CAN PEOPLE BE SENT FOR COUNSELLING?

Whether clients in need of counselling should seek this of their own volition or at the behest of employer/superior/other is debated. The approaches/attitudes which are possible from the standpoint of both counsellor and counselled can vary in the light of the client′s personality and the organisation′s culture/ideology. The scenario ranges from a self‐referred client in a person‐centred setting to a coerced client in an organisationally‐oriented ideology. The former appears to be the ideal subject for counselling, whilst the latter represents the antithesis of normal counselling. In between can fall many permutations of the balance, which renders the counsellor′s job difficult in trying to achieve an outcome acceptable to both organisation and client.