Psychology: Characteristics of a Successful Counselor and Counseling Approaches

This article discusses the characteristics of a successful counselor and different counseling approaches. It also explores the advantages and disadvantages of practicing within a specific theory or an integrated framework. The content includes questions and answers related to the topic, and it is relevant to psychology courses in colleges and universities.

Running Head: PSYCHOLOGY 1
Psychology
Name of student
Institutional Affiliations

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Psychology
Abstract
Counselling started in the ancient times of people like Frank Parsons who were concerned
with helping young people to try and make meaningful decisions about their lives, careers
and find partners in life (Rodgers, 1942). The early counselling used the technics of helping
people focus on their development and better their attitude towards life and opportunities in
their careers life. This with time became famous as counsellors were advising their clients
about the jobs and careers. However, todays counselling is so diverse and deals with different
approaches e.g. clinical as opposed in the past where emotions were not regarded as factors
affecting people in making decisions.
1.Do you think therapists should focus on becoming an expert in one particular
counselling approach or should they try to become proficient in more than one
approach? Provide an explanation for your answer and illustrate them with examples.
When therapist decide either to specialise or be general in the field of profession it is left onto
them to choose because they themselves know what they want better and what they can do
perfectly. Specialisation depends on the type and kind of agency you are working with and
how they assign you the roles (BE london, 2005). This helps you realise the areas you have
greater skills and serve better or still serve general therapies and enjoy switching to different
fields. If you enjoy serving as a high resource in the apex and want your skills to be
exceptional then you may choose to be an expert in particular counselling approach.
2.Identify what the three most important characteristics of a successful counsellor you
consider to be. Describe how these characteristics can be developed or strengthened?

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Flexibility is a trait that counsellors are supposed to possess, clients are different in
understanding, languages, have different problems and they all respond different to advices
given by the counsellor. (DM Higgins, 2007)Having a flexible counsellor makes easier to
deal with different kinds of people and situations they are in however different it may look to
others. The counsellor and the client might sometimes possess different traits e.g. culture,
believes, information and religion but the counsellor should manoeuvre and find how better
to assist this client. (DM Higgins, 2007)Enhancing this skill is so important and counsellors
are advised to practise this by communicating their problems to others, do benchmarking and
even refer clients to those who are better at dealing with it as they learn.
Has a good and genuine interest in other people; a good therapist has the urge everyday to sit
with others at any time whether during their low time or high time, try to understand their
situation and employ empathy. He tries to facilitate a positive transformation and make the
person better than he/she found them in the first place (Bobevski, 2007). To cultivate this
trait, a therapist ought to understand and read about peoples’ characteristics at different level.
They should appreciate everyone’s situation, have a heart of understanding and make sure
they help a person in need of their help.
Has a great sense of humour; a good therapist whether hearing horrible, weird or traumatic
story should be able to withstand and resist anything that can bring and make him bough to
the same situation. (Daniel Morisano, 2011)When a counsellor has good timing, he will know
how to handle these situations when the person narrates them. The counsellor connects with
the client until they start sharing the sense of humour and even going to the extent of
forgetting his or her problem. It is at that point that the counsellor starts to deal with the
client’s problem and advise him accordingly. This is a very good and valuable tool that every
counsellor should possess (Daniel Morisano, 2011). To enhance this trait, every counsellor

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should always try to see a different angle of what the client says and twist the story and even
give a more serious one.
3.Identify and describe some of the characteristics (from question 2) that are best
developed in the counselling process with clients? Support your points with examples?
Identify and describe some areas of personal or professional development that would
potentially be unethical for the counsellor to develop in the counselling process with
clients? Explain your rationale in detail and give examples.
Good characteristics should use open ended questions to the client while in the counselling
process. Open ended questions help to explore the client to tell more about an issue than just
to limit him or her on the YES or NO answers (Bobevski, 2007). Example (Laureate
Education INC 2012) Used open ended question “lets talk more about what happened
yesterday” this statement made the client to open up and be supported by the counsellor to
bring more meaningful responses.
An urge to help others should be highly employed while in counselling clients. When you
have a heart to help it raises you from the worldly favours of looking down to clients who
doesn’t have the money required to approach you.it helps you to focus on the centre of
helping people whether rich or poor but not self-gratification. Telling a client to pay first
before you can dispense your services is one of the worst abused character in counselling
world.
Disrespect to clients is so ineffective when used in the counselling process, when the
counsellor does not know his/her own limits to the clients it reaches a stage where he
maximises on the client’s problems or issues for his/her personal gain. Example asking for
sexual favours from the client when they have issues with their respective partner is the most

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abuse characteristic in counselling. The counsellor ought to provide genuine researched
attention and caring to others.
4.What are some of your own personal motivations and characteristics that may help or
hinder you as a counsellor (identify at least two)?
Economic condition is one financial status that enhance or hinder people to access certain
medical or education status. Well economic status makes it easy to access anything regarding
vital information on counselling skills, required resources ton pursue counselling and
decisions to be taken. In a poor condition especially for women and children it is difficult for
them to get quality education that is essential for making good decision. When you have low
level of education it is difficult for you to interpret, research and satisfy your clients with
updated information. When you are economically well, it is easy for you to acquire good
level of education, information and all the requirement needed to become a refined
counsellor. You will be able to go anywhere, meet anyone and research better to become and
meet the counselling standards.
Social and culture is the values and practises that are accepted in the community and our
society to operate. Social refers to how people live, organise themselves in those groups and
practice their things as a nuclear family, extended one, polygamous. If they have leaders like
chiefs, village elders and specified roles they are supposed to do. This social and culture are
the determinants of peoples’ ideas and feelings that always affects counselling and
communications. A counsellor who comes from a community of stringent and negative
culture that does not appreciate certain people from the society such as women and children,

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this will affect his or her ideas while dealing with issues related to them unlike those who
comes to a favouring cultural and social environment.
5.What areas of your own personal and professional development need the most
development before you will feel prepared to be an effective counsellor (identify at least
three)?
The role as a counsellor; this deals with my ability to maintain the very and internal core
professional values. This helps to identify my weaknesses and ability to work as a
counselling profession through determination that will help the clients and I as profession
(Brown, 2008). When you are aware of what is required in your profession such as ethical
consideration while dealing with clients and how to conduct yourself during the counselling
session, you will be effective and ready for the job and likely to make minimum mistakes.
Look at myself as a counsellor; when I am confident about dealing with the ethical conduct
and standards by weighing my personal characteristics, these will advise me how I am ready
to go ahead with counselling work. Looking at my personal beliefs, character and what I
stand for, education background in the profession. Previous curriculum courses that made me
like counselling and how I have helped or advised people and my interests in counselling
(Stauffer, 2013). Critically look at this parts that aids in the profession of counselling and
expectations of my clients and I as an individual.
Environment and people who surround us and their need plays a big role on how to be
prepared as a counsellor (CS Johnstone, 2013). When you are surrounded by people who
encourages you to do it, or if surrounded by people who you always help to overcome certain
things, they will shape you to become a good counsellor in the long run (S Padrix, 2012).
6.What are two advantages and two disadvantages of practicing within the framework
of one specific theory as opposed to developing a more integrative approach consisting

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of several therapies? Give a detailed description and rationale for both sides.
Advantages of specialisation is that it is fulfilling and gives you the opportunity to dig deeper
in the specialised therapy hence very easy to handle the cases related to your field (KS
Dabson, 2007).
Makes one marketable as a person who is a specialist is on the top of the list of every
company or hospital so as to provide all complex therapy that other generals are not able to
do (A Omidi P Mohammedkhani, 2013).
The disadvantage of specialisation is monotonous and you have to deal with one therapy
every time and again and even sometime you may dose off. You are on the know of ins and
outs of everything in the field until you become bored.
Specialisation also makes one not to enjoy different aspects of stories and people as those
who you deal with only requires one therapy that is always presented to you. Less experience
is gotten and one is narrow when dealing with other cases (A Aziz P Mohammadkhan, 2013).
7.What are the advantages and disadvantages of practicing within an integrated
framework?
The advantage is that it is flexible and deals with an individua as a whole because the therapy
effort is directed to meet a whole variety of person’s needs (AM, 2013).
It is also helpful to people who want to leave and be free from certain traits and behaviour let
by anxiety, phobias and all mental issues that affects life of an individual.
It is also used to children with autism and those who have challenges in learning and actually
it improves their daily function compared with the former (AM, 2013).
Disadvantages are that there are inconsistencies arising from this integrated approach

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They lack specialisation and therefore are in all therapies to all people which may not be able
to handle clients conclusively (AM, 2013).
There is switching off between different modalities which is not sufficient and attended to
8.Explain at least two techniques you would use in your treatment and describe how you
would integrate these techniques in a therapy session
Substance abuse therapy technique is an approach that appreciates and puts into context that
if one individual abuses a substance, it does not only affect him/her but also is regarded as a
family issue because of physical, emotional and ill health that a family goes through (Zadeh
Mohammad, 2012). If the family member is involved in this therapy or treatment then there is
a high achievement to the recovery of the victim in question. If you involve that family, you
will be able to understand one’s social economic issues, behaviours and substance abusers
thus making it vital in the assessment.
Family intervention approach/technique this approach involves the family in the treatment
option to the person abusing substances (Mowlaie, 2013). A group of family and friends play
a key role in the persons ability to abuse substances and hence also key to the reform of that
particular individual. This family approach also will help the person adhere to the therapy by
supporting him either at home or including him in the natural recovery effort.

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