Mental Health Counselors require a high degree of fortitude and patience. How have you developed these qualities?
As a Mental Health Counselor, you must exercise patience and display professionalism at all times. Patience will help you to sit through challenging sessions and offer unbiased advice to your deserving clients. Patience will also allow you to hold space for those who need to vent, think, and process their emotions. Describe how you grow and practice your patience levels, and what role this strong mental fortitude plays in your success as a Mental Health Counselor.
"I was trained early on in my education how to exercise patience in a way that would ensure a professional delivery at all times. When studying to be a Mental Health Counselor, some of the classes and exercises I completed had to do with helping me obtain good emotional balance during counseling sessions. In class, we often discussed and worked through areas where we may struggle as counselors. As a Mental Health Counselor, empathy is an asset, but it's very different from sympathy. Empathy is what drives my high levels of patience, and it means that I can understand how my clients view their world without immersing myself emotionally. I am very good at seeing how a hurting client views the world. From there, I can help them to build healthy habits around this information while also being patient with any setbacks they may experience."
"I wholeheartedly believe that patience is a virtue, and as a Mental Health Counselor, emotional fortitude is an essential skill. I find it helpful to remember that my clients will not reach the finish line instantly. Change and healing are intense processes and giving my clients the room to heal is incredibly important. As I grow my career and have more client sessions, I plan to incorporate therapeutic exercises to help my clients develop more patience with themselves, and the outside world, to reduce their existing anxiety and anger issues."
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Anonymous Answer
I am patient by nature. However, working as a counselor has strengthened my patience through my empathy and compassion for clients. Patience has helped me give quality care to a client/patient. Patience has helped me to be a better listener and allowed me to show more empathy and compassion, which promotes better outcomes for the client. However, in times of challenges, I usually step aside and do some deep breathing techniques to stay calm, and I practice these calming techniques daily (havening, deep breathing, and grounding).
Stephanie's Feedback
Great response; it's evident that you have a good deal of self-awareness, and you understand how your traits align with the needs of your clients. It sounds like you have the perfect demeanor to be a therapist!
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