The Importance of a Counselor’s Self Awareness Denise Eberhart
Client Rights and Confidentiality Sept 18, 2011 Instructor: Jerry Van Kirk Abstract
Counselors deal with wide diversity of cultures, religion, language, lifestyle, and values of people. In order to counsel effectively, a therapist must recognize his own value systems to have respect for human individuality and freedoms of choice. When a counselor assesses his own strengths and weakness, he can begin to positively assist the client in developing alternatives for problem solving. Who we are is a direct result of our strengths and weaknesses, our drives and personalities, our habits and values. Many of us are not inclined to spend time on self reflection. Even when personal feedback is presented to us, we are not always open to it because honest feedback is not always flattering. Self awareness can improve our judgment and help us identify opportunities for professional development and personal growth... “Counselors with well developed emotional self awareness are more effective intuitive decision makers. Intuitive qualities create a “gut feeling” or a “sense” of what is best. This can help guide in the counseling sessions for a more effective approach.” (The role of Stress and Negative Emotions in Occupational Crisis, 2002).
How competent am I as a counselor? What are my strengths and weaknesses? The American Counseling Association (ACA) emphasizes the value of counselor self awareness in order to accurately appraise one’ skills and boundaries of...