Types of Guidance

    Introduction to Guidance
Guidance is defined as non-material assistance provided by one individual to another to help them make choices and achieve unique adjustments. While ideally personalized, group guidance is often used in schools because providing one-on-one sessions for every student is frequently impractical.

    They are two types of Guidance.

      * Individual Guidance

     * Group Guidance 

     

  
2. Individual Guidance

  Individual guidance focuses on the unique problems a person faces in their daily life, home, or relationships. It aims to help the individual:
Understand themselves and their own capacities.
Adjust satisfactorily to their total environment.
Develop independence in making wise decisions.
Contribute to society to their fullest potential.
Initial Interview Procedures
The success of individual guidance relies heavily on a series of structured interview steps:
Preparation: 

    The counselor reviews background data and notes to be ready for the student.
Opening Structure: 

   Briefly explaining who the counselor is and what the student can expect.
Establishing Objectives: Setting attainable and realistic goals for the counseling process.
Building Relationship: Developing trust through honesty, warmth, and "perceptiveness."
Helping the Student to Talk: Encouraging the student to express feelings spontaneously.
Terminating the Interview: Summarizing achievements and planning for the future or a referral.
Follow-up: Maintaining records and checking in later to ensure objectives were met.

  
3. Group Guidance

  
   Group guidance involves the interaction of a counselor with a group of students. It is used to disseminate information (educational, vocational, or social) and provide a platform for discussing shared developmental concerns.
The Group-Process Model
Functional Units: Groups work together to achieve common goals, fostering cooperation and unity.
Group Size: Ideally between 4 to 6 members to maximize participation, though some groups may go up to 12 or 15.
Benefits: It saves time, multiplies contacts with students, and allows students to learn through observing their peers.
Specific Applications
Orientation: Helping new students adjust to school services and physical layouts.
Career/Vocational Guidance: Using surveys and group discussions to explore world-of-work opportunities.
Extra-curricular Activities: Developing personalities through group participation.
4. Group Guidance Techniques for Therapy
In specialized settings like mental health clinics, group guidance takes on a therapeutic role:
Group Discussion: Allows members to express anxieties freely in a supportive atmosphere.
Psychodrama: Developed by Moreno, this involves "staging" situations where members act out roles to gain insight into their own behavior and release repressed emotions.

Nondirective/Interpretive Therapy: Focuses on acceptance and reflection to help individuals gain a clearer view of themselves within the group context.
5. Responsibilities of Group Members
For group guidance to be successful, members must:
Determine a Purpose: 

    Ensure their participation is meaningful to their current circumstances.
Active Involvement: 

   Work toward the group objective, even if some suggestions or feedback seem unpalatable at first.
Attentive Listening: 

   Listen to the concerns of others and attempt to assist them, linking their own comments to the ongoing dialogue.