Chapter 1 The Counselor

SEMINAR
The Counselor:
Person and Professional

Note taken from Key Reference Text :
Theory & Practice of Counseling & Psychotherapy,
Gerald Corey 9th Ed.
Note taking by ONG SING YEE (KB, PA)

OVERVIEW

O The Definition of Counseling
O The Role of Counseling
O The Counselor As a Therapeutic Person
O Personal Therapy for the Counselor
O The Counselor’s Values and the Therapeutic

Process
O Issues Faced by Beginning Therapists
O Intro: Staying Alive

SEMINAR’S OBJECTIVES

O Understand what is counseling
O Understand the function of counseling
O Understand effective counselor’s characteristics
O Know how to develop effective counselor’s

characteristics
O Understand beginner counselor’s issues and challenges
O Know how to overcome beginner counselor’s issues and

challenges

What is Counseling

O Definition of Counseling :
"Counseling is a learning-oriented process, carried on in a simple, one-to-
one social environment, in which a counselor, professionally competent in
relevant psychological skills and knowledge, seeks to assist the client, by
methods appropriate to the latter's needs and within the context of the
total personnel program, to learn more about himself and to accept
himself, to learn how to put such understanding into effect in relation to
more clearly perceived, realistically defined goals to the end that the client
may become a happier and more productive member of his society."
(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

O What is professional counseling?
Counseling is a collaborative effort between the counselor and client.
Professional counselors help clients identify goals and potential
solutions to problems which cause emotional turmoil; seek to improve
communication and coping skills; strengthen self-esteem; and promote
behavior change and optimal mental health. (Based on American
Counseling Association)
Website link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mKHauD0pFk&feature=youtu.be

Counseling’s Functions

O Prevention
O Education
O TreatmNotee tnakting by ONG SING YEE (KB, PA)



The Effective Counselor

O The most important instrument you have is You.
- Your living example, of who you are and how you

struggle to live up to your potential, is powerful.
O Be authentic
- The stereotyped, professional role can be shed
- If you hide behind your role the client will also

hide.
O Be a therapeutic person and be clear about who

you are
- Be willing to grow, to risk, to care and to be

involved.

The Effective Counselor

O Contextual Factors [the alliance, the
relationship, the personal & interpersonal
skills of the therapist, client agency, extra
therapeutic factors] = therapeutic outcomes

O Therapy relationship + therapy methods
used (support the therapeutic relationship)
= outcome of treatment

Personal Characteristics of
Effective Counselors

O Most important
- The ability to look at, understand and accept

yourself (as a counselor) and your clients.

Personal Characteristics of
Effective Counselors

O The authenticity of the counselor
- Be a real person in a relationship with

appropriate self disclosure

Personal Characteristics of
Effective Counselors

O The effective counselor :
- They have an identity.
- They respect and appreciate themselves.
- They are open to change.
- They make choices that are life oriented.

Personal Characteristics of
Effective Counselors

O The effective counselors:
- They are authentic, sincere and honest.
- They have a sense of humor.
- They make mistakes and are willing to admit

them.
- They generally live in the present.

Personal Characteristics of
Effective Counselors

O The effective counselors:
- They appreciate the influence of culture
- They have a sincere interest in the welfare of

others.
- They possess effective interpersonal skills.
- They become deeply involved in their work

and derive meaning from it.

Personal Characteristics of
Effective Counselors

O The effective counselors:
- They are passionate.
- They are able to maintain healthy

boundaries.

Issues Faced by Beginning

Therapists

Issues Faced Ways to Overcome
Dealing with Your Anxieties
Openly discuss our self
Being Yourself and Self doubts with supervisor and
Disclosure peers.

Avoiding Perfectionism Appropriateness of self
disclosure [what to reveal,
when to reveal, & how much
to reveal]

Share their mistakes or what
they perceive as error during
supervision meetings.

Issues Faced by Beginning

Therapists

Issues Faced Ways to Overcome
Being Honest about your
Limitations To learn when and how to
Understanding Silence make a referral for clients

Dealing with Demands from Acknowledge and explore with
Clients your clients the meaning of it.

Make your expectations and
boundaries clear during the
initial counseling sessions or
in the disclosure statement.

Issues Faced by Beginning

Therapists

Issues Faced Ways to Overcome

Dealing with Clients who Lack To make clear of things that may
Commitment affect the course of therapy.

Tolerating Ambiguity Tolerating of ambiguity
[“Am I really doing my client any
good?” “Is the client perhaps
getting worse?”]

Becoming Aware of your Fully present as we are able to be
Countertransference during the therapy hour.
{any of counselors’ projections
that influence the way counselors
perceive and react to a client.}

Issues Faced by Beginning
Therapists

Issues Faced Ways to Overcome

Developing a Sense of Humor Distinguishing between humor
that distracts and humor that
Sharing Responsibility with the enhances the situation.
Client
Responsibility shall be addressed
Declining to Give Advice early in the course of counseling.
[length & overall duration of the
sessions. Confidentiality, general
goals & methods used to achieve
goals.]

Our task is to help clients make
independent choices and accept
the consequences of choices.

Issues Faced by Beginning
Therapists

Issues Faced Ways to Overcome

Defining Your Role as Counselor Depending on [client populations with
whom you are working, the specific
Learning to Use Techniques therapeutic services you are providing,
Appropriately the particular stage of counseling and
Developing Your Own Counseling Style the setting in which you work].
Have to re access.

Know the theoretical rationale for each
technique you use and be sure the
techniques are appropriate for the
goals of therapy.

Advocate borrowing from others, yet
doing it in a way that is distinctive to
you.

Issues Faced by Beginning
Therapists

Issues Faced Ways to Overcome

Maintaining Your Vitality as a Your most powerful technique is
Person and as a Professional your ability to model aliveness
and realness.
Professional burnout
Self monitoring [having the
experience of centeredness and
solidness, and by feeling of a
sense of personal power]
Self care [physically,
psychologically, intellectually,
socially and spiritually.]

Counseling for the Counselor

O The counselor is encouraged to
experience being the client before
counseling others

Counseling for the Counselor

O In your experience of being a client you can:
- Consider your motivation for wanting to be a

counselor
- Find a support as you struggle to be a professional
- Have help in dealing with personal issues that are

opened through your interactions with clients.
- Be assisted in managing your countertransference
O Corey believes’… that therapists cannot hope to open

doors for clients that they have not opened for
themselves.”

Staying Alive – It’s a
Prerequisite

O Take care of your single most important
instrument – YOU

O Growth in your own life is crucial
O Know what causes burnout
O Know how to recognize and remedy burnout
O Know how to prevent burnout

Thank You