, 1
The counsellor person and professional
Chapter 2
The person and the professional are intertwined and cannot be separated in reality.
The counsellor as a therapeutic person
• Counselling demands a practitioner who is willing to shed stereotypes and be an authentic
person in the therapeutic relationship!
• It is within these person to person connections that clients experience growth, if counsellor
hides behind professional mask our clients will likely keep themselves hidden from us --- leading
to sterile counselling.
• It is through the genuineness of the counsellor and their aliveness that clients can be helped and
truly effected.
• As therapists we serve as models for our clients. If we model incongruent behaviour and remain
distant we can expect our clients to also behave in the same manner. If we are real in our
approach and engage in appropriate self-disclosure our clients will tend to be honest with us in
the therapeutic relationship.
Personal characteristics of effective counsellors
The following are is a list of the characteristics a therapist should strive to possess:
1. Have an identity
2. Respect and appreciate themselves – Can give and receive help they feel adequate with others.
3. Open to change
4. Make choices that are life orientated –committed to living fully rather than settling for mere
existence
5. Authentic / sincere and honest
6. Sense of humour
7. Make mistakes and are willing to admit them
8. Generally live in the present
9. Appreciate the influence of culture – aware of the ways culture effects them, respect the values
and diversity of other cultures
10. Have a sincere interest in the welfare of others
11. Possess effective interpersonal skills – capable of entering the world of others without getting
lost in their world.
12. Become deeply involved in their work and derive meaning from it
13. Passionate
14. Maintain healthy boundaries – strive to be fully there for their clients but still maintain healthy
boundaries, they do not carry their client’s problems around with them.
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The counsellor person and professional
Chapter 2
The person and the professional are intertwined and cannot be separated in reality.
The counsellor as a therapeutic person
• Counselling demands a practitioner who is willing to shed stereotypes and be an authentic
person in the therapeutic relationship!
• It is within these person to person connections that clients experience growth, if counsellor
hides behind professional mask our clients will likely keep themselves hidden from us --- leading
to sterile counselling.
• It is through the genuineness of the counsellor and their aliveness that clients can be helped and
truly effected.
• As therapists we serve as models for our clients. If we model incongruent behaviour and remain
distant we can expect our clients to also behave in the same manner. If we are real in our
approach and engage in appropriate self-disclosure our clients will tend to be honest with us in
the therapeutic relationship.
Personal characteristics of effective counsellors
The following are is a list of the characteristics a therapist should strive to possess:
1. Have an identity
2. Respect and appreciate themselves – Can give and receive help they feel adequate with others.
3. Open to change
4. Make choices that are life orientated –committed to living fully rather than settling for mere
existence
5. Authentic / sincere and honest
6. Sense of humour
7. Make mistakes and are willing to admit them
8. Generally live in the present
9. Appreciate the influence of culture – aware of the ways culture effects them, respect the values
and diversity of other cultures
10. Have a sincere interest in the welfare of others
11. Possess effective interpersonal skills – capable of entering the world of others without getting
lost in their world.
12. Become deeply involved in their work and derive meaning from it
13. Passionate
14. Maintain healthy boundaries – strive to be fully there for their clients but still maintain healthy
boundaries, they do not carry their client’s problems around with them.
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Distribution of this document is illegal
