Techniques and Skills of Counselling

1
Techniques and Skills of Counselling Guidance

• ThinkSoft Consultants Pvt. Ltd.

2
Objectives of Research

• General Objective
• To study the possibility of improving the
  quality and emotional intensity of support
  provided to children in difficult situations by
  integrating elements and techniques of
  counseling,(in the context of home placement and
  in the various stages of work in Sathi )
• Specific Objectives
• To identify segmentations of children based on
  background, and behavioural traits.
• To develop appropriate counseling framework for
  each of these groups
• To create a manual that will act as guideline for
  the staff while counseling the children
• To develop capacities of staff through the manual
  and workshops
• To write a paper of publishable quality that will
  highlight lessons learnt and future direction to
  be taken

3
Methodology

• Pilot Phase
• Platform Visits
• Shelter Visits HCHW Transit Homes, Don Bosco
  Shelters
• Consultations with key resource persons
• Dr. Lalitha Iyer, ThinkSoft, Hyderabad
• Gerry Pinto, Butterflies, Delhi
• Pradnya Keskar, Satyam Foundation, Hyderabad
• H. Ramakrishna, Hyderabad
• Roopa Ramesh, Hyderabad
• Nagaraj, Sathi, Hyderabad
• Malini Sridhar, Parivarthan, Bangalore

4
Methodology

• Project
• Quantitative and Qualitative methods of data
  collection
• Data of the last year from the NGOs.
• Case Studies and Documentations available from
  the NGOs
• Focus group discussions with the staff
• Observation of Counseling sessions
• Activity - based Workshops with the Staff and
  Children
• Process Documentation of Research carried out by
  the team

5
Theoretical Frameworks

• Counseling framework was based on principles of
  two theories
• Transactional Analysis Eric Berne study of
  transactions or encounters between two people
• Person Centered Approach by Carl Rogers
  develop a more personal relationship with the
  patient to reach a state of realization that they
  can help themselves
• Art Based Therapy

6
Tools and Frameworks

• Menu A (Street Children Question Menu) and Menu B
  (Service Provider Question Menu)
• Module 5 Determining the Needs and Problems
  of Street Children A training package on
  Substance Use, Sexual and Reproductive Health
  including HIV/AIDS and STDs, WORLD HEALTH
  ORGANIZATION, Mental Health Determinants and
  Populations, Department of Mental Health and
  Substance Dependence, Geneva, Switzerland

7
Tools and Frameworks

• Exploratory Interview
• Based on Behavorial Event Interview

8
Tools and Frameworks

• Counselling Framework

9
Tools and Frameworks

• Artistic Techniques

10
Structure of Interview
Introduction
Rapport
Trigger
Critical Event
Who, When, Where, What, Why, How
Structure of the Event
Sequencing
Details of Event
Probing
Closure of the interview
Disengagement
11
Introduction
Initial Contact
Trigger
Surface Issues
Structure of the Event
Deeper Issues
Behaviour Event Interview
Counselling Steps
Details of Event
Insight Generation
Problem Solving
Action
Closure of the interview
Disengagement
12
Process of Research

• Most of the research centered around 3 main
  activities
• Intensive field work
• Workshop with Field Staff
• Workshop with Children by the staff

13
Findings and Learnings

• Pilot Study
• Children of all age groups mostly around age of
  14
• Two distinct groups on the platform new comers,
  and seniors
• Counselling very prescriptive in nature more
  along the lines of guidance
• Case histories and reports relate facts
  emotional issues seem trivialised possible
  triggers for change are not identified

14
Findings and Learnings
15
Findings and Learnings

• Stage 1
• Initial Contact on the platform
• video

16
Findings and Learnings

• Stage 2
• Surface Issues at the Transit Home
• Games, Art work work as ice breakers
• Example Human Knot, Play for Peace, Snakes and
  Ladders
• Techniques most used by field staff in the
  experimentation phase of the project to the
  extent, the whole process was often dubbed as
  games
• video

17
Findings and Learnings

• Stage 3
• Revelation of Deeper Issues
• Stage in which cathartic release needs to be
  facilitated core of the issue can be understood
• Focus on not just recall of some past probably
  painful event, but also identifying here and
  now feelings
• Role play as a creative way of expressing event,
  Art as a medium to identify here and now
  example feelings corner, squiggle
• Most often this stage was never reached in the
  experimentation phase art and squiggle tried
  once but shakily discomfort in experimenting
  with something new
• how do we solve the childs problems?
• video

18
Findings and Learnings

• Stories powerful tools
• Story of Eklavya
• Design of costumes ownership of roles
• Used successfully at Ashraya Shelter for boys to
  solve a problem that occurred between field staff

19
Findings and Learnings

• Stage 4 and 5 Generation of Insight, Problem
  Solving
• Exploratory Interview
• Worked very well in the workshop with the field
  staff
• With the children not been experimented with
  more than a couple of times not used as part of
  the process but used more independently

20
Findings and Learnings

• Stage 6 7 Action, Disengagement
• With the staff action plan to carry the
  research forward
• On the field home placement, RBC
• Case study of Sai Teja, Nikhil outcomes of
  jumping to the action stage without really
  dealing with deeper issues
• Video

21
Limitations of Research

• Difficulty in seeing the tools as part of the
  process - most often used independently
• Process unconscious with subtle shifts in
  behaviour to be sensitive to these shifts more
  work on self is required.
• Need to break away from the self-proclaimed role
  of a problem-solver, maybe even a saviour
  shift to a more facilitative role
• Once the above two are done, the process will be
  looked at as something more than just games!
• Story of Wajid
• how do we solve the childs problems?