Counselling - a profession, carried out primarily by trained social workers

Editorial

Counselling - a profession, carried out primarily by trained social workers has a strong philosophical, methodological and procedural linkage with social work profession. In principle, the profession of social work aims at helping individuals to help themselves. Similarly, counselling attempts to facilitate individuals either to cope with the problems by therapeutically analyzing the dynamics of the problems faced and enhancing individual coping skills, or in working out, along with the client, the alternatives to deal with the problem. The methods of social work especially the primary methods, have much relevance in providing individual and group counselling. One can see a telling similarity on procedural dimension between the phases of counselling and social case work. Hence we see trained social workers being employed and providing counselling services in different social work settings.

            Counselling, in recent days, has become an accepted and increasingly important professional norm in various health and social domains. The counsellors are employed in corporate sectors, academic institutions, correctional settings, healthcare centers, etc. There are instances of trained social workers doubling as consultant counsellors in private clinics apart from doing private practice. There is a need for employment of counsellors in all professions wherever the management of human relations and related aspects exists. Further efforts are to be made to strengthen social work inputs in counselling as this profession believes in and focuses on holistic development of the individual in a deeper sense, and not just stopping at addressing the problem superficially.

            This June -2012 issue of Social Work Foot-Print (Samajakaryada Hejjegalu) contain articles about practice of counselling in some of the vital areas/settings of social work.  The articles, which are primarily experiential in nature, highlight the need, scope and the process details of counselling services in these settings. The issue of strengthening counselling in rural and community setting are also highlighted. I hope and trust that this issue of the journal will be a great help to both academicians and practitioners of counselling. The readers professional views are solicited so that the counselling profession can be further strengthened with their suggestion which can go a long way.

            I thank the co-professionals,  academicians for sending the papers.

Dr. T.S. Chandrashekara