Discussion

CHAPTER2.pdf

The Counselor: Person and Professional

 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

 Be authentic  The stereotyped, professional role can be shed  If you hide behind your role the client will also hide

 Be a therapeutic person  Be willing to grow, risk, care, and be involved

 Abundant research indicates the centrality of the person of the therapist and therapeutic relationship as key factors in successful therapy.

 The contextual factors, not techniques, are the primary determinants of therapeutic outcome.

 Can help you explore your motivations for being a counselor, countertransference, and other issues that are triggered by clinical work

 Research shows that it is important to counselors’ personal and professional development.

 If we are not committed personally to the value of examining life, how can we inspire clients to examine their lives?

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 Avoid value imposition

 Recognize that you are not value‐neutral

 Assist clients in creating goals and finding answers that are most congruent with their own values

 Find ways to manage value conflicts between you and your clients

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 Become aware of your biases and values

 Become aware of your own cultural norms and expectations

 Attempt to understand the world from your client’s vantage point

 Gain a knowledge of the dynamics of oppression, racism, discrimination, and stereotyping

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 Study the historical background, traditions, and values of your client and be open to learning from him/her

 Expand your vantage point to explore your client’s ways of life that are different from your own

 Develop an awareness of acculturation strategies Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 2 (6)

 Dealing with anxieties

 Being oneself and self‐ disclosing

 Avoiding perfectionism

 Being honest about limitations

 Understanding silence

 Dealing with demands from clients

 Dealing with clients who lack commitment

 Tolerating ambiguity Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy - Chapter 2 (7)

 Avoiding losing oneself in one’s clients

 Developing a sense of humor

 Sharing responsibility with the client

 Declining to give advice

 Defining one’s role as a counselor

 Learning to use techniques appropriately

 Developing one’s own counseling style

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 Take care of your single most important instrument – YOU  Develop self‐care strategies and a plan for renewal

 Know what causes burnout

 Know how to recognize and remedy burnout

 Know how to prevent burnout through self‐care

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