QUALITIES OF A GOOD COUNSELLOR

Introduction
The personal and professional qualities of counsellors are very important in facilitating any helping relationship. A counsellor must be well equipped to assist individuals to make adjustments and live a happy and harmonious life. The adjustment can be with regard to the school and curriculum, vocation and personality. For effective counseling, the counsellor must be equipped with two kinds of data. First he must have data relating to the counsellee’s background aptitudes, achievements, interests, plans etc. Further, he must have the skill to interpret this data. Secondly, the counsellor must have information about the areas in which the counsellee may seek his assistance. These areas may be educational or personal. With these two kinds of information he assists the counsellee to match his individual patterns of potentiality with appropriate opportunity. As the process of counselling develops, both the counsellor and counsellee must arrive at a common ground. Counsellor’s who continually develop their self awareness skills are in touch with their values, thoughts and feelings. They are likely to have a clear perception of their own and their client’s needs and accurately assess both. Such awareness can help them be honest with themselves and others. They are able to be more congruent and build trust simultaneously. Counsellors who possess this type of knowledge are most likely to communicate clearly accurately.

Three other characteristics that make counsellors initially more influential are perceived expertness, attractiveness and trustworthiness. Expertness is the degree to which a counsellor is perceived as knowledge able and informed about his or her specialty.  Clients went to work with counsellor who appears to know profession well.

Attractiveness is function of perceived similarity between a client and counselor. Councellors can make themselves attractive by speaking in clear, simple, jargon free sentence and offering appropriate self disclosure.

THE DESIRABLE QUALITIES OF A SCHOOL COUNSELLOR ARE THE FOLLOWING:-

1. Magnetic personality

2. Personal adjustment

3. Interpersonal relationship

4. Professional competence

5. Leadership

6. Professional dedication

7. Philosophy of life

8. Wide range of interest

Counsellors who are nonverbal cues in responding to clients, such as more nodding and eye contacts are seen as more attractive than those do not. The attire of the counsellor also make a differences, clothes should be clean, neat and professional looking but not call attention to themselves. Trustworthiness is related to the sincerity and consisting of the counselor. The counsellor is genuinely concerned about the client and shows it over time by establishing a close relationship with the client. “There is and can be no such thing as instant intimacy” or trustworthiness. Rather, both are generated through patterns of behavior that demonstrate are and concern most clients are neither completely distrusting nor given to blind trust. But, as Fong and Cox note, many clients test the trustworthiness of the counsellor, deprecating themselves or questioning the motives and dedication the counsellor.

It is essential, therefore, that the counsellor responds to the question of trust rather than the verbal content of the client in order to facilitate the counselling relationship. Many beginning counsellors make the mistake of dealing with surface issues instead of real concerns. For example if a client asks a counsellor, “Can I feel you anything “. A novice counsellor might respond, “what do you mean by anything”? An experienced counsellor might say, it sounds as if you are uncertain about whether you can really trust me and this relationship. A good counsellor must have the knowledge of mental hygiene and the skill to interpret psychological tests. This is essential to from a correct, reliable and objective assessment of the personality of the counselee.

Conclusion

An important quality of a counesllor is that he like and respects himself, but he does not use the counsellee to satisfy his own needs. Every normal human being has a desire to be respected, recognized and accepted. Then the counselor must qualities of good personality, good character and wholesome philosophy, health, emotional stability, approachability, sympathic understanding of youth, intelligence, social culture, broad knowledge and interest in guidance and personal working conditions and understanding of social economic conditions. They above given qualities must be possessed by a counsellor.

REFERENCES

1.Psychological Base of Education, Dr. A. Antony.

2.Guidance and Counselling, Indore Madhukar.

3. Guidance and Counselling, Ramanath Sharma.

Prepared by :Sr. Simimol