HR- COUNSELING SKILL

ABSTRACT

The Skill Linked Immersion Programme was initiated to develop a particular skill within us and understand a particular aspect in detail. The skill chosen by me was counseling and my mentor was Prof. Susen Varghese. According to me counseling is not only carried out by the psychiatrists. Now-a-days counseling is taken up as a profession and is also helpful as a skill to HR in an organization to improve the productivity of each individual and help every employee give equal opportunity to show their potential. The literature reviewed by me gave insights regarding different methods and techniques used in counseling.

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INTRODUCTION The speed and complexity of modern life continues to increase as do people's expectations from it. Coping well requires autonomous and flexible thinking and clear decisions. It has been a need of an hour where every individual requires help from a third person. Counseling is no more only for mentally ill- people. Students, employees, people with eating disorders, suffering from peer or parental pressure, etc. are a set of people who require a counselor. Counseling in the broad sense of the term is simply expressing your ideas about how someone can improve their situation. Human beings are always faced with issues that involve a degree of anxiety. An obstacle or challenge is presented by poor choices or circumstances, and a decision must be made about how to approach the issue in order to reduce the tension and restore hope. Everyone becomes a counselor for themselves or for others whenever the challenge is presented or arises. The goal in learning counseling skills is to present ideas in a way that is intentional and that can be predicted to improve a situation faced by the person. Respecting diversity and non-discrimination are the basic requirements to be understood in the counseling industry. Client welfare is the core element and a primary responsibility of every counselor is positive growth and development of every client. Immediate help with patience is required while dealing with clients. The increase or maintained productivity of work, health and mental peace is what a counselor is expected to do; this is possible only by appropriate plans and actions thereafter by the client. Observation shows that human resource development involves and requires human interaction of a caring, supportive, useful nature-- that is, counseling. At the core of developmental training, mentoring or coaching activities, assessment and feedback efforts, employee assistance, and career planning programs, each individual needs some interaction that can be characterized as counseling. In addition, performance appraisal, career path/succession planning, incentive compensation, and organization

improvement/development processes and methods require some form of counseling as a catalyst for implementation and often as an essential programmatic component. Although not necessary, even salary and benefits administration, selection and promotion systems, and

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corporate communications could often be helped through counseling interactions. In the efforts to evolve, or return to a condition in which each manager and leader views HRD as part of their role, counseling becomes an essential aspect of their interactions.

REASONS FOR CHOOSING THE SKILL

The primary reason for choosing the skill was to understand the rationale behind the growth and demand of this industry. It is used in every field where humans are involved. There is lot of pressure from every direction and an advice is highly required to confront such stress. The preliminary need was to understand different strategies and techniques used to become a successful counselor. Every organization requires an HR with a quality of counselor so as to tackle problems of the employees and suggest with immediate possible solution. Significant demographic changes are taking place in India, and handling issues like diversity can be handled through efficient counseling. Different attributes are required for counseling at different places like that in the schools, colleges, hospitals and organizations. Counseling, being at a micro level, helps to reach out to individuals at a personal level and solve issues at the budding stage rather than reaching directly at macro level. A counselor can train people in managing themselves and thus enhancing personal growth.

HR- COUNSELING SKILL

LITERATURE REVIEW

a) Counseling Theories and Practices --Jeffrey Kottler and David S. Shepard

o Stages of counseling process-

1) Assessment: Its the first stage, wherein the counselors use the written instruments and clinical observations skill to understand the clients complaint. The analysis of the structure and the sessions is decided in this stage. The major skills used are that of attending, focusing, listening and observation. 2) Exploration: Its the stage where in a client is probed with various questions to clarify. An effort is made to build a solid therapeutic relationship. Basic ground information is collected. 3) Understanding: It is believed that promoting insights help the client know the appropriate reasons for development of the problems and the connected issues. This can focus issues in relation to past current family interaction, dysfunctional thinking behavioural inconsistency, etc. Insights take place in number of forms depending upon the theoretical orientation of the counselor. 4) Action: Some practitioners are action oriented with emphasis on the observable changes. This stage includes more of goal setting, role playing. The client is asked to adopt a particular lifestyle that will help him/her to change for good 5) Evaluation: The success with so far planned activity is measured. Adjustments if required are made.

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o Gestalt Counseling Theory: Gestalt therapy is highly efficient existential experimental psychotherapy. The process is based upon the relationship between the therapist and the patient and the experience in the current moment or as it is called in Gestalt theory - here and now. Gestalt therapist has a little different role than traditional psychotherapist. Being only an assistant in the course of the treatment and having deep understanding of Gestalt perception, Gestalt therapist manages to obtain necessary result with full involvement of the patient looking for improvement. The mutual work of both parties forms the behaviour which eliminates the problem. At first it happens within the frame of the group session, and then the same behaviour is transferred to the usual environment of the individual. The main accent is not on words, but on direct experience of the person. o Adlerian Counseling: It has a pragmatic approach and integrative theory. 5 basic norms are :-Socially embedded -Self-determination and creativity -Goal directed -Subjective -Holistic o Existential practitioners: The emphasis is on personal responsibility o Psychoanalysts : Attention to the dream and unconscious o Behaviourists The focus is on specific task to be completed

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o Cognitive therapists The focus is on subjective perception of reality

b) www.counselingpeople.org o

Types of Counseling

Directive or Counselor-centred: Steps involved are:

Analysis: Collecting information from sources & understanding the counselee.

Synthesis: Summarising & organizing the data so that they reveal the counselees assets, liabilities, adjustments & maladjustments.

Diagnosis: Formulating conclusions regarding the nature and the cause of the problems exhibited by the counselee.

Prognosis: Predict the future development in the counselees problems.

Counseling: Counselor takes steps along with the counselee to bring about adjustments for the counselee.

Follow-Up: Help the counselee with new problems or with reoccurrence of the original problem and analysing the after effects of counseling done.

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Non-Directive Counseling involves :

The client-counselee is the pivot He takes on an active part in counseling He takes decisions regarding the actions to be taken Counselor is a facilitator Counselor creates an atmosphere

Eclectic Counseling involves :

Considers both Directive and Non-Directive counseling are at extreme ends. Counselor deliberately tries to incorporate both Directive & Non-Directive counseling methods.

Counselor first studies personality & needs of the counselee, then he selects the methods that would be most helpful for the individual.

Counselor can select Non-directive method & then switch over to the directive method & vice-versa.

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy and Techniques:

REBT is a multimode approach, which focuses on our cognitive emotions and behavior. It suggests that we are born with both rational and irrational thinking and that emotional disturbances are a result of confusing wants with needs. Therefore, the goal of therapy is to adapt more realistic philosophies of life and reducing blaming one's self and others for problems.

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c)

Personal Counseling -- Richard Knowdell and Elwood Chapman

o The psychology of counseling1) Be a guide, not a leader 2) Be someone who helps another, resolve a problem 3) Promote self-esteem 4) Be a person who takes initiative 5) Foster independence, not dependence 6) Be comfortable to know 7) Be honest about your own 8) Transmit confidence

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o Six Unforgivable mistakes:

1) Over talking and under listening 2) Acting like a psychologist or clinical counselor when youre not 3) Prying into personal life of the individual you are attempting to help 4) Using a counseling relationship to your own advantage 5) Failure to keep information obtained from a counseling relation confidential 6) Making decisions for others

o Mutual Reward Theory: MRT is based on finding ways for all to benefit. This is based upon a system of equal rewards between two people, for healthy relations to be maintained a win-win situation needs to be created. Better communication is highly required. It states that you can help the counselee to solve a problem himself/herself and avoid conflicts.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Secondary Research: Counseling is very vast and wide subject to understand in a given stipulated time. However, given the confidentiality aspect in this industry, exposure of first-hand experience was difficult. Hence, books, research papers, articles provided good insights

Primary ResearchInterview: We managed to gain an opportunity to have an interview with counselors from different backgrounds and get enriched from their years of experiences. They discussed various cases they have observed keeping the confidentiality in view and helped us to get an insight of the life of a counselor. 1) Shreya Manekar: a visiting counselor with SIES College of Commerce and Economics and also a private counselor. -The interview with her helped us understand various aptitude and personality test conducted for her clients. -The approach used is client centred i.e. Rationale emotive behaviour technique -If the individual is aware of the problems then motivate and set goals for them. If unaware then try to push clients asking more questions leading to solutions of their problems -Techniques used by her is Healthy negative emotion and Unhealthy negative emotion and 2 chair technique.

-She probes the feeling within the client instead of directly asking questions with regards to disturbances; in order to avoid to invoking the client. 10

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2) Mrs. Aditi Deuskar : a counselor at Thane college She conducts various workshops for the students on self-development and motivates students. Her experience showed that she works for individuals from different backgrounds having problems with regards to self-esteem, relationships and family.

3) Adrian Rosario: an HR consultant and a trainer He has more than 22 years of experience in fields of corporate, education and hospitals. He is also an active member various CSR activities and stress management programmes. He gave us an insight of a counselors life stating with getting emotional or too involved with the clients problem may affect the counselors life to a large extent. The major aspect is action which should be taken by the client. The dos by a counselor is to accept the world is imperfect.

4) Mrs. Darshana Pranav: An HR at Microland and a counselor Interaction with her helped us understand more about problems that employees have in the corporate. Apart from work life balance there are other issues like family concerns, peer pressure bothering the employee which hampers the working environment and also the productivity.

5) At IMS We saw the type of problems that students have before joining the class. There is a lot of apprehension. Students were not sure of the course, the pros and cons of not acquiring sufficient marks in CET/CAT. Many students were unclear regarding their career.

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LEARNINGS

The project helped to gain inputs from mentor, different counseling professionals and books helped me to develop and understand counseling skill in a microscopic view. Counseling involves various models and techniques that help to understand client and their problems. Various skills required to be a good counselor are: Listening skills, communication skills, creativity, brain mapping and to have structured thoughts in mind. Knowledge imparted by one experienced professional is equal to reading many books and during the course of time got an opportunity to meet 4 experienced professional counselors. The basic golden rules in counseling, as suggested by Mr Adrian are those of - Empathy, having fun with responsibility, never influence -the clients decision, be assertive, make them understand what is right and wrong and allow the individual to take decisions for his own life, try to locate or analyse the guilt feeling in the client. Two chair model is a unique wherein the individual is made to talk with an imaginary person and discus out the problems Every individual is unique and so are their issues. Perseverance is the key to get a solution to a particular problem. Making the opposite person understand and showing him/ her appropriate path is the counselors responsibility and keeping a check on action leading to improvement is the only way. Counseling is an effective and preventive people management strategy for organizations to help employees manage stress, personal issues or work related problems. Benefits to the organizations are :

Decrease costs related to turnover, burnouts, absenteeism & accident-related disability.

Improvement in employee performance & therefore increase in productivity. Counselor can play the role of a business partner to manage behavioural problems brought about by organizational changes.

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HR- COUNSELING SKILL

FUTURE COURSE OF ACTION

Counseling is a diverse field which gives a large number of options one can either decide to be school counselors to work with children or teens or decide to work at university level, to help college students or work with individuals or couples or groups. Whatever population a counselor decides to work with, the counseling relationship is often rewarding and growth promoting for both individuals and counselors. This industry gives an advantage of discovering and enjoying challenges and benefits of helping individuals at difficult times. With the recent restructuring and the faster cycle of business, employees find work pressure difficult to cope with, its a task to coach them to cope with transition. Trends show that worrying leads to loss of work-life balance and starts hampering productivity and staff wellbeing. Counseling is definitely one service that can help people learn to manage themselves. Today, counseling is a very specialized service and a profession in itself. At any stage my goal will be to spread positivity across.

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