Freiwilligkeit in der erwachsenenpädagogischen Beratung

In adult education as well as in social work voluntariness is regarded as a desirable – if not paramount – characteristic in the process of counselling. Therefore it should also be a fundamental part in the planning, performing and reflection of consultation. Thus professional counsellors need appropriate reflection templates and models in this regard. However, the discussion lacks a precise concept of voluntariness in the process of counselling. While it is often demanded, there rarely exist concise definitions. In this article, therefore, an attempt is made to go deeper into the different features and nuances of voluntariness in counselling situations and to structure them in a sensible way. The results are concretised by relating the standards of the National Forum of Counselling to educational and professional values. Thus we want to show a means to deal with matters of voluntariness from an adult education perspective.