Can I be a Counselor?

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.