Counselling Reflection Essay

Counselling as defined by the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (n.d.) is a professional relationship that strives to help the client develop self-understanding and from there, better their lives. This relationship is principled and clearly contracted, and will require the counsellor to undergo in-depth training to receive the appropriate know-how to use a range of therapeutic methods. As a new student to this field, I believe that the values and beliefs that I have held over the years coupled with my learning experience within the classroom will shape the way I will counsel clients. In this paper, I will discuss my values, beliefs and their developmental process, how I believe my attitudes and values will influence my behaviour towards others and lastly, my current view of the counsellor’s role and counselling. I believe that help should always be given, as no-one will know how large of an

Previously, I have thought that a counsellor’s job was easy – it was merely to sit in a chair and listen to the worries of others, alleviating them with well-chosen words. I have now learnt it is a much more arduous process than that – the duties of a counsellor are underscored with formalities and their job is so much more than “talking”. An effective counsellor is a jack of all trades – they must be skilful in reaching out as well as reaching in, they cannot merely give advice – counsellors must tailor their advice to help clients develop more personally rewarding thinking patterns, and be able to manage conflicts between themselves and the clients when they force the clients to confront their issues (Welfel & Patterson, 2005). This has helped me to readjust my views on being a counsellor, and have forced me to reconsider the values and beliefs that I hold, and how those may actually impact negatively on my role as a