Training of Aunties on adolescent counselling (Bamenda, Ayaba Hotel, 04 – 08/12/ 2005)

1. Training of Aunties on adolescent counselling(Bamenda, Ayaba Hotel, 04 – 08/12/ 2005) Orgnised by: PGCSS-REGA In collaboration with: RENATA

2. Introduction to counselling

3. What counselling is not! • A conversation • A journalistic interview • A discussion • An interogatory • A confession • A predication • A psychotherapy

4. What counselling is not! • A dramatic relation, where you have: • a Victim(ex: pregnant adolescent) • a Rescuer(ex:Aunty helping the adolescent) • a Persecutor (author of the pregnancy or father of the girl who drove her from home)

5. What counselling is • A conversation where one is guided • A relation in which an adolescent will be assisted to operate his personal adjustment to a situation she/he might not adapt without the support or help from third person

6. Objectives of counselling • It is not to solve the adolescent problem for him • It is not to impose advice on adolescents • It is to enable adolescents intergrate a new situation, to better find ressources, to develop their own capacity of choice in changing their situations • It is to favour adolescent’s psychological, social, physical, spiritual well-being.

7. What implication for the consellor? • The capacity to decentralise on oneself to center on others • The puting into practice of active listening • The practice of an authentic presence • The exercise of empaty • The facilitation to explore problems and solutions

8. Preliminaries in counselling • Permission : Where do I have the permission to intervene? • Power : Do I have the capacity in doing what the client asks me? • Protection : Do I have the necessary protection to engage myself in this relation? • Pleasure : Do i find pleasure in the help that I bring to others?

9. Counselling is then: • Welcoming the adolescent • Listening actively to him • Reflect with him • Explore possible solutions with him • Let’s him make his Choice • Give him a Rendez-vous for follow-up

10. Models of behavioural change There exist three models Of behavioural change

11. 1st Model • Risk elimination (One does not want a problem to occur. Ex: Never to have sexual intercourse in one’s life to avoid STI and pregnancy) [Risk elimination is often difficult to implement or respect. With time or age, one may change his/her decision]

12. 2nd Model • Risk reduction (Although there could be a problem, one manages to avoid it, by reducing the risk. Ex: • One has sexual intercourse, but with only one partener (faithfulness), • One uses condom, • Or one takes pills to avoid either unwanted pregnancy, either STI or both at the same time [There is no 0 risk : condom can get broken, one can forget to take pills]

13. 3rd Model • Risk management (One is already facing the problem, one doen’t not just want to extend or that its consequences are unbearable or dramatic). Ex: • Pregnant adolescent who would like to abort becasue she doesn’t want to abandon school or fear conflicts with her parents. • A HIV infected person who must systematically protect him/herself to avoid infecting her/his partner.

14. Model dynamics Risk elimination Risk reduction Risk management NB: Adolescents can switch from one model to the other one and backwards.

15. Questions • To what models correspond the following problems: • An adolescent who is not sexually active • An adolescent who wants to use condoms • An young girl who would like to learn to count her menstrual cycle because the boyfriend doesn’t want them to use condom. • Should Aunties follow one special model ?

16. Conclusion • All depend on the type of problem • The desires and needs of the person who is having the problem • It is necessary and very important to listen to the person and not to try to impose one’s own view or opinion • Orientation, guidance is the key of counselling

17. Thanks for your Attention