Lesson 3

Professionals and Practitioners in Counseling
*Counselors
Counselors are professionally trained
individuals who help clients experiencing
difficulties by engaging them in the counselling
process.
Roles of Counselors
According to Villar (2009), counselors have five roles which are
called the “5 C’s”: counselor, coordinator, consultant, conductor
of activities, and change of agent.
1.As counselor, they assist their clients

develop their maximum potential by
establishing a professional relationship
characterized by warmth, trust and
confidentiality.
2.As coordinators, they may serve as
liaison between clientele and the resource
person or agency for the purpose of
collecting and disseminating information
and providing necessary services.
3.As consultants, they are seen as “an
objectively party” who may be asked to
give expert opinion and suggests helpful
strategies “without necessarily having
direct contact with the identified client
whose needs are being addressed
4.As conductors of activities, they may be
involved in the planning and direct
implementation of certain activities which
can assists client’s development.
5.As change agents, they may act as a
“catalyzer, process, helper, solution-giver,
resource linker, and stabilizer”
Functions of Counselors
Gibson and Mitchell (2008) cite the traditional

functions of counselors which are observable
across different work settings. A brief
description of the functions follows:
 Counseling – it is a process that assists
clients in their personal development.
 Assessment – it is the process of
systematically gathering information about
the clients to get a “well-rounded”
depiction of them.
 Career-assistance – it is the help given to
clients in exploring their career options.
 Placement and follow-up – placement
focuses on helping clients find their niche
while follow-up aims for client satisfaction.
 Referral – it takes place when counselors
when counselors need to find and transfer
their clients to other experts or counselors
with specialized training who may be able
to help the clients more.
 Consultation – it is the process wherein
counselors confer with a third party to help
clients in addressing their needs.
Research – it is one function that counselors
need to cultivate because engaging in this
process can yield data which could help in
the advancement of the counseling
profession.
 Evaluation and accountability – Evaluation
is assessing the effectiveness of the
activities, interventions and the efficiency of
the personnel involved.
Accountability is ensuring that programs
and personnel are responsive, appropriate
and relevant.
Prevention – it is a counselor function that
focuses on ensuring that problems are
prevented by empowering clients with
knowledge and awareness so that healthy
attitudes and habits are promoted when
early signs of problems are detected.
Competencies of Counselors
1. Knowledge - counselors undergo
academic preparation and training to build
on their knowledge of counseling
techniques and theories.
2. Skills – counselors apart from having
mastery of theories and techniques, should
also posses several abilities or skills to
effectively help their clients.
There are several competencies which
McLeod (2003) identified.
 Interpersonal Skills – refer to the capacity
and proficiency of counselors to
communicate or articulate well, listen
effectively and observe nonverbal
behaviors.
 Conceptual Ability – refers to the capacity
of counselors to remember client
information, to understand and assess
client’s problems, to think of possible
consequences of actions, and to see, and to
connect present problem to a larger picture.
 Ability to understand and work within
social systems – refers to the counselor's
knowledge of the client’s relationships with
family members, coworkers, friends and
others in their social circles, and how these
relationships affects client’s.
Ivey and Galvin (1984 as quoted in McLeod
2003), listed microskills in counseling
which counselors need to develop and
enhance to become competent
professionals.
1.Attending behavior – is manifested by
counselors to show interest, acceptance, or
full attention in what is being disclosed by
the clients. It is also encouraging clients to
talk freely.
2.Asking open-ended and close-ended
question/s – it is essential skill in counseling
as counselors gather information about the
client.
3.Reflecting feelings and meanings – is a
skill that involves the counselor’s
articulation of client’s underlying feelings in
an open-ended and respectful manner.
Nystul 2016 stated that reflecting feelings
“communicates that the counselor not only
understands how the client is feeling, but
also emphasizes with the client”
4.Encouraging, paraphrasing and
summarizing skills enable counselors to
provide feedback to their clients.
Encouraging skills are a variety of verbal and
nonverbal strategies to motivates clients to
keep on talking.
5.Focusing on problem is a skill that enables
counselors to steer their clients
“conversational floe into certain areas”.
Counselors are advised to used this
technique only when needed.
6.Confrontation is a skill that aids clients in
gaining self-awareness during counseling
sessions. Counselors points out observed
inconsistencies in the client’s thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors/actions.
7.Integrating skills allow counselors to
incorporate data from intake interviews,
assessment results, and other sources.
3. Attitudes – counselors are expected to

facilitate the establishment of a working
alliance between them and their clients.
Gladding (2009) cited the list of Foster
(1996) and Guy (1987) when it comes to
personal qualities a counselor should
possess:
1.Curiosity and inquisitiveness – natural
concern for people and to know details
about them.
2.Ability to listen – actively listening to
people.
3.Comfort with conversation – at ease in
conversing with people.
4.Empathy and understanding – the ability
to put one’s self in other shoes even if the
client circumstances are different from that
of the counselors.
5.Emotional insightfulness – comfortable in
dealing with a wide range of feelings
6.Introspection – the ability to look within
the self and reflect
7.Capacity for self-denial – the ability to put
aide personal concerns and feelings to
address clients needs
8.Tolerance of intimacy – the ability to
establish and maintain emotional closeness
9.Comfort with power – ability to hold
power and maintain detachment
10.Ability to laugh – the capacity to inject
humor when things go wrong.
McLeod (2003), on the other hand listed
the following as competency areas in
counseling:
a) Personal Beliefs and Attitudes – refers
to the counselor’s capacity to accept client’s
beliefs and values and client’s potential for
change.
b) Personal Soundness – refers to the
counselor’s capacity to be aware of how
counseling sessions are affecting them and
to accept the notion that they , too, can
need counseling.
c)Openness to learning and inquiry – refers
to the counselor’s interest in the clients
lives and to search for new knowledge
which can be advance the practice of the
profession.
Career Opportunities for Counselors
The Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004
requires would-be counselors to obtain:
-A professional license, which can be
acquired through passing the licensure
examination.
*Rights, Responsibilities, and

Accountabilities of Counselors
Ethical Principles for Counselors

1.Autonomy – refers to respecting freedom
of choice and self-determination.
Counselors do not impose their values,
views, or certain actions or decisions to
clients as these violate the principle and the
counselors should make sure that before
clients agree to undergo counseling, the
process, risk and effects should be properly
explained to them and that they should
agree to undergo such activity.
2.Beneficence – it is defined as doing good
and preventing harm.
3.Fidelity – refers to faithfulness or honoring
commitment.
4. Justice – it is defined as fairness.
5. Nonmaleficence – it is not inflicting
harm.
Code of Ethics for Registered Guidance
Counselors
1.Respect for the personhood and integrity
of the person
2.Recognition of individual differences
3.A commitment to promote the client’s
well-being
4.Responsible caring
5.Integrity of practitioner-client relationship
6.Fostering the practitioner’s professional
growth
7.Accomplishment and improvement of the
profession
8.Responsibility in the society
9.Sensible in regard for and ethical
recognition of the social code and moral
expectations of the community; and
10.Relevant service to the community
Some of the prevalent forms of unethical
behaviors in counseling
1. Violation of confidentiality
2. Exceeding one’s level of professional
competence when a counselor practice
outside of his/her area of specialization.
3. Negligent practice
4. Claiming expertise, one does not possess
5. Imposing one’s values on a client
6. Sexual activity with the client
7. Dual relationships (role of counselor is
combined with another relationship –
professional or personal)
8. Questionable financial arrangements
(e.g., excessive fees)
9. Improper advertising
10. Plagiarism when doing research

Lesson 3

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lesson 3

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lesson 3

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Professionals and Practitioners in Counseling

1.As counselor, they assist their clients

Gibson and Mitchell (2008) cite the traditional

3. Attitudes – counselors are expected to

*Rights, Responsibilities, and

Ethical Principles for Counselors

You might also like