Table of ContentsIntroductionSkills and Qualities of an Effective CounselorMotivations for Helping Others as a CounselorChallenges Faced in the Helping ProfessionPersonal Goals and the Purpose of Helping People othersValues ​​That Shape My LifeLessons Learned During My Life JourneyConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionAccording to McLeod, counseling is a private, focused conversation arising from an individual's talk to think about and receive an issue in the life and another individual's willingness to help him in this endeavor. In other words, counseling is a form of storytelling. Because my purpose in life is to help others, consulting is something that interests me greatly. Counseling is the application of mental health through cognitive, affective, and behavioral approaches. Cognitive therapy is a relatively modern approach that focuses on the way we think, while affective therapy is based on our emotions by understanding how we feel. Behavior therapy focuses on our actions aimed at changing our behaviors. There are many types of advice. For example, mental health counselor, marriage counselor, child and family counselor, school counselor, pastoral counselor and many more. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Skills and Qualities of an Effective Counselor In my opinion, an effective counselor must enjoy helping others and must also possess certain skills. Effective counselors must have good communication skills. They must be able to listen and explain their thoughts clearly. They must also show empathy towards their customers by trying to put themselves in their shoes. Most importantly, counselors must be non-judgmental and accept their clients for who they are and what they are going through. Additionally, advisors must be authentic. Authenticity is a path to open communication. Advisors should be open and direct in the way they communicate with their clients. This way, clients tend to feel comfortable and willingly open up to their advisors. Additionally, to be an effective counselor, I believe he or she must have good problem-solving skills. Indeed, they must be able to identify and modify their client's negative thoughts or harmful behaviors that could contribute to their problems. Additionally, an effective advisor must have good relationship building skills. Advisors must possess strong interpersonal relationships with their clients so that they can easily build relationships. They must give their full attention to their customers in order to build their trust. Motivations for Helping Others as a Counselor It is never an easy job being in a helping profession because you have to deal with many people who are going through various situations. . In my opinion, some people enter the helping professions because of their desire to help those who are going through a difficult time. This may be because counselors may have faced some psychological difficulties in their past and once they overcome their problems, they tend to lend a helping hand knowing how others would feel as well at that time. Some are also willing to do this 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 life beautiful for others. Another oneThe reason why people enter the helping profession would be a goal of gratification. When these advisors successfully help their clients improve their lives, they are motivated by receiving rewards. Thus, they end up being an effective advisor. Additionally, some people want to be a positive role model for others. This desire is generally linked to the counselors' past, where they were able to have a positive helping experience. Some counselors have entered this profession because they wish to identify more. Throughout their journey into the helping profession, they are able to identify their strengths and weaknesses and they tend to use this self-awareness to leave judgment, criticism, and discrimination behind in order to truly help the others. Some people choose the helping profession because of its challenges. Sometimes it will be emotionally challenging. The experiences they might hear or see will sometimes take your breath away. It's so easy to get attached to their clients and sometimes their successes and failures resemble the advisors' own successes and failures. These are some of the reasons why people go into helping professions.Challenges Faced in Helping ProfessionLike any other human being, I also face certain challenges and also want to achieve certain life goals in my life. One of the challenges I am currently facing would be financial. Since I am pursuing my university studies, the expenses here are not cheap as I have to pay for my room rental, semester bill, food and many more. Sometimes I wish I could work part-time just to take some of the burden off my parents. Unfortunately, I can't do that because it's just nice for me to come back from class and finish my homework and tutorials. Also, having good friends in the 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 they will advise us if we have friends with attitude problems. Our parents are always there to guide us but in our university life our parents are not always there with us. Therefore, the tendency to hang out with friends with an attitude problem is high. I had a culture shock when I first entered university. It was a bit scary for me because I meet people with big age differences and it took me a while to adjust to the environment. I find it difficult to find suitable groupmates for homework in college, because homework plays an important role that leads to graduation. I'm afraid of having sleeping partners as groupmates because it would affect our assignment grades. Therefore, I find it difficult to find a good circle of friends in my college life. Personal Goals and the Purpose of Helping 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 pay. I really want to enjoy my job so that I can understand and adapt to this job culture. Additionally, I find it easier to overcome stress by enjoying our work. Additionally, I want to inspire others as much as I can. 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 the world. It's because I want tolearn more about the culture of foreign countries such as their marriage culture, business culture, education and many more. I think by traveling it helps us maximize the good and minimize the bad. Sometimes being more aware of our surroundings can save our lives. By traveling, I may be able to improve the quality of life of others. Being financially stable is also one of my life goals. This means my family and I have everything we need to thrive now and in 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 are something I care about most. I never like getting hurt. If someone hurts me a lot, I tend to ignore it later. Whenever I feel down, I turn inward. I would support and encourage myself then and also during my happy days. I value myself the most because I don't judge myself easily. I think everyone should value themselves more than anyone else, because no one is more deserving than ourselves. Another thing I would appreciate is good people. Sometimes they are very difficult to find. You don't just need money to succeed in your life, you also need to surround yourself with good people. They are the ones who will encourage and support you throughout our lives. In addition, I also really appreciate my parents. It’s because they are the reason I feel safe. They taught me all the approaches to life that I would face later in my future, at a very young age. Although this is all still a learning process for me, whenever I face certain problems, I am capable enough to solve them. What I value most is time. Time has given me many learning experiences, as well as many sad and happy moments. According to Nelson Mandela, we must use time wisely and always understand that the time is always right to do good. Another thing I value the most would be 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 to enhance expressions of creativity and original thinking, increase productivity and much more. Because my goal in life is to be happy, I must live and do the things I do for myself. Another thing I appreciate the most would be my supporters. They were and still are 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 During My Life JourneySo far in my life, I have learned that I need to love myself more and do things that make me happy. Additionally, I learned that I needed to make time for myself rather than spending time with others. I've noticed that people who want to be in your life will wait for you. Additionally, I learned to love and respect people who take time for you. Over the years, 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 our teenage period. I have learned not to spend money unnecessarily as money plays an important role in my academic life. According to my father, we should work hard now and enjoy our life more.