The place of guidance and counseling in school setting is geared towards helping students to understand self and take appropriate steps in making educational, vocational, social and psychological lifelong decisions. In addition the child's or student's welfare and the promotion, establishment and maintenance of a sound social relationship in a group is another main concern of guidance and counseling.
If a normal person can be guided and counseled. It is the special need person that needs this service most for the simple fact that he is already in trouble or problems of disability. Therefore, persons without disability need to make them (disabled) understand that not all hope is lost as if one is rendered disabled in one way he/she can still make it the other, way round.
To successfully achieve rehabilitating the mind, professional counseling skills and techniques are to be involved which include among others: empathy, reassurance, encouragement, adequate cross checking, reflection of feelings, respect for the worth and dignity of the disabled, effective verbal and nonverbal communication and also unconditional positive acceptance. With these techniques the client will understand himself well, self-disclose and accept his/her condition.
With the recent coming of the inclusive education formally referred as integration is not sufficient to address the needs so long as they are not valued and respected. They need to have that sense of worthiness and capable of doing it if given necessary support, so as to develop “a success identify”
Furthermore, a counselor should avoid the mistake of giving false reassurance to the client as there may be lack of confidence on the counselor. Another important point here that is worthy of mention is the use of team approach in guidance and counseling. Apart from the professional counselors, there should be, other professionals such as: pediatricians, psychologist, social workers, nutritionists, speech and hearing therapists, ophthalmologists etc.
