Need of Counselling Skills
Counselling is a process that has the power to change an individual’s life. Therefore, to become a therapist or counsellor, a person needs to have a set of core skills. This will help them in maintain an efficient practice. A counsellor learns a number of counselling skills during his educational course and training.
Furthermore, one also learns a lot during their term of practice. Counsellors need to follow an ethical code which will help them offer top-quality services to their patients. It further helps the patients in getting good therapy.
Essential Counselling Skills
There are various skills which one requires to succeed as a counsellor. The right combination of counselling skills is very important. This ensures your credibility and reliability in front of the patients. Once you become fully qualified, you will get various opportunities which will help you work in any type of setting. However, in order to do that successfully, you must have the right mix of personal skills and personality traits. Some of the most important skills a counsellor or therapist must possess are as follows:
Exceptional Listening and Communication Skills
The essence of counselling is the communication that takes place between the counsellor and the patient. It helps in building a therapeutic relationship. Furthermore, it assures the patient that they are being understood. An efficient counsellor is able to communicate empathetically as well as listen carefully. In addition, they need to be able to win the confidence of their patients through their communication skills. Communication is the key to creating a healthy relationship with the client in order to produce fruitful results.
Non-judgemental Approach
As human beings, it is often very hard to have a non-judgmental approach towards our fellow humans. However, a counsellor’s job is to do the same gracefully. You need to develop a non-judgemental approach and not just pretend to be broad-minded. Only when a counsellor develops this approach will the patient be able to express their thoughts freely. A good counsellor always learns how to curb their reactions in a sympathetic and proficient manner. Moreover, it also allows the patients to view things from an optimistic viewpoint.
Ability to Maintain Confidentiality
The most important code of counselling is to maintain the confidentiality of the patient. This protects the privacy of the patients and helps them stay assured. Therefore, this helps them communicate freely to their therapists and reach better conclusions. There are only a few exceptional circumstances when a counsellor can share the information with a third party; otherwise, it’s a breach of contract. Moreover, the counsellor must maintain professional boundaries and not develop a personal relationship with their clients outside of therapy.
Flexibility, Perseverance, and Humility
As it is evident, a counsellor’s job is very intense and challenging. The right combination of counselling skills helps them in making it easier. Counsellors need to be resilient enough with their patients to ensure they are being taken seriously. Furthermore, they must be patient and humble when listening to their problems. A good counsellor is always more accepting of their patient’s flaws and has a higher level of patience to allow room for improvement of the patient..
Genuine Interest
This does not technically categorize as a skill but it carries huge importance nonetheless. An efficient counsellor is always curious and works continually to enhance the well-being of their patients. When the counsellor takes a genuine interest in the situations and circumstance of their client, they successfully build a trustworthy relationship. Similarly, it will make the patient feel appreciated and understood, something which they do not feel otherwise. Therefore, this helps in a better recovery of the patient through positive methods.
