Reflective Essay #1 – “Becoming a God-pleasing Counselor” Course: Principles and Methods of Counseling

February 21, 2008

In the middle of Jesus’ direct teachings, he said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12, New International Version) Often to us this is a most powerful reminder of the kind of high standard that we hold anyone—but ourselves—against in our daily living and in our relationships. Indeed, the best way often to know the “right” way to treat others is, simply, to ask ourselves how we would have liked to be treated if we were in a similar situation. As we aspire to become a “helper”, or a helping professional, I
I believe a therapist who has these qualities would care deeply for me, but would never lose sight of the fact that in helping me, they are serving God, not me or themselves, and so they would be able to maintain true objectivity and a healthy distance from my problems. They would effervescence a positive attitude and a surety of character that would comfort, encourage, and inspire me. This would be a therapist who I can trust to be stable themselves emotionally and spiritually and so I would feel safe to seek help from them. Moreover, an individual who possesses such qualities would not lose heart or be shaken even when they come in contact with extreme human sufferings and evil in their clients. In other words, such a counselor possesses an inner strength or resilience and spiritual maturity that make them dependable. Last but not least, self-control is something that I look for in a counselor. To me, a therapist who has self-control is highly aware of their own emotions and state of heart and is able not to let their own selfish ambitions, curiosity, or pride to hurt the client. Counseling work, to me, is highly self-sacrificial, in the sense that the counselor is there to serve the needs of the client but not themselves. When the opposite is true,