Counselling plays a vital role in disability rehabilitation. Parents need professional help to resolve issues and concerns pertaining to the child’s condition. Delayed mile stones, developmental deviations and deficits of the child leads to serious emotional consequences such as irritability, stress, anxiety and depression among parents and caretakers. This enduring effect distorts perception of parent’s social and emotional wellbeing along with significant change in family dynamics that rupture the fabric of family functioning. Parents are given guidance to understand the nature of developmental delay/Intellectual Disability and the needs of the children at different stages of life so as to promote harmonious development of the child in the family setting. Counselling session is conducted for parents keeping in mind the ethical issues and quality time is spent to unearth the repressed feeling of pain and loss. This session help parents to accept the reality and learn to live with challenges.
SKILLS REQUIRED FOR COUNSELLING:
1. Attending (maintaining eye contact, face the client squarely, adapt open posture)
2. Listening (door openers, minimal encouragers)
3. Influencing (suggestion, advice and communication style)
4. Responding with empathy (putting oneself into the shoe of client or
perspective taking)
