A mental health counselor is a very important in a person’s life as they help their patients overcome psychological challenges. This is possible as they guide and support them in learning to change their negative behaviors and thought patterns. And it’s a deeply rewarding line of work that many professions find highly fulfilling.
If you think you can serve others as a mental health counselor, then it will be essential you understand what qualities make a good counselor before you earn the job. With that said, let’s dive into a few qualities of a good mental health counselor.
Good Listening Skills
Most people think that the ability to listen to someone is inherent rather than learned. Yet, listening is a skill you can continually work to improve and so good mental health counselors usually find themselves honing their active listening skills constantly. Active listening should involve close listening and asking questions to enhance mutual understanding.
Good counselors also restate or rephrase a client’s own words to validate their comprehension of what the client is trying to communicate. Active listening should also involve providing clients with plenty of time to speak during sessions and asking questions as well as requesting for clarification when needed. You can also know if a mental health profession is an active listener if the person provides a judgment-free environment by separating personal opinions from professional guidance.
Empathy
Empathy is another significant quality that a good mental health counselor should have. Although empathy is often confused with sympathy, the two terms are not the same. Having sympathy is feeling for someone’s misfortune whereas empathy is feeling with a person.
Therefore, being able to put yourself in another person’s shoes, sensing the person’s challenges and feelings as if they were your own is a crucial skill for mental counselors since it supports therapeutic support. Clients who believe that their counselors legitimately grasp what they are going through will at most trust them and even act on their treatment recommendations.
A good mental health counselor should also have strong problem-solving skill with a creative out of the box thinking. Always be sure to keep the above in mind before searching for the best mental health facilities in Utah.
