Providing Professional Counseling Services
Some Basic Counseling Skills a Professional Counselor Needs
Feb 17, 2009
A professional counselor must have certain knowledge and counseling skills in order to provide professional counseling services. The knowledge should, of course, include awareness of psychological theories standing behind the successful counseling practices.
Psychological Theories Underpinning Counseling Practice
Counseling practice is greatly related to psychology since this science is the foundation of contemporary counseling. Therefore, no matter in which counseling field a person works, one must be aware of the psychological theories since successful practice is impossible without theory. If a counselor doesn’t know why one is applying certain practical methods, one cannot be sure that he or she is applying them properly and correctly.
Counseling practice involves constant working and communicating with people. This requires a counselor to be aware of the peculiarities of the human mind. Without this knowledge one cannot effectively influence an individual, or find proper ways of helping and guiding. Theoretical approaches to counseling, such as, for example, psychoanalytic, behaviouristic or humanistic ones, are based on theories developed by psychologists, and only later transferred into the field of counseling.
So, in order to be able to help others, a counselor should know the psychological theories that support practical methods to be applied.
Self-awareness
Another thing a good counselor should have is self-awareness: understanding oneself is the first step towards understanding others. If a person is not able to understand their own feelings, experiences and emotions, one is unlikely to successfully understand those of others.
Self-awareness is the basis for self-confidence and self-respect, that are integral features of a successful counselor’s personality. They help to improve interpersonal communication and interaction skills. In addition, self-awareness helps to define own strong and weak sides to be developed and improved correspondingly.
Therefore, self-awareness is needed for not only better understanding of self and others, but for enhancing one’s professional counseling skills as well.
Verbal and Nonverbal Counseling Skills
Professional counseling practice is impossible without communication (verbal and non-verbal) since it is the basic skill in the given profession. Verbal communication about own perceptions, beliefs or emotions, along with active listening, helps to improve interpersonal relations with others.
In general, communication in any form is the tool for getting mutual understanding and interconnection between a counselor and a counseled one. Individual communication skills are the basis for an effective dialogue. Non-verbal communication, in its turn, not only helps to express oneself, but also enhances verbal communication.
Expressing Unconscious Feelings and Motivations
A professional counselor should be able to express and understand unconscious feelings and motivations. Nonverbal communication is a mean of doing it. What a person does not realize and does not communicate verbally can be seen via observing nonverbal communication signs.
Though sometimes a person either doesn’t want to admit it, or just doesn’t realize the fact, the unconscious is always reflected in thoughts, behaviour and expressed emotions. Transference – viewing and perceiving somebody as a person from the past – also comes from the unconscious. Unconscious inner conflicts can be reflected in bodily symptoms, such as digestive problems or headaches.
A Sense of Self
A sense of self, or a sense of personal identity, is another feature of a professional counselor. It is a mix of ideas about one’s key roles, behaviours, and attributes. In other words – the terms in which people explain who they are and what they associate themselves with. Such associations can include occupations, abilities, relationships, and spirituality among others.
In order to become really self-aware and self-conscious, one should explore and understand the hidden aspects of self and, in such a way, achieve self-actualisation – the understanding and reaching the full potential of oneself.
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