What makes a good counsellor?
Did you know that “nearly a fifth of adults in the UK experience anxiety or depression”, according to The Guardian’s latest official figures*. With such a large number of us suffering, sometimes in silence, it is no wonder why counselling has become so important.
Counselling, also known as therapy, can be seen as giving advice to a person regarding any issues or problems they may be having and helping work through them. Many of us will find ourselves in the role of being a counsellor at some point during our lives to a friend or family member. However, counselling on a professional level is very different and more advanced than this.
Professional counselling
A professional counsellor will be someone who possesses the necessary skills and qualifications to help assist an individual. They will have a proven ability of counselling as well as know the most appropriate form of therapy that is required based on the situation.
Essential skills required
- Communication skills
- Active listening skills
- Effective questioning skills
- Empathetic skills
- Patient
- Compassion
- Research-orientated
- Discrete
- Encouraging
- Self-aware
- Sincere
Key responsibilities
| Build and maintain relationships with their patients. | This is essential for not only letting a client open up to the counsellor but to ensure that they regularly attend appointments. |
| Help a client understand their feelings without judgement. | Giving unbiased, non-judgemental advice can be seen as difficult for those of us who aren’t professionals. However having the ability to do this will help an individual move forward with their emotions. |
| Build trust with patients. | Making clients feel comfortable will help them be more vocal with how they are feeling. This will in turn allow the counsellor to give the necessary and appropriate advice. |
| Be patient and sensitive. | A counsellor needs to be able to give the appropriate advice in a manner that the client will not only understand but respond well to. |
| Understand the situation and give appropriate recommendations. | As there are many different forms of counselling and therapy, a counsellor must be able to judge the circumstances accordingly. Not every individual is the same and as such everyone will respond in different ways. |
If counselling is a field that interests you why not take a look at CU’s Counselling Degrees at CU Coventry, CU Scarborough and CU London. CU Coventry also offers Level 2 in Counselling Skills and Level 3 in Counselling Skills.
*Source: www.theguardian.com/society/2013/jun/19/anxiety-depression-office-national-statistics