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In a developing society the role of the counsellor involves utilising many skills. Discuss the key skills, attributes and personal development perspectives that contribute to a ‘healthy’ counsellor in a modern Irish setting.
Word Count: 2474
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Introduction
In the western world we tend to think in a linear way with an emphasis on resolving
contradictions and moving quickly on. On the other hand, underpinning Eastern
Confucianism is the principle of contradiction and paradox which seeks out two
opposing propositions both of which may ultimately be accepted as being true.
Approaching the subject of the skills and attributes of the counsellor from this
perspective, it is possible to postulate an answer that on the one hand is
exquisitely simple and on the other is exceeding complex when the role and
responsibilities of the counsellor are examined in the context of a multifaceted
modern society. In a simple sense, if the counsellor has personal integrity and
allows himself to be human, is a good listener, and approaches the client with
respect and in a non-judgemental way, then the client will sense the shared
humanity which will lead to a therapeutic relationship. If the counsellor has
compassion for himself, compassion is created for the client who will begin to see
his/her own issues with new insight and clarity.
However, in contemporary Ireland we live in a society which faces new questions
and challenges on a daily basis. Within this context, the counsellor typically works
with clients who demand a high standard and a professional service often with the
added expectation that their counsellor must solve the problem for them after a set
number of sessions. Many clients whose daily work is in a knowledge based
economy and who have instantaneous availability of information through the
internet and media may themselves have pre-conceptions about the art of
counselling and may have a level of awareness about the many types of therapy
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and the philosophies which underpin them. Faced then with a multiplicity of client
issues and an ever expanding body of research on counselling theories and
technique, the counsellor must employ a comprehensive range of skills and
personal attributes if he is to offer a professional service. This essay will attempt
to outline the scope of these skills and attributes and identify what is necessary for
the counsellor to stay „healthy‟ in his profession.
Being Fully Present
We live in a world of increasing alienation, disconnection and fragmentation. There
is a Dublin based urban legend which says that our outgoing Taoiseach had, for
many months, the book “Bowling Alone” at his bedside. The central thesis of
Putman (2000) in this book is that we have become increasingly disconnected and
that many of our social structures have disintegrated.
“Countless studies document the link between society and psyche: people who
have close friends and confidants, friendly neighbours and supportive co-workers
are less likely to experience sadness, loneliness, low self-esteem and problems
with eating and sleeping”. (Putman 2000). This applies no less to Ireland as it
does to the US and more importantly, the counsellor is not immune. As a direct
consequence, the counsellor needs the counterbalance of knowing that his work is
that of healing and that this calling is part of a long rich and honourable lineage.
Today‟s counsellor follows in the footsteps of shamans. gurus, healers, teachers
and philosophers and wise people of all kinds from all times and places. His task
is, in the words of Thomas Bien (2006) “To practice deep listening, to produce
one‟s own presence, to be deeply available and thereby to create the living water
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of a true encounter”. It is the relationship that brings the healing and the
indispensable instrument is the person of the counsellor himself.
Furthermore, we live in a culture that is largely outside without inside, biased
towards the extroverted and the doing rather than the being. Faced with this milieu,
the counsellor must take a counter cultural stance, placing the emphasis on being
in the now, both in his personal and professional life. This involves taking time out,
often from a heavy schedule, to finding an inner oasis where he can be reflective in
thought and mindful in action so that when he does encounters his client he can
provide a similar oasis of safety where the client can explore his/her troubles and
issues in a safe and grounded environment.
Empathy
One of the main tasks of the counsellor is to understand the client‟s experiences
and feelings in a sensitive and accurate way. Basic empathy involves listening
carefully to the client and then communicating understanding of what the client is
feeling and the behaviours which underlie these feelings. It implies that the
counsellor will sense the client‟s feelings as if these feelings were his own while at
the same time retaining a sense of his own self and not getting lost in the client‟s
inner world. In the Rogerian person-centered tradition (Rogers, 1957), empathic
understanding underlies the 6 core conditions for constructive change to happen.
Moreover, these core conditions do not vary according to client type and are both
necessary and sufficient for all approaches to therapy. Tutor, K (2006) concludes
that “Most research strongly supports the hypothesis that these conditions are
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necessary for effective counselling, whether this is person centered or not. This
research forms the basis of the mainstream view in counselling and
psychotherapy”. It goes then without saying that one of the main skills which the
counsellor employs in all his work is the skill of empathy. While this skill can be
learned it is not just something which can be switched on and off at will. It must
become innate to the counsellor; in a sense it must be the air which he breathes.
He might have hunches about his client but he must know what triggers these
hunches, where they are coming from and to what extent his own subjectivity is
coming into play. This involves the highest degree of self awareness. As a
consequence, the counsellor can never become complacent about his own level of
self awareness and self knowledge. A commitment to the process of becoming, of
self discovery and emotional growth are a sine qua non for the counsellor.
In addition, in striving to develop the skills of empathic listening, he must be open
to learning about the social and cultural contexts that go to constitute life in Ireland
today. Cultural empathy is about striving for an understanding of the interaction
between the client‟s and counsellor‟s cultures. Culture is about experiences,
values, beliefs and ways of expression. Communication between counsellor and
client can be influenced by any of these factors and it is important that the
counsellor is aware of how these factors influence the dynamic of the relationship.
However, a note of caution is relevant at this point. Egan (1986) has pointed out
that helpers tend to over identify the helping process with the communication skills,
including the skill of empathy that serves it. While communication skills are
essential, there is a danger that technique can replace substance and the helping
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relationship, while not doing any harm, may become bland and hollow. This
presents a life long challenge for the counsellor.
Genuineness
Rogers and Truax (1967) describe genuineness under the term congruence as
follows:
“Congruence means that the therapist is what he is during the encounter with the
client. He is without front or façade, openly being the feelings and attitudes which
at the moment are flowing in him. It means that he comes into a direct personal
encounter with his client, meeting him on a person-to person basis. It means that
he is being himself, not denying himself”. Genuine people are at home with
themselves and therefore can be comfortable in being themselves in all their
interactions. There is an ever present danger that the counsellor might take refuge
in playing the role of a counsellor. In certain circles in Irish society, while it might
be considered that counsellors are a strange mix of bizarre people, nevertheless
this mystique attaches a certain status to those who might purport to the
profession. However, for a real counsellor, relating deeply to others and helping
are part of their lifestyle and not roles which they put on or take off at will. While
empathy brings movement, it is genuineness which brings real power to the
helping relationship.
The Counsellor – Theories, Limitations and Boundaries.
Theories provide counsellors with conceptual frameworks that enable them to think
in a systematic way about the nature of human development and the interplay
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between counsellor and client. While the main branches may be psychodynamic,
humanistic, existential, CBT, eclectic and integrative, each of these can be sub-
divided under numerous theorists and approaches. In any counselling session, the
client is striving towards greater understanding and meaning. The counsellor
assists them in the process by making available the knowledge and understanding
of proven counselling theories. Each of these have value in themselves but the
danger for the counsellor is that he may allow his favourite theory, or the new one
he read about the previous evening, to cloud the accuracy of his assessment of
what can best help the client at any given time. There is an additional danger that
counsellors will put themselves in a superior position by using a level of theoretical
language incomprehensible to the average client. As a consequence of this, there
are a number of implications if the counsellor is to remain “healthy”
The counsellor must constantly up-skill so that he is aware of recent developments
in counselling in general and specifically in the area in which he generally works.
For example, if he works from an existential background, then on going study of
the leading branches of philosophy will be important. Furthermore, new
perspectives on age old problems are constantly presenting themselves. For
example, problems of obesity and eating disorders are the presenting issues for an
increasing number of clients. In Ireland, obesity in adults is increasing by at least
1% every year. (National Task Force on Obesity, 2005). It is imperative that the
counsellor be aware of the best forms of therapy for each case. A more recent
example is the advent of online counselling services. R. Boyle (2008) is being
practical when he reports “Love it or hate it, online counselling has arrived and is
an emerging field which will continue to evolve as the use of the internet and other
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online technologies evolve”. The healthy counsellor will be open to evaluating
such developments and being client focused will ask “Can this development be of
benefit to my clients?”
Because the range of theories is so broad, each counsellor must choose a theory
and style with which he is comfortable and competent. This choice must serve to
enhance the area of work in which he generally operates. Experienced counsellors
can draw on a range of theoretical perspectives and techniques and develop a
personal eclectic style. However, it is important for all counsellors, whether
experienced or not, to recognise their personal limitations and boundaries. This is
a key skill which flows from personal attribute of positive humility which
acknowledges that “I do not know” or “I am out of my depth here”. The “healthy”
counsellor will know that an appropriate referral is strength and not a weakness.
Supervision
The aim of supervision is to promote best practice in the client-counsellor
relationship. It is not training, personal therapy or line management but may
include elements of these. It is structured, collaborative and is a sine qua non for
the healthy counsellor. (NCII, Code of Practice, 2007) Within this caring space,
the counsellor‟s personal emotional energy is revitalised, and he is helped to self-
evaluate his professional work. It is here the issue of boundaries can be explored
and checked by working in a collaborative way with the supervisor. The healthy
counsellor welcomes the opportunity for Supervision as he has nothing to fear and
everything to gain by sharing his professional concerns and practical issues with
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an experienced colleague. The traditional Irish model of “Anam Chara”
(O‟Donogue, J 1997) potentially provides another perspective on the necessity for
someone to accompany the counsellor on the journey.
Supervision really comes into its own as an identifier of burnout. The counsellor is
not immune to life, must face the marketplace like everyone else, and encounters
the stresses and strains of living in an Ireland where the tempo of life seems to
increase by the day. The healthy counsellor will recognise that burnout is perhaps
the greatest occupational hazards for him as he sees the difficulty of walking the
line between an appropriate level of affective involvement with the client and
sufficient emotional detachment. He sees the need of drawing up and being
committed to a personal programme of preventive measures such as time out,
hobbies, regular contact with nature, time for self reflection and creative
expression. Commitment to Supervision is a key element of this plan for staying
physically and psychologically healthy.
Legal and Ethical Awareness
One hallmark of Irish society is an increasing level of litigation. Although not so
obvious at first, the skill of having an awareness of the legal issues involved in the
profession of counselling is an important consideration. It manifests itself when the
counsellor prudently organises his work in formal and structured way. In addition to
a discussion on the counselling alliance, clients are informed of the nature of the
counselling contract. Relevant insurance cover is arranged and the terms of an
appropriate Counselling Code of Ethics are strictly adhered to.
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Of special relevance here is the counsellor‟s practice around confidentiality. The
NCII Code (2007) is quite specific about this and will be of assistance to the
counsellor where complex issues about potential breaches of confidentiality might
arise. It must also be recognised that some clients fund it difficult to trust anybody,
even the most trustworthy of helpers. A sensitive counsellor will be skilled in
recognising this and address the issue immediately. The congruence, respect and
empathy which are integral to the “healthy” counsellor will silently speak volumes
to the fearful client and assure him that he is in safe hands.
Conclusion
In order to remain healthy and give the best possible service to his client, the
counselor must employ a range of core skills and micro techniques which will
facilitate the therapeutic relationship. More importantly, he must be an integrated
person who is aware that he must constantly grow and develop in knowledge, self
awareness and personal integrity. He will put in place supportive structures for his
professional work and have a sense of his place in the important lineage of helpers
that have come down the millennia and have arrived in the marketplace of modern
Ireland. Being a healthy counselor means living life to the full, facing the
challenges of a modern society and taking time to have fun and a hearty laugh.
The last word is with Sean O‟Casey when he says "Laughter is wine for the soul;
laughter soft, or loud and deep, tinged through with seriousness, the hilarious
declaration made by man that life is worth living." Surely this is the healthy
counselor in action.
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References
Bien, T. (2006) Mindful Therapy p.7 Somerville MA, Wisdom Publications,
Boyle, R .(2008) An Introduction to Online Counselling. Eisteach Magazine,
IACP. Spring 2008. p.20
Egan, G (1986) The Skilled Helper p. 15 Monteray, CA, Brooks/Cole Publishers,
Tutor, K (2006) “Person Centered Counselling and Psychotherapy”
The Sage Handbook of Counselling and Psychotherapy Ed. Colin
Feltham and I. Horton (2006). London, Sage Publications.
National Task Force on Obesity (2005) p. 15
National Counselling Institute of Ireland, Code of Ethics (2007). Section B.3
Sections B4 and B5. cover the issue of Confidentiality.
O‟Donoghue, J. (1997) Anam Chara. London, Bantam Press.
Putnam, R (2000) Bowling Alone p. 332 New York, Simon & Schuster.
Rogers, C (1957) “The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic
personality change”. Journal of Consulting Psychology 21, 95 -103
Rogers C. and Traux, C (1967) “The Therapeutic Conditions Antecedent to
Change: A Theoretical View” C. Rogers (Ed.) the Therapeutic Relationship
and its Impact. p.101 University of Wisconsin Press.