Chapter 2
The Counsellor: Person and Professional
Outcomes Description
Identify Personal Characteristics of Effective Counsellors:
characteristics 1. Have an identity
of the -know who they are and what they are capable of becoming
counsellor as a 2. Respect and appreciate themselves
therapeutic -can give and receive love out of their own sense of self worth
person 3. Are open to change
-willing to change if not satisfied with the way they are
4. Make choices that are life oriented
-committed to living life fully and not victims of their past
5. Are authentic, sincere and honest
-do not hide behind facades
6. Have a sense of humour
-can laugh at flaws and contradictions
7. Make mistakes and are willing to admit them
-do not dismiss mistakes but do not dwell on misery
8. Generally live in the present
-not stuck in past or fixated on the future
9. Appreciate the influence of culture
-aware of how culture affects them and values others
10. Have a sincere interest in the interest of others
-respect, trust and value others
11. Possess effective interpersonal skills
-can enter the worlds of others without getting lost in them
12. Become deeply involved in their work and find meaning in
it
-accept the rewards are work but are not slaves to work
13. Are passionate
-have courage to pursue their dreams
14. Are able to maintain healthy boundaries
-they do not carry their clients problems into their personal lives
Discuss the Benefits of Therapy for the Counsellor:
benefits of increases in self-awareness, self-knowledge, and self-acceptance as well
seeking as improved relationships and personal growth
personal contributes to the therapists professional work:
counselling as the therapist can gain knowledge from a more experienced
a counsellor professional
can enhance a therapists interpersonal skills
can help the therapist to deal with ongoing stress in their work
learning the importance of warmth, empathy and the personal
relationship
understanding what it is like to be the client
learn to deal with transference and countertransference
therapy helps us discover our own personal blocks
Explain the Bracketing: is managing your personal values so that they do not
concept of contaminate the counselling process
bracketing and counsellors are expected to put aside their personal beliefs and values
what is when working with clients
involved in clients may feel rejected if you as a counsellor discriminate because of
managing a different values
counsellor’s Value Imposition: counsellors attempt to directly define a clients values,
,personal attitudes, beliefs and behaviours (imposing one’s own values onto the client -
values this is unethical)
If you experience difficulties over conflicting values:
seek supervision and find effective ways to manage the differences
NB: the task is to help clients find solutions based off of their own value
system
Discuss the The Ethical Counsellor in a Post -Apartheid South Africa
ethical During the apartheid era many psychologists assisted in police torture
counsellor in and supported police when they were occupying townships
post-apartheid Psychological organisations worked to keep black people out of the field
South Africa of psychology and fostered views of black inferiority
These problems are still prevalent in some areas today
There was great conflict after apartheid to integrate black students into
the field
Ethical counsellors need to be aware of this history and at minimum
should employ black staff and adopt anti-racist policies
Psychology requires a dramatic change in teaching, training and
research as well as greater engagement with the community to ensure
ethical practice
Explain how The Role of Values in Developing Therapeutic Goals:
values relate Most psychological theories agree that it should be the clients
to identifying responsibility to set goals
goals in The counsellor will have general goals and ensure that these fit withing
counselling the personal goals of the client
The goals and compatibility need to be explored by the counsellor and
client together
In counselling the therapist starts by identifying the clients goals or lack
of them (asking questions about the goals)
Examine the Becoming a Diversity-Competent Counsellor
role of An effective counsellor needs to shape their counselling practice to fit
diversity the clients worldview
issues in the It Is a counsellors ethical obligation to develop sensitivity to cultural
therapeutic differences
relationship Culture includes: racial heritage, gender, religion, sexual orientation,
physical and mental ability and socio-economic status
Describe what Acquiring Competencies in Multicultural Counselling
is involved in Diversity-competent counsellors understand their own cultural
acquiring conditioning, the cultural views of their client and the socio-political
competency as system of which they are a part of
a multicultural This understanding comes from an awareness of ones own values,
counsellor biases and attitudes
It takes effort to monitor our biases and attitudes
We need to challenge the idea that the values that we hold are
automatically true for others
The process requires formal training, self-reflection and questioning
what occurs in cross cultural therapy
Counsellors need to develop skills and techniques to assist cross-cultural
therapy sessions
Various therapeutic approaches are incorporated to address multiple
areas of needs
3 Dimensions of Cross-Cultural Competency:
Beliefs and Attitudes:
, -effective counsellors are aware of positive and negative
emotions towards people from other ethnic or racial groups
-they seek to understand the world from the clients view
-they are able to accept religious, cultural spiritual differences
-they realise that traditional theories may not work for everyone
Knowledge:
-culturally skilled counsellors understand that external socio-
political forces influence people and affect the treatment of
minority groups
-they are aware of the institutional barriers that prevent people
from gaining access to mental health services
-they know about historical backgrounds, traditions and values in
their client population
-in areas where they lack knowledge, they seek resources to
assist them
Skills and Intervention Strategies:
-multicultural counselling is improves when methods and
strategies are consistent with the cultural values and life
experiences of the client
-practice needs to be adapted to accommodate differences
-they are willing to seek out resources to improve their ability to
work with cultural diversity
Identify issues Issues Faced by Beginning Therapists:
faced by 1. Dealing with anxiety
beginning - This is normal and should be openly discussed
therapists 2. Being yourself and self-disclosure
- Genuineness helps to connect to the client; self-disclosure can help to
build a connection but must be used appropriately
3. Avoiding perfectionism
- Mistakes and improvements lead to self-growth
4. Being honest about your limitations
-it is important to learn when referral is necessary
5. Understanding silence
- Silence can be a time where the client is processing what has been
discussed or they may feel overwhelmed
6. Dealing with demands from clients
- Your expectations and boundaries for the client need to be made clear
from the start
7. Dealing with involuntary clients or those who lack commitment
- Preparing clients for the process can go a long way toward increasing
their cooperation and involvement in therapy
8. Tolerating ambiguity
- Dealing with anxieties that come from not knowing for sure whether
your client is improving or not
9. Becoming aware of your countertransference
- Countertransference is the process of therapists seeing in their clients
patterns of their own behaviour, overidentifying with clients or meeting
their own needs through the client
10. Developing a sense of humour
- This can enrich the relationship and provide some relief
11. Sharing responsibility with the client
- The therapist is not fully responsible for the client which may lead to
burnout
- it should be addressed early on how responsibility will be shared
12. Declining to give advice
, - Therapists are there to help clients find their own solutions
13. Defining your role as a counsellor
- A major role is to help clients identify their own strengths and discover
what is preventing them from getting resources
- Counsellor provides support while challenging the client
14. Learning to use techniques appropriately
- Techniques should evolve from the specific relationship
15. Developing your own counselling style
- You may not be effective if you attempt to imitate another therapists
style
Discuss Counselling in The Time of Covid-19 in SA
psychotherapy One of the challenges faced was insurance cover for tele counselling
and Sanitation and protection for client and counsellor
counselling in Anxieties increased about the virus infectivity
the time of Child therapy was difficult because of toy sanitation
COVID-19. Masks affected facial expressions and speech, and social distancing
made the session feel cold
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through EFT, credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying this summary from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller danivanrooijen41. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy this summary for R150,00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.