Characteristics and Behaviors of Effective Counseling

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Walden University Characteristics and Behaviors of Effective Counseling Dr. Jonathan Lent Ritterdale Davis According to Erford “A graduate student earning a degree in counseling, must also truly become a counselor. Professional counselors are in a unique position to engage in the powerful process of healing with clients” (Erford 124). In order to get to the point of healing with the clients, the professional counselor has to use effective counseling methods. To promote effective counseling effective mircorskills are needed. Some of these mircroskills entails good listening, proper body language, and voice tone. In the transcript that was provided the counselor used some effective characteristic of counseling and some that were not so effective. The first use of effective characteristic in this transcript was the intake process. During the intake process it allows the counselor to get a better understanding of the client history and background. Understanding the client’s background will let the counselor know about the client religious background, this way the counselor knows what boundaries they can and cannot cross. The second effective characteristic the counselor showed was at the initial meeting process. He allowed the client to choose the seat he wanted. You can tell by reading this transcript that the counselor had an inviting tone in his voice. When someone goes to seek counseling I am sure they are nervous and embarrassed, and all kind of things is running through their minds. It is very important at the initial meeting to make your client/clients feel as comfortable as possible. Counselor Steve created a safe counseling environment for both him and the client. When the client is comfortable they will be more open to talking to you about their issues. Counselor Steve allowed the client to tell his story by asking an open ended question “So Bill
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