© 2021 JETIR August 2021, Volume 8, Issue 8 www.jetir.

org (ISSN-2349-5162)

EDUCATIONAL COUNSELLING: A PROBLEM

SOLVING APPROACH
Arpita Baruah

Guest Lecturer, Department of Education,

Rangapara College, Rangapara, Assam, India.

ABSTRACT

Educational counselling is an important initiative in the field of education for the well being of the students.
The various types of problems faced by the students in the educational institutions can be solved to a great
extent through this initiative. The whole education system would be greatly benefitted through it. The main
purpose of education counselling is to assist the pupils to understand themselves i.e. to understand their
potentialities, strengths and limitations. It can help in making students self-dependent so that in the future they
can be able to solve their own problems.

Keywords: educational counselling, problem solving, approach

1. INTRODUCTION

People face various types of problem in their lives but many a times it has been seen that they lack
someone who can give proper solutions to their problems. This affects them in many ways and they are
not able to live a normal life. Sometimes, they are not able to discuss their problems with their parents
and their friends. They need someone who can give a proper solution to their problems in a professional
way. And the person who can provide that professional help is none other than a counsellor. Basically,
counselling refers to providing therapy through interaction in a professional setting. In a counselling
situation, the counsellor tries to find out the root cause of the problem by creating a comfortable
environment with the client. After that, the counsellor tries to give a proper solution to the problem. The
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whole process of counselling takes time depending on the intensity of the problem. Counselling is a two
way process. It occurs between two individuals – the counsellor and the counselee (client). It involves a
face to face relationship between these two persons. In the process of counselling, the problem is made
clear through discussion. The whole process of counselling is structured around the felt needs of the
counselee. It is largely concerned with the so-called normal individuals in a bid to increase such
individuals’ self-awareness, helping improve problem-solving skills, educating the individual and
supporting that individual. Counselling means helping students to help themselves. It helps in making a
person self-dependent so that in the future they are able to solve their own problems. There are different
types of counselling like educational counselling, vocational counselling and many more. In this article,
main focus will be given on educational counselling.

2. WHAT IS EDUCATIONAL COUNSELLING AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

When assistance is provided to the students in forming a decision, making a choice or seeking direction
it is known as educational counselling. Students need help in various fields like in choosing a career and
in pursuing the chosen career. Sometimes, it is seen that majority of students lack a sense of direction, a
sense of purpose and a sense of fulfillment and involve themselves in destructive activities which leads
to social damage and loss. Adequate counselling facilities is the only answer to help and guide the youth
to worthwhile channels and help them to realize the goals of optimum academic, personal and social
development. Educational counselling helps students to adjust with the environment of an educational
institution in which they are newly admitted along with helping them in choosing a course of their
interest. Educational counsellors assist students to understand themselves and their opportunities, to
make appropriate adjustments and decisions in the light of this insight, to accept personal responsibility
for their choices and to follow courses of action in harmony with their choices. It helps in solving the
educational problems often faced by students which include lack of educational information, wrong
choices of educational courses, gender stereotypes in the selection of subjects, poor study habits,
difficulty in taking examinations and above all lacking someone to whom they can freely confide their
concerns. Girls and women need to be guided away from those educational myths which contribute to
the reluctance of females to pursue careers in technology, mathematics, engineering, and most male
dominated occupations. Career counselling is a part of educational counselling. It helps students in
choosing their careers according to their interest and also helps them to know the importance of being
self-sufficient and independent in today’s world. It also helps them to know about the various job
opportunities in their respective interested fields for a secured future. Educational counselling is not
only limited within the process of providing assistance in making educational choices, but it also guides
and helps pupils in their maximum educational growth and development according to their

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potentialities. It is a comprehensive process. It helps pupils in their total educational adjustments. It

deals with various types of educational problems and aims at removing the adjustment problems. The
main purpose of education counselling is to assist the pupils to understand themselves i.e. to understand
their potentialities, strengths and limitations.

3. CONCLUSION

So, basically the whole process of educational counselling involves meeting the needs of the students as
well as solving their educational problems and making them confident. It is a very important step in the
field of education. Not only in the educational field, counselling should be provided everywhere to
restore the mental well-being of an individual. In the present times, it is seen that, mostly the young
generation face many types of psychological complications in trying to maintain their pace with today’s
world. If left behind they are either bullied by their peers and this leads to severe mental problems
among them. As a result, they suffer from low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence and inferiority
complex. This may lead to severe depression and suicidal tendencies among the youth. So, now-a-days,
the rate of suicidal deaths is much higher as compared to the previous times. Because, now the rate of
competition is very high and everyone is trying to get to the top of the ladder. And, if in this race they
lose, then they start questioning their worth. To get out of this, they need someone in whom they can
confide upon and share their problems freely. So, educational counselling is needed because mostly
these types of problems occur among the students.

REFERENCES

1. Theresa, E.N. (2016). The Role of Guidance and Counselling in Effective Teaching and Learning in
Schools. RAY: International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 1(2), 36-48. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324209919_The_role_of_Guidance_and_Counselling_in_effe
ctive_teaching_and_learning_in_schools

2. Lopez, G. (2016). The Role of the School Counselor in Service-Learning. International Journal of
Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement, 4(1). Retrieved from
http://journals.sfu.ca/iarslce

3. Thamarasseri, I. (2014). Meta-Narrative on Guidance and Counselling in Schools. i-manager’s Journal

on Educational Psychology, 7(3), 1-8. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1098594.pdf

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