Basic Counseling

Professional Interventions -2

Basic Counseling

Counseling Relationship [Rapport]

To develop a relationship with the client, the counselor should have the quality to listen

what the person ventilates as feelings. They might criticize others even the counselor. 

He/she should have patience to listen and give support to them in their present condition. 

If the client feels, he is not the one person who is suffering and somebody is their to listen him, it will be easy to build up a relationship. 

By nature, the people with mental illness is poor in interpersonal relationships, social functioning and time management. So before a psycho-education or insight building sessions, start with a time schedule to focus their social interaction, responsibility, creative thinking and relaxation along with work habit. the client is motivate to think positive and demotivate to be negative always. 

After develop a rapport with the client, can start psycho-educative sessions or CBT  with the help of their detailed case history; that should be from the person who know the client very well. The counselor should not preoccupied at any moment dealing with the client. The details from case history should use as reference only. 

Do family sessions to educate them:

      1. The Client's Nature of Illness

      2. After Rehabilitation .....what should be next

      3. Relapse Prevention

      4. Job Placement

                                ....along with the relationship maintenance [Client & Immediate Family]

Frame out a plan, after the discussion with client and the family, of what should and should not along with the time schedule the client has to follow after discharge. 

Trail basis discharge to know how the plan is working out. 

Job Placement if it is possible to do by the client.

Motivate the family as well as the client to do the follow up for both consultation & counseling. 

Counselor Roles

Resource: Providing at proper time and in proper context and in adequate amount in ways that is understandable to the client.


Support: Support does not mean agreement. Support skills are:
                                                                                           Observation skills, 
                                                                        Listening skills, 
                                                                        Mirroring/reflecting, 
                                                                        Creative confrontation.

Facilitator: This role requires strong counselor-client relationship of trust and understanding. Counselor in this role monitors and supports the change process.

Liaison: Supporting the client in their interface with other agencies, institutions, staff and programmes.