In reading through Chapter 6, there was great discussion in exploring the problem. In the reading it discussed how active listening is very important, but the skills of a counselor go far beyond listening. I know personally, when I first began looking into the career path of a counselor my dad said to me, "Do you really want to sit on a couch and just listen to people talk all day?". This chapter shows how there are active listening skills along with skills such as questioning, paraphrasing, and clarifying. Thomas and Sosin (2011) discuss how exploring someone's life takes specific skills including being able to ask the correct questions, show proper body language, summarize what the client has just told you, verbal tracking, and being able to fully understand what the client is discussing.
These skills that a counselor learns to use are crucial for the process of healing to occur. Having the skill of exploration through many different means is another tool to add to the toolbox of a counselor. Like my dad always says, "You can never have to many tools!" ToolBox Picture
Hello Shiloh i think thats a very important question your dad asked. I thought about it for a while when i was reading your post. Do i really want to sit on a couch and just listen to people talk all day? i never thought about it that way. But th this answer came to me " why not? what else do i want to do?" To me an individual has to be called for this career because not everyone is equipped to sit and and listen to others.
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ReplyDeleteyes it was an important question that my dad asked. Obviously as you can tell, he did not fully understand what it meant to be a counselor. As I am going through the journey to get there he is learning what it means. I totally agree with your statement of "Why not what else do I want to do?" and that this is a career that one needs to be called to. When I was in high school I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do. All I knew was that I wanted to help people and I was always the friend that people came to for advice and to vent. It wasn't until my undergrad that I realized God was calling me to counseling. Thank you for your reply!
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