Can I be a COUNSELOR?
Counselor’s Personal Qualities
Sincere
interest in the welfare of others
Ability
& willingness to be present in client’s joy or pain
Recognition
& acceptance of one’s strength & vitality; no need to diminish others
Found one’s
own counseling style.
Willingness
to be vulnerable & take risks
Self-
respect, self-appreciation, strong sense of self-worth
Serve as
models for clients
Risk
mistakes & admit making them
Growth
orientation
Sense of
humor
Counselor’s Interpersonal Skills
Pragmatism
Competence
Respect
Genuineness
Promotion
of client empowerment & self-responsibility
10 components of Effective
Counselor:
1. Self-awareness
2.
Psychological health
3.
Sensitivity to racial, ethnic, & cultural factors
4.
Open-mindedness
5.
Objectivity
6.
Competence
7.
Trustworthiness
8.
Interpersonal attractiveness
9. Good
listener
10. Good
appearance
Self-Awareness
Need to
Give or
nurture
Be liked,
respected, loved; receive approval
Control, be
critical, be right
Motivation
for helping
Feelings
Happiness,
satisfaction
Hurt,
disappointment
Anger,
sadness
Fear,
confusion
Personal
strengths, limitations, & coping skills
Psychological Health
Psychologically
intact
Free from
over-whelming problems
Recognize
and manage personal issues
Refer
clients with problems like your own to other counselors
Seek
services of a counselor for yourself, if necessary.
Cultural Sensitivity
Focused
Culture-Specific
All
cultures must be understood for their uniqueness.
Universal
Broadens
the definition of minority and argues for a subjective, more inclusive
understanding of cultural impacts.
Cultural Sensitivity
Focused
culture-specific: too many variables
confuse multiculturalism; render it meaningless.
Universal:
culture must be defined by more than just racial or ethnic factors.
Gender,
age, and physical disabilities
Race,
ethnicity
Sexual
orientation
Socioeconomic
level
Religion
and spiritual affiliation
Integrative:
Focused
culture-specific and the universal approach are both important
Both
approaches are blended in “multicultural counseling and therapy” (Ivey, et al.,
1997).
Cultural Competence:
Be aware of
your own cultural heritage.
Expand your
range of experience.
Seek
interaction opportunities with others different from yourself.
Be open to
continuous learning about differing groups.
Be honest
about your range of experience.
Power
Privilege
Poverty
Oppression
Consider
referring a client you cannot help from your own range of experience.
Open-Mindedness
Freedom
from fixed or preconceived ideas
Enlightenment
Internal
knowledge
Perceptions,
myths
Standards,
values, judgments
Assumptions,
biases
Knowledge
of the world outside your own world
Objectivity
Balance
involvement with objective assessment.
Provide a
new perspective to “reframe” the client’s issues(s).
Avoid
dysfunctional communication patterns.
Recognize
manipulation attempts by the client.
Safeguards
against countertransference:
Counterproductive
emotional reaction;
Entanglement
of the counselor’s needs in the client relationship;
The need to
please one’s client;
Over-identification
with client’s problem(s);
Romantic or
sexual feelings toward a client;
Need to
give constant advice;
Need to
form friendships.
Competence
Required to
transmit and build confidence and hope with clients.
Needed to
develop positive client expectations from the counseling experience.
Assures
ability to work with wide variety of clients and client problems.
Includes
multicultural competence as previously discussed.
Egan
(1998): The counselor is determined, by outcome of client results, to possess
the necessary information, knowledge, and skills.
Kleinke
(1994): Includes knowledge of psychological
processes, assessment,
clinical
skills, technical skills, judgment, ethics and personal effectiveness.
(Strong,
1968; Strong & Schmidt, 1970; Strong & Claiborn, 1982): Includes knowledge of psychological
processes, assessment, clinical skills, technical skills, judgment, ethics and
personal effectiveness.
Trustworthiness
Do not
promise more than you can do, and be sure you do exactly as you have promised.
Hard to
establish; easy to destroy
Includes
predictability,
reliability,
responsibility,
ethical
standards.
Safeguard
clients’ communications.
Respond
with energy to client concerns.
Essential
to
Establish a
base of influence,
Encourage
clients’ self-disclosure.
The
counselor cannot act trustworthy. The counselor must be trustworthy
Interpersonal Attractiveness
Counselors
appear “attractive” when they are seen as similar to or compatible with the
client.
May be
determined by instinct or selected dimensions:
Gender or
age,
Demeanor or
attitude, likeability and friendliness,
Worldview,
theory, or approach.
Good Listener
Active
listening:
Paying
attention: Eye contact, nodding, etc.
Hearing
before evaluating.
Listening
for the whole message.
Paraphrasing
what was heard.
Probe for
causes and feelings.
