Applicability of the “Constructed Model of Counseling Filipinos Briefly” to High School Students

Abstract

McLeod (2003) defines counseling as “a practice that has evolved in response to social conditions as a result of creativity of practitioners.” It is viewed as a particular type of relationship between people which occurs when one person needs to tell his/her story or resolve a problem with the help of another person. For Corey (2001), counseling is a process whereby clients are challenged to honestly evaluate their values and decide for themselves in what ways they will modify those values and their behavior.
The importance of counseling to all who need it most cannot be understated. It is a skill, and counselors must try their best to maximize their potentials to address the needs of their counselees. Having this mind, the Counseling Act of 2004, a requirement for counselors to take the licensure examination to limit the practice of profession to those who are qualified, was implemented. Likewise, there is a need for more resources for the counselors to continuously enhance their practice.
The focus of this study is the adolescent who is admittedly in a most vulnerable stage, and thus must be carefully guided and understood. As Rosales (2000) stated, teenagers do need counseling to guide them in the confusing and trying years of their young lives. They need guidance to recognize their important role as individuals in society and to participate in positive wholesome and rewarding activities. As such, they must be encouraged to visit a guidance counselor periodically to talk about themselves and their goals. They are quick to conceal many things “underneath the surface,” but a counselor who is kind, psychologically democratic, firm, helpful and sincerely caring may just become a psychotherapeutic force in the life of these confused adolescents.