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Why is counselling considered a “helping activity”?

Because the counsellor helps individuals identify problems or issues negatively affecting their quality of life and supports them to find a solution or resolution.

What is a “helping conversation” or “helping interaction”?

An interaction between a helper and a helpee, where the helper is not necessarily a counsellor. Examples of helpers include managers, teachers and doctors.

How might a helping session differ from a counselling session?

Helping sessions may be short (around 15–20 minutes) and may happen on an ad hoc or one-off basis.

What are Rogers’ three core conditions?

Empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard (UPR).

What is unconditional positive regard (UPR)?

The counsellor demonstrates that they value and accept the client as they are and genuinely care about helping them.

How does unconditional positive regard help the counselling relationship?

It builds trust and rapport and creates a safe space where the client can talk without fear of disapproval or rejection.

What is congruence?

Being genuine and authentic by showing warmth and understanding.

How does congruence help the client?

It helps the client feel at ease discussing difficult or embarrassing subjects and helps build a trusting relationship.

What is empathy?

The ability to understand and share another person’s feelings.

How does empathy help in counselling?

It builds trust by showing the client that the counsellor understands their feelings and is not judging them.

What are the core counselling skills listed in the lesson?

Unconditional positive regard, empathy, active listening/reflection, questioning, silence, summarising and paraphrasing.

What is active listening?

Showing the client that the counsellor is interested in what they are saying and invested in helping them find solutions.

What is reflecting?

Repeating key words or phrases back to the client to demonstrate active listening and understanding.

How can reflecting help a client?

It allows the client to hear what they have said and can help them gain perspective on their situation.

What are open questions?

Questions that cannot be answered with one word or simply “yes” or “no”; they require the client to describe and explain their thoughts and feelings.

Give an example of an open question.

“What is it that brought you here today?” / “How did that make you feel?”

What are closed questions?

Questions requiring a “yes” or “no” or a short answer.

What should closed questions be used for in a helping relationship?

They should only be used to clarify understanding and gather facts or information.

Why is silence an important counselling tool?

It gives the client time to think about their situation, come to their own conclusions and find their own answers.

How can silence help a client feel more comfortable?

It allows them to talk at their own pace.

What is summarising?

Summing up the main points of what the client has said.

How does summarising help the client?

It demonstrates that the counsellor has been listening and understands, while helping the client understand where they are and further examine their thoughts and feelings.

What is paraphrasing?

Choosing key phrases the client has used and repeating them back to them.

How does paraphrasing help?

It shows the counsellor understands the client, checks that they are both on the same page and allows the client to hear what they have said from a different perspective.

What are examples of non-counselling skills listed in the lesson?

Conditional positive regard, unconditional negative regard, intuition, being chatty, being quick to arrive at a decision and repeating exactly what a client has said.

What does UPR stand for?

Unconditional Positive Regard.

What are the four skills and meanings specifically tested in Question 3?

• Unconditional positive regard — values and accepts the client as they are.

• Congruence — genuine and authentic, showing warmth and understanding.

• Empathy — understanding and sharing another person’s feelings.

• Active listening — showing the client that the counsellor is interested in what they are saying.

How long do most counselling sessions last according to the lesson?

Between 50 minutes and an hour.

What are the three core conditions described by Carl Rogers?

Empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard.