Counselor (Counselor)
Information on this skill...
A counselor is a therapist who can be approached in an accessible way. The help offered by a counselor is also called counseling. In general, a person goes to a counselor if there are emotional problems. The profession of counselor in the Netherlands is a liberal profession that anyone can practice. However, there are various courses that one can follow to be trained as a counselor. A counselor with the right training can also join the trade association for counselors. Although the profession of counselor has similarities with psychology, it is not the same. A counselor focuses more on the person in the here-and-now form. A psychologist, on the other hand, also treats heavier problems, such as serious psychosocial problems. Counseling is therefore more helpful in the field of emotional problems and the resulting questions and problems. Treatment with a counselor is generally short-lived. Exactly how long a treatment will last can vary per person. A good conversation can often do wonders for people who have problems or do not feel well emotionally. Everyone has a period when things are not going well, or they just don't feel well. By making these kinds of problems negotiable, a person can vent his heart, and he is no longer alone because there is a listening ear. The profession of counselor can therefore relate to different therapists, who can offer appropriate help in various accessible ways. As described earlier, this often concerns social emotional problems. A counselor cannot simply be compared to a psychologist because a psychologist also has to deal with complex problems.
Counseling is therefore a low-threshold form of assistance that in many cases will relate to emotional support. Emotional support is a broad concept that can relate to depressive feelings, relational problems, bereavement, anxiety and stress problems. It is not the case that a counselor will make a diagnosis because this is not part of the work of a counselor. There is also no need for a referral from a primary care physician to make an appointment with a counselor. A counselor only helps people who are temporarily dealing with psychosocial problems, by having good conversations. Despite the fact that a counselor is a low-threshold form of assistance, it can happen that a counselor will also work complementary with psychiatrists and psychologists if necessary. Complementary care is complementary care that is given in addition to ordinary care. Complementary care is aimed at a holistic approach, in which attention is also paid to emotional and social problems. Although a counselor can work together with a psychiatrist and psychologists, counseling cannot be seen as psychotherapy because that is another field for which specialized studies must be followed.
WHO IS A COUNSELOR
A counselor should be seen as a live coach rather than a therapist. In practice, it is conceivable that different professionals also call themselves counselors. In general, a counselor specializes in assisting people who are experiencing psychosocial problems. Support and coaching plays an important role in this. It is not the case that a counselor has to deal with people who no longer function at all due to certain problems. A counselor generally only deals with people who are stuck and need advice. The term counseling therefore stands for giving advice and not for providing care assistance. A counselor also does not have to deal with possible problems from the past. Someone who visits a counselor has to deal with the here-and-now. Think, for example, of people who are managers and do not actually want to be a manager. In that case, the advice may be to contact a job coach or career advisor.
A COUNSELOR CAN OFFER HELP WITH:
- Developing skills and knowledge;
- Finding answers to open questions;
- Troubleshooting;
- Offering a listening ear.
WHAT DOES A COUNSELOR DO:
TRAINING TO BECOME A COUNSELOR
There are no full-time training opportunities through mainstream schools for the counselor profession. However, there are of course sufficient courses that have common ground with counseling, such as the Hbo programme in social pedagogical assistance and the university degree in sociology. In addition, there are many courses and courses to be found through external training institutes, such as a bachelor's degree in counseling of about one year, which are perfectly suitable for working as a professional counselor. There is also a General Professional Association for Counseling, where more information can be found about counseling. As described earlier, the profession of counselor is free and anyone can call themselves a counselor. In addition, there are also plenty of external training institutes where you can follow a course. Accounting is also important as an independent entrepreneur.
COMPANIES WHERE A COUNSELOR CAN BE EMPLOYED
In many cases, a counselor must be regarded as an entrepreneur who works within his own practice. A counselor can also work for institutions, companies and governments. Think, for example, of youth workers, addiction care and parenting support staff. In practice, many different professionals can be regarded as counselors. Think, for example, of mentors, teachers and volunteers. However, there must be low-threshold assistance because otherwise there is no counseling.
COMPETENCES COUNSELOR
As a counselor, it is important that you are well-versed in communication because that is what it is all about. Listening to clients and discussing their problems is therefore important as a counselor. But also a good analytical ability can help enormously within this profession, to understand problems or to make them negotiable without all unimportant side issues being discussed. Other words that will apply within the work of a counselor are: coaching, motivating, creativity and inspiring. In addition, as a counselor, you are of course a confidant and you know your own limits.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS A COUNSELOR
The profession of counselor is still far from being known to everyone because relatively speaking it is still a new profession. Obtaining paid employment as a counselor will therefore not be very easy. Most professional counselors work as self-employed and often have other services they offer, such as coaching. It is also important within this profession which courses you have exactly received, which will directly affect your career. As far as we know, there are no real career opportunities for the counselor profession. However, it is of course perfectly possible to further specialize by following extra courses or courses.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY COUNSELOR
There are no specific employment conditions for this profession because you can work for different companies, institutions or governments and the education received will also play an important role when it comes to employment conditions. However, most counselors will determine their own terms of employment because we assume that most counselors will be self-employed. Giving a salary indication is also difficult for this profession because counseling can occur at different levels. A counselor with a university background will typically earn more than a low-skilled counselor. As described earlier, the profession is not protected and anyone can call themselves a counselor.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
Lees deze informatie over Counselor in het Nederlands.
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