Counselor at Various Stages in

¶ … counselor at various stages in the helping process, because the counselor's role changes and evolves with the therapeutic process. Moreover, it focuses on how the personality of the counselor plays an important role in the therapeutic process, because that personality helps define what a counselor brings to a helping relationship. Underlying personality is going to inform theory. This chapter is an overview of how to approach various stages in the helping process.

While it discusses research, it is not a research study, so it does not contain the following elements: research findings, methodology, or results. Instead, it applies other research and knowledge to the stages of the helping process. Furthermore, it challenges the individual to really look at how what they bring to the process impacts therapy. For example, it asks helpers to look at their personal beliefs and orientations. This can be critical because, in some capacities, helpers may be asked to embrace orientations other than their own.

How does the individual personality impact the approach to the client? The chapter gives some very interesting insight into interview scenarios. One of the larger issues in counseling is whether a helper should self-disclose, and, if so, what level of self-disclosure is appropriate. Much of the chapter focuses on the issue of self-disclosure, when it is appropriate, and what level is appropriate.

This is important because an inappropriate self-disclosure can completely derail the interview process, while an appropriate self-disclosure can lead to increased client confidence and really enhance the interview process. Learning to distinguish those instances is a critical interview skill. Article Summary: Challenges in Conducting Groups in Correctional Settings The purpose of this chapter is to discuss challenges in conducting groups in correctional settings. This is a very important topic of discussion, because a number of mental health professionals will end up doing groups in correctional settings.

In fact, most of the rehabilitative help available in the correctional setting is in a group scenario, which can make the interview process more difficult, even in more traditional settings. Those groups present a real challenge, because of the very significant risk that many of the participants are not there because of a desire to change or even because they have recognized a problem, but because they are required to attend a group session as part of their sentence. The chapter is not a research study.

Therefore, it does not contain research findings, methodology, or results that are linked to a specific hypothesis. Instead, it focuses on the unique problems that exist in correctional settings. These problems fall into three broad categories: the population, the setting, and policies. Each of these areas can bring its own challenges to the counselor, and the chapter attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges they can pose and the ways that a professional can deal with those challenges.

The chapter provides several different areas of good information about group work in the correctional setting; however its most salient point about interviews and the group process may be that group leaders have.