Index IntroductionSkills and Qualities of an Effective CounselorMotivations for Helping Others as a CounselorChallenges Faced in the Helping ProfessionPersonal Goals and Purpose for Helping OthersValues ​​that Shape My LifeLessons Learned in My Life JourneyConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionAccording to McLeod, counseling is a focused private conversation that arises from an individual's conversation to reflect on and receive a problem in life and the willingness of another individual to assist in that endeavor. In other words, counseling is a form of storytelling. Since my purpose in life is to help others, counseling is something I am very interested in. Counseling is the application of mental health through cognitive, affective, and behavioral approaches. Cognitive therapy is a relatively modern approach that focuses on how we think while affective therapy focuses on our emotions by understanding how we feel. Behavioral therapy focuses on our actions to change our behaviors. There are many different types of counseling. For example, mental health counselor, marriage, child and family counselor, school counselor, pastoral counseling and many more. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Skills and Qualities of an Effective Consultant In my opinion, an effective consultant should enjoy helping others and should also possess certain skills. Effective consultants should have good communication skills. They should be able to listen and explain their thoughts clearly. They must also feel empathy towards their customers by trying to put themselves in their shoes. Most importantly, counselors must be nonjudgmental and accept their clients for who they are and what they are going through. Additionally, consultants must be genuine. Genuineness is a path to open communication. Consultants need to be open and direct in how they communicate with their clients. This way clients tend to feel comfortable and would willingly open up to their advisors. Furthermore, to be an effective consultant, I believe he or she should have good problem solving skills. This is because they must be able to identify and make changes to their clients' negative thoughts or harmful behaviors that may be contributing to their problems. Additionally, an effective consultant should have good relationship-building skills. Consultants must possess strong interpersonal relationships with their clients so that they are able to easily establish rapport. They must give their full attention to their customers to build their trust. Motivations to Help Others as a Counselor It is never an easy job to be in a helping profession as you have to deal with many people experiencing various situations. In my opinion, some individuals enter the helping professions because they are willing to help those who are going through a difficult time. This is perhaps because counselors may have faced some psychological difficulties in their past and when they have overcome their problems, they tend to lend a helping hand knowing how others would also feel at that time. Some are also willing to do it because of their natural habit of helping people. According to Mandy Hale, there is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make other people's lives beautiful. Another reason why people enter a helping profession would be for the purpose of gratification. When these consultants have successfully assisted their clients in improving their lives, they are motivated by thereceive rewards. Therefore, they end up being an effective consultant. Additionally, some people want to be a positive role model for others. This desire is usually linked to the counselors' past where they may have had a positive helping experience. Furthermore, some consultants have entered this profession because they wish to further identify themselves. Throughout their journey into the helping profession, they are able to identify their own strengths and weaknesses and tend to use this self-awareness to leave judgment, criticism and discrimination behind to truly help others. Some people choose the helping profession because of its challenges. At times, it will be emotionally challenging. The experiences they might hear or see are sometimes breathtaking. It's so easy to get attached to your clients and sometimes their successes and failures seem similar to the successes and failures of consultants. These are some of the reasons why people enter helping professions. Challenges faced in helping profession Like every other human being, I am also facing some challenges and also want to achieve certain goals in my life. One of the challenges I currently face would be financial. Since I am pursuing my university studies, expenses here are not cheap as I have to pay room rent, semester bill, food and much more. Sometimes I wish I could take on a part-time job just to take some of the load off my parents. Unfortunately, I can't do that because it's nice for me to come back from class and finish my homework and tutorials. Also, having good friends in my circle is one of the challenges I am currently facing. During our school life our group of friends is different. This is because then we will be under the supervision of our parents. They will know our circle of friends and sometimes advise us if we have friends with attitude problems. Our parents are always there to guide us, but in our college life our parents are not always there with us. Therefore, the tendency to associate with friends with attitude problems is high. I had culture shock when I first entered my university. It was a little scary for me to meet people with big age differences and it took me some time to adjust to my surroundings. I find it difficult to find suitable batchmates for homework in college as homework plays a significant role leading to graduation. I am afraid of having sleep buddies as group mates because it would affect our assignment grades. Therefore, I find it difficult to find a good circle of friends in my university life. Personal Goals and Purpose to Help Others I want to achieve certain goals in my life because I believe it would make me a better person. First of all, I would like to find a job that suits me. I don't want a job just for the sake of the paycheck. I want to really enjoy my job so I can understand and adapt to that work culture. Not only that, I find it's easier to overcome stress by enjoying our work. Additionally, I want to inspire others as much as possible. I hope I can make lasting changes in people's lives. Being a role model for someone couldn't give you more satisfaction. Another goal of mine is to travel around the world. This is because I want to know the culture of foreign countries such as marriage culture, business culture, education and much more. I feel like traveling helps us maximize the good and minimize the bad. Sometimes being more aware of your surroundings can be a lifesaver. By traveling I can improve the quality of life of others. Also be financially stableIt's part of my life goals. It means that my family and I have everything we need to thrive now and well into the future. The values ​​that shape my life The first thing I value most in my life is myself. This is because my happiness and self-respect is something I care about most. I never like getting hurt. If someone hurts me a lot, I tend to ignore it afterward. Whenever I feel down, I look back at myself. I would support and courage myself then and also during my happy days. I appreciate myself more because I don't judge myself easily. I feel that everyone should value themselves more than anyone else since no one is more deserving than ourselves. Another thing I would appreciate would be good people. Sometimes they are very difficult to find. Not only do you need money to have a successful life, you also need to surround yourself with good people. They are the ones who will encourage and support you throughout your life. Furthermore, I also appreciate my parents very much. That's because they are the reason I feel confident. They taught me every approach to life that I would face in my future at an early age. Even though it's still a learning process for me, whenever I face certain problems, I'm capable enough to deal with them. Something I value most is time. The time has given me many learning experiences, many sad and happy moments. According to Nelson Mandela we must use time wisely and always realize that the time is always ripe to do the right thing. Another thing I appreciate the most is my freedom, it gives me happiness. It also gives me the opportunity to speak, act, and pursue happiness without unnecessary restrictions. I believe freedom is important for enhancing expressions of creativity and original thinking, increasing productivity, and so much more. Since my purpose in life is to be happy, I have to live and do the things I do for myself. Another thing I appreciate the most are my supporters. They were and are always there when I needed their advice or when I needed someone to listen to me or even when I needed to share something with someone. My memories are also something I value. Good memories are one of my ways to cheer myself up. Lessons Learned in My Life's Journey So far in my life I have learned that I need to love myself more and do things that make me happy. Also, I have learned that I need to spend time with myself instead of spending time with others. I've noticed that people who want to be a part of your life will wait for you. Furthermore, I have learned to love and respect people who dedicate their time to you. As the years have passed, I have also learned that we learn something from every person we meet, regardless of their age. I also learned that money and hard work are very important during the teenage phase. I have learned not to spend money unnecessarily, money plays an important role in my university life. According to my father, we should work hard now and enjoy life later, rather than enjoy life now and suffer later. Another very important thing I have learned is to never compare our life with that of other people. I constantly remind myself how lucky I am and it keeps me going. Just because others have a better life or maybe are loaded, doesn't mean I should underestimate myself. I believe that one day I will be successful in life too. I know and understand my current situation well and cannot compare myself just to live up to their expectations. I also believe that life is full of ups and downs. It is never easy to achieve success in life. Furthermore, I have learned that forgiving those who have hurt us is something we should all accept. Mostly