The Importance Of Effective Counseling

An effective counselor is not only well-educated, knowledgeable, and well-trained, but also possesses the skills and attitudes that will help him or her to perform work duties well, get along with colleagues, and fit into the company’s (agency’s) culture.

Employers want to hire people that are capable of developing and maintaining good work relationship with the patients, who are open-minded, warm, and non-judgmental attitude towards people seeking help. Non-judgmental attitude does not mean approving unacceptable behaviors; neither does it imply condoning inappropriate behavior. Counselors should be able to assist clients in evaluating their issues and help them take responsibility for their actions. Maintaining collaborative, interpersonal

These specific skills include the ability to write documentation: assessments, progress notes, and discharges summaries, as well as demonstrating active listening skills, positive regard, and being respectful. The ability to exchange ideas with others, and the ability to listen respectfully to other’s perspectives, enable counselors to effectively collaborate with coworkers, and provide competent care for clients. It also helps to handle stressful situations at work, solve conflicts before they escalate, and minimize the occurrence of traps of misunderstanding at work.

Awareness of and sensitivity to other’s gender, age, race, religion, culture, and recognizing these factors as influential in communicating in others allow clinicians to enhance the multicultural communication. An effective therapist recognizes that social, physical, and cultural factors shape the way people think, behave, and talk, and integrate this knowledge into delivering culturally appropriate treatment

Optimism fuels productivity, personal accountability, constructive thinking, ability to solve problems, and the confidence that one’s efforts will bring success. Additionally, effective employees exhibit integrity, have strong professional ethics, and have the moral courage to do the right thing. Counselors who possess these qualities are not afraid of embracing the challenges of upholding their commitment to their clients, and always act upon the principles of benevolence and non-maleficence.

While it might be difficult to objectively quantify the intangible qualities of an effective counselor-employee, such as flexibility, non-judgmental attitude, or being self-directed, there is one quality that improves performance, productivity, communication, motivation, and job satisfaction. It is the work passion that makes people work hard, expect positive outcomes, tolerate uncertainty, be growth-oriented, self-motivate, and committed to helping