Counselling: a technology for the wellbeing of the professional

Abstract

This paper presents the basic knowledge, attitudes and skills that are required for an effective use of Counselling (assisted advice) in the care of patients/users/clients. Attention is drawn to the benefits that such use brings for the health professional him/herself, in relation to dealing with their own emotions and those of the patients, and to facilitating lasting changes in the behaviour patterns of users and relatives. The guiding ideas are: From the point of view of Counselling health is understood to be a right that all citizens are entitled to (including patients and health professionals of course), not an obligation; and this takes concrete form in specific contents and methods. Counselling assigns the patient the role of "driver" (of his health-disease process) and the professional the role of "facilitator" ("co-driver" of that driving.) Counselling contemplates three types of skill: emotional (intra and interpersonal), communication and motivation for change. The skills make it possible to control the development and intensity of the emotional alterations that appear in patients, in relatives and in the professionals themselves. In communication with the user, the "music" (that which is non-verbal, how communication is carried out) is as or more important than the "wording" (that which is verbal, what is communicated). It is difficult to promote lasting changes in the behaviour patterns of users without previously carrying out a rigorous diagnosis of behaviour. The first and greatest beneficiary of Counselling is the professional who practices it, who can achieve his aims in a more efficient way and at the least personal cost. Habitual practice of Counselling is a good way of preventing the emergence of difficult, aggressive and emotionally overwhelming situations. It is probable that Counselling will bring about a crisis in the contents and, above all, in the forms of practice; this is magnificent since it offers the possibility of incorporating changes.