (1942) recommended the title of Dean of student's welfare for a
coordinating agent on Indian colleges and universities. The education Commission (1964-66)
also recommended the appointment of a Dean of student welfare for the administration of
complex and many sided student welfare services. Dean is responsible for organizing in the
administration of services such as orientation for new students, counseling services, and financial
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aid to needy, remedial services, etc. Dean acts as an advocate of students in policy making
bodies in the institution. The Dean should have high professional understanding. He/ she should
have pleasant personality, charming, manner fluent speech, good command over the language,
quick wit and humor, crisp and cheerful responses. The Dean should be an academician and
administrator and a guardian.

Liaison Officer

A part-time guidance officer can be appointed from the rank of teachers he/she should be
guidance -minded person with specialized training in guidance at least for three months. The
liaison officer should discharge same

Teacher

The effective teacher in modern India cannot escape the influence of the rising complexities in
the world of work and rapidly changing cultural values. He/she must contribute willingly and
efficiently to the cause of guiding the youth in his/her classroom. The teacher needs to be deeply
involved with personal as well as the academic life of many of his/her students. Traxler and
North have stressed that the teachers and counselors should join hands to help with personal
guidance in academic setting and to make it possible for a tutor to help without being hampered
by any specific teaching relationship or influenced by the classroom situation.

Advisors

Some colleges have the scheme of assigning guidance duties to the teachers who are specially
called advisers. It varies from institution to institution, whatever pattern is adopted, there is doubt
about this fact that advisers support and supplement the guidance and counseling program in a
college/university.

Warden

The warden is an important link in the process of guidance and counseling. He/she can ensure
hostel is not a place for passing night but also a place for education. A hostel should develop a
reputation for promoting scholarship as well as a place for making good leaders and good
citizens. He/she can establish rapport through directness of approach, friendliness in manner,
voice and sympathy and thus create in the residents a sense of belongingness to an institution.

Foster Sisters

In some nursing colleges, Senior students acts as foster sisters to help junior students in
adjustment and guiding them to settle in hostel. Junior students can discuss their day to day
problems with their foster sisters.

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Physical Education Teacher
Physical health is an important part of the make-up of a students. He/she discovers potentiality of
the students in a particular game and brings to the notice of doctor regarding any physical
problem.

ORGANIZATION OF GUIDANCE SERVICES

 Tasks of Vocational Guidance and Counseling

 To activate and develop vocational guidance Follow-up and solve students behavior cases

 Follow-up implementation of regulations regarding the conduct and attendance of

trainees

 Participate in preparing, activating and follow-up of studies regarding conduct and

vocational guidance of trainees

 Participating in preparing the general plan of the administration.

Tasks of Guidance Services Section

 Identify guide needs for councils and training institutions

 Coordinate with the training authority about the transfer of guides according to needs

 Conduct personal interview for the post of guide Prepare and update a database for guides
at training institutions

 Participate in preparing the general plan of the directorate.

 Tasks of Program and Development Section

 Prepare the general budget of guidelines and counseling

 Prepare and implement the central programs at the directorate

Tasks of the Directorate

 To direct the trainees and guide him/her psychologically, vocationally, educationally and
socially

 Tackle the problem faced or maybe faced in future and find solutions to these problems.

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  To endeavor to discover talented students and coordinate with related authorities in order
to take care them and develop their talents To prepare trainees and assist them to join
training environment

PROBLEMS IN COUNSELING

Counselor burnout: Listen to a problem carefully and identifying right choices to solve problems
consumes energy, perhaps, when a counselor does not plan for appointments or time schedules it
would results in burnouts.

Counseling individuals of different cultures: Institution is an area where there is a pooling of a

section of society from various cultures. Each culture has their own values, beliefs, rituals,
expectations and practice. When these are not understood in the way they are, then it would
result in chaos. Because counselor may interpret in accord with his/her belief and impose his/her
values on counselee leading to confusion and resulting in another problem.

Resistance to counseling: Mostly individuals facing problems fails to approach counselor due to
fear of change such resistance can be dealt by involving significant others and help the
individuals to fix their problems and execute the solutions. some colleges have the counselor
cells but the faculty or administration do not initiate regular program. The responsibility of the
committee members is to establish guidance and counseling program and sustain the same to
bring about achievement among students.

Counseling individuals with strong emotions: Emotions especially when they are strong such
as depression, high levels of anxiety and so on may hinder counseling process. These emotions
prevents in accurate diagnosis of the problems, in such situations usually counselor will let the
counselee to undergo a strategy to reach near equilibrium state such as not interrupting while
counselee is over ventilating their problems displaying aggression, hostility and anger and crying
aloud.

Noncompliance to therapy: The counseling process cannot be completed in a single session; it

will vary with the problem and personality of the counselee. Few counselee may feel that there is
no change following a single session of counseling and terminate themselves. This happens with
the clients who have not understood the objectives stated by the counselor at the beginning.

Unawareness of counseling: Many individuals consider consultation with a counselor is done

only for psychiatric patients. They lack awareness regarding the clients who seek assistance with
psychologists that is when individuals' mental defense mechanism or resources are not sufficient
to meet with crisis situation they can take help from professional counselors to strengthen
themselves in

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ROLE AND FUNCTIONS OF A COUNSELOR

'Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.'

-Tao Tzu

Counselor is specialist in education, counselor responsibilities can be classified into: diagnostic,

therapeutics, evaluation and research with specialized services and skills. A counselor is selected
by virtues of interest, training, experiences and competence.

The functions are:

Advice: One of the important functions of counseling is offering advice to counselee. The
counselor has to understand and the problem of the counseling.

Reassurance: In order to give courage to race a problem confidently counseling provides clients
with reassurance, normally reassurance is not acceptable to the counselee.

Communication: Counseling will improve both upwards and downward communications

abilities of the counselees.

Release of emotional tension: Releasing emotional tension is an important function of

counseling. People feel emotional release from the frustration after counseling. Clarified
thinking: Release of tension and thereby removal of mental of mental blocks to the solution
through counseling allows the counselee to think freely and objectively. Thus clarified thinking
tends to be the result of emotional release.

Reorientation: Reorientation is not just emotional release or clear thinking. But it involves a
change in the counselee psychic self-through a change in the basic goals and values.

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