Counselling skills and techniques

 

What Is Counseling?

The American Counseling AssociationExternal link:open_in_new (ACA) defines professional counseling as a collaborative relationship between a counselor and their client. They work together to develop strategies for accomplishing mental health and wellness, education, and career goals.

There are four main types of professional counseling:

• Individual counseling, the most common type, focuses on an individual’s growth and mental health.
• Couples or marriage counseling focuses on assisting couples in overcoming conflict and working toward a stronger relationship.
• Family counseling focuses on complex family dynamics and how they affect each individual as well as the group.
• Group counseling focuses on treating an individual in a group environment to facilitate growth.

• he Process of Counseling

  Counseling doesn’t have a fixed set of stages that apply to every client situation. However, there are common elements that they generally share.

  1. Building rapport
  This is an opportunity for you and your client to get to know one another. How you establish this relationship will set the tone for your future sessions.

  2. Assessment
  This is where you begin to understand your client. Ask questions and practice active listening to understand their concerns, establish goals and set expectations.

  3. Goal setting
  This involves working together with your client to define the specific, measurable, achievable goals that you will work toward during counseling.

  4. Intervention
  This is the process of choosing the appropriate counseling techniques that will encourage your client’s growth.

  5. Evaluation
  This is a collaborative assessment between a counselor and their client. Review progress and adjust goals and strategies if needed.

  6. Termination
  This occurs when a client’s needs have been met, and concludes the counseling process. Summarize your client’s progress and provide additional resources.

• Counseling Skills

  Earning a master’s degree in counselingExternal link:open_in_new can help you practice different techniques for working with and helping clients. However, building strong and trusting relationships with clients requires both technical and interpersonal skills. As such, a counselor should possess the following skills and qualities:

  Listening and observation skills: In order to fully comprehend client needs and devise an appropriate treatment plan, counselors must have strong active listening and observational skills.

  • Attending: Staying present for your client requires giving them your undivided attention, making eye contact, mirroring body language and demonstrating your understanding. These behaviors demonstrate to your client that you hear and recognize their concernsExternal link:open_in_new.
  • Active listening: Using all of your senses to listen to your client means more than just hearing what they are saying. According to the Center for Creative Leadership, active listening helps to establish trust and inspires respectExternal link:open_in_new.

  Ability to ask the right questions: Counselors learn about their clients by asking questions. It’s important to understand the psychology behind question order and type so you can set the proper tone for your relationship.

  • Closed questions can be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. Because they do not encourage deeper exploration, they can provide limited information and should be used sparingly.
  • Open questions cannot be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and requires a client to reflect on an answer. Open questions should be intentional and aimed at helping a client explore their feelings.

  Communication: Interpreting verbal and nonverbal cues, explaining research and treatment to clients and filling out reports are all important aspects of being a counselor. Communication techniques that you may need to employ include:

  • Reflections: Clients may not always be able to put their feelings into words. Counselors can help them identify the emotions they express in their statements or nonverbal cues.
  • Restating/rephrasing: Counselors can validate and gain further clarification from their clients by rephrasing statements made during a session.
  • Affirmations: Building a client’s self-confidenceExternal link: can help to eliminate harmful thought patterns and increase their propensity toward positive life choices.

  Empathy: Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes shows that you can understand your client’s experience and their associated feelings.

  Genuineness: When your actions and words match your feelings and thoughts, you are operating from a place of authenticity. Remaining authentic is an important part of your relationship with clients.

  Unconditional positive regard: Making your client feel accepted for who they are can bring warmth and respect into your sessions and make them more comfortable opening up.