Transcultural counselling : philosophical issues

Abstract

Counselling has been 'defined' as 'a task [...] [where one] give[s] the client an opportunity to explore, discover and clarify ways of living more resourcefully and towards greater well-being' (D'Ardenne and Mahtani 1999, p.2). In other words, counselling is considered to be a purposeful conversation establishing a helping relationship between counsellor and client. It would be important to see that counselling has, historically speaking, developed in a milieu strongly influenced by the cultural values of European modernity. The foundations of counselling and guidance principles could be traced back to the paideia practised in ancient Greece, and one can show that many of methods of contemporary counsellors were practised by priests in the Middle Ages. It is interesting to note that one of the first texts about career options appeared in the 17th century. It was written by Tomaso Garzoni and entitled The Universal Plaza of All the Professions of the World (1626). However, professional counselling as we know it evolved at the turn of the 20th century in the United States in response to rapid industrialization and urbanization with its concomitant humanitarian concerns. An agglomeration of social and economic issues together with a context wherein a new democracy was emerging resulted in increased pressure on individuals to make vital choices in various important areas of their lives. It was Frank Parsons, a pioneer of the vocational guidance movement of this time, who is credited with addressing the prevailing concerns through formal vocational counselling.