To be a successful counselor, I feel it is important not to show sympathy towards clients. I, as a counselor, would show them that I can emotional identify with their feelings. It is important to make my clients feel comfortable enough with me to express all that's troubling them. In order to do this; I must display good listening skills, warmth and patience. I am a great listener and analyzer. The client must feel that I am honest and trustworthy. I am great at encouraging and supporting people. I would remain open minded to all their assumptions about their world even if I disagree with their opinions. Even if I do not approve, I am able to see others point of view and accept it. I have great phenomenological understanding. I could respect client's sexual orientation, religious and spiritual belief's. I accept and value cultural diversity. These skills would be useful in building a good therapeutic relationship with future clients and becoming a successful counselor.
I feel it would be difficult for me to keep a social distance with my clients, in particular, clients I know well. I would be prone to self disclose personal information about myself to make them feel more comfortable confiding in me. It would be hard for me not to reveal my values to my clients. I would also have a hard time "leaving it at the office". I know myself. I am sure that I would carry the problems of my clients around with me during leisure hours. I have some perfectionist qualities. This could be a potential problem. I sometimes hold high expectations of others as well as myself. I feel it is my fault if something does not work out the way I intended. I am not sure I could tolerate ambiguity. I am sure that being anxious and worried about a client's progress would distract my attention from the client during therapy. I am sure that eventually I would be able to relax and be more confident. .
The first of the theories covered in class is probably the most abstract.