The Counseling Process Analysis

Researching the counseling process is an ongoing challenge because it is so complex and dynamic (Oliveira, Sousa, & Pazo Pires, 2012 as cited by Sackett & Lawson, 2016). There is a natural progression that takes place within the context of the helping relationship. This process enables you and the person you are working with to build a relationship, assess the situation, set goals and come up with a plan to bring about your desired results. This progression is known as the counseling process (Mack, 2007). In an article published by Wiley Online Library in 2011, Goldman (1954) stated that “Process” refers to the “how” of counseling; it tells how the counselor and client work with the content. It includes, for example, the kind of

During the counseling process, the exchange between a provider and a client also follows these three stages. In addition to knowing the technical information and having the communication skills needed for good family planning counseling, providers also need to follow a certain process. Thinking in terms of the beginning, middle and end can help a provider and client work together, in a realistic time period, toward helping a client make an informed choice and achieve satisfaction. Good communication skills and appropriate technical information are important during each of the stages. The beginning stage involves greeting the client and doing the initial assessment. In the middle stage, the client decides on a method or reaffirms a choice previously made. The end stage occurs after the client has chosen a method, providing a chance to summarize and clarify questions about that method. Often the provider has a limited amount of time. However, these stages do not necessarily have to take a long time. When the information is tailored as much as possible to the client’s particular needs, time is saved by not discussing information that is not relevant to the client (Contraceptive Technology and Reproductive Health Series,

It takes place in a session depends on the client 's needs and the counselor 's personal approach to counseling. Although there is some variation during a session, there is a basic structure. That structure was described by Cormier and Hackney as a five-stage process: relationship building, assessment, goal setting, interventions, and termination and follow-up. These stages have been expanded in the following six-stage model of the counseling process. Stage one: Relationship building; Stage two: Assessment and diagnosis; Stage three: Formulation of counseling goals; Stage four: Intervention and problem solving; Stage five: Termination and follow-up and; Stage six: Research and evaluation. Furthermore, counseling can be conceptualized as a series of stages or steps that lead one through the counseling process. A typical counseling session can involve all six stages except termination. The focus of counseling may shift as the counseling process progresses over time. For example, during the first few sessions with a client, a counselor may place the primary emphasis on building a positive counseling relationship, assessment and diagnosis, and formulating counseling goals. During the later phase of the counseling process, the counselor may shift the emphasis to intervention and problem solving, termination and follow-up, and research and