Abstract:

There are two schools of thought on the integration of counselling and discipline which disagree about the conflicts which arise between the two functions
Most literature holds that the two components of discipline and counselling are incompatible and not easily integrated. However the literature published from Singapore believes that the counselling and discipline can go hand in hand.

This is a qualitative study. In-depth, face to face, interviews were carried out with ten school counsellors working in the Singapore secondary school system. Most of the counsellors reported that they had to work with disciplinary cases, meaning the pupils sent for counselling were basically involuntary cases, and they were full of resistance, especially when corporal punishment was involved. The aim of this study is to explore the inner feelings and thoughts expressed by the school counsellors and see if, from their perspective, the two dimensions of counselling and discipline can be integrated as is claimed by some of the literature in Singapore

Data collection and data analysis was guided by an adapted grounded theory methodology. Each of the counsellors was interviewed more than one hour. Data analysis followed themes that emerged from the data.

The findings show that most of the counsellors believed in a relational and therapeutic approach. They adopted a positive perspective towards their pupils and spent time building trust with them. However, there were dilemmas and confusions when discipline issues were involved. It is particularly challenging for counsellors who adopt a relational and therapeutic approach to attempt to integrate the two components of counselling and discipline. The interviews revealed that the two dimensions of counselling and discipline are not easily integrated. The concept or model of counselling is explored and the boundaries between discipline and counselling are discussed.

Keywords:

Eco-systemic.