“Success as a counselor is not found in doing something for the client, but rather in being someone for the client” - Ili Rivera Walter
Who is a counselor?
In the simplest term, a counselor is someone who provides counseling. Counseling is mostly dedicated to a client’s self-understanding, decision-making resources, risk-taking and personal growth. It is not ‘giving advice’. Because telling people what to do can be a counterproductive remedy.
Counselors are often one of the first resources people approach when they are going through a hard time in their life emotionally and mentally. Their main motive is to help people live a better life psychologically.
There are different fields of expertise when it comes to counseling. Every counselor specializes in one particular field and has to conform to the roles of the respective field.
These roles would be
Educational counselors
They deal with problems that could be learning, teaching and education. Counselors interact with students individually, in small groups, or collectively as a class. They consult and work with parents, teachers, school administrators, school psychologists, medical and social workers to develop and implement strategies to support student success.
They help students understand and address social, behavioral and personal issues. These counselors emphasize prevention and developmental counseling to promote student’s personal, social and academic growth and provide them with life skills they need to address problems before they worsen.
They offer professional services such as alcohol and drug prevention programmes and dispute resolution courses. They also seek to identify cases of domestic abuse and other problems that can affect the student’s mental and psychological health.
Vocational counselors
Also known as career counselors or employment counselors deal with problems from work and training, career choice making and adjustment. Their main motive and goal is to help the client make career decisions. They have to examine and evaluate the client’s education, training, work experience, interests, skills and personality traits and attributes.
Sometimes, they also set up aptitude and performance tests to help people make professional decisions. They work with the clients to hone their job-hunting skills and help them find and apply for jobs.
In addition, they help those who are suffering from unemployment, work stress, work-life imbalance and career-changing issues.
Marital counselors
They deal with problems that could emanate from married life beginning with spouse selection. They provide counseling both before and after marriage. Before marriage counseling helps the couple understand the concept of marriage and make sure they want to go ahead with it. Clearing up any air regarding sexual preferences is also an objective of pre-marital counselling.
Post-marriage counseling consists of solving issues between the couple. Here the counselor has to practice neutrality because they cannot take anyone’s side. They just have to help the couple communicate and understand each other. They act as an intermediary between the couple and assist in clearing misunderstandings that might have caused the issues between them. They also lay out ways for couples to remain accountable to each other.
Mental health counselors
They deal with problems including personality and life in general. They are responsible for diagnosing and treating daily and other mental health struggles. They practice therapeutic methods to help clients deal with depression, stress, anxiety, suicidal thought, trauma, grief etc.
They work with the client and set goals and treatment plans. However, it is important to note that it’s not the job of the counselor to fix the client’s problems. They are supposed to help the client face reality, understand their situation, come to terms with it and determine their path towards the solution. They work in collaboration with many other mental health specialists like psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, school counselors etc.
Rehabilitation counselors
They deal with clients whose problems stem from life disruptions such as accidents, retrenchment and natural mishaps. They assist people with emotional, physical, mental or social disabilities to reach their full potential.
Their role is to devise individual rehabilitation plans for their clients, help manage their weakening condition and improve their quality of life.
They can work in various settings like old-age homes, orphanages, youth guidance organizations etc.
Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors
They help people who suffer from addiction to alcohol, drugs, gambling and eating disorders. They help the individuals identify the problematic aspect of their behavior and help them work towards overcoming it.
The sessions can be held individually but are usually done in a group setting, including support through crisis, daily or drop-in counseling. They help develop healthy behaviors and provide coping strategies.
Conclusion
In conclusion, no matter which field of psychology you are in there are 3 stages of counseling that every counselor has to clear,
Relate. To start establishing a collaborative relationship with the client.
Understanding. To clarify and enlarge both the counselor and client’s understanding of the problem and situations.
Changing. To assist the client in making a positive change in their life to overcome the problem.
References
Books
Richard Nelson-Jones (2016). Basic counseling skills: A helper’s manual (4th edition)
Power within psychology. Master’s in psychology
Sites
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