Counselling Skills

10 important skills (Counseling skills) are as follows:

1. Empathy: It is the ability to understand others. Putting yourself and trying to
experiences that they have faced and also show that you understand what they have
been through. (Ex, I understand, I can feel how you must’ve been in a tough position
like that). It is about being more considerate and to have a genuine feeling of
understanding towards the client.
2. Active listening: Verbalize it with feedbacks, show more active nonverbal cues. (Ex,
smiling, nodding head, eye contact). Feedbacks and cues can help the client
understand that you are able to grasp whatever they are verbalizing about.
3. Paraphrasing: Whenever client is done talking about a topic, you need to paraphrase
it in a way that reflects that you as a therapist has understood what they are trying to
tell you.
4. Silence: You cannot talk just the same amount the client is talking, there’s often no
mandatory need to paraphrase everything the client has to say instead listen to them
without comments or any remarks. (ex, when they are talking about a traumatic
experience).
5. Patience: Sometimes a client may not stick by your instructions or perform the
activities or task that are assigned to them. You cannot be upfront or harsh about
asking them to do their work. (Instead ask, Is there any reason why you haven’t been
able to do your work?)
6. Observation: Learn about the client when it comes to nonverbal cues such as their
posture, eye contact, clothes kept, verbal speech such a stuttering, pauses, silence, leg
position, facial cues etc. Direct your session based on those behaviors. (Ex, resistance
by the client when do not answer your questions, constantly focused on a thing in the
office, looking at the guardian continuously.)
7. Questioning: Frame the questions mindfully. It shouldn’t be extremely straight
forward, very direct or come out as hard. (Ex, do not ask about why are you not
married? Learn about their passion, what are they currently doing in their life , etc).
Be careful about where to ask close or open ended questions.
8. Acceptance: It is very important. Even though your culture, background, education,
customs could be completely different from the client’s culture and background; You
need to be open, respectable and non-judgmental about the other person’s preferences.
9. Open posture: Not having your arm crossed, not leaning back or having a squared
posture. Hands should be on the desk, lean a little forward to indicate attentiveness.
Have an open posture which reflect acknowledgement.
10. Rapport Building: This is to make the person comfortable and have faith in the
counselor. Make them understand that you are going to be discrete and non-
judgmental about the content being shared in the therapy session.
Use the Johari window to help the client understand themselves better and become aware
about themselves.