Top 5 qualities of a counsellor

A counsellor must have certain skills and knowledge to help assist individuals make changes to live a happier life. So, if you’re interested in becoming a successful counsellor, you’ll need to have these top 5 qualities:

Listening skills

The main part of a counsellor’s job is to sit and listen to people’s problems, stories and feelings. All your attention needs to be on the individual, in order to make them feel worthy, appreciated and respected. There are 3 types of strategies that a counsellor should use:

• Active Participation – Listening whilst taking an interest in the individual
• Reflective Listening – Restating information so the client knows that you have understood what they have said
• Blocks to Listening – Blocking any distraction that can get in the way, including forming judgements

Wanting to make a difference

After listening to the individual, you will need to give support to help the client see things more positively. This may be getting them to look at things from a different view-point or focus on feelings, experiences or behaviour. It is your duty to help them make a positive change to their life.

Building rapports

A relationship of trust with your client is essential in becoming a successful counsellor, especially if you want them to open up to you. Without gaining a greater understanding of the individual it is impossible for you to improve their situation.

Empathetic

It is important for you to share the feelings of your clients. You will need to understand the situation from their point of view in order to address the issues.

Patience

You must accept that a positive change in your client may not appear straight away. You may need to discuss something many times before they move in a particular direction. Therefore, you need to be patience and overcome small goals at a time.
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