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TRANSFORMATIVE COUNSELLING ENCOUNTERS
PART 1: BEGINNINGS: CREATING CONTEXT
Study Unit 1: Finding your personal space within the module
1.1 Transforma 琀椀 ve Counselling Encounters and I:
New encounters create new world with new meanings
Innocence of the new moment, curiosity contained in coming together to co-create new meanings
The new experience can be exci 琀椀 ng and unnerving while being life – transforming
Humans are never alone but are shaped by their personal and social histories (imbedded within a larger
poli 琀椀 cal-economic system); past memories, emo 琀椀 ons, intui 琀椀 ve sensa 琀椀 ons/vibra 琀椀 ons and physic
circumstances. All these de 昀椀 ne our present experiences.
Complexity => assump 琀椀 on(percep 琀椀 on) of the world/people/ourselves are subject to re-interpreta 琀椀 on, po
to us that life is complex
Mul 琀椀 ple reali 琀椀 es => Anderson, Goolishian and Ho 昀昀 man => as we encounter and explore newness, we are
to create a new percep 琀椀 on of reality allowing us to experiment with alterna 琀椀 ve meanings of that new
experience. The unfamiliar generates feelings of loss of certainty and predictability and the normal 昀氀 ow of life
we know is disrupted
Diversity => di 昀昀 erence from our preconceived ideas and standards of believing
New opportuni 琀椀 es => being able to nego 琀椀 ate new meanings and 昀椀 nd new words represen 琀椀 ng the ch
reality; requires skills, 昀氀 exibility and being present in the moment
Relatedness => rela 琀椀 ng old and new in a new context
1.2.1 Metaphors and stories as tools of communica 琀椀 on:
Metaphors and stories help people to relate, they go beyond language barriers and can express deeper
meaning and convey understanding.
Becoming a counsellor is a challenging and exci 琀椀 ng process
Mul 琀椀 ple reali 琀椀 es => people’s experiences comprised of mul 琀椀 ple layers, mul 琀椀 ple truths and mul 琀椀
Each individual’s story con 琀椀 nually changes as transforma 琀椀 on takes place – proof of the
coexistence of mul 琀椀 ple modes and sites of knowing and being
1.2.2 Enhancing self – awareness through re 昀氀 exivity:
Davis, Sumara and Luce – Kapler =>in every ac 琀椀 vity which involves learning or self-transforma 琀椀 on you are
always and already entangled in a rela 琀椀 onal web. This means the forces of habits, tradi 琀椀 on and expecta 琀椀
play a role in shaping our experiences and these forces are some 琀椀 mes di 昀케 cult to overcome.
Experience is private and personal and others can only experience it if the person shares it with them
An awareness of how we a 昀昀 ect and are in turn in 昀氀 uenced by our interac 琀椀 ons with others has the poten 琀
increase the quality of our encounters with other people and enhance future prac 琀椀 ce. Hertz says that
re 昀氀 exivity implies a shi 昀琀 in people’s ways of knowing and being in the world. Achieved by constant scru 琀椀
“what I know” and “how I know it”.
When interac 琀椀 ng with others people bring parts of themselves into the context of rela 琀椀 ng and create new
reali 琀椀 es and ways of being that are characteris 琀椀 c to that interac 琀椀 onal space.
Empathy (feeling with another) opens up the possibility for bonds to be built and allows us to move beyond the
昀椀 rst impressions created by the person’s dress, accent, mannerism or physical appearance. This implies a deep
sense of presence – the value of our humanness (manifested in our talents, personality traits, cultural,
educa 琀椀 onal, family and ethnic background.
We are ac 琀椀 ve par 琀椀 cipants within networks of connec 琀椀 on. Our interests and preconcep 琀椀 ons (conscio
are imposed at all stages of all encounters with others
Gender, race, class and ci 琀椀 zenship play roles in our interac 琀椀 ons with others.
1.3 Sharing our story:
Re 昀氀 exivity enables people to ques 琀椀 on the meaningfulness of their life experience, review their values and
search for new, more sa 琀椀 sfactory forms. I.o.w. confront the issue of CHOICE to ini 琀椀 ate ac 琀椀 on
Stevens => people have the ability to re 昀氀 ect on experiences (to be conscious of being conscious) and he calls
it the capacity for re 昀氀 exive awareness or re 昀氀 exivity. People can be aware of their thoughts, feelings and
ac 琀椀 ons(either retrospec 琀椀 vely or actually in the act of doing)
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PART2: THE SOCIAL LANDSCAPE: LIFE WITHIN THE CRACKS
Study Unit 2: Surveying life within the cracks
2.1 The “cracked social landscape”
People are not autonomous beings, but aspects of more complex social networks
Our social world is not a neutral background or context for human behaviour but richly engraved with
complexity and diversity.
To understand people’s life worlds we must consider the “life” of the context of which they are a part
We live in a society in crisis => violence, discrimina 琀椀 on, poverty and hunger, personal and communal su 昀昀 ering
and pain => we realise how fragmented and chao 琀椀 c our society is.
Human capacity to generate alterna 琀椀 ves(to social struggles) despite the fragmented landscape indicates that
meaningful life is possible
2.2 HIV/AIDS:
SA has highest HIV/AIDS infec 琀椀 on rates globally (worst hit province = KZN, followed by EC) Stats p42
The epidemic of HIV/AIDS can become more than just a manifesta 琀椀 on of physical ill health.
The epidemic has behavioural components and consequences
It fragments accepted wisdoms of family and community, sexual rela 琀椀 onships, how men and women ar 琀椀 culat
iden 琀椀琀椀 es as sexual partners, parents, sons and daughters, etc.
Fragmenta 琀椀 on of rela 琀椀 onships between young and old (old wisdoms that used to bind rela 琀椀 onal gaps dis
– no longer know how to handle discomfort and change)
Infected people apply various ways to try and resume responsibility for their lives
o Nego 琀椀 ate iden 琀椀琀椀 es that are viable to create alterna 琀椀 ve ways of living and being in rela 琀椀 o
chaos and uncertainty.
Not only infected people are a 昀昀 ected by this epidemic, but en 琀椀 re socie 琀椀 es (social issue)
Young men and women live experiences of existen 琀椀 al survival and desires for in 琀椀 macy under condi 琀椀 ons t
limited – poverty, historical violence and now also HIV/AIDS.
Context is vola 琀椀 le and uncertain – complex and mul 琀椀 -layered everyday social issues
Urgent need for counsellors for support and facili 琀椀 es(and people to administer) for provision of an 琀椀 -retrovira
treatment
Individual su 昀昀 ering and collec 琀椀 ve (social) pain:
The presence of personal and social su 昀昀 ering in rela 琀椀 onships and the connec 琀椀 on between con 昀氀 icted
contexts and the struggle for mental health
Increased a 琀琀 en 琀椀 on to context has the poten 琀椀 al to contribute to the crea 琀椀 on of more responsive and
counselling services – urged to 昀椀 nd alterna 琀椀 ve ways of living and being and meaning-making in rela 琀椀 onsh
contexts
People (in rela 琀椀 onships) rela 琀椀 ng with distance and estrangement, construct ideas of su 昀昀 ering and pain
There is shame, disappointment, impa 琀椀 ence and destruc 琀椀 on within us – but what becomes of this is not
controlled by fate but rather by the nature of rela 琀椀 onships between people
Personal su 昀昀 ering (ie suicide) impacts on en 琀椀 re socie 琀椀 es in di 昀昀 erent ways (di 昀昀 erent perspec 琀椀
2.3 Contending with diversity:
Di 昀昀 erences can be ito simple things but can also be complex and perspec 琀椀 ve-based
Acceptable behaviour for one culture may not be acceptable for another – but behaviour says nothing about the
intrinsic worth of people
Behaviour is the manifesta 琀椀 on of the person’s underlying values, learnt from one’s culture
When rela 琀椀 ng to someone from a di 昀昀 erent culture, need to dig deeper than the behaviour to really understan
the person
2.4 Social upheaval and mul 琀椀 layers of human experience:
Alongside the loss of life, fragmenta 琀椀 on of families, displacement of popula 琀椀 ons and disrup 琀椀 ons of social
economic ins 琀椀 tu 琀椀 ons, exists a range of trauma (fear, pain, grief, guilt, anxiety, sadness and the dissolu 琀椀 o
sociality, language and experience)
The breakdown of economic, social and poli 琀椀 cal systems and society’s morals, links with domes 琀椀 c, civil and
gang-like con 昀氀 icts/violence
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The omnipresence of violence is proof of the complexity of the need – high rates of crime underscore
rela 琀椀 onship between poli 琀椀 cal and criminal violence, many living in a state of fear and repression
Violence and repression a 昀昀 ect mental health – wars, prolonged con 昀氀 ict and repression cause social and
economic problems that a 昀昀 ect well-being
The assault on the communi 琀椀 es disrupts food, transport and economic infrastructure etc. Loss of food and
income leads to malnutri 琀椀 on and poverty.
This forces disloca 琀椀 on (from homes and communi 琀椀 es) which breaks 琀椀 es of reciprocity and sociality, incre
the illegal status of refugees, leading to addi 琀椀 onal trauma and further deteriora 琀椀 on of living standards. Famili
break up and children are abandoned or orphaned.
2.5 Tough ques 琀椀 ons for understanding hard – hi 琀� ng problems:
Kahane – modern world loves answers, wants them quickly, don’t want to ‘reinvent the wheel’ and like to pass
on answers. This is problema 琀椀 c for social challenges in the
st
century
21 because :
Firstly, answers have a short lifespan. Kahane points out that tough problems are characterised by three types
of complexity:
1. Dynamic complexity = cause and e 昀昀 ect are distant in 琀椀 me and space; to address it you need a
systemic approach to the problem and the solu 琀椀 on.
2. Social complexity = there are many di 昀昀 erent and usually con 昀氀 ic 琀椀 view/assump
ng points of 琀椀 ons about an
issue and the problem isn’t owned by a single en 琀椀 ty. This demands a par 琀椀 cipa 琀椀 ve approach
3. Genera 琀椀 ve complexity = the old solu 琀椀 ons are no longer working; the problem is constantly changing and is
unpredictable, requiring a crea 琀椀 ve approach.
Examples: HIV/AIDS, BEE, democra 琀椀 c transi 琀椀 on, globalisa 琀椀 on, unemployment and crime
Secondly people have an inherent desire to solve their own problems. When universal responses are imported
they meet resistance and o 昀琀 en fail. That happens because they are inappropriate in a given context or there’s
lack of ownership from people who haven’t par 琀椀 cipated or been consulted in the decision-making (desire for
freedom and self-determina 琀椀 on). The success of implemen 琀椀 ng interven 琀椀 ons on social issues o 昀琀 en d
more on the ownership and mo 琀椀 va 琀椀 on of those involved than on the cleverness of the idea.
Study Unit 3: Holding the cracks
3.1 Listening to the stories of other people:
Life is more complex than it used to be => increasing demand for counsellors (lay or professional) to restore and
support sense of order and wellbeing in people’s lives. Networks of family and community deple 琀椀 ng and people
struggle to 昀椀 nd people to turn to for help.
3.1.2 The bare essen 琀椀 als of rela 琀椀 onship encounters:
Show posi 琀椀 ve and uncondi 琀椀 onal regard for others helps form successful rela 琀椀 onship with people – it’s th
from which can explore thoughts, feelings and experiences, and to develop a sensi 琀椀 vity and acceptance for
diversity. Posi 琀椀 ve acceptance encourages interac 琀椀 ons and disclosure, opportunity to explore change and
provides clients with acceptance and genuine caring.
3.1.3 Sharing warmth and understanding:
Non – judgemental presence:
Showing empathy and genuineness encourages the development of trust. Maintaining warmth and
understanding, without being judgemental provides a comfortable founda 琀椀 on for development of counselling
rela 琀椀 onship. Conveying warmth through body language – using posture, maintaining eye contact and personal
space – encourages the development of trust as it provides reassurance.
Valuing and respec 琀椀 ng others; accep 琀椀 ng the other person totally shows that you value them and are there to
support them through the counselling process
3.2 Some voices from within formal structures: (check DVD, interview with Mrs Khumalo Modutla and Ms Mmatsilo
Motsei)
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