MODULE TWO: COUNSELLING - FHI 360 Center for Global Health ...

•A caller is talking non-stop. She has taken 20 minutes to tell you her story, and
you are not able to ask any questions or have any kind of dialogue. She is
beginning to repeat things, and doesn’t show any sign of stopping soon.
•After you tell him that HIV has no cure, a caller becomes upset and threatens to
come harm you.
•A man calls back many times during one week and he always demands to speak
to the same counsellor.
•A caller wants you to notify the police about his neighbour, who is a prostitute.
The caller says that the prostitute is spreading AIDS, and that she belongs in
prison.
Suggestions for Handling Problem Calls
Following are some suggestions for dealing with problem callers:
♦PROBLEM: The caller asks the counsellor for personal information.
Callers may be curious about a counsellor’s background, or they may want to
find out personal information so that they can see the counsellor in person.
Sometimes callers want to assess the counsellor’s experience with similar
problems in order to judge whether or not the counsellor can “relate” to their
situation and feelings. For example, if a caller has just tested HIV-positive, s/he
may want to know whether or not the counsellor is also HIV-positive.
COUNSELLORS SHOULD NOT GIVE OUT ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION
ABOUT THEMSELVES. This is especially true for names. It is fine for a
counsellor to use his/her first name, but s/he should never give out his/her full
name. Counsellors should never arrange to have face-to-face meetings with a
caller. If a caller asks for other personal information, it is important for the
counsellor to try and focus the conversation back on the caller (Ex: I understand
why you might be curious about my HIV status, but that knowledge really won’t
help your own situation. Let’s talk about how you are feeling right now…”).
♦PROBLEM: A caller is uncomfortable with the counsellor because of
his/her gender, ethnicity or other un-changeable characteristic. In
this situation, the counsellor could acknowledge the caller’s discomfort and say
that even though they are of a different gender/ethnic group, the counsellor is
still able to listen to what the caller has to say and try and help him/her in an
objective way. If the caller is still uncomfortable, the counsellor could offer to
transfer him/her to another counsellor (if there is another one available). If
there is not another counsellor available, the counsellor could offer the caller the
option of calling back at another time when the appropriate type of counsellor
Session 7- Pg. 2