Traits Of Professional Counseling Proficient

By Virginia Collins


Being a counselor is not only determined by the knowledge acquired in school. Since therapists interact with people all the time, one must develop more personal qualities to help them understand and handle patients. These include upholding confidentiality, being patient as well as encouraging clients. While a few traits are inherent in some people, others must be developed with time. Therefore, if one is aspiring to become a professional counseling doctor, he or she should examine themselves to find out whether they possess these features. The paragraphs below describe a few of them.

First, before handling the problems of another person, one must be able to take care of themselves. Imagine handling marital cases while your marriage is falling apart. It may be possible but if a client learns a therapist cannot solve personal problems themselves, they cannot be confident to share their own. Before setting up a therapy facility, work on personal weaknesses as well as fears. This is not to say therapists are perfect people. However, during a psycho-social session, they cannot express personal fears before clients.

Tolerance is key in helping clients recover. During practice, counselors are likely to come in contact with variable clients. Some want to keep talking and need to listen all the time. Others keep going back to original habits yet require you to start the psychological process again every time they fall. For this reason, specialists must be highly tolerant. Making a positive progress takes time. Therefore, give patients enough time to recover and celebrate small milestones every time it happens.

Accept patients as they are. Markedly, most come to you because of problems, which only you can handle. Probably, some have been judged by close people in their lives. Others could have been rejected by relatives due to their behaviors. Precisely, most have lived as outcasts for the better part of life. Therefore, a psychologist needs to create a different environment where a client feels loved. Avoid being judgmental or criticizing.

To discover long-lasting changes, make clients your friends. Open avenues for a cordial relationship with victims such that they can share innermost feelings with you. Be a good listener and make their needs a priority. Additionally, give them adequate time to speak out and let them know in you they have a confidant.

Since mental cases vary, it is ineffective to use a similar approach to solve all of them. Therapists must acquire and adopt new methods to fit in countless needs for different patients. They must keep abreast of evolving therapeutic procedures as well as go for refresher courses regularly to gain more skills.

Empathy is another valuable trait of a doctor. Unlike sympathy, empathy seeks to understand the feelings of a client by putting oneself in their shoes. Psychologists should understand why patients think the way they do even when they disagree with their perspectives. However, create a boundary between work and personal life. Being too empathetic may trigger one to carry the emotional distress of clients even at home.

An expert ought to be encouraging. Notably, most clients are in a point of hopelessness by the time they go for therapy. It is important to let them know changes are possible no matter a situation. Applaud simple milestones and give them hope whenever they seem desperate. No matter how long positive changes take to come, you should not show despair.




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