Other Topics

What are basic counselling

skills?

2

What is a counselling skill? One application of the word ‘skills’ pertains to

areas of skill: for instance, listening skills or disclosing skills. Another application refers to level of competence, for instance, how strong your skills are

in a particular area. Competence in a skill is best viewed not as an either/or

matter in which you either possess or do not possess a skill. Rather, within

a skills area, it is preferable to think of helpers as possessing different levels

of strength. In all skills areas you are likely to possess a mixture of levels of

strength. For instance, in the skills area of listening, you may be stronger

at understanding clients, but less strong at showing your understanding.

Similarly, in just about all areas of their functioning, clients will possess a

mixture of skills of differing levels of strength.

A third application of the word ‘skill’ relates to the knowledge and sequence

of choices entailed in implementing a given skill. The essential element

of any skill is the ability to make and implement sequences of choices to

achieve objectives. For instance, if you are to be good at listening deeply and

accurately to clients, you have to make and implement effective choices in

this skills area. The object of counselling skills training and supervision is

to help trainees, in the skills areas targeted by their training programmes,

move more in the direction of making choices that reflect strength. For

example, in the skills area of active listening the objective would be to

enable you to make stronger choices in the process not only of understanding

clients but also in showing that understanding to them.

When thinking of any area of helper or client communication, there

are two main considerations: first, what are the components of skilled

external behaviour and, second, what interferes with or enhances

enacting that behaviour. Thus, a counselling skill like active listening...