From teaching to counselling: an evaluation of the role of microcounselling in the training of school counsellors

During the past 20 years the use of microtraining as a method for training professionals in communication skills has attracted considerable attention. In this paper, the microtraining approach is explained briefly, in terms of the development of microteaching and microcounselling, as a means of training teachers and counsellors respectively. One interesting aspect of the training of teachers is then focused upon, namely the use of microcounselling in the preparation of in-service teachers for the role of school counsellor. The nature of teaching and counselling activities are compared and contrasted, and the resultant difficulties in training teachers to act as counsellors are high-lighted. Finally, a number of procedures for trainers involved in such training are listed, whereby teachers can be encouraged to more readily adopt a style of behaviour appropriate for the counselling context.