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1. EC1- describe the clientele of counseling

Gabriel is a counselor who works in the community setting. A typical day for him would mean meeting several clients. One particular morning, his being bullied by a classmate. Gabriel suggested that the boy report the incident to school authorities for immediate action. His second client was a teenage girl who needs replacement for her worn-out crutches. Gabriel provided her with a list of agencies where she can ask for assistance. In the afternoon, Gabriel was visited by a disgruntled couple on the verge of separation. The wife complained that her husband’s vices affect the family’s finances and his relationship with the family. The husband complained that his wife nags too much which stresses him out. Gabriel explored with them the possibilities of undergoing family counseling. And finally Gabriel’s last client for the day was elderly man who gets increasingly anxious because of his impending retirement. Gabriel helped the elderly’s fears by simply lending a sympathetic ear.

Based on what you have read what can you say about the clients of counseling/ how do you think do counselors, such as Gabriel, able to understand each of their clients’ needs and concerns? Found out as you read this module.

Characteristics and Needs of Client

The clients of counseling, or counselors, are the active receivers of counseling services. They enter the counseling relationship with the counselor and together find ways on how to assist the clients with their concerns.

Developmental Tasks

One way to understand the clients in counseling is to look at the developmental tasks that individual s must learn and accomplish at a particular life stage.

According to Havighurst, a developmental task at a particular period in an individual‘s life which, if successfully accomplished, may lead to happiness and success in later tasks. If an individual is unsuccessful in accomplishing the task, however, this may lead to unhappiness and difficulty in finishing later tasks. These developmental tasks follow “a pattern and are built upon each other.” This means that development and learning of an individual is endless and there is no abrupt change at any given period in time.

Developmental task s may change from one culture to another and may change within a certain culture from time to time. In addition, individuals can be assisted by the family, school, church, community, agencies and similar social institutions in accomplishing developmental tasks.

Havighurst identified six major stages for accomplishing the different developmental tasks. Each stage includes several developmental tasks which are physiological, psychological and socio-cultural in nature. Below is an outline of the six major stages and the corresponding developmental tasks for each stage.

I. Infancy and Early Childhood (0-6 years)

· Learning to walk

· Learning to take solid foods

· Learning to talk

· Learning to control the elimination of waste

· Learning differences and sexual modesty

· Forming concepts and learning languages to describe social and physical reality

· Getting ready to read

II. Middle Childhood (6-12 years)

· Learning physical skills necessary for ordinary games.

· Building wholesome attitudes toward oneself as a growing organism

· Learning to get along with age-mates

· Learning an appropriate masculine or famine social role.

· Developing fundamental skills in reading, writing and calculating

· Developing concepts necessary for everyday living.

III. Adolescence (13-18 years)

· Achieving new and more mature relations with age-mates of both sexes.

· Achieving a masculine or feminine social role.

· Accepting one’s physique and using the body effectively.

· Achieving emotional independence from parents and other adults.

· Preparing for marriage and family life.

· Preparing for an economic career.

· Acquiring a set of values and an ethical system as guide to behavior; developing an ideology.

· Desiring and achieving socially responsible behavior.

IV. Early Adulthood (19-30 years)

· Selecting a mate

· Achieving a masculine or feminine social role

· Learning to live with a marriage partner.

· Starting a family.

· Rearing children

· Managing a home.

· Getting started in an occupation.

· Taking on civic responsibility.

· Finding a congenial social group.

V. Middle Age (30-60 years)

· Achieving adult civic and social responsibility.

· Assisting teenage children to become responsible and happy adults.

· Developing adult leisure time activities.

· Accepting and adjusting to the physiologic changes of middle age.

· Adjusting to aging parents.

VI. Late maturity (60 years and above)

· Adjusting to decreasing physical strength and health.

· Adjusting t retirement and reduced income.

· Adjusting to death of a spouse.

· Establishing an explicit affiliation with one’ age group.

· Meeting social and civic obligations.

· Establishing satisfactory living arrangements.

Psychosocial Stages

Erik Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development provides am eight stage framework illustrating how healthy human beings pass through the stages of infancy to late adulthood (Schertzer and Stone 1971). In each stage, individuals encounter a crisis which they must overcome. If they successfully overcome the crisis, they learn a corresponding virtue. If they do not, the challenge or crisis may reappear again as a future problem since each stage is built upon the successful completion of the earlier stages.

Stage 1- Psychosocial Conflict: Basic Trust vs Mistrust Virtue: Hope

The first stage pf Erickson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development begins during the infancy phase and lasts until the eighteenth month. During this stage, infants solely depend on their parents or caregivers to satisfy their basic needs such as sustenance, attention, and affection. When the adults around these infants are consistent in satisfying these basic needs, the infants develop trust and thus learn the virtue of hope. On the other hand, when adults neglect to care for the infants, they learn to mistrust as they realize that they cannot depend on others.

Stage 2 – Psychosocial Conflict: Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt Virtue: Will

Children at these stage are appropriately two to three years old. These children begin to explore their surroundings as they gain control over their motor abilities. They start to do things on their own such as walking, feeding themselves, cleaning and dressing themselves, and going to the toilet. When parents and significant others are supportive of these attempts, the children are encouraged to develop a sense of independence and self-control-they feel confident doing things on their own. Thus, the virtue of will is learned. However, if parents refuse to encourage children to do things on their own, the children may develop feelings in inadequacy, shame, and self-doubt.

Stage 3 – Psychosocial Conflict: Initiative versus Conflict Virtue: Purpose

Children at this stage are approximately three to five years old and are usually preschool pupils. As they learn new things, they begin to take initiative in doing tasks. Whatever the outcome of these tasks, it is when the adults encourage the children’s efforts while assisting them in making realistic goals that the children learn the virtue of purpose. It is when adults are critical or are not encouraging enough. However, that children develop feelings of guilt over pursuing actions or projects.

Stage 4 – Psychosocial Conflict: Industry versus Inferiority Virtue: Competence

Children at this stage are approximately six to eleven year old and are usually elementary students. At this stage, children, children are exposed to various and school activities that enable them to learn and eventually do complex, thing. This is when children join groups which interest them such as sports, music, or cooking club. When children are supported and commended in the performance of their activities, they may become diligent in completing tasks. Children who do and complete tasks may develop a sense of confidence, thus, learning the virtue of competence. On the other hand, children who are discouraged, criticized, and punished may feel inferior, develop low self-esteem, and lack motivation to engage in activities.

Stage 5 – Psychosocial Conflict: identity versus Role Confusion Virtue: Fidelity

Adolescents who are between to twelve to eighteen years old go through the adolescence phase – considered to be a transition between childhood and adulthood. This is often described as a challenging time and adulthood. This is often described as a challenging time for adolescents because they have to confront changes at different levels. They undergo physiological changes brought about by puberty and are faced with the evolving expectations of parents, significant others, and society.

Adolescents contend with these various changes and at the same time develop their personal identity. When adolescents are able to adjust to these changes and are able to strike a balance between what they want and society expects of them that they are able to establish their identity. This is when adolescents develop fidelity toward their character, values, and purpose. Adolescents who are unable to make sense of the various demands and changes, in the other hand, experience role confusion. Establishing one’s identity is fluid phase, which can take several years and may extend until mid to late 20s.

Stage 6 – Psychosocial Conflict: intimacy versus isolation Virtue: Love

Young adults (nineteen to forty years old) experience the need to relate with others, the need to belong. According to Erikson, once identities have been formed, individuals at this age are ready to establish long-term commitment to others. They feel the need to form close, intimate relationships such as friendships and romantic relationships. Hence, the virtue of love is developed. These who are unable to establish intimate relationships, however, experience isolation.

Stage 7 – Psychosocial Conflict: Generativity versus Stagnation Virtue: Care

Adults in their forties to mid-sixties are confronted with the task of making a contribution to society. During this stage, adults try to make their mark in the world. They do this by raising a family or working toward the betterment of the society. If they are involved in activities which give them a sense of productivity, generativity may result. Hence, the virtue of care is developed. However, stagnation may result for adults who remain unproductive and uninvolved in society.

Stage 8 – Psychosocial Conflict: Ego Integrity versus Despair Virtue: Wisdom

Toward the end of life, individuals reflect on their lives and their accomplishments. If they see that they have been productive, they are able ti develop integrity, thus the virtue of wisdom is developed. If they are dissatisfied with how their lives turned out, however, older adults may experience despair and hopelessness.

By knowing the developmental tasks for each stage of an individual’s life, counselors better understand the concerns of their clients and become better equipped in addressing these concerns.

Common Counseling Concerns

Clients who come for counseling have concerns or problems which need to be addressed. The list below, though not comprehensive, attempts to depict the various concerns of clients in each particular life stage. The list starts with middle and ends in late adulthood.

I. Middle Childhood (6-12 years old)

· Poor academic performance or underachievement

· Lack if motivation

· Social skills/interpersonal relationships (e.g. not getting along well with people, bullying)

· Health/physical challenges (e.g. ailments, disabilities)

· Home or family issues (e.g. sibling rivalry, parents’ relationships)

· Emotional concerns (e.g. moodiness, irritability, anger management)

· Conduct-related concerns (e.g. stealing, lying, disobeying rules)

· Financial concerns (e.g. insufficient funds to study, problem on family finances)

II. Adolescence *(13-18 years old)

· Body image (e.g. changes during puberty)

· Social/interpersonal relationships (e.g. need to belong, friendships)

· Intimate relationships (e.g. dating)

· Home or family issues (e.g. parents not understanding what they are going through)

· Poor academic performance or underachievement

· Health/physical challenges (e.g. stealing, lying, disobeying rules)

· Emotional concerns (e.g. moodiness, irritability, anger management)

· Educational or vocational concerns in the future (e.g. courses to take in college)

· Financial concerns (e.g. insufficient funds to study, problem on family finances)

III. Early Adulthood (19-30 years)

· Intimate relationships (e.g. finding a partner, dating)

· Home or family issues (e.g. issues with parents or siblings)

· Adjustment in family life (e.g. partner and children and corresponding responsibility)

· Health/Physical challenges (e.g. ailments, disabilities)

· Emotional concerns (e.g. moodiness, irritability, anger management)

· Financial concerns (e.g. problem on family finances)

· Social concerns (e.g. need to join a group or be with friends)

· Vocational/Career concerns (e.g. finding and maintaining a job)