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The purpose of this thesis was to explore the effects of
counseling upon guilty feelings, the mechanisms which
effectively lead to a chang inthe clients'''''''' feelings of guilt,
and the various counseling strategies which can initiate such
mechanisms. Qualitative methodology was adopted for this. Six
mothers, who had handicapped children and related guilty
feelings, parti-cipated in this research. Each participant
recieved 3 to 6 sessions of coun-seling . The transcripts of the
intaking interview, of the counseling sessions、and of the
interview following each counseling session, were all submitted
to analysis. The findings are as follows: The six
participants presented 21 descriptions of their guilty feelings.
After counseling, 17 of those guilty feelings were found
reduced, whereas 2appeared intensified. The 2 others were not
dealt with. Reflecting upon them-selves and the various
changes operated in their guilty feelnigs during thosecounseling
sessions, the clients identified 10 different mechanisms which
wereat work in themselves. They are as follows: 1. Self-
understanding, self-acceptance and self-assertion. 2.
Readjusting their own expectations toward their handicapped
children. 3. Allowing oneself to experience and accept
thoseguilt feelings, and modifying the mother-child interaction
style. 4. Emotionalrelief bringing about a more positive and
global point of view. 5. Improving their parenting skills. 6.
Increacing the time spent with their children. 7. Reevaluating
their own responsibili-ties and courageously shouldering those
responsibilites which were reason-able. 8. Reevaluating their
guilty feelings as well as their reactions to those feelings. 9.
Reducing the sources of pre-ssure. 10. Progress in their ability
to cope with emotions. Six counsling strategies were
found especially effective in triggering the above mechanisms of
change: 1. Thoroughly examining the client''''''''s trouble.2.
Confirming the cient. 3. Dealing with the client''''''''s inner
conflicts. 4. Rising emotions and testing guilty feelings. 5.
Teaching parenting and livingskills. 6. Improving the client''''''''s
capacity to cope with emotions. Based on the findings of
this research, several suggestions are made re-garding the
counseling of clients with guilty feelings, the counseling of
mothers with hadicapped children, the training of counselors, as
well as suggestions for further research in this area.
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