Criteria of a counselor

Dear Readers

It is never easy to be a counselor. Some basic criteria a counselor should possess and upkeep include the following:

A trained, knowledgeable learner: In order to be able to help, a counselor must possess a recognized academic qualification as the first prerequisite to show that her counseling knowledge with regards to the history of counseling, various theories and beliefs, counseling skills and therapeutic methods have been acquired. She has to be a continual learner not only in counseling but also in areas of the current lives, social matters, culture beliefs and so on because any external knowledge gained is an additional niche to being a diversified counselor.

Sincere and honest: This is one of the most important criteria in terms of personal characteristic to become a counselor. A counselor must not pretend to care, she must be genuine, honest and sincere in facing the clients who need her help. By treating the clients as unwise and silly, it will hurt their feelings and create untrustworthy relationships. The counselor must be truly concerned and care from the bottom of her heart in order to help her clients effectively. The client will feel relax and open hence disclose his problems if he finds that the counselor is a trustworthy and secured person to talk to.

Responsible and accountable: It is important to be a responsible and accountable counselor. A counselor must present herself as a responsible entity, not only at home, at work, in society but in every aspect where she may be present and look upon by others. She must be a committed counselor who is aware of the consequences she may face and be accountable if there are wrong doings.

Congruence and empathy: To be able to see and feel how a client suffers is an important criterion in becoming a counselor. The counselor must show empathy and encourage her client to relax and trust her. She must stay congruence at all times and not allowing her personal experiences to interfere with the counseling.

Patience and sensitive: Clients can be depressed, emotional and weak yet destructive. A counselor must understand that she is present to help, to listen, to guide but not to transfer back more anger or negativity to the clients. She must not lose her patience to show temper onto the client or to allow countertransference to happen. She must be sensitive to the client's needs especially when it comes to his culture, social, history, causes of problems and family background.

Fair, non-judgmental and respect: A counselor should not judge the client whether he is a prisoner, juvenile delinquent, divorcee or the like. She must understand that everyone stands an equal chance to lead a healthy and happy life in this world. She should give her client a chance to present himself on his problems and allow him to make decisions on his choice and respect the choices. She must present herself with the right attitude to demonstrate her fair and respect to the client in to order to gain trust and show faith in client that he will be able to go through his problems.

Active listener: A counselor listens actively to her client. She observes his possible movement and gestures during counseling session. She must obtain sufficient rest before each counseling session in order to present herself at her best condition before the client.

Confidentiality: A counselor should maintain confidentiality of her client's story. She must abide to this ethical principle and keep the information strictly private and confidential, not to discuss it with families and friends.

Admit constraint and consult the seniors: When a counselor faces problems, she should call for help. No one counselor can be perfect and fit for all clients; so when she is confused in her cases, she should not continue the counseling sessions because the outcome could be detrimental.  

Adhere to counselor code of conduct: A counselor must not develop private relationship with her clients. She must have the integrity to uphold her professionalism and strictly standby the morals and ethics of the conduct.

Counselors are human beings, there are limitations to her abilities and capabilities. The successful counseling will be a two-way working relationship between the counselor and the client.