ATCHP - Counsellors

🔹 Overall Scope

A holistic counsellor focuses on wellness and life skills support, helping people manage everyday challenges.

They DO NOT provide:

• Psychotherapy

• Medical treatment

• Social work services

• Occupational therapy

👉 If a client’s issue involves serious mental health conditions or medical problems, the counsellor must refer them to professionals (e.g., doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist).

🔹 What They Do Help With

They support clients in areas like:

• Relationships (personal, marital, parenting)

• Stress, anxiety, and mild depression

• Lifestyle and health habits (preventing chronic illness)

• Trauma debriefing and victim empowerment

• Substance abuse (early-stage support)

• Workplace adaptation and career improvement

• Study skills and personal development

• Cultural and diversity challenges

• Retirement preparation

• Supporting vulnerable people and people with disabilities

👉 In short: day-to-day life challenges and personal development

🔹 Level of Work

• Operate at a primary health care / early intervention level

• Focus on short-term support, guidance, and prevention

• Refer out when issues go beyond their scope

🔹 Key Skills & Competencies

A counsellor within this scope can:

• Build helping relationships with clients

• Use counselling tools and techniques (support, guide, debrief)

• Assess basic wellness needs (screening, not diagnosing)

• Help clients solve problems and make decisions

• Work with individuals, groups, and communities

• Maintain ethical practice and proper records

• Communicate clearly and professionally

• Use technology for record keeping

• Respect confidentiality, legal, and ethical standards

• Be culturally and socially sensitive

• Understand how different life factors are connected

• Reflect and improve their own practice

🔹 Bottom Line

👉 A holistic counsellor is a wellness-focused guide, not a clinical therapist.
👉 They help people cope, grow, and function better in daily life, but refer serious cases to specialists.