In this module, you began developing your foundation as aclinical mental health counselor. You learned about counselingcharacteristics and your strengths and weaknesses. You explored social,cultural, and ethical issues in conducting counseling. You also learnedsome foundational skills to provide Rogers’s core conditions.Understanding yourself while learning to accept another’s experience ispart of unconditional positive regard (UPR).For this discussion, put what you have learned intoactive awareness. Think about the following: How are you naturally whenyou first meet someone? How fully present are you with the person? Howwill you go about developing your genuineness in the therapeuticencounter while differentiating between your worldview and the client’s?How will you express compassion and a sincere desire to help? How willyou stay mindfully present with the client during the therapeuticencounter, taking in the raw data of the client’s words, tone, and bodylanguage without distraction?Tasks:In a minimum of 400 words, after conducting a self-assessment related to the topics for this module, post to the Discussion Area your responses to the following:What characteristics of a good counselor do youpossess, and which do you need to develop? Do a self-assessment toanswer this. Be sure to share what was enlightening or surprising to youin this module’s readings.What characteristics do you possess that will enhance you as a counselor?What characteristics do you still need to develop?What might hinder your development of counseling skills and techniques?How might you overcome those challenges?How might your cultural influences and personal values impact your counseling relationships?How will you maintain ethical boundaries and self-care?Support your rationale and analysis by usingat least two resources from professional literature in your response.Professional literature may include the Argosy University online libraryresources; relevant textbooks; peer-reviewed journal articles; andwebsites created by professional organizations, agencies, orinstitutions (websites ending in .edu or .gov).Your discussion posts and all writtenassignments should reflect graduate-level writing skills and appropriateuse of APA style, including in-text citations and references.
