QUALITIES OF A GOOD COUNSELLOR

QUALITIES OF A GOOD COUNSELLOR
Introduction
The personal and professional qualities of counsellors are very important in facilitating any helping relationship. A counsellor must be well equipped to assist individuals to make adjustments and live a happy and harmonious life. The adjustment can be with regard to the school and curriculum, vocation and personality. For effective counseling, the counsellor must be equipped with two kinds of data. First he must have data relating to the counsellee’s background aptitudes, achievements, interests, plans etc. Further, he must have the skill to interpret this data. Secondly, the counsellor must have information about the areas in which the counsellee may seek his assistance. These areas may be educational or personal. With these two kinds of information he assists the counsellee to match his individual patterns of potentiality with appropriate opportunity. As the process of counselling develops, both the counsellor and counsellee must arrive at a common ground. Counsellor’s who continually develop their self awareness skills are in touch with their values, thoughts and feelings. They are likely to have a clear perception of their own and their client’s needs and accurately assess both. Such awareness can help them be honest with themselves and others. They are able to be more congruent and build trust simultaneously. Counsellors who possess this type of knowledge are most likely to communicate clearly accurately.
Three other characteristics that make counsellors initially more influential are perceived expertness, attractiveness and trustworthiness. Expertness is the degree to which a counsellor is perceived as knowledge able and informed about his or her specialty. Counsellors who display certificates and diplomas in their offices are usually perceived as more credible than those who do not and as a result, are likely to be effective. Clients went to work with counsellor who appears to know profession well.
Attractiveness is function of perceived similarity between a client and counselor. Councellors can make themselves attractive by speaking in clear, simple, jargon free sentence and offering appropriate self disclosure.
THE DESIRABLE QUALITIES OF A SCHOOL COUNSELLOR ARE THE FOLLOWING:-
1. Magnetic personality
2. Personal adjustment
3. Interpersonal relationship
4. Professional competence
5. Leadership
6. Professional dedication
7. Philosophy of life
8. Wide range of interest
Counsellors who are nonverbal cues in responding to clients, such as more nodding and eye contacts are seen as more attractive than those do not. The attire of the counsellor also make a differences, clothes should be clean, neat and professional looking but not call attention to themselves. Trustworthiness is related to the sincerity and consisting of the counselor. The counsellor is genuinely concerned about the client and shows it over time by establishing a close relationship with the client. “There is and can be no such thing as instant intimacy” or trustworthiness. Rather, both are generated through patterns of behavior that demonstrate are and concern most clients are neither completely distrusting nor given to blind trust. But, as Fong and Cox note, many clients test the trustworthiness of the counsellor, deprecating themselves or questioning the motives and dedication the counsellor.
It is essential, therefore, that the counsellor responds to the question of trust rather than the verbal content of the client in order to facilitate the counselling relationship. Many beginning counsellors make the mistake of dealing with surface issues instead of real concerns. For example if a client asks a counsellor, “Can I feel you anything “. A novice counsellor might respond, “what do you mean by anything”? An experienced counsellor might say, it sounds as if you are uncertain about whether you can really trust me and this relationship. A good counsellor must have the knowledge of mental hygiene and the skill to interpret psychological tests. This is essential to from a correct, reliable and objective assessment of the personality of the counselee.
Conclusion
An important quality of a counesllor is that he like and respects himself, but he does not use the counsellee to satisfy his own needs. Every normal human being has a desire to be respected, recognized and accepted. Then the counselor must qualities of good personality, good character and wholesome philosophy, health, emotional stability, approachability, sympathic understanding of youth, intelligence, social culture, broad knowledge and interest in guidance and personal working conditions and understanding of social economic conditions. They above given qualities must be possessed by a counsellor.
REFERENCES
1.Psychological Base of Education, Dr. A. Antony.
2.Guidance and Counselling, Indore Madhukar.
3. Guidance and Counselling, Ramanath Sharma.
Prepared by :Sr. Simimol
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COUNSELLING SKILLS :

COUNSELLING SKILLS :
ATTENDING SKILLS AND RESPONDIND SKILLS
Introduction
Counselling skills goals assumes that clients are the vast majority of ordinary people with many problems,many people function reasonably well,some not.Counsellers assist clients to help themselves.They use counselling skills to develop client’s capacity to use their human potential both now and in future.
1.ATTENDING SKILLS
Attending involves giving all of your physical attention to another person.The process of attending has a considerable impact on the quality of communication that goes on between two people.By attending we are saying to another person “I am interested in what you have to say”.
Attending physically
Attending cluster consists of following skills.
1) A posture of involvement
Body can be used as a tool to facilitate good communication.A relaxed awareness expressed by body posture seems best suited for fostering good communication.
Bolton ,in his book ‘people skills’ suggests
· Lean towards the speaker –communicates energy and attentiveness.
· Face the other squarely (your right shoulder to the speaker’s left) – communicates your involvement.
· Maintaining an open posture –important for fostering inter personal relatedness –closed posture(crossed arms or legs) often communicates coldness and defensiveness.
· Aware of your proximity to the speaker- personal space- when those boundaries are crossed it makes them feel uncomfortable and defensive.Also too much distance communicates aloofness and disconnectedness.
2) Appropriate Body Motion
Body motion is good but it can be over done if you are not careful.The purpose of gesturing when you are listening is to encourage the speaker to continue speaking. This can most easily be done with a periodic head nod. A good listener moves his or her body in response to the speaker.
3) Eye Contact
Good eye contact involves focussing on the speakers face and occasionally shifting the focus to other parts of the body.The key is that the other is aware that they have your attention because your eyes are on them.Good eye contact should seem natural to the other person.But don’t stare them down.This makes you seem anxious and sometimes critical of them.
4) Creating a non destructing environment
It is not possible to move the conversation into a private room or office,but every attempt should made to reduce the number of distractions that are present.
Observing
Observing means asking clients about themselves. It involves
· .Ask clients about their reasons for coming.
· Help clients decide what decisions they face.
· Help clients express their feelings,needs ,wants and any doubts ,concerns or talking.
· Keep questions open,simple and brief.
· Look at your client as u speak.
· Ask clients what they want to do.
· Listen actively to what the client says.Follow where the client leads the discussion.
· Show your interest and understanding at all times.
· Express empathy.
· Avoid judgements and opinion.
· Ask for any information needed to complete client record.
Listening Skills
Effective is actually absorbing the information given to you by the speaker, showing that you are listening and interested. Goal of listening is understanding what is trying to be communicated.
1) Door Openers
A door opener is a non coercive invitation to talk. It includes
a) Description on other person’s body language.(ie you don’t look like you are feeling well today)
b) An invitation to talk.
c) Silence .
d) Attending.
2) Infrequent Questions
This trick is to ask questions that are designed to spur the conversation on when it gets struck. This means questioning will be infrequent and not yes or no questions.
3) Attentive Silence
Silence is an opportunity for the speaker to reflect on what he or she has said and to gather their thoughts before their next statement.
This skill also includes maintaining eye contact, maintaining an interested facial expression, nodding, facing the other person, maintaining an open position, keeping a close proximity etc.
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2)RESPONDING SKILLS
An important aspect is to help the listeners to clarify his or her communication. It involves
Reflecting skills
Reflective listening is to serve as a mirror for the person speaking. Reflecting cluster includes
1) Para phrasing
A paraphrase is a concise response to the speaker that restates the essence of communication in the listeners own words.
2) Reflecting feelings
It is mirroring back of the speaker’s emotions as they make their statements. It gives the speaker an opportunity to evaluate how he or she is responding to the problem situation.
3) Reflect meanings
If you get the feelings or the content wrong then you can’t understand the speaker. It allows you to be sure that you are getting what the speaker is saying.
4) Summative reflecting
It recap the major themes of the conversation. It helps the speaker to sort through the litter and to construct a more complete and compact conceptualization of the issue being discussed.
Probing
Probing means asking for additional information. Effective probing is non judgemental and flows from what was previously said. Good probing questions ask for elaboration, classification and repetition. It helps client to fill in missing pieces.
CONCLUSION
On teaching process also counselling skills play a great role which includes developing personal relationship with problem students, reassuring them, monitoring them closely, dealing with their problems in more sustained ways outside the class time, motivate them to talk freely, helping them to develop their insights, developing productive relationships with their parents etc. counselling skills help in attaining all the above.
REFERENCES:
1. Guidance and Counselling Skills:- Ramesh Chaturvedi.
2. Elementary Guidance and Counselling:- RashmiAgarwal.
3. www.angelfire.com/nc/psalma91/attend.html
4. www.angelfire.com/nc/psalma 91/skills.html.
5. www.angelfire.com/nc/psalma91/follow.html.
6. www.angelfire.com/nc/psalma91/reflect.html.
7. www.hoxofoz.net/counselling/week7-slides.pdf.
PREPARED BY : LINU PINTO