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Whether you’re earning a pertinent degree from an Ivy League college or have spent over a decade in the industry, you might be prepared to take the leap and become a counselor. Many individuals opt for a career switch once they believe they’ve reached the summit of their current role. Others decide to change careers due to a sudden urge to help people, a desire for greater job satisfaction, or an aspiration to escape the desk-bound routine and experience new things daily.
Counseling is seen as the natural progression for those who are keen to help people work through their problems. While you may not have direct experience or subject-specific qualifications, you might have a wealth of life experiences that you can bring to your practice. You may have worked through your own mental health problems, you may have succeeded in your career and surpassed the competition or you might have overcome many barriers to your personal relationships. However, just because you have the yearning to become a counselor, you need to think about whether you have the skills needed to make your practice a success.
Feeling the call to help others and make a real difference? Explore the path to becoming a counselor and discover if this rewarding profession aligns with your potential. Dive in to find your destiny! #CareerChange #CounselingClick To Tweet1. Communication
Before contemplating the establishment of your own counseling practice, refining your communication skills is crucial. In your professional journey, you’ve undoubtedly interacted with a diverse set of individuals occupying various roles. The distinctive factor here, though, is that all of you were striving towards a shared objective and aiming to surpass benchmarks. In this context, your primary concern was fostering a business relationship.
In a counseling role, your conversations span across a broader demographic of society. One moment, you may assist a woman feeling incredibly vulnerable amid a divorce. Shortly after, you might address an issue with a man grappling with low self-esteem. Following that, you could be lending an empathetic ear to someone coping with post-traumatic stress disorder.
As a listener, you need to make sure that you are able to hear everything that your patients are telling you. This is why you should consider the possibility of wearing hearing devices to increase your earning power. The better listener you are, the better counselor you will end up being.
As a counselor, you’ll encounter a wide array of individuals, necessitating versatile communication strategies. Some clients may prefer a casual tone, while others might appreciate maintaining professional decorum. Assessing the optimal way to converse and connect can be challenging, but this is a skill you’ll need to master to foster productive relationships with the individuals you counsel.
2. Tolerance
It’s more important to be tolerant and accepting as a counselor than in any other role. Many people who come to see you will be nervous and anxious. They might worry that they have an embarrassing problem or that you might be judgemental because they have done something deemed unconventional or morally suspect. It’s not up to you to judge. You need to listen and accept everything that they are telling you. By showing them that you are tolerant, you can create a more honest atmosphere that will help them work through their issues in a more worthwhile way.
3. Problem Solving
As you listen to your patients talk about their issues, you need to be working out potential solutions to their problems. These cannot be you telling them how to improve their lives, start feeling better or enhance their confidence, self-esteem, or ability to control their anger. You need to be armed with a whole host of solutions that you can talk through together. Problem-solving is a highly personal thing, so you must present your patient with a variety of suggestions to help them see that their problem isn’t hopeless and that there is a solution. They need to identify their own negative thought patterns with a little prompting by you. If anything, you are a facilitator rather than a provider of solutions.
4. Empathy
You might not have suffered mental abuse, had to combat drug addiction or been subject to the tragedy of child bereavement. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t help individuals who are going through the trauma of these issues. You need to have bucketfuls of empathy to help you see life through other people’s eyes. You need to put yourself in your patient’s shoes and try to imagine how they must be feeling, what their thought processes might be, and how they might solve their problems. Some of the experiences that you listen to will not be easy to sit through. However, because you want to help people, you can help them see beyond the tragedy and live a more fulfilling life once again. It’s up to you to develop strategies to help them clarify their thoughts and begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
5. Sensitive
You’ll need to exhibit sensitivity towards individuals from all walks of life. Depending on their cultural or religious backgrounds, they might be reserved, hesitant to express openly, or find it challenging to display their emotions candidly. Your task is to foster an environment where they feel safe to disclose their feelings while respecting their unique circumstances that might make this difficult. Exhibiting patience and working at a comfortable pace will help establish a robust trust bond.
Becoming a counselor is undoubtedly a fulfilling profession. Each day, you step into your role knowing you’re aiding people in improving themselves and enhancing their life perceptions. As a counselor, you wear the hats of a listener, problem-solver, and facilitator. Your professional life becomes more meaningful, filled with satisfaction, and every day brings new experiences. So, it might be time to reconsider your desk-bound job for a more rewarding career.
What is the school counselor's role in the special education process? How can school counselors assist students with special needs? In this comprehensive and thorough guide, the authors answer these and other questions about best practices for meeting the academic, social, and career requirements of students with disabilities.
