differentially to counselor characteristics and that those reactions are important components of counseling outcomes. Today, the study of counselor characteristics is getting a renewed focus and is intended to facilitate “matching” of counselors and clients. Many counselor characteristics are being investigated; however, Hiebert (1984) has suggested this effort would be better invested in defending the worth of counseling services.
PHILOSOPHY AND ATTITUDE OF A PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR
The counselor is a trained professional who should manifest the following personal and professional characteristics:
The belief that counselees are unique individuals of signifi cant value The knowledge of how an effective individual functions
The belief that counselees are capable of change
That their knowledge and skills are necessary to help individuals overcome functional limitations
The willingness to become involved in this interpersonal process The understanding of oneself and one’s own skills and limitations
Non-judgmental acceptance of people Belief that people are basically good
Acceptance of and positive use of transference Helping the person see reality, encourage objectivity
The purpose is to remove the veil of ignorance Belief that Counselees are Unique Individuals of Significant Value
All human beings are worthwhile, valuable, and unique. This is an essential conviction that every counselor must have in order to relate to each counselee in a positive and constructive manner. Moreover, this acceptance of, and a sincere belief in the counselee, must be felt as an experience and not an abstract philosophical concept. It means that the counselor must have a genuine interest in the counselee and the presenting issues. It does not mean that one must not approve or disapprove of a particular act or like or dislike a particular trait manifested by a counselee;
but rather that, in spite of these, the counselor should have a genuine interest in the counselee, and respect the counselee as an important, valuable, and worthwhile human being. This is what Carl Rogers called “unconditional positive regard”.
The counselor must understand that a counselee’s perceptions about self, and perceptions of the world constitute reality for that person. The counselee’s problem should be approached from that frame of reference. The socioeconomic, religious and cultural background, education, and family factors of the counselee are of utmost importance when we try to understand where he or she is coming from. The beliefs, attitudes, feelings, and impressions that the counselee has about self and of the environment strongly infl uence the way the person behaves. A counselor needs to focus on understanding these perceptions and comprehending the meaning of the counselee’s behavior. Understanding where the counselee is coming from, his or her internal frame of reference, will give valuable clues to his or her problem.
The counselee’s sense of worth and uniqueness has to be appreciated and encouraged. This will create a feeling of trust between the counselor and the counselee. The counselor’s belief in the counselee and in his sense of self-worth is expressed verbally, paraverbally, and non-verbally. Nonverbal expressions are promptness, posture, and facial expressions. Paraverbal expressions are tonal quality.
And verbal expressions are responses that are sensitive to the feelings and attitudes of the counselee.
Belief that counselees are capable of change
When someone asked me, “Do you think he will change?” My answer was, “I wouldn’t be in this business if I did not believe that.” It is true. We are all capable of change.
We will have to make that decision on our own. It only requires determination to do so. A counselor’s theoretical orientation and basic assumptions about the nature of human beings strongly infl uences the counselor’s belief regarding the kind of change and amount or degree of change possible for any individual counselee. Counselors may hold distinct and varied opinions on the kinds of change that they believe are possible. But it is important for all counselors to believe that counselees are capable of change.
A counselor has to be optimistic. The belief that all counselees can, at least to some extent, modify their feelings, attitudes, cognitive structure, and behavior is imperative to all counselors if they have to prove themselves helpful to the process.
Change is never easy. They need to recognize that it is not easy to help people change. And it is not possible to help all people to change. Sometimes a counselee may just not be ready; he or she may not be willing to change. There may not be any necessity for the counselee to change, rather it may be the counselee’s surroundings that need to change or be changed.
As a counselor one must communicate to the counselee this belief that he or she can change. Without the counselee’s cooperation it would not be possible to achieve a change. Thus it is not enough if the counselor believes that the counselee can change, it is equally important that the counselee believes that he or she can change.
The knowledge of how individuals function
All counselors must understand the psychological principles that guide human behavior and the environmental factors that infl uence behavior. The counselor’s education in psychology courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate level is therefore imperative. This knowledge will help the counselor see the counselee as an individual as well as a member of the society. The unique ways of the individual and of his or her functioning in the world out side should be very carefully understood by the counselors. Knowledge of how individuals function within the framework of the self and in relation to the outer surroundings is essential to the entire counseling process. This will form the foundation of a trust in a working relationship, which attempts to explore and understand the factors that are delimiting the counselees behaviors, deciding upon a particular treatment program, working on it in a sound and appropriate manner, and deciding when to terminate a case, and also when to refer.
Knowledge of how to assist individuals
Counselors must provide assistance to individuals in pain. They must have appropriate clinical skills in order to do that. It requires a high level of sensitivity born out of training to fi nd the impediments that block the counselee’s ability to undergo changes and functions at a more effective or higher level. A large variety of approaches, methods, and theoretical analysis must be employed by the counselors.
Every individual is unique. The counselors must make tailor-made intervention strategies to suit this particular counselee.
Students of counseling can undergo supervised training and practice to experiment with various approaches, and then gradually fi nd their own style of functioning.
Assisting the individual in overcoming her functional limitations and moving towards personal growth is a time-consuming process. Actually it is a two-step process: one is to work upon the present maladaptive behavior and to reduce that;
and then to work toward personal growth. Students can try to emulate the behavior of their supervisor in the beginning and eventually they will fi nd their comfortable level of working.
Counseling should not only be seen as an analgesic which helps alleviate pain, but also as a vitamin to enhance growth and prevent pain. Understanding of individuals not only helps counselors in intervention strategies, but also keeps the focus on prevention as well as growth.
Willingness to become involved
The counselor must be prepared to commit her time and energy to assist the counselee. That apart, the counselor’s interaction with the counselee is also important.
One must go beyond a merely giving time and energy. One must demonstrate
a willingness to become involved in this interpersonal process called counseling.
It involves the ability to communicate one’s understanding of the counselee, the willingness to listen patiently to the counselee, and the total commitment to the process. Concentrating on the counselee’s internal frame of reference and reaching out to the counselees needs are all very important in the counseling process. This approach has many advantages. First of all it gives the counselee an impression that the process cannot be taken lightly, helps to build a rapport with the counselee, and then build up the trust in their relationship. It also gives the counselee a sense of importance and raises the self-worth of the counselee. Furthermore, this motivates the counselee to engage more actively in the process and fi nally motivates him or her to change. Commitment is infectious. And that is what the counselee sees when the counselor exhibits a deep willingness to become involved in the counselee’s life.
Knowledge of self
Counselors must have a very good knowledge about themselves. They must be aware of their feelings, thoughts, and behavior, must have understood and processed their own attitudes, values and motivations for working with others, and must be constantly in search of personal growth. They must be aware of their strengths and limitations and must realize that they cannot help everyone. Sometimes they may not be comfortable with a particular counselee or a particular type of problem.
In such a situation, they need to be confi dent enough to refer this counselee to somebody who could be more helpful. This requires a great deal of honesty and integrity. It also requires a high degree of understanding and appreciation of one’s own feelings, thought, and behavior.
Counselors who have a good sense of self-esteem, adequacy, and self-discipline transcend their own limitations and are free to give the necessary attention to their counselees and focus on ways to assist them. These counselors are warm, understanding, sincere, and generally interested in the counselee’s health.
Prayerful
The role of spirituality in the healing profession is being increasingly recognized.
Counselors are starting to realize that emotional problems can be alleviated through spiritual counseling. Counselors can be most effective in helping counselees who suffer from helplessness and hopelessness related to anxiety and stress by recommending a prayers to alleviate their fears and concerns. Prayers may not eliminate the circumstances causing the stress, but will sparkle hope and instantly relax the mind, and thus bring the symptoms under control. It is with the combination of prayer, support of the counselor, and the counselee’s own effort that the counselee will have the best chance of overcoming his or her distress.