Transcript Personal and Professional Aspects of Counseling

Personal and Professional Aspects of
Counseling
Is personality related with one’s performance as a
counselor?
A counselor’s personality is crucial in counseling.
• Maturity
• Empathy
• Warmth
Şerif Türkkal(MSc),PSYc447,2014-2015
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• “The personality of a counselor is important
in bringing about client change”
– So they can use their personality as an
instrument for change about the client
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• According to Guy (1987),candidates of
counseling should explore their reasons for
being a counselor.
Dysfunctional Motivators for becoming a
Counselor
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Dysfunctional Motivators for becoming a
Counselor. (Guy, 1987):
• Emotional Distress: unresolved personal traumas
• Vicarious Coping: People who does not have a
meaningful lives of their own
• Isolation and Loneliness
• A desire for Power: people seek to control others
• A need for love: narcissistic and grandiose people
• Vicarious rebellion: unresolved anger
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Is there some special characteristics that a
counselor should have?
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Personal Qualities of an Effective Counselor
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Vicorious learning
Ability to listen
Comfort with conversation
Empathy and understanding
Emotional Insightfulness
Introspection
Capacity for self-denial
Tolerance of intimacy
Comfort with power
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Factors that appear to be related with
later career choice as therapist...
(Burton, 1970; Henry 1966;
Spurling and Dryden, 1989)
• Come from minority groups
• Have exposed to more than
one set of cultural influences
• Have experienced illness,
loneliness...
• Conflict in family life
• Taking the role of mediator or
substitute parent
• Dominant sibling in the family
Şerif Türkkal(MSc),PSYc447,2014-2015
Cultural sensitivity
Exploration of inner life
Motivation to learn
and understand
interactions
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The Personality of The Counselor
• Rullo May
 Counselors as a “wounded healer”
«Search for wholeness and integration»
Ability to transform the pain of negative experiences
into a resource for helping others
“Individuals who have been hurt and have been
able to transcend their pain and gain insight into
themselves & the world can be helpful to others”
- It is helpful if a counselor’s life has been
effected by different experiences, problems
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• Besides personality type, integration of
scientific knowledge and skills is also
important
• A balance of interpersonal and technical
competence
– Intellectual competence
– Energy
– Flexibility
– Support
– Goodwill
– Self-awareness
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The stereotype of «all-knowing»,»allloving therapist»
Expectatios of competence VS. Inner fears of
inadequecy:
– «God complex» (Ernest Jones, 1951)
• Aloof, mysterious, all-knowing, never admit mistakes
– «Feeling of superiorty» ( Marmor, 1953)
• Reinforced by patients who idealize their therapists
– «Grandiose professional self» (Brigthman, 1984)
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What if a counselor experiences personal
problems?
Aging, marriage, divorce, job change etc.
The natural stress during these periods is
inevitable
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How to maintain effectiveness as a Counselor?
• Finding meaning in potentially problematic
areas
• Remaining objective
• Accepting
• Asserting their own wishes
• Participating in a wellness lifestyle
• Grieving
• Remaining free from destructive triangling in
their families
• Avoid burnout
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• Burnout: The state of becoming emotionally
and physically drained to the point that one
cannot perform functions
• How can they treat and avoid burnout?
– Associate with healthy individuals
– Stress reduction exercises
– Modify environmental stressors
– Obtain personal therapy*
– Having free and private time
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The Education of Professional Counselors
• A master’s or a doctorate in counseling
• Complete internships in specialty areas
– School counseling, Marriage and Family
counseling
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Ethical Aspects of Counseling
• Prevalent forms of unethical behaviors
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Violation of confidentiality
Exceeding one’s level of professional competence
Negligent practice
Claiming expertise one does not possess
Evaluating clients based on personal values
Dependency in a client
Sexual activity with a client
Dual relationships
Charging excessive fees
Improper advertising
Plagiarism
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