Counselling focus | Examples of reasons for choosing particular counselling focus | Details of the counselling approach |
---|---|---|
Practical problems | Lack of information, lack of food and non-food items, tensions or conflicts with other people (such as neighbours and family members) | Help to look at things from a different prospective |
Analysing a recent experience with another person | ||
Information provision | ||
Challenging the client | ||
Clarifying a difficult decision | ||
Lack of skills | Lack of social skills needed to make new friends after separation from family members | Role play to develop social skills |
Provide suggestions to help develop skills | ||
Trauma focused | Physical complaints for which a doctor cannot find causes, or symptoms such as nightmares, anxiety attacks or sudden unexpected outbursts of anger | Choosing target symptoms to focus on |
Assess coping strategies | ||
Identification and avoidance of triggers | ||
Psychoeducation to understand origin of symptoms | ||
Talking about painful past experiences | ||
Talking about content of dreams | ||
Overwhelming feelings | Overpowering feelings of sadness, anger, etc. | Assist in expression of feelings |
(Drawing/writing) | ||
Containment of emotions (experiencing and expressing emotions in a controlled way) | ||
Psychiatric | Clients with diagnosed major psychiatric disorder on medication and under care of physician | Counsellor support for taking medication, checking side-effects, education for family |
Inner problems | Persistent negative self-view or inner conflict (wanting intimacy yet being afraid to become close due to fear of loss) | Helping clients to recognise and clarify the conflict |
Exploring client’s wishes and the feelings connected to these wishes | ||
Point out contradictions between what the client is saying, the feelings they have been expressing and their actions |