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After first meeting the client, what is the process that a counselor facilitates?
What happens in a counseling session?
After meeting a client, many Counselors will ask you lots of questions in order to complete a thorough assessment of what you came to counseling for. This assessment is required by most insurances and allows the Counselor to give a diagnosis, which is also required by most insurances in order for them to pay the Counselor. If you are paying out of pocket, this diagnosis is not really required for payment, but many Counselors will still perform a comprehensive assessment because we really want to know what the issues are that brought you to us. The better we understand what it is that bothers you, what you would like to get out of the counseling, and all the various things that tend to affect people such as family upbringing and medical issues, the easier it is for us to help you reach those goals. How the counseling actually plays out from there depends a lot on the theory that the Counselor uses to direct their approach to counseling, and that information is too much for this little post.
After first meeting the client, what is the process that a counselor facilitates?
What happens in a counseling session?
A good therapist will discuss what brought you to therapy in the first place and devise a therapy plan with you on some of the things that you may want to work on. The plan is not set in stone as things may arise during your therapy sessions. You also agree on how often and when you would like to meet.
After first meeting the client, what is the process that a counselor facilitates?
What happens in a counseling session?
Great question which I imagine many other people have as well.The therapist will want to know your main source of life discomfort. In what areas are the problem interactions which you hope will disappear?The therapist is trained to listen for your emotions to your story. And to open these up to you in a kind and safe way so that you'll start to see your circumstance in a new light in which you feel more of your own authority to handle the troubling conditions.The therapist and you will refine your thinking and theories. The therapist will ask questions to help you prepare for any stumbling blocks along your way of creating your own new answers to the problem you brought to counseling.I hope you'll enjoy learning and creating new thinking and interacting patterns!
What are the basic skills a good counselor needs to have?
What are the skills needed by a counselor?
Some basic skills are empathy, you should feel heard and understood. The therapist should keep the focus on you since counseling is about you and the issues your facing. That being said if you feel like they are sharing too much its going okay to say this. They should also be able to identify some coping skills to help you manage the symptoms your experiencing.
What are the basic skills a good counselor needs to have?
What are the skills needed by a counselor?
Many skills and education and years of it plus experience. And many have done or went through their own and can relate. A lot of times many are just not happy with counselors with just the traditional type of education and want someone who can relate or even inspire to self grow. They need to be creative and very authentic. TO understand that it is not about the client thinking the counselor is going to solve their problems it is about separating and helping guide them to their goals as a result in what makes them a full filled individual. Plus as a counselor we continue to expand our skills and we also have our own masters so that we can be better for our practice.
What are the basic skills a good counselor needs to have?
What are the skills needed by a counselor?
Counselors are actually required to have many skills before walking into the field.We need to know a lot about all disorders, as well as techniques that best compliment them; however, that may look different depending on who we are sitting with. That skill is the ability to integrate assessments over the span of counseling to best fit the client's needs. Humans are complex so it's important to stay flexible!Because the client-counselor relationship is the best predictor of therapy outcomes, skills here are crucial. Counselors need to really be authentic, which includes sharing empathetic responses with the client. I have met a few clients that worry that those skills are feigned because it's our job, but these responses are very real. We care about our clients and want to express that to them.A skill that we use often all through counseling but especially in the beginning is conceptualization. Very important because it not only helps in understanding our clients' perspective, but helps to get a picture of the different pieces of why someone is functioning the way they are. Yes, humans are complex, but we become pretty simple when you work out all the parts. For example, if your pattern is to yell in arguments, a way to conceptualize that is that the trigger is the argument, your body goes into fight mode, you feel adrenaline and anger, you then yell to reduce anger. That reduction you feel in anger reinforces yelling, and if it made you feel better in the moment, that's a reward even if you feel guilty later on. Every behavior can be conceptualized and helps both the counselor and client understand all the elements of functioning and helps guide the focus.Some counselors specialize in areas or have a niche. That doesn't make a counselor better than any other counselor, but could make them a better fit for you. Knowing what you need out of a counselor is most important!
What are the basic skills a good counselor needs to have?
What are the skills needed by a counselor?
1) An awareness of their own incompetence and inexperience with events in your life;2) An awareness of how the body, mind, emotions, spirit, and others all intertwine and activate one another;3) How to work to use these connections to have you improve your experience...Oh yeah, and there's some listening in there, as well :)
What are the basic skills a good counselor needs to have?
What are the skills needed by a counselor?
Here is a list of skills I use every session, and a short explanation of what they are:Reflecting: Paraphrasing what clients have said so that they know you understand themValidating: Helping clients to know that their point of view is valuable and rationalClient-centered talk: Maintaining focus on the client in therapy sessions, rather than a therapist talking about themselvesAttending: Nonverbal or verbal cues that indicate I am listening to a client (i.e., nodding, leaning in, affirmations)Reframing: Helping a client to see a problematic behavior or situation in a different way (usually only works well after they feel heard and understood)
What are the basic skills a good counselor needs to have?
What are the skills needed by a counselor?
I think that the most important skill a good counselor has is the ability to empathize (whether that be natural empathy, or trained, empathy is essential.) A good counselor also knows the difference between identifying with their client, and empathizing with their client. An ability to not bring in our own baggage (we all have baggage and most are "wounded healers") into our work, as it's not about us. If it is brought in, it should be in only a way that can help a client.And to listen...specifically to what the client is needing.
What are the basic skills a good counselor needs to have?
What are the skills needed by a counselor?
To be non-judgemental, know who they themselves are, be able to step forward and ask questions with ease and grace into painful emotional areas.Also to respect human difference in accomplishing basic life tasks and everyday living.
What are some difficulties that a counselor can encounter when dealing with a client?
Are some clients more difficult than others?
Each client brings their own style they like to a coaching or counseling relationship. When I counseled and coached military I learned to relate to what style of coaching they seek. Some were better at the Drill Sergeant style of coaching, or a liberal style, integrative, humanistic, progressive, or conservative. Some can be obsessed and try and cross the line. When you are in the public eye it can be a bit much and you have to know what client is a good fit for your practice. Some don't see you as human but we are. We seek to do the best we can with our knowledge cause it is a calling and I am sure others will say on here that we have to have our go to place of healing also so we can be good for our clients.
What are some difficulties that a counselor can encounter when dealing with a client?
Are some clients more difficult than others?
Although many clients have the capacity to be engaged in the therapeutic process and express their thoughts and feelings in an articulate way, others may demonstrate resistance to treatment which can manifest in ways such as reflecting the desire to end therapy prematurely, cancelling appointments, or arriving late. A resistant client can also make the process of the therapist engaging the client, challenging.Once the therapist identifies the resistance, it is essential for the therapist to address it with the the client and encourage the client to focus on the therapeutic goals.In my experience, I have observed that people have many reasons why they begin to show resistance. Some may believe the therapist is judgmental and they may not for one reason or another, feel emotionally safe with the therapist. Others may not feel comfortable talking about their feelings, and it may appear that they never developed a rapport with the therapist.Sometimes a person may harbor feelings of distrust, or dislike for the therapist which eventually creates barriers to good treatment outcomes.
What are some difficulties that a counselor can encounter when dealing with a client?
Are some clients more difficult than others?
I usually don't label a client as "difficult" because whatever they are presenting with makes sense for how they believe they need to live. "Difficult" is also so subjective, so it could mean something different for each person.It can be really hard for most counselors to feel stuck with a client. Sometimes both the counselor and client have "blind spots" where we aren't aware of how functioning is surviving or we're unsure of how to move forward despite many attempts to do so.Some clients are also ambivalent to change even though they show up to counseling. Most of my client load is comprised of teens that are mandated to be in therapy or day treatment and at times, it's a struggle to build a relationship as a result. It takes take to work through that, and a patient, understanding counselor will know to allow the client to meet at their own pace.I think it's common for counselors to sometimes perceive something as more difficult than it really is. I've definitely been guilty of that. All some clients need is just someone who will listen, understand, and extend empathy. We can fall into expectations of our clients growth that may not even be needed or realistic.No matter what a client comes into session with, they should never be blamed for their issues or made to feel like they are, themselves, difficult. Therapy is hard, and when you see a counselor it's usually because you are having difficulties that feel unsolvable on your own.
What are some difficulties that a counselor can encounter when dealing with a client?
Are some clients more difficult than others?
Dang right! :)Heh heh, and correct me if I'm wrong... and, if we are truly professionals, we should be able to handle even the most bumptious of folks, now shouldn't we? ;)It's like a mechanic who knows his way around every inch of an engine... he'll know what to do... heh heh heh...
What are some difficulties that a counselor can encounter when dealing with a client?
Are some clients more difficult than others?
Yes, just like some relationships outside of our work are more difficult than others. But, I would not say that the "client is more difficult," rather the dynamic between myself and the client, which constitutes a relationship, might feel more difficult. And that's okay (sometimes things that feel like the most challenging end up with profound shifts and outcomes.) It is often helpful to understand difficulties that exist, because they can illuminate for a therapist something with which a client might be struggling, and when it takes place in the therapy space, it can be experienced and then worked through.It's hard to necessarily say what some difficulties are that a counselor might encounter, but I would say that not showing up, like in any relationship, is one of the hardest things for me. And not just physically not showing up (though that is certainly frustrating), but not being open to the work is a form of not showing up. While not every client is as "motivated to change," it's helpful to my therapist-client relationships that the client try. It might be hard for them, but the effort even to say "this is tough for me" can go a long way in these kinds of relationships.
What are some difficulties that a counselor can encounter when dealing with a client?
Are some clients more difficult than others?
Each counselor will have their own list of "difficulties" in doing therapy work with a client. Even if clinically trained similarly, since counselors are human then their response to your question will reflect their unique differences as humans.On my list is when the emotional pain I feel for someone describing some type of injustice or unfair treatment by another, feels very deep.Sometimes I feel like avoiding the pain I feel by asking questions which will steer the conversation away from the painful areas the client talks about.What in fact is necessary to clear out their pain, is to step further into so as to realize their emotional pain isn't greater than who they are.