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.