Communication Thesis Statement

As a counselor, the clients that come to receive services will generally be experiencing a tough time in in their lives. The intent of a counselor should be to see them through this time and help them overcome the hardship. A majority of the information they share will be not only be expected, but required to stay confidential. Summers (2014), informs her readers that “confidentiality is both an ethical principle and a legal right” (p. 47). Many individuals feel a sense of comfort knowing that the information they share with counselors will remain between them. Without this, many clients would potentially not feel comfortable enough to share some of the intense personal feelings or experiences they are dealing with.

This How a client perceives a counselor is very important in how they effective they feel they

Now that I have explained why I am interested the Capella, I will explain how my personality, beliefs, values, thoughts, and experiences influence the way I look at the world in conjunction with my role as a future professional counselor. In general, I receive satisfaction from helping others fix their own problems. As I help others, I observe various outlooks on problems and solutions that I would not have noticed alone. I think that fits with the Wellness Model, which states, “the counselor assesses client’s current functioning in several areas and helps determine which factors are interfering with the individual reaching his/her potential.” I look at my

Counseling is defined as ”the use of therapeutic strategies to help clients address personal concerns and mental health issues” (Nystul, 2016). Pursuing counseling as a career involves many years of formal study and certification or licensure. After receiving licensure to practice as a professional counselors it is a requirement to maintain involvement and certification in certain associations in order to hold your license. These association often require further education and/or professional practice in order to maintain membership in these associations. It is quite obvious that counseling requires a large amount of commitment and passion in order to pursue it as a career and maintain a title as a counselor. I have conducted an interview with a professional counselor in order to further understand the experience of being a counselor. The interview that I conducted explores the requirements of maintaining and receiving a counselling career, the experience of being a counselor, and what characteristics or skills a professional may have. The Individual who agreed to the interview was a counselor by the name of Susie Facio. Susie Facio, through this interview, will be giving us a look at what influenced her to become a counselor, what her work entails on a day to day basis, and what qualities and skills she has acquired in order to become a successful counselor.

I believe counseling is a collaborative partnership between client and counselor. Furthermore, this collaborative partnership is built from trust and acceptance of both client and counselor. I hope in conjunction with clients to understand the issues and concerns so to help them tap into their wisdom, creativity, and strengths to meet their current challenges. I believe in a comprehensive perspective through which clients can better comprehend themselves in the framework that our thinking about events can lead to emotional and behavioral upset. Moreover, counselors are to provide a safe environment for clients to explore their challenges and identify ways to move differently in overcoming these challenges.

What motivated me the most to enter a helping profession was high school. All through high school I saw children being bullied, stressed out trying to be someone they were not, and pushed down for being slightly different. Counseling is a profession that allows people to listen

Each person is unique with different gifts, abilities, and struggles. Counselors are committed to walk with individuals on their journeys to growth and healing without judgement.

Edward and Bess (1998), stated that in order to be a successful counselor, the counselor must be aware of who they are in the room with the client (Edwards & Bess, 1998). There are many ways to develop a therapeutic self however; this does vary from counselor to counselor. Some of the most important qualities that lead to a therapeutic self are as follows; empathy to show true understanding, genuineness to understand ones true self, commitment to show dedication, and purpose for understanding why one choose the career path of a counselor (Edwards &Bess, 1998). The counselor must understand where he or she stands in regards to these qualities. Coady and Wolgien (1996) stated that the most important thing brought into the therapy session is the counselor’s true

As human being we receive and perceive information in a wide variety of different ways. The understanding of communication to one person might be the total opposite to another person. Counselors within the human service field have to obtain the abilities and skills to interact and communicate with clients in a counseling setting. In doing so a counselor has to possession ability to use verbal and non-verbal communication skills, ask open and close ended question during the sessions, use reflective techniques, and identify explorations,

Transference and countertransference can made the counseling process challenging and difficult for both clients and counselors. It could damage the trust and relationship between counselors and clients. Affect the perception as the same time could affect the behavior of both. Moreover, some clients might change their behaviors towards the counselor, some examples will be dressing like the counselor, seek answers instead of discovering their own answers, the clients might feel powerless and indecisive affecting how the counselor might feel and react toward their clients. In addition, the counselors might affect their clients successful outcomes in treatment when a counselor might had some traumatic issues that might project into their clients. Some examples could be when the counselor response to their clients as a paternal/maternal nurturing, insecurities, seductive behaviors, and so on (Young,

Counseling is a relatively young profession when compared to other mental health professions. In my brief personal and professional experience with the field, I have come to define counseling as a process of engagement between two people, both of whom are bound to change through a collaborative process that involves both the therapist and the client in co-constructing solutions to concerns.

The client must be willing to trust the counselor. The counselor-client relationship is based on counseling approach as well as relationship with the client. The counselor’s role is to understand the client’s needs, and to develop the proper plan that fits the client’s needs. In my opinion, the goal for counselors is to give individuals the proper tools to manage their clients maladaptive thought behaviors and to apply them when their problems flare. The understanding of the client’s needs and using the proper counseling approach or theory to reach their goal of the client is idealistic for the

Several characteristics go into the counseling client relationship to achieve success; they include mutual positive regard, genuineness, empathy, competency, and an appropriate referral process. I identify with Carl Roger’s humanistic approach to counseling; I believe that positive regard, empathy, and congruence are keys to the counseling relationship and foster trust among our clients to help them identify concerns and move forward with therapy to achieve success (McLeod, 2014). Moreover, competency is essential to provide our clients with tools for success. Counselors must remain vigilant in their practice by continuing their education, this is in our code of ethics and a best practice as our society evolves (ACA, 2014). Effective counseling is also providing an appropriate referral when needed, sometimes counselors just might not connect with their clients and in cases like this, appropriate referrals should be made.

A counselor should be very observant and able to interpret non-verbal communication for example if the patient looks angry, and then find out the cause of his/her anger first. An effective counselor should provide non-possessive warmth in a counseling environment. Smile and show concern and acceptance by showing comfort, empathy, and understanding to the patient.

Licensed professional counselors have a unique occupation in that not only do they interact with their clients on a highly personal level, but they also momentarily share their client’s burdens, worries, and concerns. This vicarious aspect of counseling creates the possibility for a counselor to continue sharing the client’s troubles long after the session has ended. According to Norcross and Guy (2007), “The person of the psychotherapist is inextricably intertwined with treatment success” (p. 2) meaning that if we desire more positive outcomes than negative ones we must figuratively become one with our clients. Due to this fact, “self-care is not simply a personal matter but also an ethical necessity, a moral imperative” (p. 6). If we fail to leave work at work at the day’s end, then other facets of our lives are in jeopardy of becoming tainted.