Counselor

Hi,
For a career in counseling, after 10+2 one can do their graduation in subjects like psychology, social work, etc. and can go for post-graduation in counseling, Life skill education or psychology from an accredited educational institution. Candidates who have Master's degree in any area are eligible to apply for Diploma course in counseling, but some institutes prefer students with psychology background. The duration of the course varies from 1- 2 years. Those having a graduation in psychology can opt for PG Diploma courses. Besides regular studies, most courses in counseling and guidance are also offered as part time as well as correspondence.
Counseling courses cover almost every major area of career counseling through course notes, regular assignments, mock career counseling cum testing sessions and more. With these courses, one can acquire skills to help and guide people for coping with their educational, social or personal crisis.
Skills needed:
More than academic qualifications, counselors must possess high physical and emotional energy to handle the array of problems they address. The most important attributes needed for counselors are effective communication (both verbal and written), active listening and observation, clarification, reflection and effective questioning skills. Counseling is a job that requires a lot of patience, tolerance, sensitivity and devotion. They should have a strong interest in helping others, be sensitive and perceptive in assessing people and be able to inspire respect, trust, and confidence. A counselor needs to be empathetic, so that he can ask appropriate questions and lead the client to positive conclusions. They should be quite soft hearted to handle clients of every nature and kind. They should be able to work independently or as part of a team. Since privacy is essential for confidential and frank discussions with clients, counselors would need private offices.