According to the Book of Occupational Titles, the meaning of a counselor is person who “provides person, marital, and family counseling services to adults and children, to assist consumers to identify personal and interactive problems, also to achieve effective personal, marriage, and family development and adjustment” (Counselor, marriage and family, pra. 1) A counselor, therefore , is one who seeks praise by genuinely helping visitors to enrich their very own lives. To gain more regarding my reasons for becoming a counselor, I will compare my nature, determine my own counseling approach, identify my own transferable expertise, and describe my future in counselling.
Becoming a Counselor
What drives a person to concern himself or himself with the dark side of the human psyche? What exactly is it that forces certain individuals to elect to help those who are battling, wounded, or perhaps dysfunctional? Assuredly they are a “special sort” because the average person prefers to downplay the psychic sufferings of fellow human beings and avoid comprehensive contact with bothered individuals (Norcross Farber., 2005, 939).
Many research workers argue that counselors experience even more emotional distress in child years than most of the people. This raises their awareness of psychological soreness in themselves while others and impact on their job choice. Various other researchers suggest counseling is attractive to those whom believe they are incompetent and ineffectual within their own lives. This sense impotence provides the opportunity to exert control and influence above their clients’ lives. Finally, researchers believe that many advisors fill their particular psychological relish by choosing the counseling career (Farber, Manevich, Metzger Saypol, 2005).
My factors behind becoming a counselor are very personal and derive from my personal caring and compassionate nature who desired to “pay it forward. inches Diagnosed in 1997 with Bipolar Disorder after enduring in silence for 15 years, I regained my sanity and place in society as a result of effective treatment with medications and the assistance of my own therapist. Realizing that many of people afflicted with mental illness were not as blessed, I wanted to serve the less fortunate by advocating and empowering visitors to reach all their full potential. Very curious and fascinated by people, I desired to understand how people believe and behave. I also wanted to make them deal with life’s challenges and motivate those to make within their lives. Moreover, I desired a fulfilling and rewarding profession that would enhance my personal creation and have a positive impact on contemporary society.
Personality Traits of Counselors
The ten most important qualities in an powerful counselor are “psychological well being, genuine desire for others, empathic ability, personal warmth, personal power, self-awareness, tolerance of ambiguity, and an awareness of values” (Parrott, 2003, l. 25). Different important characteristics are a sense of humor, high energy level, self-confidence, neutrality, flexibility, synthetic thinking, creativity, enthusiasm, consideration, and credibility.
In addition to prospects qualities, I really believe I have the subsequent personality traits that might make me an effective counselor:
Approaches to Therapies
Based upon what a customer needs, guidance approaches are numerous-ranging coming from basic active listening to solution-based. Some of these approaches include intellectual, behavioral, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, Adlerian, person-centered, gestalt, humanistic-existential, and integrative/eclectic (All regarding counseling, n. d. ).
Cognitive
This approach looks for to help the customer resolve complications by discovering and changing dysfunctional considering, behavior, and emotional responses. This theory focuses on changing subjective perceptions and unbalanced thoughts by reducing negative thoughts and distortions.
Behavioral
This approach emphasizes the concept behaviors imbed themselves through conditioning. Attained through discussion with the environment, conditioning can be associated with learning that occurs through rewards and punishments or perhaps stimuli and responses pertaining to behaviors.
Psychoanalytic/Psychodynamic
This approach focuses on the belief that human actions are the result of relationships of unconscious drives and forces on people. To change challenging behaviors, thoughts, and thoughts, one must discover the the case meanings and motivations and resolve them.
Adlerian
This approach targets altering impractical and insurmountable perceptions that may lead to self-defeating behaviors, dissatisfaction, discouragement, and failure. The goal of this theory is to increase social curiosity, modify self-destructive behavior, and efficiently deal with problems.
Person Centered
This approach concentrates on the premise that individuals are moving toward self-actualization and disconnection from self-potential leads to psychological turmoil. This emphasizes and places assurance in the client’s ability to control his or her own positive path.
Gestalt
This approach stresses the present second e. g. the “here and now” and motivates the client to be aware of his or her own thoughts and manners to take personal responsibility pertaining to the feelings. The purpose of the theory is to assist consumers to become aware of what is effectively experienced versus a mere presentation of occasions and allow these to identify and alter thoughts and behaviors.
Humanistic/Existential
This method focuses on the concept everyone is inherently good and has the potential to make a contribution to society. This kind of theory highlights making realistic choices, person free will certainly, personal expansion, and the concept of self-actualization.
Integrative/Eclectic
This approach believes that no one theory or therapies approach can easily incorporate every single person’s personality. Therefore , that blends elements from diverse approaches and tailors them to each client’s treatment needs.
Though I appreciate the different therapies approaches, I find me drawn even more to the intellectual approach from general observations with the theory and its application.
Transferable Skills in Counseling
Transferable skills are the skills and abilities obtained during any activity within a person’s life-jobs, classes, tasks, parenting, hobbies and interests, sports, and so forth -which transfer and apply at what a person wants to do in a long term job. Transferable skills are essential for success in today’s competitive marketplace. These are the abilities that are relevant from job to work and to a number of work options.
According to Bolles (2011), these are the relevant skills most used by counselors in the Transferable Skills Inventory:
Counseling”A Dream Career?
In respect to Mississippi Hospital Connection (2002-2004):
Advisors serve as personnel in a variety of adjustments including non-public practice, hostipal wards, correctional organizations, mental well being clinics, universities and schools, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, halfway houses, home care services, job training and business rehabilitation centers, and general public assistance agencies (Work Environment, para. 2).
My personal ultimate goal as a counselor is to earn my doctorate in psychology and work with adults and children with Bipolar Disorder specializing in committing suicide prevention. I realize myself working in either a mental health clinic where I am able to meet with clientele or start a mental wellness organization that focuses on rendering suicide hotline assistance via the telephone, email-based, or instant/text messages.
My personal duties for the client will consist of the following:
People have many and varied reasons for learning to be a counselor. A lot of people become advisors because of an experience with a counselor during a uncomfortable time in their lives and want to pay it forward. Others may have performed offer work at a crisis hotline or homeless shelter and noticed that they appreciated both the issues and the rewards of dealing with clients facing tough times. Moreover, people could have been told that they are good listeners and should consider working in the mental overall health field. Individually I have many and varied reasons for to become counselor and believe I’ve the appropriate counselling approach, nature, and transferable skills to create me an exceptional one.
