Counselling in Psychology | Study

Running head: COUNSELLING IN PSYCHOLOGY: A STUDY
COUNSELLING IN PSYCHOLOGY: A STUDY
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1COUNSELLING IN PSYCHOLOGY: A STUDY
Section 1
Counseling, in academic terms, can be defined as the method by which clients are
assisted or guided, usually by a well trained professional in order to resolve personal, social and
psychological problems and difficulties (Rowland & Goss, 2013). Counseling can also be termed
as giving “advice” to a person on social and psychological issues by a well trained mental health
professional. Every person in their life has gone through some kind or the other mental health
issues. However, since mental health is still a taboo or a stigma in the society, thousands of
victims and survivors do not open up. Therefore, counselors are needed who are trained mental
health professionals who “listen and talk to their clients empathetically and help them to find out
solutions or ways to deal with emotional and psychological issues” (Hearne, 2013). However,
there is a stark difference between counseling and psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is the usage of
psychological methods, especially when based on regular personal interactions with adults, to
help a person change his/ her behavior or overcome any kind of psychological issues (trauma) in
the expected way. On the other hand, counseling is rather a “talk and listening therapy” which
uses minimum and less dominant psychological methods to deal with the issues of the clients
(Rao, 2013). Psychotherapy focuses on working with the clients for long terms and draws insight
into the emotional problems and difficulties of the clients, whereas counseling is a brief
treatment which centers on the behavioral patterns of the clients. Psychotherapy is considered to
be a proper psychiatric therapy usually done to the clients who have long- term and also
irreversible mental illness. Psychotherapy utilizes a plethora of therapies such as Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy to bring out the client from the ordeal he/she might be facing (American
Psychological Association., 2013). Often, the neuro-psychiatrists and clinical psychiatrists are
involved in such situations. On the other hand, counseling is carried out by mental health social

2COUNSELLING IN PSYCHOLOGY: A STUDY
workers and professionals for a brief period of time to the patients who are not in a grave
situation. The key underlying assumptions of counseling lies in the basic problem that each and
every human being faces in his/her life. People go for counseling usually whenever they are
having any kind of emotional, psychological and sentimental problem that can affect their
professional and personal life. The three basic assumptions of counseling are: Firstly, The
serious mental health epidemic which people face in the cosmopolitan, ever evolving and fast
changing competitive world, secondly, all people get mental illness of psychological problems
once in their lifetime, and thirdly, counseling is often productive for the clients as it not only
helps the clients to address their problems, but also helps them pursue growth and development
in the areas of their private life and professional life. Counseling has been evident in helping the
broken and the battered people regain their mental and emotional fitness, show improvement in
their physical health and appearance and at the same time, grow exponentially in their
professional or career domains. Counseling is also a kind of healing therapy where the clients are
made to identify, realize and solve their mental health issues with valuable suggestions and
exercises prescribed by the counselor or mental health expert who is in charge of the respective
counseling session. Counseling helps people to cope with their physical, emotional and
psychological health issues and also helps them improve their sense of well being, alleviate
feelings of distress and resolve any kind of crisis situation they might put themselves in. In the
fast changing world, people have become more competitive than ever before. The gender roles,
on the same time, are also getting reversed with new expectations building among the upcoming
generations. In such a situation, society is in a transitive turmoil. Every single person in the
society has faced some kind or the other mental illness (most commonly, depression and mood
disorder). To cope with such issues, counseling acts as a healing balm. Regular counseling helps