RESPONSE PAPER

The Counselor as a Person and as a Professional

The Counselor as a Person and as a Professional

Introduction

In a therapeutic relationship, the role of a counselor as a helping professional is a critical issue. Our job as a counselor is to ask clients to evaluate themselves honestly, and find out what they need to change. The same is essential for counselors themselves. There are few questions that counselors should ask to themselves, Am I capable of helping another person? What can I offer to those who are encountering problems in their lives? Am I following what I am telling others?

Mental Health and Professional Therapist

For a therapist to be mentally healthy, he/she should be aware of his/her own conflicts, problems and denying behavior. Self-awareness is necessary for therapists in order to be able to help others. Taking training or having individual therapy, trained therapists can become self-aware of their own issues and weaknesses. By taking psychotherapy, therapists can resolve many problems and become mentally healthy. When a therapist starts to feel personal distress and is unable to develop healthy habits, this is when he/she requires a self-care. When a therapist lacks empathy skills, it will be very difficult for him to help others (Corey 2011).

Participating in Personal Psychotherapy

One of the most vital reasons for participating in individual psychotherapy is to evaluate one's own motives in becoming a helping professional. By participating in individual psychotherapy, one can evaluate that how his individual needs influence his actions, how one employs his/her power, and what are one's values. It is natural that if one goes through an experience, it helps in understanding the situation of others. It is understandable that people has shortcomings in doing his/her job effectively. Experiencing individual psychotherapy can be useful in identifying and rectifying one's weakness and problems such as counter transference. Personal psychotherapy will help in polishing one's professional competence and understanding one's own personal and professional dynamics (Corey, 2011).

Receive Continuing Therapy

According to the some therapists who have experienced therapy, state that it enhances self understanding and self awareness, it results in accepting one's own feelings also improve personal relationships. According to Linley and Joseph (2007), “therapists who had either received personal therapy previously, or were receiving personal therapy currently, reported more personal growth and positive changes, and less burnout” (pp. 392). For an inexperienced trainee, anything, which can improve his/her self-awareness, is valuable in the field of processional therapy. Therapy is also a suitable way of tackling the main occupational risk of unconsciously, or consciously using the involvements, and demands of job as a means to escaping our own private concerns. According to Norcross (2005) one can benefit in various areas by taking personal therapy including, self-esteem, work functioning, self-understanding, emotional expression, social life, intrapersonal issues, and indication severity. All these benefits suggest that practitioners should receive continuing therapy.

Transference and Counter-Transference

The psychoanalytic theory had reveled concepts of transference and counter transference and these terminologies are commonly applied to psychotherapy and counseling, and refers to therapist's reactions towards ...