Family and Child Welfare

Family and Child Welfare 3 (3+0)

Lesson 21 : Programmes for Youth - Youth counseling

Principles of counseling

The following are some of the principles which may be kept in view in the process of counselling:

1. The individuals vary in mental abilities and, therefore adjustment with the same stimuli for different youth cannot be the same. Therefore, each individual is to helped at his level.
2. Environment in which the youth lives is rapidly changing and these changes have profound effect on adjustment process.
3. A decision based on the adjustment of the youth may be faulty and, therefore, the youth has to be helped comprehend the pros and cons of a situation sot he may take a wise decision.
4. A counsellor should work with the youth on a democratic basis instead of imposing his decisions the youth by virtue of his being more mature and senior to them. He should help them to take individual decisions.
5. The counsellor should establish close relationship w the youth so that the latter feels very comfortable w he talks to the counsellor and finds in him a friend philosopher and a guide. Confidence of the youth the counsellor is, therefore, one of the most important principles of counselling.
6. In creating that relationship, the counsellor has to get information about the youth from his parents, school records, friends, neighbourhood and the youth himself. It may be necessary to pay home visits to the youth order to understand the past performance, character and the experience of the youth.
7. The counsellor has to work with the youth in order to help him to understand himself and to take decisions in solving his problems. Therefore, counsellor has to work with the youth and not for the youth. "

Pre-requisites
The following are the pre-requisites of an agency which renders counselling service to the youth:

1. A whole-time counsellor, who by virtue of his age, education and experience is mature enough to handle the youth. In addition to sufficient educational back­ground, he should have an understanding of human problems, psychology of youth, and psychology of the education. He should have faith in the human beings and confidence in the knowledge of the various oppor­tunities existing in the community for the youth.
2. The agency must have on its list names of various agencies which render
   1. counselling service
   2. voca­tional guidance
   3. advice on opportunities for train­ing and employment
3. A counselling agency should have a unit with part­ time psychologist and psychiatrist for personality and aptitude tests.
4. The agency should also have a small library with books to provide necessary guidance and recreation to the youth.
5. It should also have small recreation club and a hobby club, so that when the youth attend the counselling agency they should not sit as people with problems or like ailing patients. It is through recreation and hobbies the youth pursue, the type of books they use that a counsellor would be able to understand the youth better and try to plan out something for him, keeping in view his interest in books, hobbies etc.