Challenges Experienced by Novice Counsellors
3.6 Challenges Encountered
3.6.1 Organization Related Challenges
The first category of challenges was related to the organization that the counsellors worked in. Challenges related to the organization were mentioned by all the coun- sellors and this category had the largest number of challenges as well.
Being the Lone Counsellor
Three of the six counsellors felt that the biggest challenge for them was the fact that they were the only counsellors working in the organization. They felt lost, as they had no one to share their experiences with. The presence of peers can be an important aspect for the novice’s development as peers help them normalize their experiences. This theme was also seen when the novices spoke about their peers as being important influences on their work. Without anyone to share their experi- ences with, these counsellors found it hard to make sense of their experiences and to normalize them. Shared experiences with peers can also provide validation of one’s experience, which some of the counsellors were missing. One of the coun- sellors said that she felt lonely at her workplace, as she did not have anyone to talk to or to discuss her cases with.
Sometimes you feel lonely… I always prefer to be around people. In this area, you don’t have that. You’re always working alone. …you don’t have the time to share what you are going through or how would you like to work. Sometimes you need a support. And you don’t get it at times. So at times I’ve felt that it’s getting to me. (Richa, 23 years)
High Workload
Another challenge faced by the counsellors was high workload. Three of the coun- sellors spoke about the heavy workload and the large number of cases that they were working with. Since they did not have another counsellor working with them, the entire caseload fell upon them. In one of the cases, the counsellor, employed in a hospital, had another counsellor as a colleague; yet found that the workload was so high that he feared he would burnout very soon. According to this counsellor, the threat of burnout arises not only out of the workload but the work routine that one has to follow once one starts working,
In terms of volume it does test your skill. It’s not so much the difficulty of each case but the volume. And the fact that you are working on a nine to six basis, day in and day out…I mean there are so many factors before you start your day that could tie you down.
And then you have the whole day ahead of you, you have the rest of the week ahead of you. The biggest factor that doesn’t really sink (in) till you start working full time is burn- out. And it’s not just burnout in terms of your work load that is too heavy or the cases are too stressful. Just the whole routine of working. And that is one thing that you don’t really anticipate unless you get into a setting. (Rahul, 23 years)
Lack of Supervision
The other challenge mentioned by two of the counsellors was lack of supervision.
They reported that due to unavailability of supervisors, they could not discuss their cases or get a sense of direction when they felt lost. According to Skovholt and
Rønnestad (2003, p. 55) the lack of a supervisor can leave a novice with ‘orphan distress’. Novices use the experience and expertise of their supervisors as an anchor for their own development and lack of supervision could make navigating the unknown waters of practice very difficult and distressing.
It’s difficult to know if what I’m doing was right. There’s no one to discuss it with. I just go with my own judgement and it might not, you know, be the best. I have to do my own thing, there’s no such guidance like we had in college and that’s difficult because there is no help that you get from teachers or anything. (Aditi, 24 years)
Another counsellor had a supervisor but she was dissatisfied with the kind of supervision she received. She rarely received feedback or guidance from the supervisor, and when she did, she found it to be extremely negative and critical, leading her to become quickly disillusioned with her supervision experience. A supervisor who is not present or is overly critical can make the novices’ experience as confusing as not having a supervisor at all (Skovholt and Rønnestad 2003). The quality of the supervision and not just the presence of a supervisor is important.
The importance of support in the work setting from other professionals was expressed by one of the counsellors.
Another thing is that when I don’t have the answer myself, going to my colleague or going to the Head of the Department and asking them what to do… Getting feedback from your supervisor and your peers helps a lot. And I think it would be a very difficult job to do if I didn’t have a colleague in this setting. And it would be an equally difficult job to do if there was no Head of the Department. I think jobs like this would require a supervisor. If there is just one counsellor in a hospital setting the job is very difficult to do.
(Rahul, 23 years)
Other Challenges
Two of the counsellors found the newness of the setting to be challenging as they did not know what to expect from the setting, neither did they have a template of how things work or what should be done in that particular setting. One of the other challenges related to the organization faced by the counsellors was inadequate monetary reimbursement. The counsellor felt that she did not receive the kind of pay that she deserved even though the hours and efforts she put in were equivalent to other better-paid professions. One of the counsellors felt that the infrastructure was not up to the mark which made work difficult. The structure and hierarchy in the organization, where counselling and counsellors were close to the bottom, was also a challenge for one of the counsellors.
These challenges although stemming from the organization are also related to the state of the profession in India. Counselling is a growing and developing pro- fession in the country and counsellors are struggling to make a place for them- selves in the professional sphere. This is discussed in more detail in the section on challenges related to the profession.