Importance Of Communication In Counseling

Counseling is a principled relationship that is characterized by the application of one or more psychological theories as well as a recognized set of communication skills, then modified by experience, intuition and other interpersonal factors, to clients’ intimate concerns, problems or aspirations. Generally, counseling sessions can be very brief or lengthy, take place in an organizational or private practice setting and also may or may not overlap with practical, medical and other personal welfare matters. (Feltham et al., 1993).
With regards to my knowledge and experience of counseling, the personal qualities of an individual are of utmost importance in facilitating a counseling process. A counselor must possess these qualities to make adjustments

Non-verbal communication extremely important. Social scientists also claim that at least approximately 80% of any communication will take place on the non-verbal level, with only 7 percent of emotions being conveyed by verbal means. One of the elements of non-verbal communication skill is eye contact. Eye contact is a very powerful communication tool. Making eye contact with the pharmacist displays the pharmacist’s confidence and involvement, and thus, can be used to reflect genuineness and concern (Young, 2005). Facial expression is another component of non-verbal communication. Psychologists have illustrated six primary emotions: sadness, joy, anger, surprise, disgust, and fear. These emotions are in our facial expressions regardless of culture (Ekman, 1975). When facial expressions do not match what the person is saying, there will be incongruence, and this tends to be a sign of lack of self-awareness, conflict, or even deceit. As a pharmacist, it is essential to take note of these facial expressions because at times the client may conceal significant personal issues that has to be addressed which may affect the overall health of the client. These non-verbal communication components, if applied in this situation will be very helpful as it shows caring, concern, and dedication. Non-verbal communication can also help to stress

One of them, is attending. Attending is the behavioral aspect of building rapport with the client. This skill reflects how interested and attentive the pharmacist is when the client is sharing his/her problems. When a counselor first meets with a client, they must show to the client that they are concerned in listening to them and helping them. Through attending, the pharmacist can encourage the client to talk and open up to their issues (Geldard et al., 2001). Another micro skill which is vital during counseling is the ability to reflect and paraphrase. Knapp (2007) regards that reflecting and paraphrasing are the same skill. Reflecting patients’ words and feelings shows that the counselor (pharmacist) is listening attentively and interestingly in the issues which are bothering them. Reflection and paraphrasing helps the pharmacist to understand the patient 's problems completely, apart from just hearing out the patient. As the pharmacist attending to Lia’s problem, I feel that reflecting and paraphrasing will allow me to communicate well with the client. This also allows me to delicately offer the client solutions and perspectives from a different angle. Moreover, all of the mentioned micro skills will show the client that I am interested and considering their situation. This care and consideration will eventually build trust and appreciation which