SocioDynamic Counselling Theory and Practice

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SocioDynamic CounsellingTheory and Practice

• Kai Koivumäki
• kai.koivumaki_at_oph.fi
• June 2006
• Vilnius

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What is counselling?

• Counselling is the skilled and principled use
  of relationships which develop self-knowledge,
  emotional acceptance and growth, and personal
  resources. The overall aim is to live more fully
  and satisfyingly. Counselling may be concerned
  with addressing and resolving specific problems,
  making decisions, coping with crises, developing
  personal insight and knowledge, working through
  feelings and inner conflicts, or improving
  relationships with others.
• The counsellors role is to facilitate the
  clients work in ways that respect the clients
  values, personal resources, and capacity for
  choice within his or her cultural context.
  (British Association for Counselling)

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Guidance To promote the clients ability to
improve his or her life by means of dialogue. The
goals are based on the preferences expressed by
the client.
Advice To give the client advice about a proper
procedure to meet his or her needs.
Information To provide the client with the
information he or she needs.
Goals
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Phases of counselling in Finland

• Psychometric phase in the mid-1950s
  differential psychology, differences between
  individuals, testing
• Clinical-diagnostic phase from 1950-1960 methods
  of counselling from clinical psychology
• 1960-65 Ego ja self-theories (Rogers),
  personality was the key element, psychometric
  approach no more important
• Therapy orientation at the end of 1960, emphasise
  a psychogist as a professional, methods ability,
  personality, and interest testing

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...phases

• Consultative phase, 1960-70 attention on group
  and consultative methods. Communication and
  group theory. Later psycho- and sociodrama
• New professionalism, 1977 periods of life and
  development task/life period. Cognitive learning
  theories and sociodrama
• New phase ongoing, change of paradigm
• changes in the labour market
• lifelong learning
• unclear and dusty future
• multiform careers
• constructivist perspective

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CAREERS AND VOCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
A)
INDUSTRIAL WORKLIFE
Relationship to work permanent jobs, static,
vocational/professional development
straightforwarded PHASE, CLEARNESS, LONG WORK
HISTORIES, SAME EMPLOYER
?
POST INDUSTRIAL WORKLIFE SECOND MODERN
B)
Relationship to work flexible, continuous
professional development, not straightforwarded ei
-suoraviivainen development is continuous disc
ontinuous progressive stopping rational irratio
nal harmonious unexpected
FROM A CLEAR CAREER TO RISK MANAGEMENT,
MISTINESS and INDIVIDUAL PATHS
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Humanistic psychology
Equity, uniqueness
Existential philosophy
Cognitive theory, Constructivist approach, Social
constructivism
System theory
SocioDynamic
Cultural perspective
NLP
Solution focused theory Appreciative inquiry
Narrative thinking
Linguistics
Active Engagement /counselling /Amundson
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Vance Peavys life story

• Born in 1929, Colorado Rockies, USA
• Worked at the family farm and other ranches for
  18 years, took care of sheep, 15 years in
  construction and steel mill work
• Difficult family situation, left home at age 14,
  lived with a neighbour Auntie and Uncle John
  (Indian)
• Studied and got his first job as a counsellor in
  1954
• Worked as a school counsellor for 10 years,
  studied and completed his doctorate in
  counselling psychology at the University of
  Oregon 1965
• Worked as a counsellor, teacher, therapist and
  researcher

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Vance Peavys life story

• Moved to Canada in 1967, found a job at the
  University of Victoria (Vancouver), developed the
  training of employment counsellors in Canada,
  established Canadas national counselling journal
• Director of a research project 1988-1992
  (examined all current counselling methods, began
  to create a new form of counselling
• Retired in 1993
• Continued to research, mentor, train and write
• Had lots of courses in Canada, Portugal, Sweden,
  Finland and Denmark
• Died in July 2002

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• SOCIODYNAMIC COUNSELLING IS
• A. PERSPECTIVE ON CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL LIFE AND
  THE NATURE OF
• SELF
• B. A PHILOSOPHY OF HELPING
• C. A SET OF COUNSELLING CONCEPTS AND PRACTICES
• BASED ON A B ABOVE
• SOCIODYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE, PHILOSOPHY, AND
  PRACTICE COMBINE IN A
• HOLISTIC FASHION TO HELP PEOPLE SEEK ANSWERS TO
  THE QUESTION
• HOW SHOULD I LIVE MY LIFE?
• Across a wide range of concerns, including
• Employment and job seeking
• Career choice and development
• Workplace adjustment
• Training and education questions
• Relationship conflict and repair
• Social problems

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Some concepts

• Socio dynamic
• Autobiographical self
• Self/Identity
• Multi-voiced self
• Cultural awareness
• Co-construction, joint action
• Guided participation
• Mindful problem-solving
• Counselling as bricolage
• Life space

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Identity Construction- as the basis for
SocioDynamic Counselling

• to internalise / to externalise
• process of identification unconscious for
  children, conscious for adults
• to negotiate the identity using a language
• to give meaning to work, education, career, etc.
• positive identity gt positive relationship to the
  environment

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Meaning making What kind of work, education,
etc. experiences do I have?
Membership of a community/ communities Where do
I belong?
Counselling as Empowering Identity Negotiation
Everyday practices and routines What do I do?
Vision What do I want to become?
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IDENTITY
ROLE
EXPERIENCE
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Where is the Future The future is not out there
some place ahead of me that I am going to. It is
not a place I must get ready for, that I must
prepare to find. The future is not found, its
MADE. The future is a place I create. I give
birth to the future, first of all, in my
imagination. I must be able to IMAGINE what kind
of future I would prefer.. Then, I orient
towards that future by my DESIRE to actualise it.
The possibility of this future MATTERS to me. It
has MEANING for me. Finally, I must act to
create the future I desire. By ACTING and
INTERACTING, I transform the future from
possibility into actuality. The formula for
future creation is IMAGINE, DESIRE, ACT.
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Entering the Life Space of a Client

• dialogic listening
• to find the other where the other is
• create a holistic equilibrium between the client
  and the counsellor
• life space mapping
• studying experience gt voices/roles gt identity
• taking into account the clients social
  environment

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Good Questions

• Who are the other people involved in the concern?
• In what way are they involved?
• What are you thinking/doing at the moment related
  to the problem?
• Main effect this problem has on your daily life?
• How would your life change if this problem did
  not exist?
• What is stopping you from resolving this
  difficulty?
• If you suddenly got the power to change the
  situation, what is the main thing you would
  change?
• What can you do yourself?
• Who else could help you?
• If someone else has this problem, what would you
  suggest they do?

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Mapping (the meanings)

• Clarifying and simplifying complex situations
• Creating new insights and ideas about the concern
• Identifying strengths and barriers
• Serving as a preliminary plan of action
• Revealing influences and patterns
• Revealing important relationships and connections
• Making the self visible
• Revealing a sense of self within the existing
  reality
• Producing descriptions of actions, feelings, and
  interactions
• Contextualising the concern

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Methods

• Life space, visualising, other mappings
• Drawing the line of my life
• Life as a book, the chapters of my life
• My story
• House of voices
• Metaphors
• My possible futures

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Methods

• Making meaning through relationships
• Magic wand
• Talking circle
• Now that I am older
• Important photos, objects
• My projects

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Methods

• The fruits of my life
• Mapping direction in my life

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HELP SEEKER
COUNSELLOR
I BRING WITH ME I BRING WITH ME
1 MY STORY OF MY CONCERN 1 MY ABILITY TO
GUIDE DIALOGUE 2 MY VIEW OF MY PROBLEM
2 A RANGE OF PROBLEM-SOLVING MODELS 3.
READINESS/UNREADINESS 3 INTENTION TO
CREATE TRUST SAFETY 4. DESIRE TO EXPRESS MYSELF
4 LISTENING ABILITY 5 MY ATTITUDE
TOWARDS HELP 5 MY ABILITY TO LEARN FROM
YOU 6. MY RELEVANT EXPERIENCE 6 A DESIRE
TO ENTER INTO YOUR LIFE SPACE 7. MY NEEDS,
DREAMS, FEARS 7 INTEREST IN AND OPENNESS
TO YOU 8. MY DESIRE FOR CAPACITY 8 A
DESIRE TO WORK CO-OPERATIVELY 9. WHAT I KNOW HOW
TO DO 9 ACCESS TO RELEVANT DATA 10
UNCERTAINTY 10
RESPECT, HOPE AND SUPPORTIVENSS 11 PERCEPTIONS OF
CONSTRAINT 11 POSSIBILITY EXLORATION OF
LIMITS 12 CONFUSION
12 CLARIFICATION
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Basic Conditions for Group Dynamics
Group Members Diversity (age, gender,
educational background), social structures,
group leader?
Environmental factors Physical, social
environment, position of the group in a system

• Meaning of the Group
• Task
• Goal of the Group

Group leaders One or more? Qualifications Compet
ences
Group Dynamics Participation, communication,
norms, roles, leadership, cohesion, motivation,
etc. Results Emotional experiences, therapeutic
effect, learning experiences, factual results
(employment, etc.), productivity, general well
being, etc.
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• Developmental Phases of a Group
• Planning to motivate, to understand why
• Start joining the group, getting to know each
  other, my
• place in this group, my relationship to others,
  trust
• 3. Working orientation according to the main
  goals,
• take responsibility for themselves, activity,
• problem-solving, sharing
• 4. Ending make a resumé of what you have
  learned,
• evaluate the experiences, evaluate the goals
• 5. Follow Up checking that the new ideas and
  skills
• become reality, support for the individuals

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Some Tasks for a Good Group Counsellor

• To create good circumstances/frames/space for the
  group
• To clarify the main tasks of the group
• To stand uncertainty have contact with personal
  feelings
• To understand/manipulate group dynamics
• To create a relationship with all members of the
  group
• To build up a safe and trusting atmosphere
• To act as a container
• To enable communication between group members
• To encourage creativity

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SOME EXAMPLES OF GROUPS

• Classroom teaching
• Group counselling in schools
• Career counselling in employment offices
• Starting up a business
• How to achieve a life change empowerment for
  career development
• Job clubs

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CONCLUSIONS

• SOCIODYNAMIC PHILOSOPHY AND METHODS ARE USEFUL IN
  GROUP COUNSELLING IF CERTAIN CONDITIONS ARE
  FULLFILLED (TIME, GROUP SIZE, ETC.)
• GROUP COUNSELLING STARTS UP DIFFERENT KINDS OF
  PROCESSES THAN IN INDIVIDUAL COUNSELLING
• GROUP COUNSELLING CAN FUNCTION AS MINI
  COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE OFFER AN OPPORTUNITY TO
  STUDY EXPERIENCES OF BELONGING AND IDENTITIES
• THE EFFECTS DEPEND ON THE INDIVIDUAL CLIENTS
• CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE BASIC IDENTITY
  CONSTRUCTION AND IDENTIFICATION
• LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED IDENTITY CHANGES
• OTHERS TO SEE NEW POSSIBILITIES, ATTITUDE
  CHANGES, INFORMATION, NEW PERSPECTIVES, FEEDBACK,
  ETC.

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12 SIGNS OF GOOD SOCIODYNAMIC/CONSTRUCTIVIST
COUNSELLINGThe counsellor presents a human face
and not an official or expert face.The
counsellor and help seeker converse in a way
sensible to both.The counsellor and help seeker
find, or create, common ground.The atmosphere is
safe, friendly supportiveboth parties feel
involved.The counsellor models and promotes
dialogical communication.The counsellor guides
the discussion but does not impose an agenda.The
counselling session is focused, reflective,
active and has feeling.The counsellor is
attentive to the life experience of the help
seeker.The counsellor is prepared to use a range
of communication modestalking, visualising,
writing, reflecting, and respectful silence as
needed.The counsellor customises the counselling
to fit the needs of the particular help
seeker.The counsellor knows how to access any
data or information that is needed and is able
to assist the help seeker convert the information
to useful and meaningful personal knowledge.The
counsellor and help seeker co-operate in
producing and evaluating good ideas about
possible solutions making decisions,
formulating goals, and outlining plans of action.
The counsellor guides but does not impose the
communication and planning.
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More information

• www.sociodynamic-constructivist-counselling.com
• www.taosinstitute.net
• www.cimo.fi
• International network in sociodynamic counselling
  gt next seminar in Stockholm May 2007