Reflective Essay On The Importance Of Self Evaluation In Counselling

In counselling, relationships are very important. These relationships between the counsellor and the client are determined by the time and effort we put into developing and maintaining this relationship. In a way, a counsellor is a friend, but a friend who has the experience and the ability to apply different skills to assist people to solve their own problem instead of providing them with a solution.
Self-evaluation is very useful to identify the strengths and weaknesses of these skills. The purpose of my self-evaluation is to reflect upon the used/unused skills which I applied by identifying areas where they have been used successfully and others that needs improvement. Counsellors need to be aware of their skills and any personal factors …show more content…
It would have been useful if I had explained my role and explain the issue of confidentiality. I continued to listen and encourage and encourage her by the use of minimal encouragers. However, reflecting back to the session, I think I overused them but at that time they seemed correct and appropriate skills. In terms of listening skills, I did well. I became aware that my active listening is good; on the spot and that I can show that I’m listening. I applied the use of silence twice as to enable Susan to reflect and help to see more …show more content…
Nodding is a must which I used during the session. I demonstrated the use of summarizing in many phases of the session, mostly to focus on what was being said and to provide a review. I used it instead of giving an advice to help Susan to see more clearly and lead her towards a solution. Also, I used it to prioritise my client’s issues. However, summarizing is not about focusing on our opinion, so I have to be more careful in the future not to do it. According to Egan (2010, p202) a good way for a counsellor to check accuracy is by giving a