A Qualitative Analysis of Home‐Based Counselors' Experiences in a Rural Setting

Abstract

This qualitative study sought to understand the experiences of home-based counselors working in a rural setting. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 counselors who were asked to describe their experiences in the areas of preparedness, professional development, challenges, and gender-specific experiences. Fourteen coding categories emerged from the interviews, which led to the findings of 3 overarching themes: shared isolation, ethical ambiguity, and the high-intensity nature of the job. Recommendations for home-based counselors, agencies, and professional counseling associations are discussed.

Physical framework for a counselling environment in India: Thematic analysis of counsellors' perceptions

“…Settings are controlled in the sense that potential distractions and safety concerns are predictable (Bowen, ). Furthermore, traditional office‐based settings allow a counsellor to proactively identify safety hazards and create effective contingency plans to maintain session focus and overall safety for all attendees (Bowen & Carson, ; Macchi & O'Conner, ). Sanders and Lehmann () had concluded that if there is flexibility in the therapeutic framework for modifications in the environment from the client, the counsellors should allow for it because the sense of safety and comfort this can create has an impact on the therapy.…”

Adaptation of Family Counseling Implementation in School Setting to Meet Student Wellbeing Need: A Qualitative Research

“…The school counsellor does this as there are several constraints faced by the client; namely, the parents having financial hardship and not possessing vehicle, parents not cooperating in attending sessions in school, and the students themselves not showing up in school. Therefore, if counselling teachers agree to go to the students' homes, they need to be equipped with sound Adaptation of Family Counseling Implementation in School Setting to Meet Student Wellbeing Need: A Qualitative Research knowledge, skills, and mutual support in order to ensure that their services may be performed in an efficient and meaningful manner (Bowen and Caron, 2016). Other than that, family counselling also exerts a substantial influence and plays a vital role in the resolution of problems of students in school, when the problem stems from their own homes (Stein, 1985).…”

“…Research participants selected for this study were counselling teachers who had served more than five years and possessed registration license and certification of practice from the Malaysian Board of Counsellors. The selection was based on experience, education and training, and professional recognition (Bowen & Caron, 2016). A total of six counselling teachers participated in this research.…”

Taking Access to the Community: An Ecological Systems Framework for In‐Home Counseling With Older Adults

“…In‐home services also broaden the comprehensive nature of services to reach a wide spectrum of needs and clientele. Although it is one of the fastest growing types of services provided, it has limited research and a lack of standard definitions and professionalization (Bowen & Caron, ; Hammond & Czyszczon, ).…”

“…In‐home counseling is a problem‐solving approach that combines structural and behavioral family systems theory to help families with multiple problems focus and prioritize their issues (Boyd‐Franklin & Bry, ). Characteristics of in‐home counseling are as follows: (a) the family of the child or adolescent referred for services is the focus of treatment; (b) the services are delivered in the home of the family rather than in the counselor's office; and (c) the services are delivered by master's‐level counselors with (at minimum) informal training in the fundamentals of systems theory and structural family therapy (Bowen & Caron, ; Woodford, ; Worth & Blow, ).…”