introductionRemarkably little is wr

introduction
Remarkably little is written about assessment in comparison with
‘middles’ and ‘endings’.We suspect that it is easier to talk about the
process of counselling after it has begun than the rationale for beginning
it, the purpose of assessment depending on the purpose of counselling
– and that is contested, ambiguous and fluid.
Purpose of counselling and the influence of this on
assessment
Because of its emphasis on the facilitation of personal change, the
purpose of counselling must necessarily be highly individual, and
therefore endlessly variable, making it difficult to define its purpose.
McLeod cites Feltham and Dryden’s (1993) definition of counselling:
A principled relationship characterised by the application of one or more
psychological theories and a recognised set of communication skills, modified
by experience, intuition and other interpersonal factors, to clients’ intimate
concerns, problems and aspirations. Its predominant ethos is one of facilitation
rather than advice giving or coercion. (McLeod, 1998, p. 3)
But, of course, it is not this simple. Counselling is not just something
that happens between two people, the counselling encounter involves
but one small section of a complex set of relationships.These include:
• The client’s home. The counsellor has no direct experience of the
client’s extended family and community relationships, which are
filtered through the client’s narrative, shaped by the counsellor’s
questions.
• The counsellor’s theoretical home. The relationships here consist
of the relationship the counsellor has with her or his own values
and beliefs, choice of psychological theory, and experiences.
Counsellors’ degrees of comfortableness in their theoretical homes
will affect their confidence in shaping clients’ narratives through the
sort of questions asked and the interpretations made. As the counsellor
also has a relationship with his or her supervisor – who has no
direct experience of the client – the narrative may be further shaped
by this encounter. The client has no direct experience of this relationship,
nor of its potential to influence what will seem an intensely
personal and private relationship between counsellor and client.
• The counsellor’s agency home. The counsellor’s relationship with
the employing agency affects how assessments are undertaken.