Applying a Metaphorical Method in Career Counselling

The present paper presents the research results on the role of choosing the metaphorical method for career counselling. The research aims to analyse the results of applying the metaphorical method in career counselling. An analysis of relevant theories and the results of an assignment completed by students of professional education institutions was performed to achieve the aim. The study involved 19 students aged 18-30. The research found that metaphors stimulate the imagination of young individuals and allow them to creatively approach career investigation by using their potential for a complex understanding of career-related phenomena and thinking about their career development. The research results could contribute to the understanding of the role of applying metaphorical methods in career counselling and give an idea of young individuals’ creativity and imagination in connection with their career development. Career counsellors, teachers as career counsellors and personnel selection specialists could use the findings in their career counselling practice.

Physical activity counselling among junior doctors in the UK: A qualitative study

Background: Evidence supporting physical activity (PA) as an effective modality in the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases is robust. Medical doctors are ideally placed to translate this into practice; however, realising this has proved challenging. To ensure doctors are well prepared, the training of medical students to be proficient in PA counselling seems essential. This study aimed to explore the PA counselling practice of junior doctors, to gain insight into how undergraduate training might influence their future practice. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 11 junior doctors recruited by purposive sampling from across seven different medical schools. All junior doctors were currently undertaking their post-graduate training in North-West England. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Themes developed from the data were PA attitudes and practices, and barriers and facilitators to PA counselling in clinical practice. Conclusion: The PA counselling practice of junior doctors was found to be inadequate, and attitudes towards PA promotion were particularly discouraging while in the hospital setting. Lack of training in PA counselling at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level and lack of support from consultants were major hindrances. However, unexplored opportunities exist for junior doctors to incorporate PA counselling into primary and secondary care and thus transform the practice of the next generation of doctors.

Neue Perspektiven auf die Beratung der Jobcenter: Herausforderungen aus Sicht der Fachkräfte in NRW

Zusammenfassung Die vorliegende Studie ist ein Beitrag zur Professionalisierung der Beratung im Kontext des SGB II. Auf Basis einer repräsentativen Online-Fragebogenstudie mit Aussagen von 727 Fachkräften aus 26 Jobcentern in Nordrhein-Westfalen wurde mittels qualitativer Analysen und interdisziplinärer Diskussion der Ergebnisse ein tieferes Verständnis für die aktuellen Herausforderungen in der Beratung im aktiven Bereich der Jobcenter entwickelt. Dabei waren zentrale Problemfelder der wahrgenommene Zeitdruck in der Beratung, fehlende Möglichkeiten zur Reflexion und Weiterentwicklung von Beratungskompetenzen und die schwierige Integration der Beratungspraxis in die organisationalen Strukturen und Steuerungsbedarfe der Jobcenter. Abstract: New Perspectives on the Counselling Services of Employment Agencies in Germany: Challenges from Counsellors’ Point of View The present study contributes to the professionalization of counselling services offered by German employment agencies. Based on qualitative analyses of a representative survey study from 727 counsellors of 26 employment agencies in North Rhine-Westphalia together with the discussion of the present results from an interdisciplinary perspective, this research developed a deeper understanding of current challenges in employment counselling. In particular, a focus was set on experienced time pressure, the missing opportunities for counsellors to reflect and develop personal counselling skills, and the difficult integration of counselling practice into the organizational structures and management needs of the employment agencies.

EXPLORING COUNSELLORS’ UNDERSTANDING AND PRACTICE OF MULTICULTURAL COUNSELLING IN MALAYSIA

Background and Purpose: In order to make counselling meaningful and culturally relevant, it is essential for counsellors to have a practical counselling model that is context-specific and matches the needs and values of the population of that specific culture. Hence, the present research aims to explore professional counsellors’ understanding and practice of multicultural counselling in Malaysia. Methodology: This study adopted a complementarity mixed-method research design using both qualitative and quantitative approaches to gauge the different features of multicultural counselling competency. Findings: Malaysian professional counsellors, as a group, perceived themselves to be multiculturally competent. The most challenging cases encountered by Malaysian counsellors were (a) counselling culturally challenging clients (i.e., culturally different clients), (b) counselling culturally challenging issues/problems (culturally sensitive and complicated issues/problems in Malaysia), and (c) managing personal challenges (dealing with personal cultural and social issues in counselling). Thematic analysis also revealed three emergent themes to describe how Malaysian counsellors engage with culture and diversity in counselling and these themes broadly resembled the three stages of the general counselling process: pre-counselling, during counselling and post-counselling. Contributions: This research adds to the multicultural counselling literature by generating knowledge regarding the understanding and practice of multicultural counselling in the local socio-political context. Education and training organizations should recognize the critical importance of infusing multicultural counselling education into all subjects and training programs in counsellor education programs and training of novice counsellors in order for it to be seamlessly incorporated into counselling practice. Keywords: Culture and diversity, Malaysian counselling, multicultural counselling competency, multicultural counselling practice, multicultural counselling understanding. Cite as: Mohd Jaladin, R. A., Simmonds, J. G., Greenway, P., & Barkatsas, T. (2021). Exploring counsellors’ understanding and practice of multicultural counselling in Malaysia. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(1), 323-350. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss1pp323-350

Understanding the Link Between Motivational Interviewing and Self-Compassion

In this article, the authors posit that the accepting and compassionate spirit of motivational interviewing (MI), along with specific content-based techniques (i.e., reframing), can help to cultivate a self-compassionate mindset within clients receiving MI. The authors explore this link further while discussing potential moderators that may influence this process as well as practical implications for counselling practice and future research recommendations. This article is innovative in that it could provide a new theoretical foundation for conducting research that supports the effectiveness of MI in enhancing self-compassion, which has been associated with a myriad of improved psychological outcomes. The concepts of this paper and the exploration between specific MI techniques would be valuable to many clinicians with the desire to increase self-compassion in their clients.

Healthcare workers’ knowledge, preparedness, counselling practices, and perceived barriers to confront COVID-19: A cross-sectional study from a war-torn country, Yemen

Background The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) represents a difficult challenge and could have devastating consequences for the healthcare system and healthcare workers in war-torn countries with poor healthcare facilities such as Yemen. Our study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, preparedness, counselling practices of healthcare workers regarding COVID-19, and the perceived barriers to adequately prevent and control COVID-19 in Yemen. Methods Healthcare workers (HCWs) from major healthcare facilities participated in this cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire comprising of five main domains (demographics, knowledge, self-preparedness, counselling practice, perceived barriers) was distributed among HCWs after obtaining informed consent. A convenient sampling technique was used. Descriptive and inferential analyses were applied using SPSS software. Results A total of 1000 participants were initially targeted to participate in the study with 514 (51.4%) responding, of which 55.3% were female. Physicians and nurses constituted the largest proportion of participants, with 39.5% and 33.3%, respectively. The median scores for knowledge, self-preparedness, and counselling practice were 8 (out of 9), 9 (out of 15), and 25 (out of 30), respectively. The physician group showed a statistically significant association with better knowledge compared to the nurse group only, P<0.001. Males had higher preparedness scores than females, p<0.001. Also, the intensive care unit (ICU) and emergency departments presented a statistically significant difference by which the participants from these departments were more prepared compared to the others (e.g. outpatients, paediatrics and surgery) with P < 0.0001. The lack of awareness among the general population about COVID-19 preventive measures was perceived as the most common barrier for the adequate prevention and control of COVID-19 in Yemen (89.1%). Conclusion The major highlight of this study is that HCWs have, overall, good knowledge, suboptimal preparedness, and adequate counselling practices prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Yemen, despite the high number of perceived barriers. However, urgent action and interventions are needed to improve the preparedness of HCWs to manage COVID-19. The perceived barriers also need to be fully addressed by the local healthcare authorities and international organisations working in Yemen for adequate prevention and control measures to be in place in managing COVID-19.

Understanding congruence in person-centred counselling practice: A trainee counsellor’s perspective

Congruence is a condition in therapeutic relationship that refers to accurate matching of a person’s experience with awareness. In person-centred counselling, counsellor’s congruence is believed as one of helpful and significant aspects that facilitates clients’ growth in counselling. However, this term is quite difficult to understand as a single condition as it interrelated to the other conditions such as empathy and unconditional positive regard. Understanding congruence theoretically and practically is intriguing as well as challenging especially for a trainee counsellor that is still learning to apply theory on practice. This paper aims to critically explore congruence from person-centred counselling theory and to demonstrate some evidences of the development of congruence in practice based on the author’s counselling practice as a trainee counsellor. There are three main discussions in this paper that is to explain congruence from the theoretical point of view, to understand the relation between congruence and acceptance and to explore congruence in person-centred practice. The exploration found that trainee counsellor’s cultural background including condition of worth and language barrier is one of challenges in experiencing congruence within person-centred counselling practice.Keywords: congruence, person-centred counselling, unconditional positive regard, ontological standpoint

Understanding guidance counselling needs of adults with dyslexia through the lens of a critical-recognitive social justice perspective and a biopsychosocial model of disability

This article draws on the findings from a qualitatively-led sequential mixed methods doctorate study which was located within the Irish Adult Educational Guidance Services (AEGS) and focused on the guidance counselling needs of adults with dyslexia. Honneth's (2003) conceptions of recognition, equality and social justice, and the interactionist and non-reductionist biopsychosocial (BPS) model of disability (WHO 2011) provided an opportunity to examine and interpret the findings as matters of social justice. The wider application of Honneth's theory and the BPS model to career counselling practice are also considered.