Thursday, February 14, 2019

Characteristics Of Professional Counseling Specialists

By Virginia Collins


Trained counselors are certified by their government to help individuals manage stress and other mental problems. Besides going through training in a credible institution, counselors should possess a number of personal characteristics. For instance, some patients come with very deep problems hence expect psychologists to uphold a high level of confidentiality. Likewise, others are too emotional and expect to be understood and helped to overcome this. Therefore, professional counseling experts cannot rely on acquired knowledge alone to handle patients. They must develop several qualities as described below.

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.

Moreover, psycho-social treatment is not a one-fit-all process. For this reason, counselors must be flexible enough to adapt to new methods besides what they learned in school. Even though the standard approach works with most patients, doctors must adjust a little every time they handle a more challenging case. Every treatment plan ought to meet the needs of a specific client.

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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