If you are interested in committing your life to helping people with their issues, then you should consider a career as a counsellor or therapist. Getting into a counselling career will bring you many rewards, as you will get to see your hard work reflected in the healing of others. There are few things in life better than knowing that you were able to help someone who had an issue they never thought they were going to be able to get past. You will learn a lot of what you need to make this happen in counsellor training, but you are also going to need to be in possession of some very definite skills in order to excel in your career.

1. The ability to listen – While this seems obvious, listening is not just about hearing what the patient has to say. You need to be able to listen to the tone of their voice, and also try to read between the lines of what is being said to get a handle on what they are not saying out loud. It is oftentimes the things that a patient doesn’t say that can unlock the reason behind their specific issue. Being able to do that will help you to have a very successful counselling career.

2. Empathy – You will obviously not have lived the same life or had the same issues as the people that you treat, but that doesn’t mean that you cannot understand what they are feeling. When you have empathy, you are better able to understand someone else’s feelings even when they are not doing a very good job of getting them across to you. For example, a person who is quick to anger may, in fact, react easily, because they have a poor self-image.

3. Flexibility – Counsellors and therapists don’t always maintain strict office hours, simply because you need to be available to the patient at a time that suits their schedule. You also need to be flexible in the way that you deal with different people, as no two patients will be totally alike. You need to be able to handle people from different cultures and ways of life and be able to adapt to a counselling method that suits their needs.

4. Good communication skills – An essential part of counsellor training is learning how to effectively communicate with the patient so that you can help them through their issues. Your goal should be to make every patient feel as comfortable as possible so that they will open up to you. Being able to communicate well helps open up an effective line of conversation, whilst also building trust.

5. Boundary setting – While you want to make the patients comfortable when they are with you, it also needs to be made clear that there are certain boundaries in place. Some patients will start to think you to be a friend, and may even try to arrange meetings outside the office. This should be discouraged in as gentle a manner as possible.

Chrysalis Courses was established in 1998 and we are now the UK’s market-leading trainer in accredited counselling courses and talking therapies. We want you to experience both professional and personal benefits and really let yourself grow.

Find out more about our counselling courses training, please visit here: https://www.chrysaliscourses.co.uk/