Module 2

Professional counselors are those who help or assists individuals in assessing their own
behavior or attitude in a good way, and this may be in form of helping them find a sense
of achievement on their own, and even improving their own way of living like offer
strategies when you experience life struggles. However, what skills/characteristics
should a professional counselor should obtain?

1.)  Effective Communicator- Since you are meeting with different people with different
struggles, you should know how to communicate with them without getting them
stressed or upset. So, in order to avoid this problem, giving them proper attention and
eliminating noises/interruptions will be useful in this situation because it helps them to
feel relaxed and they will be able to share their thoughts freely without them getting
stressed by the environment, and as counselors, we will be able to transmit the
messages properly. On the other hand, our way of speaking also plays a crucial role in
communicating because it clarifies and conveys meaning, so, speaking at a steady,
even pace may help your client to understand what you are trying to convey, and they’ll
be able to understand your message.

2.)  Patience- Since a client might take time to open up their emotions, taking time and
“trusting the process” is fit for this skill, in addition to that, even though the client may
open up little by little, we can view it as progress even though it is a slow, steady pace
because what matters the most is that, you were there for your client and you did not let
the opportunity pass by when they finally decided to open up their feelings. In the end,
being patient also means that you can handle your feelings of annoyance when things
do not go well.

3.)  Problem-Solving Skills- In order to help your client, one must have problem-solving
skills, because the reason why they were seeking help was that they were looking for
answers that they, themselves do not know. Thinking of different strategies and finding
the perfect solution for them is the best that you can find. Also, it may help them deal
with their own difficulties and stressful situations effectively with the help of your
problem-solving skill.

            In final words, we may still think of many characteristics that a professional
counselor should acquire, but, in my own opinion, having these three important
skills/characteristics are crucial in order to be an effective counselor, and these three
skills may be simple but may help in terms of seeing the change that they wanted to
happen.