Conducting Counseling Sessions 

To formulate a set of guidelines for a counseling interview is difficult because each meeting is different. The purpose of the following information is to offer advice on approaches which may be adapted to particular situations, plus a range of useful interviewing skills. 

• Atmosphere. The atmosphere in which the interview takes place must be private, pleasant and non-threatening.
• Problem solving. The emphasis must always be on problem solving, not judging or blaming. This greatly enhances the chances of acceptance and cooperation and is a desirable aspect of the workplace in general, not merely counseling. If it is achieved, counseling will be regarded as simply a normal part of workplace operations.
• Factual. The employee is told what is being observed on the job. Use specific instances rather than generalizations (such as you are affecting morale ) and mention the implications of that behavior for the workplace.
• Opportunity to explain. Remember that one employee's behavior may be a symptom of other problems, and the employee should have the opportunity to explain how the group or company feeling might be adversely affecting him.
• Policy and procedure. Knowledge of company policies, rules and procedures will be necessary, particularly for disciplinary or safety-related issues.
• Perspective. Empathy is important. This means that the counselor assures the employee that he is with him, understands his problem, knows how he feels, appears sympathetic and is there to support him and help him solve the problem. Personal criticism of the employee should always be avoided. The interviewer should convey empathy both verbally and nonverbally.
• Alternatives. When the interviewer knows or believes the employee is lying or distorting the truth, an approach suggesting that there is more than one way of considering an issue should be used, rather than directly confronting the employee. The interviewer can then suggest the truth as one of the alternatives and influence the employee to consider how others might view the same issue.
• Reschedule. If the employee is unable to face a problem at the time, he could be given the opportunity to go away and think about it and return later for another interview. In such cases, a specific date and time should be set.
• Management conflicts. Role confusion can be a problem for counselors, particularly if there is conflict between the interests of the company and those of the employee--conflict between the supervisory and counseling roles can be a common example. Although various forms of employee participation in management are gradually reducing it, the supervisor/subordinate relationship still implies inequality in many instances, whereas counseling requires a helping relationship between two equals. The counselor should therefore try to avoid seeing himself as representing the company and needing to manipulate the employee for that reason.
• Language. Avoid using words such as reason, logic or common-sense as value judgments. People do not always act logically when they are emotionally affected.
• Listening. The skill of listening is important other workplace interviews. The interviewer can assist by encouraging the employee to take his time and to summarize the important points. It is much more important to be hearing the employee rather than working out what you are going to say next.
• Attitude. Positive regard for the individual by the counselor is necessary if the employee is to feel safe and make good use of the counseling opportunity. If the counselor cannot believe employees are genuine, deserve respect and are not out to deceive the counselor, then there will be little chance of creating a successful counseling climate.
• Organization. The way the employee presents his case may understandably be disjointed and rambling. It will need to be sorted out and clarified before any goal setting may be attempted.
• Solutions. Exploration is also a crucial technique of counseling. Both parties look for solutions to the problem by considering alternatives. The role of the counselor is to make observations along these lines and allow the employee to evaluate the observations himself.
• Positive emphasis. Encouragement and mention of the employee s strengths is essential to self-esteem, and will assist a positive outcome to counseling. Provision of negative feedback only will make employees wary, and is a major cause of stress.
• Goal setting. A desirable outcome to the interview is to jointly set attainable and reasonable goals of a fairly specific nature, and to check up on progress. Often, counseling may take the form of an unwritten contract of obligations to be observed by each party.
• Resources. Counselors should keep a selection or list of resources on subjects relevant to counseling (such as relaxation techniques), as these can be of great use to an employee. The counselor must be familiar with the resources to ensure they are suitable for the particular situation.

Counseling methods

There are three general methods of counseling. Each of these methods may be used by experienced counselors during a counseling session; however, most counselors have a preference for one of the methods. The methods are:

• Directive. The counselor takes an active role in directing the dialogue. The counselor points out alternatives and advises actions. This method is not recommenced to nonprofessional counselors. Where there are important choices to be made, a high level of frustration or conflict, directive counseling should be avoided.
• Nondirective. The counselee directs the course of the meeting. Listening and reserving judgment are critical skills for the counselor. The counselor s role is to periodically restate the counselee s feelings and stimulate further exploration by asking open-ended questions. This methods encourages the reduction of tension and allows the counselee to objectively view the situation.
• Participative. This method tasks the counselor and the counselee with responsibility to work toward solving the issues. Open, candid dialogue is a key to success of this method.  

Reprinted with permission. © CCH