Counseling has a key importance in developed and developing countries at the same time where women have to face a variety of violence. This course will make the students able that they will learn counseling skills and by the use of these strategies they will contribute to overcome gender related distress.

Course Outline

Week 1.

• Socio-cultural constructs of gender.
• Difference between gender and sex.
• Meaning of socialization
• Process of Socialization.
• Gender role in socialization
• Gender stereotyping & social cognition.
• Gender stereotypes- myths and realities

Week 2

• Changing gender conception
• Gender and societies
• Gender and time
• Gender and social strata
• Social conditioning and gender.

Week 3

• Situations requiring counseling
• Depression
• Stress
• Anxiety
• Phobia
• trauma
• Assessing and counseling women.
• Psychosocial issues.
• Physical issues.
• Battered women & separation abuse.
• Guidelines for clinical interventions.
• Adjustment to illness.

Week 4 Assessing and counseling women continued

• Depressive disorders.
• Women’s vulnerability to depression.
• Biological Vulnerability factors.
• Genetic Vulnerability
• Social Vulnerability factors.
• Familial Vulnerability factors.

Week 5 Assessing and counseling women continued

• Psychological Factors.
• Interpersonal Factors.
• Cultural Factors.
• Assessment of depressive disorders.
• Treatment of depressive disorders.

Week 6.

• Approaches to counseling
• Psychoanalytic approach
• Humanistic approach
• Behaviouristic approach to counseling
• The eclectic approach
• The existential point of view
Note: counseling therapy session will be conducted by a professional counselor.

Week 7

• Stress Management.
• Meaning of Stress
• Stress reaction and the body
• Common Symptoms of Stress.
• Causes of Stress.
• Effects of stress on the body.
• Types of Stress.

Week 8

• Eustress & distress
• Characteristics to the description of stress.
• Type A & Type B personalities.
• Type C personality.
• Relationship between perceived level of stress & performance.

Week 9

• Ways to manage Stress.
• BE NATURAL: a stress Management plan.
• Breathing
• Exercise
• Nutrition
• Attitude
• Time Management.
• Uniqueness.
• Relaxation
• Association
• Laughter.
Note: Some stress management exercises will be conducted in the class
Note: mid term exams will be taken

Week 10

• Family Counseling.
• Family counseling techniques.
• Need of family Counseling
• Career and lifestyle counseling.
• Career counseling Strategies.
• Issues & trends in career counseling.
• School and University counseling.
Note: counseling therapy session will be conducted by a professional counselor.
Note: syllabus related assignments and book reviews will be given to the students in the form of groups

Week 11

• Responsibilities of counselors.
• Ethical responsibilities.
• Confidentiality
• Exceptions in confidentiality.
• Ethical principles.

Week 12 Responsibilities of counselors continued

• Legal issues.
• The Counselors & the court.
• Responsibility of the counselor in the greater society.
• Counseling skills.
• The counseling relationship –core conditions.
• Stage 1- Attending Skills.
• Physical Attending.

Week 13 Counseling skills continued

• Attending Skills.
• Psychological attending.
Observing
Inventory of non –verbal behavior.
Active listening
Resist Distractions
• Keep the focus on the client.
• Responding as part of attending behavior.

Week 14

Note: students will present their assignments in the class

Week 15 Counseling skills continued

• Stage 2- Exploration Skills.
• Responding with empathy.
• Responding using probes and questions
• Responding with silence.
• Stage 3- understanding
• Stage 4-Action
• Stage 5-Termination.

Week 16

• Guidelines for counseling with women.
• Diversity, Social context, and Power
• Professional Responsibility
• Best Practices

Credit hours/ Marks: - 3

1. Peterson, Vincent.J., & Nisenholz, Bernard. (4th ed.).(1999). Orientation to Counseling. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
2. Kopala, Mary., & Keitel , A.Merle. (Eds.) .(2003). Handbook of counseling women. New Delhi: Sage Publications.
3. Brodsky, Annette. M. & Musting, Rachel T. Hare. (Eds.). (1980). Women and psychotherapy: An assessment of research and practice. New York: The Guilford Press