17 Ways to Improve Your Counseling Skills

Counseling is all about helping patients understand themselves, improving their way of thinking, and helping them through difficult situations. This is usually done through conversation, with the counselor asking the right questions to open up deep responses and get to the bottom of certain emotions. It is a well-respected career that takes a high level of education and a lot of skill. 

Whether you are just starting your counseling career or you have been a professional counselor for 20-plus years, here are 17 ways you can improve your counseling skills. 

If you are just starting, then the first step is to get your education. Most counselors have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and a master’s, so make sure you get those qualifications.  

Have a look at several courses and choose one that will help you succeed as a counselor. A human services degree will give you the necessary skills to work with vulnerable people and provide the proper care they need. 

While you are in education, do your best to make as many connections as you can. When you are out in the big wide world of counseling, you might struggle to find your first job - having positive recommendations and a group of people who can help you will be a life-saver when you are just starting. You never know, a friend from your human services degree might send you a job application that ends up being your full-time career!

You will get the chance to gain counseling experience when doing your human services degree, so make sure you take on as much as you can. This will help your credibility and improve your skills on the job. 

Many counselors end up working for themselves, and the only way they can show potential patients how excellent they are is through the amount of experience and positive feedback they have. Think about the work experience you do now as an investment into your future earnings, as the more hours you do, the more valuable you will be as a counselor. 

The last thing patients want when seeing their counselor is a person who seems to have their mind elsewhere. When you are in your counseling chair with a patient, then they should be your sole focus. No matter how many patients you have seen that day, your attention must not waver. 

If you are struggling to focus at the end of the day, then it is a sign that you are taking on too many patients. Focus on quality over quantity, and make sure you give yourself enough time between patients to rejuvenate so that each person who steps through your door receives the same quality of care. 

Leaving your emotions from home behind can be difficult, especially when you are going through an intense situation, but it is necessary when working with patients. This is a skill that you might not have when you start your human services degree, but it is one you will need when beginning your first counseling job. 

Whatever emotions you feel when you set off for work, make sure they stay at home. Remember, your work is all about your patients, and there is no room for anything more than their troubles. If you are dealing with too much yourself, then consider seeing your own counselor to work through your emotions. 

Compassion is necessary for all counselors, but there might be days where you feel it wavering. If you ever feel like this, then do your best to find it again. You could do this by putting yourself in your patient’s shoes, speaking with co-workers, or simply stepping back and remembering why you started the role to begin with. 

Nobody is perfect enough to stay compassionate every minute of the day, but counselors must always do their best to appear compassionate with their patients. Try reading a book before your sessions, practicing meditation in between, finding your compassion, and providing the best care you possibly can. 

In the world of counseling, no two days are ever the same. There will be canceled appointments, changing appointments, and appointments that completely derail. Don’t let this deter you. Focus on being ok with change by becoming more flexible in your work. By doing this, you aren’t restrained by the old way of doing things, which means you might even find a method that works better. 

As a counselor, you should get into the habit of reading often, so never go anywhere without a book in your bag. You must find the time to read, no matter how busy you are! There is so much to learn out there, so don’t block yourself from absorbing it. 

To truly succeed, you will need to keep up with any of the latest findings in psychology. This will help your skills as you will discover new ways to help your patients. You never know, you might even read an article that completely reshapes the way you perceive counseling! 

As a counselor, you are somebody that vulnerable people rely on, making it essential that you maintain a high level of professionalism at all times. If you think that you are already professional enough, then push yourself even more. 

Being professional doesn’t mean you have to appear serious at all times; it simply means that you are competent and are a rock for others around you. Improve your communication skills, dress well, and always have useful advice to give to push your level of professions even higher. If you are serious about improving your counseling skills, then be professional from the moment you apply for your human services degree. It’s never too early to show off how serious you are about success! 

While most counselors hold a bachelor’s and a master’s, a doctorate degree will give you an edge. Not only will it improve your resume, but your counseling skillset will soar higher than ever before. 

Studying while working is difficult, so find some ways to create a work-life balance. This can include:

Remember that, while it is important to push yourself hard, that you must also make time for yourself. You cannot gain the skills you need if you are tired all the time, after all! 

There are many different types of counseling, so assess the skills you already have and find a specialty to pursue. While you might be a great all-rounder, a specialty will help you improve your skills in a particular area. 

If you are still working towards becoming a counselor, then take the time to figure out the area you want to go into, whether that’s marriage counseling, substance abuse, or working with children. When studying for your human services degree, jot down all the sections that you found the most interesting so you can refer to them later when deciding on a specialty. 

When it comes to dealing with patients, you must be patient. No matter how brilliant you are at counseling, there will be days when you have to deal with difficult patients, which is a true test of patience. Your levels of responsibility of high, and the people you are working with are vulnerable, so there is no room to let out your negative emotions. 

The more you work on your patience, the easier it will become. If you have or live around children, you will understand this. Sometimes, there will be patients who seem to be actively testing you, but that doesn’t mean you should let up. Your patience is what makes you a better counselor, so always seek to improve it, no matter how difficult somebody is being.

No matter how excellent your counseling skills are, they will not shine if you don’t have the energy to let them. Your energy usually comes from how much you look after your body, so make sure you keep an eye on your health. Some ways to do that include:

Many counselors work from home, and if you are one of them, then you will find slotting in exercise easier. Walk around and do some stretches between patients. Not only will it help any aches you may have, but it will also increase your energy. 

Your energy comes from what you eat, so make sure you are fueling your body properly. Get enough water, proteins, vitamins, and minerals, so you have the energy to get through the day without a slump. Have a look for some healthy lunch recipes to take to work. 

As a counselor, you will probably find you ask many patients about their sleep, but what about your own? Get enough sleep each night so you can enter your office knowing you have the energy to give your patients the guidance they deserve. 

As a counselor, a lot of your time will be spent in a chair inside an office, meaning you might not get outside enough. Get into the habit of getting outside and breathing in the fresh air, and you will find yourself rejuvenated for your next patient. 

The skills you need to be a great counselor will transfer into other areas, so use them to pursue a separate hobby. This could be a sport, a book group, or even knitting! Taking your brain away from counseling for a while will help you when you return to it, as your brain will be clearer. 

Find a hobby when you are doing your human services degree so that you have something other than your work to focus on. It will help you relax after a hard day’s work, which can be just as important as the work itself. 

If you ever feel your skills are wavering, then it helps to remember how passionate you are about counseling. It is too much to expect anyone to feel passion every moment of the day, but you should write down exactly why you started counseling in the moments where you are struggling. 

One of the most fun ways to increase your counseling skills is to hang out with fellow counselors. Not only will you have a bunch of people who will relate to your unbelievable stories, but you will also be able to learn from them. They will have experiences that you will relate to and ways to manage tricky situations that you may never have thought of before. Let your friends teach you! 

Get into the habit of making counseling friends as soon as you start your human services degree. Introduce yourself to people and be open to sharing everything you’ve learned, and you will find that others treat you the same way. 

If you are well-established in your counseling career but find you don’t have many friends in the same field as you, then there are plenty of communities online that you could join! Search the internet for friendly communities of fellow counselors to make friends, share experiences, and learn tips from each other. 

The best way to improve your counseling skills is to listen to your patients. Sometimes, they will have advice that can completely transform your method of counseling. Remember, they are who you are there for, so if they have any suggestions, it is wise to listen to them. 

Your counseling skills will naturally improve over time. Don’t be too hard on yourself, be open to suggestions, and trust in your abilities. One day, you will look back at the time you were studying for your human services degree and realize just how far you have come in terms of skill.