On Becoming a Counselor

1. On Becoming a Counselor “One of the most important instruments you will have to work with as a counselor is yourself as a person.” G. Corey, 2005

2. To every therapy session we bring our human qualities and the experiences that have influenced us.

3. The Role of Values in Counseling • A core issue is the degree to which counselor’s values should enter into a therapeutic relationship. • Counselors should guard against the tendency to assume either of two extreme positions • At one extreme, counselors hold definite absolute beliefs, and see it as their job to exert influence on clients to adopt their values. • At the other extreme are counselors who maintain that they should keep their values out of their work, and that the ideal is to strive for value free counseling.

4. The Rule of Values in Counseling • Because counseling is a process that teaches clients how to deal with their problems and find their own solutions based on their value system, it is essential that the counselor not short-circuit a client’s exploration.

5. Who should establish the goals of counseling?

6. Where does a counselor begin to develop therapeutic goal? • The client and a counselor need to explore what they hope to obtain from the counseling relationship, whether they can work with each other, and whether their goals are compatible. • What you expect from counseling? • Why are you here? • What do you hope to leave with? • What aspects of yourself or your life situation, would you most like to change?

7. Incorporating Culture Into Counseling Practice • Suspends preconceptions about client’s race, and/or ethnicity and that their family members. • Engage clients in conversations about race and ethnicity to avoid stereotyping and making faulty assumptions. • Address how race and ethnic differences between therapist and client might affect the therapy process. • Acknowledge that power, privilege, and racism can affect interactions with clients. • Recognize that the more comfortable therapists are with conversations about race and ethnicity, the more easily they can respond appropriately to clients who may be uncomfortable with such discussions. • Be open to ongoing learning about cultural factors, and how they affect therapeutic work.

8. It is more often by differences than by similarities that we are challenged to look at what we are doing.

9. Multicultural Guidelines • Learn more about how your own cultural background has influenced your thinking and behaving. • Identify your basic assumptions, especially as they apply to diversity in culture, ethnicity, race, gender, class, religion, and sexual orientation. • Examine where you obtain your knowledge about culture. • Learn to pay attention to common ground that exists among people of diverse backgrounds. • Spend time preparing clients for counseling. • Be flexible in applying the methods you use with clients. • Remember that practicing from a multicultural perspective can make your job easier, and can be rewarding for both you and your clients.

10. Issues Faced by Beginning Counselor • Dealing with our anxieties • Being and disclosing ourselves • Avoiding perfectionism • Being honest about our limitations • Understanding silence • Dealing with demands from clients • Dealing with clients who lack commitment • Tolerating ambiguity • Avoiding losing ourselves in our clients • Developing a sense of humor • Sharing responsibility with the client • Declining to give advice • Defining your role as a counselor • Learning to use techniques appropriately • Developing your own counseling style, staying alive as a person and as a professional

11. Basic Parts of a Theory • View of Human Nature – 3 Modalities • Cognition • Behavior • Affect