How to Communicate During a Counseling interview is given and explained in this article and we hope you find it helpful and informative.
Communication in Guidance and Counselling
Importance of Interpersonal Communication in Counselling
How Communication Skills will help in Counselling Process
Read Also: History of Communication in Nigeria
The term ‘communication’ as used in the counseling context stresses the fact that there are many ways of expressing meaning between two or more individuals.
Communication includes not only words and their meanings, but postures, gestures, voice inflection, and facial expressions. This article will focus on how to communicate during counseling interviews.
The success of any counseling process, to a great extent, will be a function of the relationship that exists between the counselor and the client.
Every counselor has to develop a rapport or warm accepting and permissive attention with the client. Such a relationship has to be based on mutual trust, confidence, and respect between the counselor and the client.
Read Also: History of Mobile Communication in Nigeria
The client on his own part should repose confidence in the counselor, through which a meaningful change can evolve. It is when the client realizes that there is something in or about him that is rather unsatisfactory, that he would like to do something about it.
It is when the client has a client that has reached a state like this, that one could say he is ready for counseling. Such counseling readiness on the part of the client is quite necessary before any meaningful progress in the counseling process can take place.
On the part of the counselor, the counseling relationship involves accepting the client as the client is and treating him or her as a person worthy of respect and recognition.
In his dealing with the client, he should always note that as a normal individual, the client has the capacity to solve his own problems.
This position will facilitate shared responsibilities in the process of the counseling interviews. The development of an atmosphere of frankness, truth, and honesty is crucial to a sound counseling relationship.
Read Also: History of Mobile Communication in Nigeria
If such an atmosphere is established, the client will not find any need to hide his or her problems from the counselor. He or she will be in a better position to facilitate shared responsibilities during counseling interviews.
Also, on his or her part the counselor should endeavor to prevent a situation where the client feels rather threatened and therefore is unwilling to contribute meaningfully during the interview.
The control of threats in the interview is said to be a major function of the counselor. The counselor should always be in a position to judge the amount of threat the client can handle at any given time for instance a posture the counselor takes may tell the client any of the following the counselor is interested in what is going on and wants to know more.
There are many ways to express meaning. The counselor must not only be aware of them and use these ways but the counselor must also know how the client is interpreting certain issues.
Read Also: The Relationship Between Language and Communication
This constant check on meanings abstracted by the client is one of the most difficult aspects of counseling. Perhaps, one could say that it is one of the most necessary conditions of good counseling.
Conclusively in the counseling interview, the counselor must adapt to the vocabulary of the client to make it easier for the client to grasp meanings, and in order to understand what the client is trying to express.
