Characteristics Of Effective Counseling

The philosophy that underlies the counseling profession is unique among mental health professionals. According to Remley & Herlihy (2014), the philosophy is made up of four components. First, counselor 's view mental health challenges through a positive, wellness-oriented lens. The primary goal of the wellness model is for the client to achieve the highest degree of mental health possible. Psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers follow the medical model of mental health. The goal of these clinicians is to cure the client’s illness, which differs drastically from counselor’s view of clients.

In order for the counseling process to be effective for the client the characteristics and behaviors of the mental health counselor must be effective. To be an effective mental health counselor the process must include both the art and science of helping clients when they struggle. This paper will address both effective and ineffective characteristics of the given transcript along with an explanation of how a counselor’s characteristics or behaviors influence a session with a client.

I believe counseling is a collaborative partnership between client and counselor. Furthermore, this collaborative partnership is built from trust and acceptance of both client and counselor. I hope in conjunction with clients to understand the issues and concerns so to help them tap into their wisdom, creativity, and strengths to meet their current challenges. I believe in a comprehensive perspective through which clients can better comprehend themselves in the framework that our thinking about events can lead to emotional and behavioral upset. Moreover, counselors are to provide a safe environment for clients to explore their challenges and identify ways to move differently in overcoming these challenges.

As a counseling student, it is very important to formulate a counseling theory tailored to ones’ own personality and beliefs. A counselor may choose a single theory to model when practicing therapy or pick and choose components and techniques from various theories, otherwise known as eclecticism. No theory is considered right or wrong. Understanding the different therapeutic approaches are important to effective counseling, however, counselors must also understand their own personal value, view of human nature, human behavior, counseling techniques and the purpose and goals of counseling. Understanding these components along with the different theoretical approaches will provide the counselor with a 9 knowledge of their own counseling, orientation and is essential to not only the productivity of counseling but the growth of the counselor as well.

The profession of counseling has a rich and bold history, evolving through the years from varied disciplines and birthing diverse specialties and branches along the way. Often referred to as the youngest of the counseling specialties is clinical mental health counseling. Despite physical health’s grasp on the nation, mental health has been a major focus at various times throughout history and continues to become an ever growing concern for people in general. As people come to better understand mental health issues and the demand for services grows, it is important to look at how clinical mental health counseling, and the counseling profession in general, has developed over time and how it has advanced to meet the needs of those seeking services.

Every relationship, no matter the type is very complex. No matter how long two individuals have known each other, the relationship needs multiple things to survive and thrive. An effective helping relationship requires four necessary components: warmth, empathy, genuineness, and respect. During the course of this class I have learned of many skills which I must use to succeed in my chosen field and I have skills which I excel at and others which have room for improvement. To prepare for the upcoming exam I will tune in to all of the skills which I will utilize to pass the test. Through my preparations, I expect to learn more about my strengths and weakness and work on improving all of my skills to become a more effective counselor.

Both authors express many overlapping elements of revealed truth in regard to the process of counseling and the problems that are derived in the life of clients and people suffering from disorders and psychologically unhealthy mindsets. Hawkins utilizes a theory of 5 concentric circles defining the human psyche and physiology. Hawkins goes on to relay his theory of counseling that utilizes 4 phases in which the counselor and the client work through the issues that hinder the client and formulate a plan of action in which the client is assisted in overcoming issues and able to become accountable and productive within the community. Crabb’s (1977) theory of

Most scientists, researchers and health care professionals understand the importance of being able to employ effective basic strategies for evaluation after a specific strategy has been employed be it in a research project or in clinical work. Evaluation is key as it forces professionals to truly scrutinize and zero-in on the effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of a given strategy. In a mental health care setting, being able to lucidly determine and assess the effectiveness and success of mental health care counseling based on the outcomes is a vital component of therapy at large.

Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals (Carmichael and Erford, 2014).I had to learn what it meant to be a counselor in order to decide if it was a path that I was willing to go down. I have learned a lot over the last 10 weeks from wellness strategies, writing clear and concisely and making ethical decisions. I also learned how essential is was to participate in supervision, seek a consult and make sure that my treatment is evidenced based as well effective for the client. I also conducted an interview with a mental health counselor. This paper will take you through

Data collected from Sharpley, Fairnie, Tabary-Collins, Bates, and Lee (2000), suggest that strengthening a rapport with an individual is paramount to the therapeutic alliance and is the contributing factor of whether the person perceives the counselor to be influential to determine if the session was successful. To be a competent counselor, he or she should use open-ended questions, reflective statements of feelings, paraphrase key components of the conversation and utilize minimal encouragers to enable ability to strengthen a rapport with a person (Sharpley, Fairnie, Tabary-Collins, Bates, and Lee, 2000). This is an essential characteristic trait an effective counselor should adopt as often the individuals we serve have low-self esteem and encounter difficulties managing or reducing their symptomology, which could implicate the therapeutic alliance. By establishing and strengthening a rapport with an individual, that creates a framework for the counselor to set realistic goals to improve the person's

Counseling is a relatively young profession when compared to other mental health professions. In my brief personal and professional experience with the field, I have come to define counseling as a process of engagement between two people, both of whom are bound to change through a collaborative process that involves both the therapist and the client in co-constructing solutions to concerns.

Mental health counselors take other professional’s feelings and needs into consideration. Counselors respect the obligations of other organizations and institutions. They treat other professionals with the same respect as they do with clients. Counselors work with others whenever necessary in cooperation to benefit the welfare of clients. When counselors are not competent in an area, they refer clients to a professional who has the competency to serve. When counselors have knowledge of incompetency of another professional they are obligated to inform the state licensing board or ethics committee (American Mental Health Counselors Association, 2010).

3. When you say homewrecker what are you saying? What is a homewrecker to you? And why do you feel your stepmother would be a homewrecker? I feel that bye clarifying what the youth feels is a homewrecker could help clarify some of the frustrations the youth has with the stepmother and could possibly lead to other issues that could be further explored.

This quarter’s course of “theories of counseling” felt like a whirlwind of theories, theorist, therapeutic techniques, and proper application of theoretical framework to help counsel students. As the course continued each new theory and therapy style I learned about seemed more appealing and useful than the last. In deciding which therapy styles I would favor using I have to take into account the general demographic of the students and communities I wish to work in. I plan to work with middle school to high school students that are from urban low social economic status and are recent arrivals to the country. Some of the characteristics of obstacles these students and families face daily are, single parent home/income, past/recent trauma, history of low family education level and legal trouble. I am fortunate to live in the community and society I want to help and that I have grown up in. I am equally blessed to be raised and have the opportunity to give back to my community and society the best way I know how by giving back in a positive manner.

This paper reviews four published papers and/or studies that have researched the characteristics of effective counselors. Each of the papers/studies list their own set of characteristics, but share a common thread of empathy, compassion, warmth, genuineness and emotional stability. After reviewing each paper and research study, additional analysis was applied to the above five characteristics with the hope of creating a more thorough understanding of what characteristics will assist in the journey of becoming an effective counselor.