The Helping Process: Stages, Communication And Importance

The Stages of the Helping Process

Question:

Discuss about the ACA Helping Process for Counseling and Psychotherapy.

Today’s life has become so challenging. Almost everyone encounters some life difficulties that need to be solved or else they bring frustrations. There is need for seeking help if such cases find someone. Many minds put together can easily solve a problem than one mind, and as many people believe, a problem shared is a problem solved. Help means to give someone assistance on how to handle a certain issue (Bogo, 2006). Some problems are mild such that one’s friend can help them solve while others are severe and technical. This technical problems one is advised to seek help from qualified counsellors rather than just a mere friend. This is because they have being trained on how to handle these people by first accepting them, try to comfort them and also keep the clients issue a secret not unless they detect that it may cause harm to the client or other people, compared to just a friend who helps someone in solving problem and use the problem later as a fighting tool if they are not in good terms.

The helping process involves some stages which if followed as required; they end up bringing a good and reliable solution to the problem. To begin with, for the helping process to take place well some preparations has to be done (Cameron, 2008). There should be a client’s chair as well helper’s chair and a table to place the helper’s documents. When the client arrives, the helper should first greet them smiling to show them a warm welcome then allow them to sit. The helper should sit upright and in an open posture as they are directly facing the client. The place should be quiet and away from distractors. This allows concentration and being able to notice nonverbal messages shown by the client either through facial expression, change of voice tone or body gestures (Capuzzi,2016).There is the relationship building stage-in this stage the counsellor should create a friendly and genuine relationship with the client. They should handle each client differently depending on their nature and problem without comparison. First they should make the client feel at home so that they can open up their problems with no fear. The client should feel accepted and as well respected. The helper should assure them that he or she will not disclose the client’s problem to anyone else. As the client explains the problem the helper should try to listen keenly by either keeping eye contact with the client and as well show empathy to them.

The Importance of Qualified Counselors

Secondly, assessment is the second stage. Here the client explains her or his problem. After the helper listens he/she may want clarification of some areas that they didn’t get them clear or understand (Egan, 2014). The helper can decide to use open ended questions where the client is required to explain in-depth or closed ended questions depending with the scenario. The questions can be written or verbal.in the assessment process, the helper should avoid questions that can make the client feel insecure or offended. The client’s opinion and solution should be accepted if applicable. If well done, the client feels that his or her problem has being well understood. She/he may feel hopeful and relieved off the burden and if not well done they may feel unsatisfied.

Thirdly, goal setting-the helper engages in assisting the client to identify meaningful goals which she or he should pursue. Fourthly, interventions-here both the client and helper have to choose suitable strategies that can help achieve the set goals (Folger1984). The helper encourages the client to see things differently and take them in a positive way then believe that everything is possible. The client should now be able to change their feelings, have self-motivation and monitor themselves whether their strategies are working or new measures need to be taken.

Lastly, termination and follow up-this is the last stage of helping process. Both the client and the helper prepare themselves to end the discussion. The client may be allowed to express his feelings about the helping process, whether he has benefited from the talk and planning to put the set strategies and goals into action. If there need for follow up to assess if the plan is working is mentioned here.The session ends and the client leaves the counselling place.

Communication refers to exchange of information. For communication to take place there must be sender and receiver (Jones-Smith 2012). Communication skills refer to one being able to convey meaningful information clearly and efficiently. There are some barriers that make communication difficult. Some of them that make communication difficult while engaging in helping process conversation include the following;

1. Use of jargon-this refers to the use of difficult vocabularies that either of the people involved in the conversation may not understand. If the client or the helper uses this difficult words they may have difficulties in understanding one another and a lot of time is consumed as he or she tries to explain what they mean by that terminology to avoid this, they should use simple words which brings out their intended( McClam,et al,2012) meaning clearly. By so doing they will eliminate wastage of time and feeling of inferiority.
2. Language barrier-some of the people can only understand and talk their vernacular or use sign language for they are not able to speak.In case a client who is used to his or her own vernacular meets a helper who is not of the same language, they find it difficult to express themselves (Nelson-Jones 2002). The only way they can communicate is by having a translator. Some of these translators may change the original meaning of the statement hence misunderstanding one another. Other problems are personal such that they don’t require a third party for they may disclose the information to other people.
3. Emotional barriers-this are the feeling that one expresses. The emotions may be positive or negative.in the situations of helping process, the helper should not sympathize with the client but instead empathize. This is to avoid interruption in the course of the discussion. For example if the client’s problem is serious and the client starts crying then the helper cries too, there is no one to help the other .some clients may start beating the helper due some solutions that they think don’t favor them. A good helper should be able to control themselves and take an alternative that can make the client to relax. For example where the client starts to cry, the helper can decide to move out of the topic and bring another story that can allow the client to forget and stop crying.
4. Physical disabilities such as hearing problem or speech difficulties. This means dealing with people who can’t speak or can’t hear. When a client meets a helper who is a victim of one these, may find it difficult to get assistance. This is because getting an interpreter who knows sign language is not easy and again some problems are confidential. The better way to solve this problem is by visiting the right place (Nelson-Jones2016). The people who can talk and hear should be attended by people of their caliber while those with hearing and speech difficulties should also meet helpers who can understand them.
5. Barriers to effective listening. If any of them don’t listen keenly may fail to hear important information being passed to them hence wrong conclusion. This may bring differences between the client and the helper, letting the client to feel evaluated but not satisfied with the final solution. The helper should be sited directly facing the client, in an open posture and sited upright. The helper should also keep eye contact with the client so that they can be able to notice any nonverbal clues or gestures used, and the facial expression too.
6. Noise barrier. In noisy place, people are not able to hear one another and are forced to speak louder than usual. If a client and helper are having their conversation in a noisy place, the client may tent to loose concentration. Distractors too, like people passing by may draw the client’s attention hence not listening (Shulman, 2016). A counselling place should be located in areas with minimal noise in order to have full concentration of the client and helper and no distracters should be encountered (Shulman, 2012). Both of them should be audible to spare the partner from struggling to hear.

Conclusion

Helping process has being of importance to many people.it helps them relieve stress, comforted and see people who mind them. Nowadays problem is a shared phenomenon, does not belong to one person. Meeting qualified and experienced counselors would be more better than meeting a mere friend for help( Smith,et al,2012).by the time one leaves counselling room, he or she feels accepted, respected and confident that their problem has been solved and will remain a secret.one should set realistic goals and adhere to them. Helping process should not end at termination but follow up is needed so that one can evaluate their selves and see if there is any positive change or more measures are needed for improvement.

References

Bogo, M. (2006). Social work practice: Concepts, processes, and interviewing. New York: Columbia University Press.

Cameron, H. (2008). The counselling interview: A guide for the helping professions. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Capuzzi, D. (2016). ACA Counseling and Psychotherapy. Wiley.

Egan, G. (2014). The skilled helper: A problem-management and opportunity-development approach to helping. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.

Folger, R. (1984). The Sense of Injustice: Social Psychological Perspectives. Boston, MA: Springer US.

Jones-Smith, E. (2012). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: An integrative approach. London: SAGE Publications.

McClam, T., & Woodside, M. (2012). The helping process: Assessment to termination. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.

Nelson-Jones, R. (2002). Essential counselling and therapy skills: The skilled client model. London: SAGE.

Nelson-Jones, R. (2016). Basic counselling skills: A helper's manuals

 Shulman, L. (2012). The skills of helping individuals, families, groups, and communities. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.

Shulman, L. (2016). The skills of helping individuals, families, groups, and communities.

Smith, V., & Dawsonera. (2012). Key concepts in counselling and psychotherapy: A critical A-Z guide to theory. Maidenhead: Open University Press.