Counselling Hearing Loss Individuals and Their Significant Others

1
Counselling Hearing Loss Individuals and Their
Significant Others

• A Program of Counselling Coaching
• and Psychology
• Vincent J Little

2
Hearing Loss is an Issue for the Hard of Hearing
and every person with whom they come into contact

• In Australia, Hearing Loss affects one in six
  people over the age of 15 years
• Over the age of 62 one in two people are
• affected by HL
• It is suggested that HL costs almost
  12 billion p.a.
• People in the 18-25 age group (and maybe
  younger) are suffering HL due to loud music

3
Federal Government Initiatives

• Rehab Plus was introduced in Jan 2008
• It is aimed at assisting clients to acquire and
  apply skills to maximize their communication
  abilities and better manage their HL
• The underlying aim is to assist clients to
  maximize the use of Gov subsidized Hearing Aids
  

4
An Evolving Counselling Framework

• Coaching, Counselling and Psychology
• There are multiple ways of understanding the
  world
• It is a matter of finding what fits best

5
Hearing Loss Clients Setting Goals and Strategies
6
An Evolving Counselling Framework

• A client centered approach with strong emphasis
  on involving Significant Others
• SOs are interactively engaged with a program of
  Experiential Learning
• Rehabilitation has better outcomes when SOs are
  involved

7
An Evolving Counselling Framework

• Conclusions
• Achieving change for the desired outcomes in this
  client group lies in a clear understanding of
  what is happening in the world of Hearing Loss
• Positive outcomes are better achieved through the
  involvement of Significant Others

8
Experiencing Hearing Loss Through Experiential
Learning
9
The Focus of Hearing Loss Workshops

• To help the Hard of Hearing and their SOs to
  develop the mutual coping skills and strategies
  that will enhance their relationship thus
  producing better outcomes.

10
Counselling Hearing Loss Individuals and Their
Significant Others

• Thank you for the opportunity to share my
  experiences and knowledge on this topic
• Vince Little