The Role of Basic Counselling Skills in Effective Counselling

Running head: BASIC COUNSELLING SKILLS IN EFFECTIVE COUNSELLING 1
The Role of Basic Counselling Skills in Effective Counselling
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THE ROLE OF BASIC COUNSELLING SKILLS IN EFFECTIVE COUNSELLING 2
Introduction
Counseling involves the process of a counselor and a client agreeing on a time frame in
order to meet and explore difficulties which mostly features the client's emotions and stressful
feelings. The counselor assists the client to view situations more clearly and probably from a
different perspective. With this kind of help, the client is able to concentrate on behavior,
experiences, and feelings in particular. The goal here is for the client to finally exude positive
change by utilizing the holistic approach to everyday life. In order to achieve this objective, the
counselor and the client have to establish an environment of trust where the relationship is
governed by an act of confidentiality (Carkhuff 2017). Professionally, the counselor must create
rapport with the client and explain the rules and ethical moralities governing the field of
counseling that always underscores confidentiality. The client has to first accept every term
provided such as the revealing of private information if there is any danger to life before
beginning a journey of successful counseling. The counselor, therefore, has the duty to acquire
and display the skills required to ensure that the whole process of counseling becomes seamless.
Creating rapport and displaying empathy are two of the most important skills a counselor should
dispense nevertheless, they thrive under the same roof of effective communication skills. The
counselor must listen actively, seek clarification, reflect on the issue at hand and most
importantly possess the skills to question the client effectively without coming off as rude,
judgmental, arrogant, controlling and prejudicial (Wosket & Page 2013). Therefore, these basic
skills of counseling have a significant role in effective counseling sessions and a counselor
should practice them for successful counseling.

THE ROLE OF BASIC COUNSELLING SKILLS IN EFFECTIVE COUNSELLING 3
Counseling is an approach that is usually utilized in helping clients to deal with their
experiences ranging from an intellectual point through to emotions. The feelings and thoughts of
the client then become vital in dealing with the problems that may afflict the client. The skill of a
counselor to be aware of this client-centered type of therapy is basic because it distinguishes the
field of counseling to that of psychotherapy (Corey 2015). The latter motivates the client to look
back on past experiences and perform a comparative analysis with life in the current time,
possibly how they affect one another. This psychodynamic approach is different from
counseling’s humanistic approach which does not concern itself that much with past experiences
but rather focuses on the client’s current affairs and state of mind. Research conducted over the
years on the field of counseling has shown that the counselor's skills are very important in
determining the outcome of the counseling session as opposed to the type of therapy utilized.
Having the undeterred belief of a client's ability to positively change the situation, enthusiasm
and confidence are just among the type of behaviors the counselor should depict specifically for
success (Okun & Kantrowitz 2014). Albeit no guarantees can be made on the onset of a
counseling journey, a relationship that is both positive and good between the counselor and the
client will go a long way to achieve the set goals and objectives.
Basic communication skills are the premise upon which counselors find their footing
when attempting to interact with their clients. Basic listening skills is a priority for the counselor
to be aware of the client's general well-being. The counselor has the orientation and inclination to
gain the knowledge of the client's state of mind by listening carefully to the client's narration
without unnecessary interruptions. The client, on the other hand, is motivated and encouraged by
the counselor’s undivided attention to share experiences without having to hide anything. The
client feels the care and support from the counselor through this act of listening. Most of the