PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT COMPONENTS IN POST-GRADUATE COUNSELING PROGRAMS IN BANGALORE: AN EVALUATION

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT COMPONENTS IN POST-GRADUATE COUNSELING PROGRAMS IN BANGALORE: AN EVALUATION

The counseling profession is gaining ground in India and every year a large number of trainee counselors graduate with a masters degree that deems them fit to practice. Professional and Personal development of counselors is of paramount importance to ensure a competent and ethical service to clients. However, there is little research being done in the field of training and development of counselors. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify the personal development components in post graduate counseling courses in Bangalore. The researcher chose a program evaluation design. The curricula of three masters level counseling courses in Bangalore were evaluated for its personal development components. Three faculty members and twenty six trainee counselors participated in the study. Focus group and interviews were used to collect the data. The transcripts were analyzed using directed content analysis. The results showed that various aspects of the course had contributed to personal development of the trainees. They included personal and group therapy, Small group processes, micro-skills training, supervised practicum, journal writing, taught courses like family therapy, theories of counseling, life span development, transpersonal psychology and emotional development, specific workshops and the academic environment of the trainee which included their faculty and peers. Barriers to personal development were also identified and recommendations were made for the future.

THOMAS ELIZABETH

Psychology