Three Essential Qualities of a Consultant - Essay Example

? Integrating Theories A counselor who is conversant with different approaches towards counseling is better suited to deal with clients than the one who has perfected one approach. This is supported by the fact that clients have different personalities and characters therefore the way a counselor approaches them is key to determining the success of the process, one client is best handled using one approach and a different client will be more comfortable using another different approach (Conte, 2009). Most of the counselors who have successful establishments have mastered different approaches to handle their clients problems, for instance, a counselor may opt to use behavioral therapy where they observe how the client behaves to be able to determine how to best handle the disorder. Another patient, the counselor may decide to use cognitive therapy and study how the client thinks in treating him. As a counselor, there are three basic qualities that are mandatory and every counselor should be posses them for effective discharge of duties to the clients. A great counselor, one must poses the knowledge and skills in the field he is practicing in, this makes it easier to handle clients effectively and in a more humane manner that is acceptable to their cultural and religious backgrounds. To improve on the knowledge, a counselor should expose himself to a variety of psychology literature and various backgrounds (Nelson-Jones, 2008). Another skill that a great counselor must possess is that of being a good listener and a great observer; the ability of not interrupting a client when he is talking and being keen observer of non-verbal communication goes a long way in helping the counselor in understanding the needs and fears of the clients and this requires patience and keenness. Having a high level of personal integrity is another invaluable quality that a counselor should have. This will make the clients feel secure and confident opening up to the counselor, as they are certain they will be handled in a humane manner and confidentiality will be maintained. Some of the characteristics mentioned above can be developed and perfected in the process of counseling, a skill like being a good listener or keen observer usually develops as the counselor goes about treating his clients, he learns from experiences with his clients and can use that to improve on his listening and observation skills. For instance, in dealing with a client a counselor may observe that certain facial expressions depend on the mood of the client therefore in future he will be able to tell the mood just from reading facial expressions. Some knowledge also can be learnt in the process of counseling especially in relation to different cultural and religious backgrounds and their beliefs in relation to the field of psychology; through interaction with clients from Jehovah Witness church, the counselor will learn that they do not accept blood transfusion. Some areas however, should not be learnt while a counselor is still practicing. This brings into question the ethical and morality of the counselor, for instance, gaining professional knowledge while in practice is wrong, and a counselor should finish training before starting to treat clients. If a counselor starts treating before he is accredited to do so by the relevant authorities, he may make the wrong diagnosis leading to wrong prescriptions that may make the patient worse off than before the medication (Milne 2003). My desire to help and see people lifestyles change have pushed my desire to venture in to the area of counseling, it motivates me when a patient leaves my establishment smiling after having all her problems solved. However being an emotional man, sometimes I sympathize with the patients and fail to capture some of the facial expressions when dealing with them, however I usually record my sessions and I go through them later when am alone to see just in case I missed something (Velleman, Aris & Murgatroyd, 2010).. In my quest to be a great counselor, I have identified several areas that I need to work on to improve my skills and expertise as a counselor. One of those fields is family therapy where I feel I have not gained enough professional and educational knowledge; I would also wish to further my studies in cognitive and behavioral psychology. As a good counselor, I am supposed to follow up on the clients and know how they are doing; this has been a challenge as I find myself rarely communicating with clients after they leave my clinic. Another area I need to develop is that am a bit shy to ask some private but essential questions to the clients especially those of older than me, I am learning and practicing confidence to ask such to my clients irrespective of their age. Using one theory to treat patients has its advantages and disadvantages, one advantage of using one theory to treat patients is that a counselor is able to dig deeper in to the problems of clients and analyze the problem exhaustively therefore coming up with a great treatment plan. Another merit of one theory is that it saves both the counselor and patients’ time since there is only one side to look at the problem. Using one theory to treat patients however can lead to misdiagnosing since the problem of the patient might have been more effectively analyzed using another theory that was not used, this is in contrast to using several theories that look at the problem from different perspectives (Woolfe, 2010). Secondly, not all counseling patients are the same and some may prefer one method to be used to them to another, this may disadvantage the counselor if the method a client would opt to be treated with is not the one he has specialized in. If the counselor is using more than one theory in treatment, the patient will decide on which method he prefers to be used on him therefore making things easier on the counselor. An integrated framework where more than one theory is used is advantageous in that viewing the problem from different perspectives makes a counselor have a clearer understanding of the problem hence a more comprehensive medication. However, using an integrated framework in treating a patient takes a lot of time, which may not be available, and the patient may not give the required information as he rushes to finish the session. In treating patients, several techniques are usable; one of the technique that a counselor is likely to use is ‘the stages of change model’ where u go through the stages that the patient will undergoing trying to overcome the problem, they are pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance and relapse (Meier & Boivin, 2011). Another way is through the ‘solution focused theory’ where the counselor dwells on hopes for the future and current resources that can be used in the problem (Rosenthal, 2011). These methods can be used at once while the patient is going through the stages of change, solution focused therapy can be used to give him hope all is not lost and how to use what he has to overcome his challenges. References Conte, C. (2009). Advanced techniques for counseling and psychotherapy. New York: Springer Pub. Co. Meier, A., & Boivin, M. (2011). Counselling and therapy techniques: Theory and practice. London: SAGE Milne, A. (2003). Counselling. London: Teach Yourself. Nelson-Jones, R. (2008). Basic counselling skills: A helper's manual. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications Rosenthal, H. (2011). Favorite counseling and therapy techniques. New York: Routledge. Velleman, R., Aris, S., & Murgatroyd, S. J. (2010). Counselling and helping. Chichester, UK: BPS Blackwell. Woolfe, R. (2010). Handbook of counselling psychology. Los Angeles: SAGE. Read More