A comparison of Thai and American counselling students perceptions of counselling

The expectancies that people of different cultures bring to counselling affect the outcomes of counselling. It was the purpose of this study to examine the ways that counselling students in two different countries, Thailand and the United States, perceived Counselling. The evaluative and potency scales of the Semantic Differential were used to compare the attitudes of these students related to Counselling, Counsellors, and Group Counselling. No significant difference were found in the ratings of the two groups of students on the evaluative scale for Counselling, Counsellors, or Group Counselling, but the American students rated the potency scales for these three variables significantly higher than the Thai students. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Metaphors and client change in counselling

Counseling is a primarily verbal activity where it can often be difficult to differentiate the literal from the metaphorical in clients' communications. Acceptance of metaphor as a genuine form of clients' experience and communication could provide counselors with viable medium for effecting change. Understanding our clients' metaphors, utilizing their metaphors for change, or constructing and presenting our own therapeutic metaphors requires learning certain skills and awarenesses. After a brief theoretical examination of metaphors and metaphoric processing, this article outlines skills and considerations for recognizing, using, creating, and delivering effective metaphors in counseling.     

Theories and approaches to family counselling

This article examines from a historical perspective the theories and approaches to family counselling. Having been planted in the 1940's, the family counselling movement continues to develop into a major counselling perspective with considerable theoretical and professional influence. Major schools of family counselling theory and practice are examined. Future directions are identified, such as social constructionism, gender issues, normative bias, counsellor as expert and integration of individual and systemic theory.Paper presented at the 1994 International Round Table for the Advancement of Counselling (IRTAC) conference in Munich, Germany.     

Guidance and counselling in New Zealand

By conventional indices, the standards of living and education in New Zealand are among the highest in the world. Guidance and counselling services have been developing since the 1920s, and a sound research literature is now emerging. The main divisions of non-medical personnel are clinical psychologists, vocational counsellors, social workers, educational psychologists, guidance counsellors and visiting teachers. In schools, guidance networks have been developed to formalize functions and relationships for effective delivery of services. For social workers, training is provided mainly within government departments, but there are also university programmes for them and for all personnel except visiting teachers. Current needs include more programme evaluation and further development of professional supervision, but a sound indigenous basis in research, training, and service delivery has been laid.     

The nature of counselling: An investigation of counselling activity inselected countries

The purpose of this study was to investigatecounselling as a process. It was conducted toexplore whether counselling is available invarious countries, even if it is known byanother name. This study examined the kinds ofhelp available to people with specificdifficulties. It sought to discern whether theways of helping include activities that mightbe thought of as counselling. As a way todiscover what forms of help might be availableto people in a given country, a series ofstressful incidents confronting one family ofaverage income living in a large town weredeveloped into a questionnaire format. Theseincidents were designed to stimulate thinkingand focus attention on possible help-givingsources. Data were collected from sources infifteen countries through interviews atinternational counselling conferences and withselected embassy officials in Washington, D.C.Interviews were also conducted in the UnitedKingdom, the United States, Costa Rica, andMalaysia. In addition, questionnaires were sentto experts knowledgeable about social welfareissues in a number of countries. The findingsfrom this investigation suggest thatcounselling as an activity or a process may betaking place under different names in differentcultures.     

Counsellor ethnic differences and perceived counselling effectiveness

The purpose of the present study was to examine how counsellor race influences client evaluation of counselling effectiveness. It was predicted that ethnic minority counsellors would be perceived less favorably than the Caucasian counsellor. Three groups of secondary school students viewed a 10-minute videotaped stimulus interview, with different introductions for the stimulus counsellor's race (Caucasian, Native Indian, and East Indian). The dependent measure, perceived counselling effectiveness, was obtained and compared among counsellor races by analysis of variance. The results showed that the ethnic minority counsellors were perceived more favorably than the Caucasian counsellor. No differential effect was found in client perception of non-verbal behaviors. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

An approach to psychosexual counselling

Summary In considering in this paper the origins, development and need for psychosexual counselling to be an integral part of the provision of a counselling service, one must not lose sight of the fact that some higher educational institutions still have no general counselling provision.It is interesting to note that in the UK at a time when the age of consent and voting age were lowered to eighteen years (Family Law Reform Act, 1969, operational 1970 and Representation of the People Act, 1969), and students were rejecting the idea of wardens and academic tutors acting in loco parentis, the National Union of Students (at their annual conference in 1969) passed a resolution pressing for Counselling Services to be established in each higher educational institution-staffed by fully trained personnel, Milner (1974). Nine years later this resolution has not yet been fully implemented.The university community represents a cross-section of the population, any of whom may have a psychosexual problem and seek help from the counselling service. Counsellors must be trained to treat psychosexual problems as part of their normal range of activities.Storr (1960) points out that it is The individual as well as the disease that needs treatment. This applies in counselling as it does in medicine, so that the counsellor should be able to treat the individual as a whole, and at the same time treat his psychosexual problem.University of Reading     

Training courses in personal counselling

The paper, Training Courses in Personal Counselling, by J. M. Fuster starts by depicting the local situation in India. On the one hand, much personal counselling is done by astrologers, palm-readers and elders; and, on the other hand, training programmes in personal counselling are either non-existent or of poor quality in Indian Universities. Hence the urgent need for good training programmes in personal counselling.In order to meet this need, though in a very limited way, the author started Xavier Institute of Counselling at St. Xavier's College, Bombay. He trains people on the model of counselling of Carkhuff since 1973. Thus he has conducted 34 training courses of, at least, 50 hours duration each for 402 trainees in 5 countries India. Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Spain and Italy.The author gives a picture of the population that benefits from these courses in terms of the various professions they belong to. He also reports the findings of an evaluative study, which was started in 1978. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the effects of the training courses on the past trainees' daily work. 262 questionnaires were sent to past trainees in India and Sri Lanka. 94 of them or 35 per cent were returned. Based on the data of these 94 returns, it appears that, on the average, the training courses in personal counselling have had a helpful influence on this group of 94 past trainees. About the rest, we can only guess from these data, but we do not know for sure. I say on the average, for the ranges of the ratings on the 20 items of the questionnaire were 3 to 5 for most items in the diploma-holders group, and 1 to 5 for a few items and 2 to 5 foor most items in the nondiploma-holders group.That means that, while for most of the 94 past trainees the courses have had a very helpful or helpful influence in most items of the questionnaire, they have had a negative or very negative influence on some items of the questionnaire for a very few trainees.From the remarks they wrote on the questionnaire, it appears that some trainees had joined the course in search of therapy for their own personal problems. As this was not the objective of the course, their need was not met. As one trainee wrote: After attending a course of therapy for three months immediately after the counselling course, I feel that the counselling course was a waste of time, energy and money. From this remark we trainers should learn to screen the candidates for the course very carefully and to ascertain their needs.Table I gives a picture of the past trainees in terms of their professions. Tabel II shows the statements of the questionnaire and the mean ratings given by the diploma-holders group and by the nondiploma-holders group. A Chart shows graphically the model of Carkhuff.     

Student counselling in Israeli universities

Israeli students are relatively older than most Western students and usually more mature. Nevertheless, not a few of them are troubled with problems like home-separation, occupational guidance, acculturation, loneliness, self-image, marital conflicts, transition from university, etc. Therefore, by using individual and group counselling, as well as crisis interventions and various workshops, Student Counselling Centers have a major role in advancing students' wellness.     

Crossing cultural boundaries in counselling

Mental health care providers (especially clinical psychologists,psychotherapists and counsellors) are becoming increasingly aware of theneed for cultural knowledge in order to render appropriate services.These professionals are particularly being asked to take intoconsideration clients' cultural values (in terms of their ecological,historical and cultural contexts) in service delivery. This developmenthas led to the suggestion that mental health care practitioners shouldadopt multiple delivery systems or the integration of Western andnon-Western health care delivery approaches when providing services tomulticultural groups. Along this line, this article discusses a numberof virtues inherent in some non-Western healing or psychotherapeuticapproaches. Common elements in the principles of successful therapeuticapproaches (Western and non-Western) are highlighted. The endnotes ofthe paper address the issue of cross-cultural similarities and broadpatterns in suggesting that although concepts may differ, principles andexplanations may not. Therapy and counselling in multicultural societiesof the 21st Century may be expected to take the direction of anintegrated delivery system with the possibilities of sharing ideas andknowledge across cultures.     

Student counselling in Turkish universities

This article presents general information about the history, relevant laws and legislation, present status and anticipated future development in Turkish Universities, as well as the student counselling services within these institutions. Special emphasis is placed upon the perceived understanding of counselling as commonly accepted by the society, students and counsellors. While discussing the present status of Turkish University Counselling Centers, the proposed models, research findings and problems of the centers are documented. As a more specific example, the Middle East Technical University Counselling Center is described with a discussion of some of the drawbacks and recommended changes for the advancement of the center. Finally, suggestions for a culturally relevant model in terms of the nature, components and organisational structure of the system are discussed.     

Student counselling at Utrecht University

The enormous increase in the number of students at Dutch universities in the sixties and seventies made it impossible for professors to deal with the many different questions students confronted them with. New professionals, student counsellors/psychologists and student advisers entered the universities. Three levels of counselling can be distinguished: