Beginner Counselor - What Are The Issues They Faced?

Below are some of the issues that the beginner counselor face during their early stage of being a counselor. Well, all of us will deal with these issues; it is just a matter of when and where. 1. Dealing with your anxiety? Is there any cute little tiny butterfly in your stomach? Most of the beginning counselor do have it. Why show it to the client? It will demonstrate that you are having uncertainties of the future of your client, you are not ready for them and you are not ready for your self. Self-doubt about your abilities? Well that is a good sign. It shows that you are a normal human being. So deal with your anxiety and talk about it with your supervisor. They have their own experience dealing with anxiety before. 2. Be yourself and self-disclosure Still anxious with the new counselor world huh? Worry about what your text books say? Do this and don't do that kind of thing? Just like a young lawyer who stand in front of the judge defending his client. And you try to imitate those 'world class attorney'. Why should you? (Some people ask, hey why not?) Be yourself! Get along with your abilities and values. Your client will love it with you act like yourself and be genuine with them in your counseling session. Don't hide behind somebody's back. And remember, it is all about YOUR CLIENT. So don't reveal to much. Know what to reveal, when and how much to reveal. 3. Avoid Perfectionism You cannot make mistake? It is a sin to make mistake? What??? Get real! Homo sapiens are not perfect. Religiously we know that. The best part is, even if you are an establish counselor, you are still 'bound' to make mistake. So make a room for mistake. Don't worry about it. It is part of your learning process and self development. 4.Be honest about your limit Surely you have one. Out of 10 (or out of 100) cases, you will not success all. Be honest, even though it is hard to take. You have your limitation, so be it. If you can't help your client, make sure you know where to direct them to. But as I always told the crowd, you may challenge your limitation. It is a learning process to deal with your 'realistic limits'. 5. Know the silent mode Silent may have many meanings. I remembered watching a movie (Good Will Hunting) where the counselor and his client sat in the session without talking with each other, for an hour. Wow!!! Good money huh! But being a good counselor, you need to know the meaning behind the silent. Client may think that you should ask something first. Client may not interested to talk or just 'want to be there silently with you'. Maybe after the silent broke, you may ask your client what was that silent all about. Who knows, he / she might tell you something. to be continue...