Problems, Difficulties and Challenges Faced by Counsellors

Even though counselling is as old as Psychology in India, counselling education at post-graduate level and counsellors working in diverse settings are of recent origin. Not much is known about the problems, difficulties and challenges the counsellors face. The current study is done within the qualitative framework, with exploratory study design for which 14 participants who were working in different settings like school, college, employee assistant programme (EAP), family counselling centre, psychiatric rehabilitation centre, de-addiction centre, private practice, multiple settings, counselling centre, Christian religious setting, HIV/Aids centre were chosen through purposive sampling and were interviewed. The audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative content analysis and the emerging themes were noted. The study showed among others, that the counsellors face several problems, difficulties and challenges like, lack of awareness of counselling among people, inadequate pay, job insecurity, absence of a professional body to regulate counselling, lack of network of counsellors and mental health professionals for seeking supervision and consultation, and so on. Implications for counsellor training, professional development are discussed.