Elements of Counselling: A Handbook for Counsellors in Southern Africa

ISBN: 9780620466066

Sophiatown Community Psychological Services, 2010

144 pages, Paperback

This isn't just another self-help book. It's a help-yourself as well as a help-others help-themselves book...

Recognizing just how important it is to be able to talk about ourselves to ourselves and each other, the authors of this book start out by underlining the value of knowing how to listen and when to speak. They then go into detail about ways of listening and speaking based on sound psychological theories as well as good clinical practices, which have traditionallt been the preserve of counsellors, psychologists, priests and other helping professions.

The authors of this book bring their experiences in diverse settings to practicing counsellors as well as to the broader public. They outline a number of essential skills - from listening and talking, to reflecting, understanding, and problem-solving. Practicing counsellors as well as the broader public will benefit from this text's use of case histories, technical terms and reflection exercises. This first section of basics is completed by a section dedicated to some of the most challenging issues people in southern Africa are facing today - trauma, sexuality, HIV/AIDS, bereavement and spirituality.