What do you mean by psychological counseling? As a counselor what are the counseling skills and qualities that you should develop?

Abstract

Psychological Counseling or Counseling Psychology is one of the main branches of psychology. Counseling which helps a client to understand the true nature of a problem through a scientific process consists of many steps and processes. For an effective psychological counseling, the counselor should have counseling skills and qualities. Those counseling skills and qualities are considered as major characteristics of a counselor. Here, in this assignment, I would like to take an effort to explain what is meant by psychological counseling and also I would like to point out the counseling skills and qualities that a counselor should develop.

Introduction

    According to the American Counselling Association, counselling is the application of mental health, psychological or human development principles, through cognitive, affective, behavioural or systemic interventions, strategies that address wellness, personal growth, or career development, as well as pathology (www.psycholog.about.com). Counseling is a service offered to the individual who is undergoing a problem and needs professional help to overcome it. The problem keeps him or her disturbed high strung and under tension and unless solved his or her development is hampered or stunted. Counseling, therefore, is a more specialized service requiring training in personality development and handling exceptional groups of individuals.

  Counseling mainly deals with the wellness, personal growth, career and pathological concerns (Conger,1996). This part of the definition suggests that counselors work with both intra- and interpersonal concerns in areas that include schools, families, careers etc.

   Though many people think counseling as primarily an advice-giving activity, counseling is completely different from advice giving. Understanding another person’ complicated life is almost impossible. Also, advice giving may breed a relationship in which the counselee feels inferior and emotionally dependent on the counselor. In spite of its ills, advice giving occurs in routine counseling sessions because counselees expect it and counselors tend to provide it.

 For being a good counselor, a counselor should have counseling qualities and skills. Skills are abilities or capabilities that a counselor should develop and qualities mean distinctive attribute or characteristic that a counselor should develop. Sometimes counseling skills and qualities are equal.

 Qualities of a Good Counselor

The personal and professional qualities of counselors are very important in facilitating any helping relationship. A counselor must be well equipped to assist individuals to make adjustments and live a happy and harmonious life. The adjustment can be with regard to the workplace and curriculum, vocation and personality.

When considering the skills of a counselor, there are a lot of counseling skills that a counselor has to develop.

When considering the multicultural competency following skills are important. The counselor should demonstrates the ability to adapt counseling approaches, theories, and techniques to make them culturally appropriate for diverse populations. In the same way, he or she should have a  knowledge and awareness of the importance of individual differences in race, culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disability, and the ability to work effectively with a broad range of individuals from diverse backgrounds. Further, he or she should possess an awareness of a) their own cultural world views/values, and b) any biases held toward other racial and ethnic minority groups. The counselor should be aware of sociopolitical influences on race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation, including issues of immigration, poverty, racism, stereotyping, and powerlessness.

When considering the scientist-practitioner model following skills should be develop by a counselor.

The counselor should know evidence-based practices and basic strategies for evaluating the counseling process and outcome in counseling and he or she should have a knowledge and understanding of methods of research and investigation for the purpose of keeping abreast of current developments in the field to insure the effectiveness of workplace programs and counseling outcome. 

 Ethical practice is also a very important field that a counselor should know. Under ethical practice following are important. The counselor should demonstrates the ability to apply and adhere to ethical and legal standards in counseling. He or she should have a knowledge and understanding of one’s self and his or her impact upon the counseling process in order to deliver ethical and effective services (i.e., the American Counseling Association, the American School Counselors Association), and by current legal precedent. Further, the counselor should demonstrates the ability to recognize one’s own limitations as a counselor and to seek supervision or refer clients when appropriate. 

   When considering systemic perspective of development following skills should be developed by a counselor. He or she should

• Recognize the importance of family, social networks, and community systems in the treatment of mental and/or emotional disorders. 
• Demonstrate appropriate application of culturally responsive treatments such as, individual, couple, family, and group in schools and community agencies for initiating, maintaining, and terminating counseling. 
• Recognize the importance of the role of the counselor as an agent of social change and possesses skills to implement change. 
• Demonstrate an awareness of systemic inequalities. 

   When considering professional competency, the counselor should demonstrate a high level of interpersonal skills such as the ability to respectfully communicate opinions with colleagues. And he or she demonstrates the ability to receive and apply feedback from supervisors and colleagues. In the same way, the counselor should  demonstrates ability to provide appropriate feedback to others.

   When considering counseling competency following skills are important. A counselor should

• Demonstrates effective delivery and use of counseling skills. 
• Demonstrates a cognitively complex understanding of client problems and the counseling process.
• Demonstrates competent treatment delivery.
• Demonstrates the ability to establish working therapeutic relationships
• Demonstrates and applies knowledge of counseling theories and approaches.

Apart from above mentioned skills, there are most important counseling skills that counselor should develop.

Counseling Skills. There are several important skills which we will cover briefly.  Each is considered a “micro-skill” which you will need to develop during the clinical sequence of the counselor training program

   One of the most important counseling skills is the empathy. This is a very important and major skills and a quality of the counselor.

   According to humanistic psychologist Carl Rogers (1961) empathy is  the ability to enter the client’s phenomenological world, to experience the client’s world as if it were your own without ever losing the ‘as if’ quality. Empathy involves two specific skills: Perception or understanding of what is taking place emotionally and the ability to communicate your understanding of that to your client. Humanistic psychologist give a very important palce to empathy.

    According to Martin (1983) empathy is communicated understanding of the other person’s intended emotional message.  Every word counts in this definition.  It is not enough to understand what the person said; you must also hear what they meant to say; the intended message.  According to him, it is not enough to understand, even deeply; you must communicate your understanding somehow.  It is absolutely essential the other person “feel” understood—that your understanding is perceived.

    There are two forms of empathy. They are primary empathy and advanced empathy. Primary empathy means responding in such a way that it is apparent to both the client & counselor the counselor has understood the client’s major themes while advanced empathy takes the relationship one step further.  You are exploring themes, issues, meanings, and emotions that are below the surface of what is being shared by the client. 

When considering the levels of empathy we can find several levels of empathy.

Throughout counselor’s time with a client, counselor has to use different levels of empathy.  As the sessions progress, empathy will deepen as the counselor know more about client and their story.  You also use an appropriate level of empathy for the stage of counseling.

·         The verbal & behavioral expressions of the counselor either do not attend to or detract from the verbal & behavioral expressions of the client. 

·         Although the counselor responds to the expressed feelings of the client, they do so in a way which subtracts noticeable affect (emotion) from the communications of the client.

·         The expressions of the counselor in response to the expressions of the client are essentially interchangeable.

·         The response of the counselor add noticeably to the expressions of the client in a way that expresses feelings a level deeper than the client was able to express

·         The counselor’s responses add significantly to the feeling & meaning of the expressions of the client in a way that accurately expresses feeling levels below what the client is able to express. 

Moving the Client—Leading-This is a very important skill of the counselor.

There are several ways to “lead” the client forward in a session.  They include using silence, acceptance, paraphrasing etc. Here, the counselor should be aware of how he or she leads and where he or she is going.  The counselor should clearly understand that he or she is working on the client’s issues, not his or her issues, or what he or she think the client should be working on. 

Responding Styles-Counseling is often perceived as just focusing on feelings.  This is not true.  While counseling helps people work through feelings; how one responds and communicates with others will affect how the counselor responds to the client. 

In affective responding, the counselor should focus on the client’s feelings, behavioral responses, actions and behaviors, cognitive response, on thoughts and cognitions.

The counselor should be able to balance these throughout the session with a client.

Self-Disclosure- Self-disclosure is making oneself known to another person (the client) by revealing personal information. Counselor’s self-disclosure is only necessary as it relates to the therapeutic process.  Too much self-disclosure hinders the counseling process, while not enough, may inhibit the client from forming a bond with the counselor. 

Self-disclosure is the process by which one person lets his or her inner being, thoughts, and emotions be known to another (Mosby) and is an area in which a wide range of opinions exists. Typically, self-disclosure happens when we initially meet someone and continues as we build and develop the relationship.

Within the Person-Centered approach to counseling, Carl Rogers urged therapists to be genuine. Congruence was one of the six conditions that he believed were necessary and sufficient for personality to change. As well as empathy and unconditional positive regard (acceptance) he believed congruence to be highly important. Assuming the counselor uses Rogers' core conditions, the counselor will be concentrating on establishing an atmosphere which invites intimacy and in order for a true therapeutic relationship to develop counselor and client must achieve some level of intimacy (Mearns and Thorne 1998).

However, on the positive side, Dale et al. (1998) found that a counselor’s self disclosure can assist a client to open up, provide reassurance and hope that understanding and recovery is possible. Similarly, Egan (1982) believes that self-disclosure is a challenging skill and can be seen as a form of modeling for the client. The client can observe a method of self-disclosure and be encouraged to do so himself. Self awareness is vital in the therapist, as is effective use of the supervision process “which can help them resolve their own issues and to avoid burnout in what is an emotionally draining occupation” (Geldard etc al 2009)

Immediacy-This involves a counselor’s understanding and communicating of what is going on between the counselor and client within the helping relationship.  There are 2 types:

©  Relationship immediacy. (Between client & counselor)

©  “Here & Now” immediacy focuses on some particular event in the session.

Humor is a also a good skill of the counselor. Humor can have a positive effect on the counseling process when used properly. However,   it must be used with sensitivity and timing.  It does not demean and is supportive. It should be understood that  A session is not a time to try out a new joke heard at lunch.

Confrontation

Actually, this is not a skill at putting the client down for doing something wrong. This is an invitation to the client to look more closely at behavior that is not working or interfering with growth, change, or healthy functioning.

Confrontation is when the counselor raises the awareness of the client to include information that the client is overlooking, or failing to identify. This technique must be used carefully, as it can lead to a complete disintegration of the client-counselor relationship. On the other hand, good confrontation can be seen as respectful to the client, as it shows that the counselor is sincerely listening, and cares for the client. There are a number of situations where confrontation is appropriate. These include:

The client is avoiding a basic issue that appears to be troubling them

The client is failing to recognize their own self-destructive or self-defeating behavior

The client is failing to recognize possible serious consequences of their behavior

The client is making self-contradictory statements.

However, it should be noted that if other non-confrontational skills and techniques are properly used, it is said that the counselor will generally not have to use confrontation as a method of gaining information from the client (Geldard & Geldard, 2009). Good confrontation often includes a summary, followed by a statement of the counselor’s feelings and a concrete statement given without interpretation. Good confrontation leaves the client feeling OK and not attacked.

Before the counselor confronts someone you want to make sure the relationship is strong and able to withstand the challenge of the confrontation. 

Example:  “You have said you want to change this behavior but it seems you keep doing it over and over again.  Help me to understand what is going on and how repeating this pattern is helpful to you.” 

Transference & Counter-transference

This is a very old concept. But, it is a very important concept. Transference and counter transference are issues that affect all forms of counseling, guidance and psychotherapy

Transference

This is the client’s projection of past or present feelings, attitudes, or desires onto the counselor.  It can be direct or indirect and will cause the client to react to you as they would in the past or present relationship

Counter-transference.

This is the counselor’s projected emotional reaction to or behavior towards the client.  It can take on many forms, from a desire to please the client, to wanting to develop a social or sexual relationship with the client.  When this happens, supervision or counseling for the counselor is called for. 

Termination of a Session

Actually, there is no great secret to ending sessions. There are some guidelines.

©  Starting and ending on time.

©  Leaving five minutes or so for a summary of the session.

©  Introducing the end of the session normally saying like “Our time is coming to a close.”

©  Assigning homework.

©  Setting up next appointment.

Termination of the Relationship

This termination is the end of the professional relationship with the client when the session goals have been met. 

A formal termination serves three functions:

©  Counseling is finished and it is time for the client to face their life challenges.

©  Changes which have taken place have generalized into the normal behavior of the client. 

©  The client has matured and thinks and acts more effectively and independently. 

Timing of Termination

There is no one answer when termination is to take place.  Questions you may wish to ask yourself concerning termination include:

©  Have clients achieved behavioral, cognitive, or affective goals?

©  Can clients concretely show where they have made progress in what they wanted to accomplish?

©  Is the counseling relationship helpful?

©  Has the context of the initial counseling arrangements changed?

Resistance to Termination

When considering the resistance to termination in some cases, clients and counselors may not want counseling to end.  In many cases this may be the result of feelings about the loss and grief or insecurities of losing the relationship.  For clients, this is something to process.  For counselors, this is an issue for supervision. 

Premature Termination

This has two sides. When we take the client, we can see that many clients may end counseling before all goals are completed. This can be seen by not making appointments, resisting new appointments, etc. It is a good idea to try and schedule a termination or review session with the client so closure may take place.  At this time a referral may be in order. When considering the counselor’s side, at times, counselors have to end counseling prematurely.  Whatever the reason for the termination, a summary session is in order and referrals are made, if appropriate, to another counselor. 

Referrals

Sometimes, a counselor needs to make a referral. When this is done, specific issues need to be addressed with the client like

©  Reason for the referral.

©  Note specific behaviors or actions which brought the need for a referral. 

©  Have the names of several other counselors ready for referral.

©  You cannot follow up with the new counselor to see if the client followed through (Confidentiality issue). 

Follow-Up

At times, a follow-up may be scheduled for various reasons including evaluation, research, or checking-in with client. Follow-ups need to be scheduled so as to not take the responsibility of change away from the client. 

Genuineness -This means being real.

Having a sense of humor - we put our guard down. In a sense we become genuine

Unconditional Positive Regard - Acceptance

A warm regard for her/him as a person of unconditional self-worth--of value no matter what his/her condition, his/her behavior, or his/her feelings.

Warmth-Physical expression of understanding and caring. It is ordinarily communicated nonverbally through gestures, posture, tone of voice, touch, and facial expressions

Active Listening

Active listening happens when the counselor "listen for meaning." The listener says very little but conveys empathy, acceptance and genuineness.

Body Language

Developing encouraging body language can take some practice. Normaly, communication is 55% body language, 38% tone and 7% words.

Asking Questions

Asking questions - open and closed - is an important tool in the counseling kit. They can help a person open up or close them down.

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is when you, the listener, restate succinctly and tentatively what the speaker said - conveying empathy, acceptance and genuineness.

Summary

A summary, in counseling, is when you focus on the main points of a presentation or session in order to highlight them.

Note Taking

Note taking is the practice of writing down pieces of information, often in a shorthand and messy manner.

Homework

Homework in counseling is fun and informative work done outside of the session. It extends the length of the session and increases progress.

The Goodie Bag and Other Fun Stuff

The goodie bag and other fun stuff help make a counseling session an occasion for joy, as well as understanding.

As the process of counseling develops, both the counselor and counselee must arrive at a common ground. Counselor’s who continually develop their self awareness skills are in touch with their values, thoughts and feelings. They are likely to have a clear perception of their own and their client’s needs and accurately assess both. Such awareness can help them be honest with themselves and others. They are able to be more congruent and build trust simultaneously. Counselors who possess this type of knowledge are most likely to communicate clearly accurately.

Three other characteristics that make counselors initially more influential are perceived expertness, attractiveness and trustworthiness. Expertness is the degree to which a counselor is perceived as knowledge able and informed about his or her specialty. Counselors who display certificates and diplomas in their offices are usually perceived as more credible than those who do not and as a result, are likely to be effective. Clients went to work with counselor who appears to know profession well.
Attractiveness is function of perceived similarity between a client and counselor. Councilors can make themselves attractive by speaking in clear, simple, jargon free sentence and offering appropriate self disclosure.

Actually, a counselor should have a magnetic personality, personal adjustment, interpersonal relationship, professional competence, leadership, professional dedication, philosophy of life, wide range of interest.

Counselors who are nonverbal cues in responding to clients, such as more nodding and eye contacts are seen as more attractive than those do not. The attire of the counselor also make a differences, clothes should be clean, neat and professional looking but not call attention to themselves. Trustworthiness is related to the sincerity and consisting of the counselor. The counselor is genuinely concerned about the client and shows it over time by establishing a close relationship with the client. “There is and can be no such thing as instant intimacy” or trustworthiness. Rather, both are generated through patterns of behavior that demonstrate are and concern most clients are neither completely distrusting nor given to blind trust. But, as Fong and Cox note, many clients test the trustworthiness of the counselor, deprecating themselves or questioning the motives and dedication the counselor.
It is essential, therefore, that the counselor responds to the question of trust rather than the verbal content of the client in order to facilitate the counseling relationship. Many beginning counselors make the mistake of dealing with surface issues instead of real concerns. For example if a client asks a counselor, “Can I feel you anything”. A novice counselor might respond, “what do you mean by anything”? An experienced counselor might say, it sounds as if you are uncertain about whether you can really trust me and this relationship. A good counselor must have the knowledge of mental hygiene and the skill to interpret psychological tests. This is essential to from a correct, reliable and objective assessment of the personality of the counselee.

An important quality of a counselor is that he like and respects himself, but he does not use the counselee to satisfy his own needs. Every normal human being has a desire to be respected, recognized and accepted. Then the counselor must qualities of good personality, good character and wholesome philosophy, health, emotional stability, approachability, sympatric understanding of youth, intelligence, social culture, broad knowledge and interest in guidance and personal working conditions and understanding of social economic conditions. They above given qualities must be possessed by a counselor.

Counselor need to be able to put himself or herself in the other person's shoes, and, at the end of the day, you'd have to be able to shrug off the issues that people give you so that you don't go insane himself or herself .

At the same time, a counselor needs a deep level of empathy and understanding. A  counselor need to be happy in himself or herself - if you aren't, your patients will see this and they will lose hope.

Counselor needs to be understanding. He or she need to be willing to let yourself go into an unstable mind, pretend to be them, and understand -why- they are thinking that way, and a possible way out. And he or she needs to be flexible, and at the same time orderly enough for them to not be spooked by unpredictability. In the same way, counselor needs to be able to think outside the box - because chances are, they've already tried inside-the-box solutions to their problems - and be able to conjure up many solutions.

Counselor needs to learn when to have faith in your patient's ideas and when to tell them to stop. Counselor 'll face many tough decisions - do I hospitalize this person, or do I keep an eye on them as they are? - and many you may come to regret, as the human mind is unpredictable.
Above all, the counselor needs to listen. -Listen- to them, to what clients say, and understand why they are saying what they are saying. Learn to read their body language, become very observant - are they taking care of their bodies? What are they wearing? (What one is wearing tells a lot about a person.) Are they slouched in their chair, do they speak, if so, is their voice loud and clear or shy and quiet?

Empathic listening is a simple skill (although it takes a lot of practice) that will help you improve your communication at any point in your relationship. It requires each partner to take time to reflect back what the other has said, and make sure you’ve understood correctly before making your response. When you truly understand your partner’s concerns your response will be more constructive. Too often, we’re busy preparing our response to someone before we’ve fully heard and understood what they are saying. As Fran Lebowitz put it, “The opposite of talking isn't listening. The opposite of talking is waiting.”

©  Empathy You want to build the relationship with the client through all the previously mentioned skills.  Yet all these skills will be hindered without the use of empathy.