If you enjoy helping people, becoming a counselor can be a great career choice for you.
However, there is a lot to consider before becoming a counselor. According to Kabir (2017),
there are top ten basic counseling skills that can help to build rapport between the
counselor and the client.
1. Listening: Attending and observing are the key issues in counseling.
Attending: Orienting oneself physically to the client to indicate one is aware of the client. In
fact, that the client has your full, undivided attention and that you care. Methods include
eye contact, nods, not moving around, being distracted, encouraging verbalizations,
mirroring body postures and language, leaning forward, etc. Researchers estimate that
about 80 percent of communication takes place non-verbally.
Listening/Observing: Capturing and understanding the verbal and nonverbal information
communicated by that client. Two primary sources of information
Content - what is specifically said. Listen carefully for, not only what a person says, but also
the words, expressions, and patterns the person is using, which may give you a deeper
insight. Counselors should develop their ability to remember what was said, as well as to
clarify what was said or finding out what was not said.
Process - all nonverbal phenomena, including how content is conveyed, themes, body
language, interactions, smiling, etc.
2. Empathy: The ability to perceive another’s experience and then to communicate
that perception back to the individual to clarify and amplify their own experiencing and
meaning. Primary skills associated with the communication of empathy include -nonverbal
and verbal attending; paraphrasing content of client communications; and reflecting client
feelings and implicit messages.
3. Genuineness: Ability of counselors to be freely themselves. Includes congruence
words/behaviors and inner feelings; non-defensiveness; non-role-playing; and being
unpretentious. For example, if the helper claims that they are comfortable helping a client
explore a drug or sexual issue, but their behavior (verbally and nonverbally) shows signs of
discomfort with the topic this will become an obstacle to progress and often lead to client
confusion about and mistrust of the helper.
4. Unconditional Positive Regard: It includes –
An expression of caring and nurturance as well as acceptance.
Includes conveying warmth through
Also conveying acceptance by responding to the client’s messages (verbal and
nonverbal) with nonjudgmental or non-critical verbal & nonverbal reactions.
Respect - ability to communicate to the client the counselor’s sincere belief that
every person possesses the inherent strength and capacity to make it in life, and that
each person has the right to choose his/her own alternatives and make his/her own
decisions.
5. Concreteness: Keeping communications specific - focused on facts and
feelings of relevant concerns while avoiding tangents, generalizations,
abstract discussions, or talking about the counselor rather than the client.
Includes the following functions –
Assisting client to identify and work on a specific problem from the various ones
presented.
Reminding the client of the task and re-describing the intent and structure of the
session.
Using questions and suggestions to help the client clarify facts, terms, feelings, and
goals.
Use a here-and-now focus to emphasize process and content occurring in the
current session, which may of help to elucidate the problem being worked on or
improving the problem-solving process.
6. Open Questions: A questioning process to assist the client in clarifying or
exploring thoughts or feelings.
Have an intention or therapeutic purpose for every question you ask.
Avoid asking too many questions, or assuming an interrogatory role.
The best approach is to follow a response to an open-ended question with a
paraphrase or reflection which encourages the client to share more and avoids
repetitive patterns of question/answer/question/answer, etc.
7. Knowledgeable: It is essential to have accurate and up-to-date knowledge. Counselors
should be well informed about the field they work within, including the services and
resources available to their client group within their setting and community.
8. Counselor Self-Disclosure: The counselor shares personal feelings, experiences, or
reactions to the client. Should include relevant content intended to help them. As a rule, it
is better to not self-disclose unless there is a pressing clinical need that cannot be met in
any other way. Remember empathy is not sharing similar experiences but conveying in a
caring and understanding manner what the client is feeling and thinking.
9. Interpretation: Any statement to the client which goes beyond what they have said or are
aware of. In interpretation, the counselor is providing new meaning, reason, or
explanation for behaviors, thoughts, or feelings so that client can see problems in a
new way. Interpretations can help the client make connections between seemingly isolated
statements of events, can point out themes or patterns, or can offer a new framework for
understanding. An interpretation may be used to help a client focus on a specific aspect of
their problem, or provide a goal.
Keep interpretations short, concrete and deliver them tentatively and with empathy.
Use interpretations sparingly and do not assume a client’s rejection of your insight
means they are resistant or that you are right.
10. Information Giving and Removing Obstacles to Change: Supplying data, opinions,
facts, resources, or answers to questions. Explore with clients possible problems which may
delay or prevent their change process. In collaboration with the client identify possible
solutions and alternatives.
