INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELING

PSY 3140

WEEK 2.
DR. ELSIE NEWA
The counselor as a Therapeutic Person
• Counseling demands that the therapist be willing to shed
stereotyped roles and be real in the counseling
relationship.
• As we hide behind the façade of Professionalism, our
clients will also hide their real self from us.
• It is through our own genuineness and our aliveness that we
can significantly touch our clients,” Corey (2001).
• This does not mean that counselors have
self-actualized but rather that they are
willing to learn and make changes
accordingly.
• The more alive and psychologically healthy
a counselor is, determines the outcome in
therapy.
• Fuster (1988) talks about a counselor
functioning at a high level and “pulling” the
client along.
Class activity
Activity
• In groups discuss, what kind of counselor you would like to
see if you went for counseling.
• Group leaders presents to plenary.
 Personal characteristics of an effective
counselors:

• Effective counselors have an identity

• They respect and appreciate themselves.
• They are able to recognize and accept their own power.
• They are open to change.
• They are making choices that shape their life.
• They feel alive and their choices are life-oriented
• They are authentic, sincere, and honest.
• They have a sense of humor.
• They make mistakes and are willing to admit
them
• They generally live the present.
• They appreciate the influence of culture.
• They have a sincere interest in the welfare of
others
• They become deeply involved in their work and
derive meaning from it.
• They are able to maintain healthy boundaries.
• They have a capacity to play and have fun.
Corey (2001) p.16-17
• Notice none of these qualities talk about skills and
knowledge acquired even though that is important too. It
underscores the importance of the person of the counselor.
 Why Personal Therapy for the Counselor?

• It is essential that any aspiring counselor undergo counseling.

This will help the counselor: -
• To enable the trainee counselor appreciate the courage
it takes to fully engage in a therapeutic venture.
• Because personal therapy can be instrumental in
healing the healer.
• “As counselors we can take our clients no further than
we have been willing to go ourselves”.
• Not to assume an attitude of arrogance
and a feeling of having arrived.
• Learn how to deal with transference and
counter-transference.
The Counselor’s Values and the
Therapeutic Process
• Activity:
• In groups of five, discuss the case studies of Joyce &
Suzanne, Ruth& Maria as well as your values on religion,
sexual orientation and the right to die (euthanasia).
• Use case studies prepare earlier.
• Groups generate their values and present the same to
class.
• The counselor should not attempt to be
neutral concerning their values. When they
arise in therapy, they should express their
values openly.

• A middle ground is more helpful than a

holier than thou assurance that your beliefs
are the only valid ones. Neither does
neutrality help.
• END
Becoming and Effective Multicultural
Counselor.
• 1.By culture, we are talking about the values and
behaviors shared by a group of individuals but also include
age -young “fly” people have their own culture; gender;
religion; sexual orientation; physical and mental ability and
social and economic status.

• 2. A counselor needs to be sensitive to cultural

differences
• 3. Do your best to understand the social and
cultural context of the client’s struggles to
help you understand the nature of the
struggle e.g. student saying she is bewitched.

• 4. Some cultures emphasize being

emotionally reserved, and being selective
about the personal stuff to share.
Class Activity
• In groups of five preferably from one group viz: Hindus,
Kikuyu, Luo, etc
Discuss 2 & 3 above.
• What are the issues faced by beginning therapists?
• After discussion (15min) check what Corey has put down
on this from pages 29-38.
Staying Alive As a Person and as a
Professional.
• Since the most powerful instrument used in counselor is the
counselor, care must be taken to ensure that the instrument is
“fine-tuned” and working all the time.

• This means taking care of ourselves to ensure that we remain fully

alive.

• The counselor needs to deal with those things that drain his/her
energies. If you are aware of the factors that drain your vitality
then you are a better position to deal with them.
• When the counselor ignores all the three above,
burnout ensures. This manifests itself in many
ways: e.g. being cynical, tired, drained and without
enthusiasm. Feeling unappreciated, unrecognized
and unimportant are also present leading to going
about your work like a robot. Their efforts seem
futile, as no concrete results are “evident”. They
feel oppressed by the ‘system’ and a condition of
powerlessness ensures.

• This feeling can feed of itself and snowball into an

all-consuming feeling of isolation, powerlessness,
lack of vitality and concentration and cynicism.
Preventing Burnout
• The counselor should take an active stance as
opposed to a passive one e.g. there is
nothing I can do about this.
• Responsibility for how we feel, as should not
be placed outside e.g. the school, university,
employer and so on. Counselors should look
for solutions for whatever is causing stress
within them. As Corey (2001) states,
• “To the degree that professional continue
to blame external factors, they also
surrender their own personal power”(P.39)
• A counselor has considerable control over
whether s/he becomes burnt out irrespective
of the external factors e.g. counselor sent to
work with genocide victims in Rwanda. What
options does she/he have?

• Though the counselor may be have little

control over some external events, s/he will
always have control over how s/he interprets
and reacts to these events.
• Since we as counselors expect our clients to
honestly look at themselves, we have to be
willing to subject ourselves to the same kind
of scrutiny.

• We have to continue exploring our choices

and decisions by also striving to be aware of
the ways in which we have ignored our own
potential for growth.
END