I am frequently asked by clients either before or during
counselling, “How does counselling work?” I respond with the 40-30-15 rule
created by Scott Miller. But before we get to that, it is important to
understand what a counsellor’s background to better understand how the rule is
applied.
A counsellor is part of the helping profession. A helper is
anyone who looks after the mental and emotional well-being of their client. There
are many kinds of helpers with varying degrees and credentials. There are counsellors,
social workers, psychotherapists, therapists, marriage & family therapists,
psychologists, coaches, and so on.
Typically individuals that pursue these paths have been told
that they are “good listeners” because of their natural helping abilities. They
then acquire education to build upon and hone their natural abilities. Some
training programs are: less than a year, two years, four year degrees, two year
master’s degree, or higher.
It is commonly recommended that private helpers seek both a
professional body and regulatory body where available. A professional
organization has the best interest of the helper in mind, whereas a regulatory
organization has the best interest of the client/consumer in mind. Both lend credentials to distinguish adequate
training in helpers.
A helper, typically with less than two years training, is referred
to as a natural helper, as they are relying on their natural abilities to have
empathy and support. A skilled helper is a masters-level or higher trained
therapist with the natural helping abilities, and typically is a member of a
professional and/or regulatory body. However, an often missed category is a
trained helper that doesn’t have the natural abilities to connect and form a
relationship.
And this is where the 40-30-15 rule comes in.
There is such a focus on the technique and skill level of a
helper, when only 15% of the effectiveness is dependent on their skill. Which
is not to undermine its importance, you gain that 15% when the helper is
skilled.
Therapy success has two large portions: the client (40%) –
meaning their motivation and life influences; and the relationship (30%)
between helper and client. The remaining 30% is a combination of hope (15%) and expectations (15%) that the helper sets.
A skilled helper, in theory, should be able to employ the
relationship (30%), skill (15%) and hope (15%); which is 60% of the process,
the rest (40%) is up to the client.
A natural helper, again in theory, should be able to employ
the relationship (30%) and hope (15%); which is 45% of the process, bringing about
as much to the process as the client (40%).
A trained helper without natural abilities should be able to
employ the skill (15%) and hope (15%); which is 30% of the process, lacking the
relationship. The client, in this scenario, brings more to the table (40%) than
the helper.
With that, what makes counselling work? Ensuring that you as
a client are ready for counselling and that you have found a naturally skilled
helper that you are willing to work and build relationship with.
