Abstract

Counselling, as a therapeutic process, is receiving increasing attention within the health care literature. Yet, there is confusion on the part of practitioners with regard to the actual nature, and function, of counseling. This article examines the defining features of ‘pure’ counselling, and outlines a model of this activity which can readily be applied when interacting with patients. This examination of counselling takes place within the overall context of pharmacy practice, thereby illustrating how the counselling model can be directly related to a specific health profession. An overview of research evidence pertaining to the effectiveness of patient counselling is presented, and the overall conclusion is that much more attention needs to be devoted to what has been a neglected strategy during the training of pharmacist and other practitioners.