Counseling professions is one of the most storied and interesting professions in the world. This is due in part to the unique composition of those who inhabit the world. Everyone is unique in their values, heritage, desires, and interests. As such, there is no exact science in regards to counseling. The profession is ever changing with new discoveries or insights occurring every year. It is important therefore, to have counselors possess certain characteristics to better prepare for an erratic and ambiguous world. In it my aim through this document to compare and contrast distinct characteristics that set successful counselors apart from those that are unsuccessful. Culture is very important in regards to counseling characteristics. Our nation is changing in ways previously thought unimaginable. Each year America becomes more global as an influx of immigrants and migrant workers venture to America with aspirations of a better life. What was once regarded as a single demographic of white individuals has now expanded into a growing nation of many different dialects and cultures. To reflect these changes, the counseling profession must alter its thinking and approach in regards to different ethnic groups. The field must now address the new opportunities presented to America in the context of differing viewpoints and cultural perspectives. As such, it is imperative for counselors to identify cultural influences, and how those influences correspond to counseling behavior. The values-based multi-cultural model was created with this explicit purpose in mind.

An ideal counselor must also be empathic and genuine. These two characteristics are essential in achieving adequate performance. The counseling profession hinges primarily on the ability of counselors to develop trust with their clients. Through this trust, better results can be achieved as individuals disclose relevant and truthful information to the counselor. Trust,...

To get there however, empathy and a genuine concern for the individual are necessary. Now in order to be genuine, I believe the counselor must possess the characteristics of passion and sincerity. Passion and sincerity allow individuals to work harder, to care more, and to otherwise do a better job then there impassionate counterparts. This is important, and clients can easy ascertain the difference between genuine concern and flattery. One comes from the heart, while the other comes from the mouth. One is authentic while the other is fake. One is admired by society while the other is ostracized and shunned. It is important therefore for counselors to have passion for the individuals that they advise. This will lead to trust, which ultimately allows the counselor to conduct the duties of his job in a more efficient manner.
Furthermore, the counselor must also understand the patient's cultural background and personality. Patience is indeed a virtue in the context of this profession, as the counselors must be willing to withhold judgments and assessment until all applicable information is divulged. This could potentially take many interview sessions as the patient will need time to first, build rapport with the counselor, and second to remember all the feelings present. This is why being empathic and genuine are so essential to success of an ideal counselor. As noted above, the entire profession is predicated on trust and openness. It takes time to build rapport to a point that clients are willing to divulge very personal information, most of which has never been told to anyone. Additionally, patient gives the client a sense of trust in regards to the entire counseling process. If the counselor was rushing through his assessments and diagnosis, clients could determine that the counselor does not care about their interest. Instead, the counselor only cares about his time. This…