LESSON 4: CLIENTELE AND AUDIENCES IN COUNSELING

Most often, people who seek counseling are overwhelmed by emotions: pain, desperation, or sadness. It is common for clients to share feelings about losing control of their lives. These clients are overwhelmed by uncertainties about their future.

These are some of the clientele and audiences where professional counselors provide services:

INDIVIDUALS

In the school setting, counseling is provided by the Guidance and Counseling Department. Guidance and counseling services in elementary often deal with pupils' concerns, most of which are behavioral. On the other hand, counseling services offered in high school and college are primarily about career plans or relationships.

In an industry setting, counseling responds to the concerns of employees or professionals. Difficulties in the workplace are as varied as those in the school setting. A few examples are family reasons, career-related concerns, and even financial difficulties that affect the workers' performance. The Human Resources Department (HRD) is assigned to the welfare and development of the employees. This office also provides counseling to the workers. A low-performance evaluation rating is one reason employees are provided with counseling services. At the same time, the HRD also keeps the employees motivated through recognition and reward for good performance. 

GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS

The group clientele of counseling consists of people who either share similar concerns or benefit from giving support to one another.

1.      Students with Academic difficulties - The counselor identifies students who experience difficulties in their academics. He or she calls for them to identify their common concerns, which had possibly affected their academic performance. The activities that the counselors carry out the development of effective study habits, time management, tips in developing the ability to concentrate, stress management, and career clarification.

2.     Honor Students – The counselor meets the best-performing students to inspire them to continue their hard work and perseverance. The counselor also encourages them to ascertain difficulties they encounter, which could affect their academic performance.

3.        Students with career uncertainties – Students with career uncertainties may not be able to perform well in their academics. This may be due to a lack of interest in their subjects. Hence, counseling this group of people involves the assessment of their interests, personality, traits, and competencies.

4.      Children of OFW parents and single parents – Children of absentee parent(s) are more prone to higher rates of stress, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem during the teenage years. Research consistently shows that the absence of parent(s) has lasting negative emotional effects on children (Schneider et al., 2005). A counseling program and forming a support group are appropriate for this group.

5.       International Students – This group is composed of individuals from different countries. During their stay in the Philippines, they may experience difficulty in assimilating and adjusting to the culture. The counselor meets these students to assist them in their adjustment process. The counseling program implemented is focused on effective coping, problem-solving skills for situations relatively new to them, and appropriate response to feelings of homesickness.

6.       Students living in dormitories or away from home – These refer to students who live in the province and are transferred to dormitories, apartments, or boarding houses nearest to their schools. These students often experience feelings of homesickness, which can affect their academic performance. For these circumstances, effective counseling programs are those focused on clarifying goals, managing their emotions, and socializing, as a form of fostering a sense of family among peers.

7.       Individuals with socio-emotional concerns – This group is composed of individuals who feel alone and depressed because they experience being bullied, rejected, or left out. 

8.       Victims of Disasters – This group includes individuals who have experienced calamities or disasters that may have caused them to manifest symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. A Critical Incident Stress Debriefing or Psychological First Aid can be conducted to give an initial form of treatment to direct victims of disasters. Counseling that focuses on enhancing coping skills, acceptance, and/or grieving, and instilling resilience may be given to this group.

9.       Peer Facilitator – This group is composed of individuals who went through a series of training in peer facilitating. Their role is important in the promotion of guidance services and programs in the school. The peer facilitators help the guidance counselors reach out to the studentry. Their training allows them to do paracounseling functions of the office, as there are students who are more comfortable talking with people f their own age.

COMMUNITIES

Guidance counselors also work in partnership with other members of the school community.

1.       Parents - To address students' needs, collaborative efforts between parents and counselors are being done through conferences or meetings. Counselors meet with parents of students who often demonstrate behavioral problems. This meeting is aimed at discussing possible ways the parents can provide positive support to their children. Moreover, counselors can also carry out orientation sessions and seminars about proper and effective parenting. These seminars may discuss how to deal with adolescents given the social context of this century. In this way, the parents can better understand their children's behavior. Hence, parents may render appropriate support for their children's holistic development.

2.       School Authorities – School authorities and administrators like teachers, department heads, or principals are also counted as clientele of guidance counselors A counselor can meet with the teachers to help them understand the psychological aspects affecting the students;' learning process. Counseling and preventive guidance activities are given to provide immediate assistance to students with identified learning problems.

Reference:

Cleofe, M., Liquigan, B., Madrigal, C., 2016, DIWA Senior High School Series: Discipline and Ideas in the Applied Social Sciences, DIWA Learning Systems Inc.