Studying Counseling and Psychology via Online Learning

In the past years, there has been a steady demand for counselors as the National Health Service recognized counseling as an effective way to help people who are suffering from mental health issues. This led to the increase in the number of available online courses for those who would seek to become counselors. If you appreciate listening to other people and you love solving their problems, being a counselor can be a great profession for you.

What is counseling?

Counseling can be described as helping other people through various kinds of talking therapy. It starts when the client and counselor set a specific time to talk about or explore any difficulties or emotional stress the client is experiencing. During this time, the counselor helps the client see things in a clear, positive viewpoint.

In other words, counseling is a process which helps a person overcome personal difficulties and move towards positive changes.

Responsibilities of a Counselor

The responsibilities of a counselor may vary, depending on the case, but here are the most common:

• Building a relationship: as a counselor, you must know how to connect with your client. The client must feel that you are someone who can be trusted. Building trust does not happen overnight. It requires skill, dedication, planning and a lot of work.
• Agreeing upon a specific discussion program that caters to the needs of the client

The counselor must be able to help the client choose the path to take in resolving the issue by letting the client judge the probability of a certain behavior based on the client’s perception of its benefits and how confident the client is in achieving such behavior.

• Directing the conversation by asking appropriate questions for the client to openly share their feelings. As a counselor, you must know how to direct the conversation in a way that is not awkward for the client. You must build rapport and make the client feel confident to share his/her emotions.
• Filing client records for future reference: it is important for the counselor to create a record for each client. This allows the counselor to easily track the progress of the client.
• Knowing when to refer clients to other professionals such as psychiatrists or doctors. A counselor must know how to decipher when a client needs other professionals and refer them to the appropriate one.

There are various options for studying counseling via online learning. It is usually offered in various levels, such as Certificate, Diploma and Advanced Diploma levels.

Studying Counseling and Psychology via Online Learning allows you to understand more about yourself and how you correspond with your clients by learning the theories behind the course as well as practical skills that will help you become an effective counselor. Online learning enables students to study at their own pace under the guidance of a tutor. This mode of study is best suited for those who lead busy life styles and are unable to attend regular classes.

This article is written by Sharon Lou, a student adviser and counselor with the International Career Institute.

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