Helping Process
The Helping Process refers to the structured approach of providing assistance to individuals seeking change, commonly observed in social work, psychology, and interpersonal relationships. This process involves a helper offering support to a helpee, who has the autonomy to accept or refuse assistance in achieving their goals. A key principle is empowering individuals to help themselves rather than relying on the helper to solve their problems. Trust and an unconditional positive regard between the helper and helpee are essential for effective outcomes, as these elements foster an environment conducive to personal growth.
In professional settings, counselors evaluate clients to identify needs and collaboratively establish realistic, measurable goals for change. They guide clients through the change process while allowing for setbacks and emphasizing the importance of personal responsibility. In interpersonal contexts, such as parenting or teaching, the Helping Process similarly focuses on recognizing individual needs and fostering independence, while also setting appropriate boundaries and expectations. Ultimately, the Helping Process is about creating supportive relationships that promote self-sufficiency and personal development across various life situations.
Helping Process
Helping is the process of providing aid or assistance and often results from a need for change. Helping can be a social process in which a person known as a helper offers aid and a person known as a helpee chooses to accept assistance in achieving a goal. Some helping situations require a person to act as an authority figure to establish these goals for another person.
The helping process, commonly found in the fields of social work and psychology and interpersonal relationships such as those between parents and children or teachers and students, is often defined as "helping others to help themselves."
Professional Counseling
In the field of social work, social workers and other counselors are often called upon to evaluate helpees known as clients. Such evaluations often suggest behavioral or other changes that would benefit the client. Constructive helping is the process in which the counselor empowers the client to recognize this need, create a plan, and implement the change. The person-centered approach, which was developed by psychologist Carl Rogers, is one commonly used method of counseling for change.
Outside influence cannot force change, and change must come from within a person. Counselors should set clear boundaries with clients. The goal of the helping process is to guide people to help themselves. Counselors should not do the work for clients or fix their problems.
To help a client work for change, the counselor and client must first establish a relationship of trust. The counselor may have to work to develop this trust through effective listening to understand the client's problems and to learn about how the client acts, feels, and thinks. The relationship should be based on honesty and equality. The counselor should spend time evaluating the client's strengths and goals before developing a helping plan. A relationship based on trust allows clients to make mistakes and encourages them to be responsible for the consequences.
Rogers found that the strongest helping relationships are those in which the helper has an unconditional positive regard for the helpee. This means the counselor accepts the client as a worthy individual, regardless of other factors such as behavior or beliefs. It is also described as unconditional acceptance.
The counselor and client should work together to define the problem and establish goals for change. Goals should be obtainable and measurable. The counselor may need to help the client see the real problem. For example, a woman may say she needs a steady job, but the counselor may recognize that substance abuse is the woman's real problem and must help her see this problem for herself.
Next the counselor and client should discuss ways to achieve the goals of change, note the strengths and weaknesses of strategies, and finally choose the plan best suited to the individual's needs. The helping process continues as the counselor provides support and encouragement and guides the change process. The client and counselor may need to refine the plan if stumbling blocks stall change or discourage the client. To be effective, the counselor must be patient. Change often takes time and may involve setbacks that must be overcome.
The helping process may be mutually beneficial because the act of helping can fulfill the needs of both parties. Each party should understand how the helping relationship is fulfilling the needs of each other. However, the counselor should be aware that the client may not succeed or may not choose a goal in keeping with the counselor's beliefs or ideas. The counselor must accept this result. Regardless of the outcome, counselors often say aiding others is rewarding.
Interpersonal Relationships
The helping process for those in interpersonal relationships such as parents and children or teachers and students is similar to counseling relationships. Parents, for example, should tailor parenting actions to the personality and needs of each child. Individual needs will change over time and may change in different situations. Because parents are in close contact with their children, they often are able to observe these changes. However, parents must take care to offer children appropriate help, teaching them to do things for themselves rather than doing things for their children.
Unconditional positive regard is usually established early in healthy parent-child relationships. The main goal of parenting is to help children learn to care for themselves. This involves understanding the needs and abilities of children and setting realistic goals. Unlike counselors working with clients in an equal partnership, parents must be the authority figures and decide what change is needed for their children.
Parenting involves setting limits, establishing and communicating expectations, being consistent, and enforcing consequences, among other tasks. Setting limits, for example, helps children learn self-control. These actions when used correctly are effective strategies of the helping process. Trust is a very important factor in the helping process in all types of interpersonal relationships. As in counseling relationships, consistency and fairness help establish trust between parents and children.
Educators may need to set up helping processes throughout the school year and tailor them to individual students' needs and abilities. Teachers often aid students using teaching techniques similar to parenting methods. Teachers should communicate high—yet attainable—expectations and establish a classroom routine to provide structure. They should be clear about acceptable behavior and establish rules with consequences for students who fail to follow rules. Teachers also should apply these consequences in a fair manner. This helps establish trust between the teacher and students. Providing a rubric for assignments also helps students understand what is expected of them and shows them how their work will be evaluated, which aids them in achieving their goals.
Bibliography
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"Effective Helping Relationships." Global Effectiveness Training. Center for Studies of the Person. Web. 6 Jan. 2015. http://www.go-get.org/effect.html
"Helping Others Help Themselves: A Self-Study Series." Cooperative Extension Service. University of Wisconsin-Extension. Web. 6 Jan. 2015. http://www.uwex.edu/ces/pdande/learning/pdf/helping.PDF
"Helping Process, Psychology 478/578." University of Idaho. University of Idaho. Web. 6 Jan. 2015. http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/psyc478www/topics/helping‗process.htm
Kelly, Melissa. "Eight Things Teachers Can Do to Help Students Succeed." About.com. About.com. Web. 6 Jan. 2015. http://712educators.about.com/od/motivation/tp/Eight-Things-Teachers-Can-Do-To-Create-Successful-Students.htm
Schmidt, John J. "Counselor Intentionality and Effective Helping." ERIC Digest. American Counseling Association. Apr. 1994. Web. 6 Jan. 2015. https://www.counseling.org/resources/library/ERIC%20Digests/94-05.pdf