At the recent Texas Association of Addictions Professionals Spectrum Conference I took the opportunity to conduct a short survey on counseling skills. Participants consisted of those attending my presentation and since the time allotted to the survey was limited, only two questions were given:
-What is the most important skill for a counselor to possess?
-In what area(s) do most counselors need to work on their skill set?
Answers were “fill in the blank” and the survey was conducted at the beginning of the session so there was little staging to impact their responses.
A preliminary review of the answers gave 40 traits that the respondents stated either were important skills or that most counselors needed to work on. Most skills (38) appeared only once or twice per question. The remaining 2 items were listening skills with 15 responses and empathy with 7. For both of these respondents stressed not only the importance of these skills but the need for improvements in those areas.
The ability to listen, attend to and show empathy for our clients are cornerstones for effective treatment. The bad news is that members of our field see us needing to do significant work in these areas. The good news is the awareness leaders in our field are showing for these issues. And, as a very wise man once said, a problem well defined is half solved.
These are rough numbers and more work is needed to develop this into a short report and action plan. If your interested in the final results, please email me and I will forward it.
Have a great day.
John
-What is the most important skill for a counselor to possess?
-In what area(s) do most counselors need to work on their skill set?
Answers were “fill in the blank” and the survey was conducted at the beginning of the session so there was little staging to impact their responses.
A preliminary review of the answers gave 40 traits that the respondents stated either were important skills or that most counselors needed to work on. Most skills (38) appeared only once or twice per question. The remaining 2 items were listening skills with 15 responses and empathy with 7. For both of these respondents stressed not only the importance of these skills but the need for improvements in those areas.
The ability to listen, attend to and show empathy for our clients are cornerstones for effective treatment. The bad news is that members of our field see us needing to do significant work in these areas. The good news is the awareness leaders in our field are showing for these issues. And, as a very wise man once said, a problem well defined is half solved.
These are rough numbers and more work is needed to develop this into a short report and action plan. If your interested in the final results, please email me and I will forward it.
Have a great day.
John
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