Identifying Influencing Counselling Skills

Counselling involves various skills that help facilitate client change and growth. Understanding which techniques act as core influencing skills is crucial.

Analysis of Options

• (A) Self-disclosure: Sharing personal information by the counsellor can build trust and rapport, influencing the client's willingness to open up. This is considered an influencing skill.
• (B) Information giving: Providing relevant facts or explanations helps the client understand their situation better, influencing their perspective and decision-making. This is an influencing skill.
• (C) Confrontation: Gently challenging the client's inconsistencies or denial helps them gain insight and awareness, influencing their self-perception and behaviour. This is a key influencing skill.
• (D) Smart-goals: SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals are a useful framework for setting objectives during counselling but are a tool or technique rather than a counsellor's core influencing skill itself.

Conclusion

Based on the analysis, self-disclosure, information giving, and confrontation are recognised influencing skills used by counsellors to facilitate client progress. SMART goals are a method used within the counselling process.

Therefore, the correct combination includes (A), (B), and (C).