| One of the foremost challenges facing counselling | | | | basis. |
| professionals is to understand the complex role | | | | The client's increasing stressful condition was |
| that client diversity plays in their work. In | | | | related to the abusive behaviour of his flatmate; |
| counselling, each client's needs and objectives | | | | overweight issues affecting his self-esteem; and |
| need to be considered and used to guide the | | | | the ramification of these two main triggers into |
| counselling process. These needs vary for each | | | | several other problems (inability to move over |
| individual according to factors such as personality, | | | | long distances due to fatigue, irritation due to |
| culture, gender and age. | | | | mental impairment, incapacity of responding to the |
| Counselling with Difference | | | | environment, etc). |
| It is vital that counsellors working with issues of | | | | Within the Cognitive Behaviour Therapy Approach, |
| difference recognise the unique needs of their | | | | the following strategies were applied to help the |
| client and plan intervention accordingly. The | | | | client cope more effectively with the identified |
| counsellor must decide on the approach that will | | | | internal and external stressors:a) Relaxation |
| provide better responsiveness from the client, | | | | Trainingb) Affirmationsc) Creative Visualisations |
| and therefore lead to a constructive outcome. | | | | Due to the client's intellectual impairment the |
| The Impact of Prejudice on Self-Esteem | | | | following strategies were also adopted to assist |
| Clients affected by systems of inequity in our | | | | him to understand the process, goals and |
| culture are frequently subjected to acts of | | | | guidelines of counselling; and to learn and retain |
| discrimination and prejudice. Counsellors need to | | | | stress management skills: |
| understand the impact of such in order to analyse | | | | Visual language systems |
| the depth to which a client may be culturally | | | | Such as using sign language or other symbols to |
| traumatised. The impact of prejudice on | | | | convey shared meaning. |
| self-esteem may evoke imbalances in a client's | | | | Audio taping |
| wellbeing. They may experience feelings of being | | | | For learning and repetition of concepts and skills. |
| left out of the larger group, feelings of | | | | Rehearsal and Role Play |
| powerlessness, loneliness and hopelessness. | | | | To allow for practice within the safety of the |
| Furthermore, the risk of developing hatred against | | | | counselling environment. |
| 'opposing' groups of the society can perpetuate | | | | Modelling |
| negative behaviour - a kind of traumatic response | | | | To demonstrate how a specific skill or technique |
| to what has been perceived as a threat to the | | | | may be utilised. |
| individual. Recognising value in the individual is part | | | | The client showed competence at using the visual |
| of the process of developing the client's | | | | calming system (a set of images used to diverge |
| self-confidence through providing a supportive | | | | his attention from stressful situations) |
| environment during counselling sessions. | | | | independently and reported reduced stress levels |
| A Case Study: Applied Stress Management | | | | as a result of the system. After this, the client's |
| When working with clients with disabilities, | | | | improvement was monitored in follow-up and |
| counsellors usually face varied challenges according | | | | discussion sessions. This is a classic example of |
| to each particular case. For this purpose, case | | | | the impact specific tools/strategies provide when |
| studies provide valuable information about tools | | | | applied by counsellors in order to assist clients |
| and strategies that have been used with a client. | | | | with mental and/or physical challenges. |
| In a recent case study of Applied Stress | | | | Conclusion |
| Management, a client with a disability was facing | | | | Effective counsellors develop a comprehensive |
| several stress problems, triggered by both internal | | | | awareness of their clients' circumstances. This not |
| and external factors. The client had a moderate | | | | only means becoming aware of the client's |
| intellectual impairment and cerebral palsy. He had | | | | immediate concerns, but also conceptualizing those |
| good expressive and receptive language skills | | | | concerns into the broader context of the client's |
| relating to familiar concepts. He also used a | | | | social and cultural environments. |
| wheelchair to mobilise independently and worked in | | | | Subscribe to our FREE eZine. |
| a supported employment setting on a full-time | | | | |