Counselor
From Miiu.org
Contents |
Description of Counselor
- A counselor is a person who listens, guides, comforts and challenges.
- A counselor may be a friend or a professional.
- Professional counselors include career counselors at the high school level or counseling psychologists who get paid by the hour.
- Finding a friend to listen to your ideas and thoughts and confide in about your dreams is an important part of a personal resilience strategy.
- In order to find a friend you will need to be a friend. This means you will need to be available to the other person. Spend time with them. Listen to them.
- Friends who listen are the most cost effective counselors available.
Active Listening helps YOU to BE a Counselor
- You can be a counselor to a friend by developing your listening skills. Active listening is the term used to describe how to listen to someone.
- The main thing to do is to keep your mouth closed and your ears open while your friend is talking.
- Do not make moral judgements or jump to conclusions or try to solve their problems for your friend.
- By practicing active listening you are giving your friend the opportunity to hear themselves think out loud. This in itself is a healing experience. Often just hearing ourselves think out loud gives the speaker a broader perspective or insight about a problem, issue or concern.
Key Words for Counselor
Active listening, personal resilience strategy, mental health, advocate
