The Group Counselor: Person and Professional, Research Paper Example

Effective group leaders are noted to be dependent on the foundation of character. In the second chapter of the reading, leadership is defined as the process by which one person becomes aware not only of himself but also that of the others existing around him. Among the characteristics that a good counselor is then expected to posses include courage to face the need to handle the task of dealing with the issues of conversing and providing assistance to clients needing their attention as they remain balanced in their views. The willingness of the counselor to model what is right is part of that courageous stance which also involves openness, a process that identifies a counselor’s capacity to make extensive conditions that would help him open up towards the course of development that would be needed by the clients depending on him. On the other hand, while a good group counselor is expected to be open, he is also noted to have a sense of self awareness hence providing his patients or clients with the chance to make extensive definition of how he relates to them in full sincerity.

It is essential that group counselors acting as group leaders know the fact that they cannot separate their personality from their career. In a way, group counselors are expected to utilize their experience and their personal practice feedback so as to make sure that their skills are in par with the expectations that are placed upon their shoulders as they lead a team. To be able to do this, a group leader must be able to listen well while he is able to empathize with his clients. In doing so, he is also expected to not forget the fact that he is in need of remaining objective especially in providing assistance and advice to those hoping to make a sense of their connection with the counselor before terminating final decisions of specific assessments released for the finalization of therapies they are handling for the sake of the clients’ development.

Since the counselor is situated in the course of handling group based discussions with several clients, he is defined to develop a skill towards providing assistance to a diversified population of individuals. This means that the interventions that the counselor is to provide his clients with should be well defined along with the congruent views of the members in the team of clients being served. This allows him to remain ethically strong even in the middle of handling diversification among his clients as he provides assistance to those hoping for his helpful comments and assessments of their situations. Respect is also an important factor that makes a group counselor a good source of confidence in line with the career that he professes with his clients. Respect is directed towards the concern that he has towards the religion and the culture of the clients they are aiming to assist.

As for the sense of undergoing co-leadership agreements, group counselors are expected to make a definite indication on how they keep their responsibility integral to the process of providing assistance to the target clients. Notably, this responsibility involves a close definition on how they are able to retain strong dependence on the schedule that has been set for the clients regardless of the presence of the other counselor hence requiring one to be prepared at all times. This is in line with the ASGW principles of 1998 which indicates that professional competence of good counselors is dependent on the capacity of one to remain focused on his work regardless of the different points of hardships that he might need to face along the way. All-in-all the chapter specifically points out that learning through the years of experience, a group counselor should not only develop a skill towards providing the best service he could give to his clients while also retaining integrity in his personality and his professional reputation at the same time.

References

Betz, N. (2008). Advances in Vocational Theories. In S. Brown and R. Lent (Eds.), Handbook of Counseling Psychology, (4th ed). NY: Wiley.

Corey, Marianne, Corey, Gerald, & Corey, Cindy. (2010, 2006). Groups: Process and Practice (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning.

Hill, C., & Lent, R. (2006). A narrative and meta-analytic review of helping skills training: Time to revive a dormant area of inquiry. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 43(2), 154–172

Whiston, S.C. and Rahardja, D. (2008). Vocational Counseling Process and Outcome. In S. Brown and R. Lent (Eds.), Handbook of Counseling Psychology, (4th ed). NY: Wiley.