Customer Reviews

Counselling Skills For Teachers

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gail King is a psychodynamic counselor and a registered psychotherapist in England. In her book, Counseling for Teachers: talking matters, King blends history, philosophy, and discussion to provide detailed descriptions of the counseling skills useful for a secondary educational school teacher and some practical guidance about how secondary educational instructors might use the counseling skills. The basic skills addressed include listening skills and responding skills. King also speaks to the implications of using such counseling skills emphasizing the importance of the trust factor in any helping relationship. She goes on to give helpful hints to recognize certain patterns of behavior presented by students who may be seeking help or testing the "trustability" of the teacher or counselor.
Throughout the discourse of the book, King stresses the importance of the intuitiveness of the teacher to "pick up on" minute details of the presented affect of the student. One such example is when a teacher is developing or practicing their responding skills. It is very important that the teacher not respond to students' statements or non-verbal behavior with responses that "block exploration" (p. 28). King also calls this being empathetic. She states that "Being empathetic means trying to understand a situation as if the listener was the other person, not imagining how the listener would feel in that situation" (p. 28). King makes an important distinction between imagination and reality. By developing one's intuition, noticing the non-verbal queues, such as facial expressions, dramatic change in affect, or sighs, and practicing responses that encourage more discussion, a teacher or counselor earns the trust of the student and gains the capacity to be more effective.
King also emphasizes the importance of the role of the teacher as counselor. The responsibility of the teacher as counselor is quite great because of the dependence of the students' upon the teacher. One example that is illustrated several times is the importance of the teacher to remain calm even when the information presented or knowledge gained is surprising. King states that the "teacher's demeanour and the physical surroundings should convey calm... The essential ingredient is showing calm even if the speaker is talking about upsetting matters... Such a calm and accepting response greatly helps" (p. 29). It is agreed that this idea of remaining calm is of utmost importance in the role of the counseling teacher. Secondary education students are faced with many stressors and any attempt to reach out to a teacher for guidance should not be squelched by a response that would close the open doors of communication.
King also offers very practical advice for confronting students. She states " Confrontation has to be delivered in a way which ensures it will be heard and not rejected outright, or responded to defensively" and if the situation is "badly handled the result can be withdrawal or silence, or angry, defensive justification of the student's position" (p. 48). Confrontation is perhaps the most difficult and uncomfortable situation for a teacher or counselor to face because, as King points out, the student can become defensive and disregard the genuine concern of the teacher/counselor, ultimately cutting off any future communication, if not handled gently. She suggests several factors of which to be mindful when confronting a student such as tone of voice and manner in which the student is confronted. As an aspiring guidance, it would also be beneficial for the student if the confrontation might be kept as private as possible in an attempt to preserve student dignity and to avoid embarrassment.
Students tend to address problems or reach-out in a variety of ways. The information and experience that King shares about how to recognize students' efforts to reach-out, is invaluable. "The ways students test trust include asking a favour; telling a small secret; asking questions; putting themselves down; inconveniencing the helper; forgetting an appointment; being late for appointments; and questioning the helper's motives" (p. 81). Again, she emphasizes the importance of trust and building up a rapport with the student. King even addresses the difficult issues such as suicidal threats and crises. One essential bit of advice offered by King is the responsibility of the teacher or counselor to be familiar with the local counseling agencies and county mental health offices and what services are available through those venues. Such advice is priceless and that which should be seriously considered by all teachers and counselors.
King does not present any novel ideas but rather tactfully and honestly reinforces the importance of the role of a caring and effective teacher. New teachers and counselors would certainly benefit from reading King's work in an attempt to begin their work as a teacher or counselor or to build their resources. Likewise, it is a good review for those counselors or teachers who have already spent time with students and might be looking to sharpen or hone their counseling skills. As a graduate student, studying to become a secondary educational guidance counselor, the book was especially beneficial in giving an overview of many kinds of situations to be faced. Overall, the book is a helpful tool and resource and a welcome addition to any professional library.