Lorelei P. Knorr, Ph.D. Dr. Nicholas Morrison PSYC 0323 May 1, 2024 Final Reflection An effective counselor serves as a guide to help support and offer direction by providing a safe and compassionate space for individuals to explore their thoughts, emotions, and challenges. Countless factors contribute to shaping an effective counselor, including empathy, active listening, unconditional positive regard, cultural competence, genuine care and compassion, and ongoing commitment to learning and personal growth. In addition, a major quality of an effective counselor lies in their ability to establish and maintain a therapeutic alliance. This involves gaining the clients' trust through genuineness, empathy, and their ability to effectively communicate …show more content…
To begin with, I consider myself to be an incredibly open individual, lacking powerful beliefs or values. Consequently, I believe this is an advantage as a therapist, as my openness reduces the likelihood of impeding or displacing my beliefs or values with a client. I understand why this might appear as negative. However, my willingness to learn and comprehend different perspectives for my client's benefit outweighs the potential negatives. In contrast, my excessively introverted personality can negatively influence the client's outcome in therapy, as it may impede the therapeutic alliance, creating a barrier to effective communication and establishing a connection. Furthermore, my capacity to actively listen to the client is absent in certain areas. Although I am attentive to the client and reassure them of their feelings, I am prone to hold onto a piece of information which the client mentions, questioning it rather than following the client's lead. This may further obstruct the therapeutic alliance. Nevertheless, my self-awareness and patience will promote therapeutic alliances with clients. Being well informed of my own biases, triggers, and limitations will enable me to manage my reactions and responses during a session as they may impact my interactions with …show more content…
Despite sharing aspects of a close-knit dynamic, capable of supporting each other, my family also struggles with multiple communication barriers and unresolved conflicts. As time progressed, these struggles worsened. In addition, although my parents were physically present, they were emotionally absent. With various other factors contributing to my family dynamic, I believe it will affect my role as a counselor, mainly in my communication styles and ability to emotionally support my clients. I tend to become frenetic in overly emotional situations, as I try to avoid them in my personal life. Although I am introverted, I feel my attitude comes off as ill-mannered or detached. However, it is simply because of my social