Is a Career as a Counsellor the Right Choice for You?

When it comes to the latter, counselling is a popular career option and there are many people that are perfectly cut out to be counsellor. However, you do need to bear in mind that in order to counsel someone effectively you need to have certain qualities as well as an open mind. Remember, as a counsellor you could be dealing with people that are having problems with anything from bereavement or relationship problems through to a drug, alcohol, or even porn addiction.

What qualities do you need?

If you decide to focus on a career as a counsellor, you first need to ensure you have the relevant qualifications and background. Remember, you will be working with a lot of vulnerable people and this means that you also need to have certain qualities. First and foremost, you need to be a very good listener, as this is a key part of counselling. You cannot effectively counsel someone if you don’t take the time to listen to what they have to say.

It goes without saying that your communication skills must be excellent. Not only do you have to encourage your clients or patients to talk but you need to listen and then be able to talk back to them accordingly. This takes a degree of confidence, as in many cases the person you are talking to may not like what you have to say but your job is to help them and not to appease them.

A high degree of sympathy and empathy is also important in this type of role, as you need to be able to relate to what the person is saying and put yourself in their shoes. When you have many people coming in to see you each day for counselling, this can become very draining. As a result, you also need to have a lot of commitment and be able to handle high stress levels without any problems.

Counselling is not an easy job but it can be a very rewarding one. If you are successful as a counsellor and you can communicate with and empathise with your clients, you could go a long way within this industry. In addition, you will be able to gain the trust of your clients far more easily when you have these qualities, which is also vital if you want to help them and be successful in this career. You can then look forward to using your skills, qualifications, and your personal qualities to help others and in some cases help them to completely turn their lives around.