Questionnaire: Are You Counsellor Material?

There are many different approaches to counselling, and also many specialist areas of counselling – relationship and family, abuse and addiction, stress and anger management, grief and loss etc. A good counsellor therefore will be one who shares common attributes and is able to offer empathetic support and understanding, in a caring, comforting manner.

Careful Considerations

There is more to counselling than simply listening to a client talk about emotional issues, and a counsellor must be able to demonstrate a wide variety of skills. These include empathy, compassion, understanding, challenging skills, motivational ability, creative thinking and loads more besides. A counsellor must also be able to listen to a client’s problems and concerns and translate these into goals that the client can work towards, in order to reach resolution.

Anyone who is contemplating undergoing training to become a counsellor should firstly pause to consider whether they possess the necessary interpersonal skills, can acquire them through training or simply isn’t emotionally equipped to successfully work in the field of counselling.

Quick Questionnaire

Do You Have What it Takes?

Are You:

Sensitive
caring
compassionate
sensible
responsible
adaptable
flexible
empathetic

Or Do You Prefer to:

take charge of the situation
empower others
are logical and practical and like to solve problems

Answering yes to either, or both, of the above questions would make you a suitable candidate for counsellor training. Being able to focus on practical issues whilst empowering individuals to work towards personal goals is every bit as important as being able to offer a client a sympathetic ear.

Understanding that the counsellor’s role is varied and adaptable will enable you to view counselling as a worthwhile qualification to consider. If you already work in a person-centred role – perhaps in teaching, nursing or care-giving or other supportive field – counselling could provide you with a beneficial, additional qualification and skill.

Is Counselling For You?

Do You:

enjoy dealing with people on a one-to-one basis
find it easy to build rapport with others
empathise with people and understand the importance of confidentiality
are you able to encourage, coax and help others to empower and improve their lives

If you answered yes to 3 or more of these questions then counselling would be a good career option to consider. Most individuals opt to train as counsellors as a second career, and will therefore bring a host of other key skills, from previous employment, into the counselling environment. These may include dealing with problems, motivational ability, person-centred skills, administrative knowledge and record keeping.

Counsellors must possess emotional awareness and be emotionally stable and mature enough to handle other people’s problems, concerns, issues and worries. They must have a strong interest in other people and in helping them achieve positive changes. If you are able to demonstrate sensitivity, can inspire trust, confidence and respect in others you are most definitely counsellor material.

The Next Step

If you decide you like the sound of helping others and want to consider training to become a counsellor the next step to take is to check out available courses in your area. There is also a wealth of information, regarding relevant counselling skills courses, available online.