What aids and what hinders adolescents who are reluctant to engage in the counselling process

Abstract

The aim of this research is to highlight the counsellors’ and the adolescents’ perception of what aids and what hinders the engagement phase in counselling when facing reluctant adolescents. Reluctance in this study is understood as the lack of will to engage in therapy. The experiences of six experienced counsellors, who have worked with adolescent clients, were analysed alongside those of five adolescents who were identified as having been reluctant in the engagement phase by the practitioners. Both participant groups were recruited on a voluntary basis. The critical incident technique (Flanagan, 1954) was used to identify helpful and hindering incidents that emerged through the semi-structured interviews for both counsellors and adolescents and then the results compared. From the data analysis, reflection is placed upon what adolescents and counsellors considered as helpful in the engagement phase with reluctant adolescents, and also what was considered as hindering. With regards to the findings it was evident that certain tools and creativity aid the engagement phase. However counsellors seemed to emphasize tools more that adolescents. Adolescents gave importance to basic counselling skills such as empathy, understanding and general interest. Adolescents also highlighted problem free talk as a skill that aids engagement. Counsellors also made reference to negative methods of approach such as being paternalist or authoritative. On the other hand, adolescents’ reference to negative events were lack of sensitivity, such as counsellors being in a hurry, looking at the watch and the incorrect involvement of third parties.