Silence: Therapeutic tool for client reflection, processing emotions, gathering thoughts without pressure.

Clarification: Asking for clarification when client's statement is vague/ambiguous. Ensures accurate understanding.

Focusing: Guiding client to explore specific significant areas of conversation.

Example: Client mentions family's disapproval, moves on. Counsellor guides back: "You mentioned family's disapproval. Can we talk about that?"

Confrontation: Pointing out discrepancies/inconsistencies gently, empathetically. Brings unconscious patterns to awareness.

Example: "You say you want to quit smoking, but just bought new pack. How do we make sense?"

Self-Disclosure: Cautiously sharing personal, relevant experiences to build trust, normalize feelings.

Guideline: Brief, client-focused, judiciously used.

Psychoeducation: Providing relevant, evidence-based information about condition. Empowers clients to understand/cope.

Example: Providing anxiety patient with relaxation techniques and physiological effects of anxiety.

Crisis Intervention: Short-term, urgent assistance and emotional support during traumatic events/crises.

Conflict Resolution: Helping clients develop skills for managing/resolving conflicts (assertive communication, understanding others' perspectives).

Cultural Competence: Awareness, knowledge, skills to provide effective counselling to diverse cultural backgrounds.

Practice and Development

Skills are developed through education, training, supervision, self-reflection.
Mock Sessions: Practice with peers/mentors for constructive feedback.
Supervision: Ongoing supervision from experienced counsellors to identify biases, blind spots, ensure ethical practice.
Self-Awareness: Continuous reflection on own biases, values, emotional triggers to prevent personal issues affecting relationship.

Problems in Counselling

Challenges requiring skill and patience.
Client Resistance: Conscious/unconscious resistance due to fear/discomfort.
Confidentiality Concerns: Balancing privacy with legal/ethical obligations (especially in harm cases).
Transference & Countertransference: Client projecting feelings onto counsellor (transference) or vice versa (countertransference), interfering with process.
Emotional Burnout: Counsellors at risk due to demanding nature of work.

Assessing and Diagnosing Clients' Problems

Information Gathering: Collect information via clinical interviews, standardized tests, psychosocial histories.
Differential Diagnosis: Rule out alternative explanations for symptoms, especially with similar presentations.
Clinical Formulation: Develop theoretically based explanation of presenting problems, background, evolution of issues.

Selecting Counselling Strategies and Interventions

Counsellor selects strategies based on theoretical approach and client needs, aimed at achieving collaboratively set goals.
Psychoeducation: Provide clear, understandable information to client/family about condition, treatment, prognosis.
Skill-Building: Teach specific skills (relaxation, stress management, communication) to cope effectively.
Cognitive Restructuring: Help client identify/challenge distorted/unhelpful thought patterns.