CONCEPT, PRINCIPLES AND ORGANIZATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING

CONCEPT, PRINCIPLES AND ORGANIZATION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING

4. FEATURES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNSELING ON VARIOUS PROBLEMS 70

4.1. Psychological defenses in counseling……………………………….. 71

4.2. Practical recommendations for psychological counseling related to personality development 73

4.2.1. Recommendations for solving problems caused by temperamental characteristics

73

4.2.2. Practical recommendations for communicative and social-perceptual psychological counseling

82

4.2.3. Practical recommendations on problems of self-regulation in business relationships

84

4.2.4. Practical recommendations on problems of interpersonal psychological counseling

91

4.2.5. Practical recommendations on family counseling issues

96

4.2.6. Recommendations on psychological and pedagogical counseling

108

4.2.7. Practical recommendations on well-being and health problems

120

Tasks for independent work

………………………………………………….. 131

Recommendations for studying the material

……………………………………………………… 132

GLOSSARY 134

LIST OF RECOMMENDED READINGS……………………………….. 153

INTRODUCTION

Modern life is replete with difficult or critical situations that a person cannot always cope with on his own. Therefore, the issue of organizing psychological support for people of different ages arises with particular urgency.

The course “Fundamentals of Counseling Psychology,” studied at universities in accordance with the state standard of higher professional education, is designed to prepare students to provide such psychological support to people of different age categories. The future specialist must be prepared for individual and group forms of providing psychological assistance to preschoolers, primary schoolchildren, teenagers, young men, mature and old people. He needs to be able to conduct a consultation with a person who has asked for help or, if necessary, provide help to himself. Therefore, the proposed manual sets itself the task of introducing students to the basic principles of modern practical psychology, leading trends, strategies and technologies for providing psychological support to people of various age groups.

The conceptual basis of this manual is I.V. Dubrovina’s position on psychological health as a goal and criterion for the success of psychological assistance. Focusing on psychological health makes it possible to differentiate the sphere of application of the efforts of a psychologist and a psychiatrist, and to prevent the unreasonable application of psychopathology techniques to the psyche of a healthy person. Therefore, the manual examines the problem of norms as a necessary orientation in the work of a practical psychologist, focusing not only on external social factors, but also on internal ones: personal and temperamental characteristics. It is shown what factors influence the determination of strategies and content of psychological support, as well as the choice of individual or group forms of work.

The proposed manual presents the organization of psychological assistance in more detail, describes the principles, main directions, and technologies used in psychological counseling. Particular attention is paid to the normative application of adequate methods, techniques and techniques when working with a client, their use for personal growth and expansion of the individual’s creative potential.

For each topic, questions and tasks for monitoring and self-control, and lists of necessary literature are offered.

The purpose of preparing students for the course “Fundamentals of Counseling Psychology” is to study the basic conceptual models of counseling psychology.

The material of this discipline is aimed at developing the following competencies:

· implementation of standard basic procedures for providing an individual, group, organization of psychological assistance using traditional methods and technologies;

· assisting the activities of a master's degree or specialist psychologist in the implementation of psychological intervention and influence in order to optimize the mental functioning of an individual, group, community in various spheres of life;

· use of didactic techniques in the implementation of standard correctional, rehabilitation and training programs to optimize human mental activity.

Features of studying the discipline:

1) to study this discipline, students must have knowledge in the disciplines: “Medical and biological training”, “Methods of active socio-psychological training”, “Personality psychology”, “Organization of psychological services”, “Personal psychohygiene”

2) when studying each section, you must adhere to the following order:

— study theoretical material on the specified topics of the section;

- complete a practical task - solve a practical problem based on the material of the topic being studied;

- complete an independent task, guided by the proposed list of literature on the topic being studied;

- moving on to studying a new topic is possible only if all the tasks in the previous sections are completed.

Recommendations for studying the material

When studying section 1 you must:

1) study the educational material:

– Krasilo A.I. Psychological counseling: problems, technologies: textbook. allowance. - M. [etc.]: [Publishing house of MSSI et al.], 2007. - 503 p.

– Pakhalyan V.E. Psychological counseling: textbook. manual for universities. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2006. - 252 p. - (Tutorial).

– Kolesnikova, G.I. Psychological types of assistance: psychoprophylaxis, psychocorrection, counseling: textbook. manual for universities. - Rostov n/d: Phoenix, 2006. - 350 p.

2) independently consider the work in more detail:

– Rogers K.R. Counseling and psychotherapy. - M., 2000;

– Nelson – Jones R. Theory and practice of counseling. – St. Petersburg, 2001.

– Khukhlaeva O.V. Fundamentals of psychological counseling and psychological correction. – M., 2001.

– May R. The Art of Psychological Counseling. - M., 1994.

Pay special attention to:

– on the modern interpretation of the use of classical methods in the work of a practicing psychologist;

– selection of methods for completing each stage of psychological counseling and moving on to the next;

– comparison of the stages of interviews as a method of psychological counseling and organization of stages of the entire process of psychological counseling.

For self-control in this section, you must answer the following questions :

1. The concept of the counseling process. Methodological basis of psychological counseling.

2. The concept of the counseling process, its relationship with other types of activities of a practical psychologist.

3. In-depth consulting: principles, basic techniques.

4. Humanistic counseling: basic concepts, principles, proposed techniques.

5. Features of behavioral counseling: goals, principles, basic techniques.

6. Principles and structure of a psychologist’s work with a client in psychological counseling.

7. Goals of each stage of counseling.

8. Organization of interaction with the client using the interview method.

9. Structural and temporal aspects of organizing an interview when working with a client.

10. Structural components of a client’s complaint: objective and subjective locus, self-diagnosis, problem, request.

11. Diagnosis, recommendations and prognosis (positive and negative).

12. Symptoms of the client’s mental illness, their combinations

Methods of influence

The main content of counseling is the implementation of influence by a psychologist using certain methods.

For the client, the impact does not look any special. In an interview with a psychologist, a kind of “insight” occurs - the client experiences the changes happening to him as a result of his own efforts (“I understood everything myself”). Such reliance on the client's potential leads to the fact that the changes experienced by the client in the counseling situation will lead to changes in his behavior.

The methods of influence used by psychologists from different schools can be very different. Let's briefly look at some of them.

In addition, targeted influence on the client is carried out using the following techniques: reference to authority, appeal to literary sources, appeal to scientific data, etc. It is also possible to rely on the past personal or professional experience of a psychologist, which can be used as information for the client.

At the moment of influence, it is important for the psychologist to discuss with the client possible positive options for solving the problem, since it is very difficult for the client himself to create positive information. Positive discussion may not be very clear, but it should be mandatory. An entire consultation may be dedicated to it.

First impression effect

The 90/90 rule is known: 90% of the information is formed in the first 90 seconds of communication - interpersonal assessment occurs, the image of another person is formed based on the person’s already established stereotypes (idea about social status, professional activity, appearance, etc.).

The following factors have a greater influence on the formation of the first impression: a person’s appearance,

emotional condition,

behavior,

which make it possible to assume what qualities a person’s personality may have.

Appearance consists of two indicators: physical attractiveness (special attention is paid to the face, hair, posture) and self-presentation (the ability to present oneself, focusing the attention of others on one’s undoubted advantages and “camouflage” for one’s shortcomings).

The emotional state consists of prevailing emotions, feelings, experiences that can materialize in a person’s actions and behavior.

First impressions guide people in the process of further communication. A person unconsciously “blocks” all information that does not correspond to his first impression; he strives to see and hear only what confirms his first impression.

The first 10 seconds of communication with a client can be figuratively compared to the launch phase of a rocket: the start will be the same as the flight. Particular attention should be paid to voice, posture, appropriate smile, confident presentation and clean shoes.

Recommendations for studying the material

When studying section 2 you must:

1) study the educational material:

§ Krasilo A.I. Psychological counseling: problems, technologies: textbook. allowance. - M. [etc.]: [Publishing house of MSSI et al.], 2007. - 503 p.

§ Pakhalyan V.E. Psychological counseling: textbook. manual for universities. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2006. - 252 p. - (Tutorial).

§ Sapogova, E.E. Consultative psychology [Text]: textbook. manual for universities. - M.: Academy, 2008. - 349 p..

2) independently consider the work in more detail:

§ Nelson - Jones R. Theory and practice of counseling. – St. Petersburg, 2001.

§ Methods of effective psychocorrection: Reader / comp. K.V. Selchenok. - Mn.: Harvest, 1999.

§ Abramova G.S. Introduction to practical psychology. – M., 1995.

§ Burlachuk L.F., Korzhova E.Yu. Psychology of life situations. – M., 1998.

§ Menovshchikov V.Yu. Introduction to psychological counseling. – M., 2000.

Pay special attention to:

— determining the conditions for using types of indirect influence on the client, depending on problem situations;

— the ability to functionally distinguish between the methods of psychological influence on the client used by a psychologist;

— building an effective consulting process using adequately selected types and methods of influencing the client.

For self-control in this section, you must answer the following questions:

1.

The main types of direct and indirect psychological influence.

2.

Examples of statements by a psychologist when using types of direct situational influence

3.

Methods of psychological influence. Functions of methods in psychological counseling.

4.

Basic advisory attitudes of a psychologist towards a client.

5.

Psychotechnology of effective influence on the client: the effect of the first impression, features of the non-verbal communication channel, techniques that stimulate discussion, psychological tricks and techniques for neutralizing them.

Recommendations for studying the material

When studying section 3 you must:

1) study the educational material:

§ Safonova, L.V. Contents and methods of psychosocial work: textbook. manual for universities. - M.: Academy, 2006. - 224 p..

§ Sapogova, E.E. Consultative psychology [Text]: textbook. manual for universities. - M.: Academy, 2008. - 349 p..

2) independently consider the work in more detail:

§ Pankratov V.N. Psychology of successful interaction. – M., 1999.

§ Shostrom E. Anti-Carnegie or Manipulator. – Minsk, 1992.

§ Nelson-Jones R. Theory and practice of counseling. – St. Petersburg, 2001.

§ Menovshchikov V.Yu. Introduction to psychological counseling. – M., 2000.

Pay special attention to:

– knowledge of scales for clients’ assessments of psychological information reported by them as part of a complaint, and comparison of these scales with the typology of tasks of interaction between a client and a psychologist;

– distribution of responsibility between the psychologist and the client in various positions of interaction;

– adequacy of the use of advisory hearing positions;

– effective work of a psychologist in diagnosing various subjective states of the client.

For self-control in this section, you must answer the following questions:

– Tasks of interaction between the client and the psychologist. The work of a psychologist in each case

– Positions of the interacting parties in consultation. Types of clients - manipulators

– Positions of the advisory hearing by J. Enright

– Professional listening: styles, techniques. Tips for Mastering Listening Skills

– Subjective states of the client: anxiety, uniqueness, search for participation. Psychologist's work

– Subjective states of the client: vicious circle of conflict, doubt, despondency. Psychologist's work

– Subjective states of the client: psychological intoxication, fashion (curiosity), manipulation. Psychologist's work

Recommendations for solving problems caused by temperamental characteristics

Case 1 . The situation corresponding to this case can arise due to two most likely reasons: the presence of a choleric or sanguine temperament in a person and physical illness accompanied by a neuropsychic disorder.

In the first case (the first reason), it will be necessary, using psychological testing, to accurately determine the type of temperament of the client, and if the presence of the above-mentioned type of temperament is confirmed, then first of all the client himself should be informed about this.

Next, it is advisable to advise him not to worry about the fact that he is not always able to control his emotions, and try to convince the client that increased emotionality is not only not a personal drawback, but in many cases in life acts as an obvious advantage of a person.

In the second case (second reason), the problem is solved much easier, through rest and through the creation of a work regime that eliminates serious physical fatigue, increased nervous tension and neuropsychic diseases. This case, however, is more within the purview of doctors rather than psychologists.

The emotionality discussed above is highly valued by people, as it is an obvious demonstration that a person is not indifferent to what is happening around him, in particular the people with whom he communicates (we are talking, first of all, about positive emotions).

To more convincingly prove to the client that his emotionality should not particularly bother him, we can refer to the following argument: this quality in people is especially valued by those who are intellectually developed, educated and highly cultured.

The same applies to such a property of temperament as reaction speed. It, like emotionality, is almost impossible to constantly control. It is advisable for the client to know his natural reaction speed and how he differs from other people.

If such a difference is discovered and is so significant that it can complicate the client’s interaction with people significant to him, then it is advisable to recommend that he warn people with whom he comes into contact in advance that he has characteristics related to the speed of his reaction. Such a warning, given in advance, will eliminate possible unnecessary problems that the client may have due to his inadequate reaction speed.

Case 2. People with diametrically opposed, psychologically incompatible temperaments, for example, choleric and melancholic, sanguine and phlegmatic, usually experience inconvenience and tension in communicating with each other.

Psychological incompatibility is difficult for people and sometimes seems to them an insoluble problem. In fact, references to psychological incompatibility of temperaments are often only a means of hiding from one’s own consciousness and from the understanding of other people the more important and deeper reasons for unfavorable personal and business relationships.

In this regard, the client should be made to understand that a deeper psychological analysis of those relationships in which psychological incompatibility is detected between him and the people around him is necessary.

If, some time after the client understands that the real problem of his relationships with people is not related to the characteristics of his temperament, this problem in this direction of search is not solved, then this means that its cause should be sought in something else, not a difference in temperament.

Case 3 . The client complains to the consulting psychologist about the constant tension that arises in his work or in communicating with people.

There may also be three possible reasons behind this: lack of interest in the work being done, lack of interest in the person with whom he has to communicate, and the dynamics of work or communication movements that do not fully correspond to the natural type of temperament of the people interacting with each other.

If the first or second of the mentioned reasons is actually effective, then the psychological tension that has arisen in connection with them can be relieved only by changing the negative attitude towards work or towards a person into a positive one.

If the real reason is the discrepancy between the dynamic characteristics of work movements or communication and the temperament properties of people communicating with each other, then we can recommend that the client switch to a pace and speed of work or communication with his partner that is most convenient for him and his partner, the most comfortable and least tedious, i.e. do not cause tension. At the same time, it is advisable to convince the client that the quality of his work and the results of communication with people from the transition to more convenient dynamic characteristics of work and communication will not only not worsen, but will ultimately improve. At first, however, he may find it unfamiliar and difficult to work and communicate in a new way.

Case 4 . Emotional imbalance

.

Unlike all other problems related to human temperament, it is indeed a real and serious problem. It needs to be solved, and not to convince the client that it does not exist.

Let us note that a person’s emotional imbalance is both an internal and external manifestation of his temperament. It is expressed in the fact that in the human nervous system the processes of excitation or inhibition clearly predominate over each other. The dominant nervous process finds its external expression in the person’s inadequate reactions to the situation. Where a calm response is required, the person reacts too violently, and, on the contrary, if an emotionally active response is appropriate, the person’s reaction turns out to be passive.

A consulting psychologist, together with a client who has approached him with a complaint about his emotional imbalance, first of all needs to find out which of these two types of people this client belongs to. The importance of this step is due to the fact that practical advice and recommendations for people with different types of emotional imbalance will be different.

After this, you can move on to identifying the causes of imbalance, which may also be different for different people.

Based on the combination of these reasons determined during the psychological diagnosis, it will be possible to give specific, individually unique recommendations to eliminate the causes of the client’s emotional imbalance.

General recommendations for correcting character traits

Human character is one of the most difficult problems to correct, and it is especially difficult to correct it in the process of psychological counseling. This is due to the fact that it is the character of a person that directly determines his actions, assessed by people and experienced by him.

When starting psychological counseling and correcting a person’s character traits, one cannot be content only with what the client himself says about his character flaws. It is almost always necessary to clarify, including with the help of special testing, which characterological problems the client really has and which of them are imaginary, invented by the client himself or imposed on him by the opinion of people around him.

Different human character traits are divided into groups, and among them at least the following three main groups stand out: communicative, business, strong-willed. They not only represent different groups of character traits, but appear and develop in human ontogenesis at different times and in the sequence indicated above. It is also known that the earlier this or that character trait arises in a person, the more stable it is and the more difficult it is to change it.

Consequently, the possibility of successfully correcting a person’s character traits gradually decreases in the indicated sequence: communicative, business, strong-willed character traits.

The first of the groups of character traits named in this list is communication skills.

– in principle, it can be adjusted throughout almost a person’s entire life.

The second group of character traits is business

– can be effectively changed before adulthood, i.e. until approximately twenty-five to thirty years of age. Further, this task usually becomes difficult to solve.

The third group of character traits - strong-willed

– can be changed mainly only until adolescence, i.e. until fourteen to fifteen years of age. After this, it is almost impossible to cultivate new strong-willed character traits in a person.

In cases where the client complains about the absence or weak development of those character traits that practically do not change at the age at which the client is, the client can be advised to undergo psychological testing to accurately determine the presence and degree of development of the corresponding character traits. Then - accept the existing character traits as they are, and then try to stop worrying about them, without considering these character traits as evil.

In cases where practical correction of the character traits that the client complains about is still possible, one should proceed from the recommendations given below, relating to different groups of character traits: strong-willed, business, communicative.

Recommendations for developing willpower

Situation 1. If adults turn to a consulting psychologist regarding the insufficient development of certain character traits in children

, for example,
the child's parents
; if the child himself is still small, for example, he is less than 3 years old, then the first thing the consulting psychologist should do is to assure the client that the necessary strong-willed character traits can still be formed in the child. In this case, it is advisable to draw the client’s attention to the correct organization of the practice of communication between adults and a child, in which the following points will need to be taken into account.

1. Closely monitor how the child shows independence, notice and in every possible way support any signs of it.

2. If a child declares “I myself” and clearly claims to do something on his own, without interference from people around him, then you should not actively interfere in his affairs, except, of course, in cases where the child may unwittingly harm yourself or damage any valuable item. But even in these cases, an adult’s intervention in the child’s affairs should be unobtrusive and, if possible, invisible to the child himself.

3. The child’s independence should be especially welcomed when the child tries to do something as best as possible, while showing initiative and perseverance, desire and willingness to overcome obstacles. Encouragement should take place even if the child tried to do something himself, but failed. The main thing is that in the mind of the child himself, the rewards he receives are associated precisely with diligence, and not only and not so much with adults’ high assessment of his abilities.

4. In the practice of pedagogical communication with a child, rewards should dominate over punishment, which in turn plays an important role in the development of his volitional qualities. This practice of communication creates favorable conditions for strengthening the motive for achieving success associated with will.

Situation 2. If adults turn to a psychologist-consultant regarding the volitional problems of children, if they are concerned about the fate of children who have already reached preschool age

(from four to five to six to seven years), then the general recommendations for strengthening the will of children of this age will be the same as for children of early preschool age (from one to three years).

It should, however, be borne in mind that this will not be enough for children of middle and senior preschool age, since, firstly, the child’s will to this age has already been basically formed, and, secondly, the psychology of preschool-age children is generally different from the psychology of young children. The volitional qualities of a preschooler’s personality are best formed in leading activities. This is play, learning, communication and work, with the dominance of play over other activities in the psychological development of the child.

Therefore, in preschool age, it is most important to create favorable conditions for improving strong-willed character traits in various games that require perseverance and will on the part of the child to achieve the goals set in the game (for example, games - competitions of the child with other children and with adults).

The consciousness of a preschool child, especially one who has reached senior preschool age, is already quite developed. Therefore, starting from this age, it is important to ensure that the child’s volitional behavior and, accordingly, the volitional qualities are formed and strengthened on a completely reasonable basis. In the opposite case, it may happen that the will actually turns into stubbornness or intractability, into the capriciousness of the child.

The latter circumstance is especially important to take into account when turning to psychological counseling for adolescents on issues of strengthening their will. The not entirely reasonable practice of developing willpower, which is common at this age, is often based only on strength and physical endurance and often leads to consequences that are very far from the real development of a person’s will and from modern culture, such as increased aggressiveness, the cult of brute force, and ruthlessness.

Recommendations for improving business character traits

Business character traits, like strong-willed ones, begin to take shape quite early, and if by a certain age, for example, when a child enters school, primary business character traits have not yet been formed, then the further process of their development will proceed with great difficulties.

Let us explain what is meant in this case by the primary business traits of a person’s character. These are, first of all, accuracy, diligence, discipline, and responsibility. Based on such

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Goals of psychological counseling

What questions can a person solve with a psychologist? The goals of the client’s appeal will depend both on his needs and on the theoretical basis that the consultant has. The latter is determined by the specialist’s affiliation with a particular school.

However, any psychological counseling has several universal goals. Among them:

1. Changing client behavior. Achieving such a goal allows a person to begin to live as productively as possible, experiencing satisfaction from every day he lives and not paying much attention to existing social restrictions.
2. Developing skills to overcome difficulties that may arise when faced with new demands and life circumstances.
3. Ensure that important decisions are made effectively. There are quite a few activities that a person can learn during the counseling process. These are independence of actions, rational distribution of energy and time, adequate assessment of the consequences of the risk taken, exploration of the area of ​​values ​​in which decisions are made, as well as overcoming stress, understanding the influence of attitudes that change the course of decision-making, etc.
4. Developing the ability to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships in the future. If the connections between people are built well, then they will be able to solve the problems that arise in their lives much easier and faster. And vice versa.
5. Facilitating the realization and increasing the potential that an individual has. When this goal is achieved, the client will reach a state of maximum freedom. In addition, he will develop his ability to control his environment, as well as those reactions that are provoked by people nearby.

The goals of psychological counseling can be more global. In this case, they are aimed at restructuring a person’s personal qualities and changing his worldview. The specific goals set are aimed at changing client behavior.

Objectives of psychological counseling

The main goal of the specialist is to help the client understand the problem he has, as well as find ways and means to eliminate it as quickly as possible.

To do this, the psychologist will need to solve the following problems:

1. Listen carefully to the person who comes. This aspect of the consultant’s activity is of great importance. The psychologist needs to listen patiently to the client, using special techniques. Such actions will allow the specialist to become familiar with the problem himself. They will also help the client understand the current situation. This will largely determine the effectiveness of the consulting work carried out.
2. During the conversation, the psychologist needs to expand the client’s ideas about himself, about his current life situation and about the surrounding reality. This path leads to the psychologist’s corrective influence on his client. As a result, a person begins to evaluate and see his situation in a completely new way, formulating alternative options for his behavior in it.
3. When conducting a consultation, the psychologist must keep in mind that the person who came to him for a conversation is completely healthy. He is fully responsible not only for himself, but also for the relationships that he develops with the people around him. The psychologist will have to work with the client in such a way that he is not afraid to take responsibility for what is happening in life. This task is not easy. The fact is that most people who attend psychological counseling blame someone else for their difficulties.

How effective will the consultant's work be? This will largely depend on him solving the most important tasks related to listening to the client, as well as on expanding the person’s ideas about himself and his own situation.