Counselling is a professional helping process in which a trained worker assists an individual to understand personal problems, explore feelings, clarify goals, and develop the capacity to make responsible decisions. It is a purposeful, structured and confidential interaction based on acceptance, empathy, and respect for the dignity and worth of the person. In correctional settings, counselling assumes special significance because individuals in prisons, probation, parole, and juvenile homes often experience emotional distress, guilt, anger, stigma, anxiety, and social rejection. Counselling in such contexts aims not only at resolving immediate psychological concerns but also at promoting behavioural change, responsibility, social reintegration, and prevention of recidivism. It is both remedial and developmental, helping offenders recognize the consequences of their actions while discovering their strengths and potential for reform. In social case work, counselling forms the core method of intervention. It enables the worker to establish a therapeutic relationship that facilitates self-exploration and change. The relationship between the social worker and the client is not casual or authoritarian; rather, it is a professional alliance built on trust, confidentiality, and mutual respect. Counselling provides the framework within which the client feels safe to disclose personal experiences, fears, and conflicts. In correctional settings, where individuals may be suspicious, defensive, or hostile due to past negative experiences with authority, effective counselling becomes essential for breaking barriers and fostering openness. Interviewing skills are fundamental tools that support the counselling process. Interviewing refers to the structured conversation between the social worker and the client aimed at gathering information, understanding the problem, and planning intervention. In correctional social work, interviews help in assessment of the offender’s background, family environment, educational history, substance use, peer influence, mental health status, and risk factors. Through skilled interviewing, the worker can identify criminogenic needs, triggers of offending behaviour, and available resources for rehabilitation. Active listening is one of the most important counselling and interviewing skills. It involves paying full attention to the client’s verbal and non-verbal communication, reflecting feelings, and demonstrating genuine interest. In correctional settings, many offenders feel unheard and misunderstood. When a social worker listens attentively without interrupting or judging, the client begins to experience respect and validation. This strengthens rapport and encourages deeper sharing. Reflection of feelings, paraphrasing, and summarizing help the client gain clarity about thoughts and emotions, leading