Question 1

As a counsellor, you will be encountering individuals and families from all walks of life. No matter how you try to be neutral in understanding your clients’ worldviews, your personal worldview can and will come into play when assessing your clients’ problems, making judgements about their past and formulations of decisions going forward. Counsellors are not immune to personal biases and prejudices that can influence their understanding of clients’ experiences.

There are also instances when counsellors can be triggered when hearing painful and emotional stories of clients. Hence, an element of counsellor training in self–knowledge and self–awareness is pivotal, which is an important starting point for beginning counsellors to be aware of their inner reactions and learn to overcome their personal pains when working with clients from varying and diverse backgrounds.

Examine and discuss the major self–exploration issues that you may face in your beginning journey as a counsellor. Outline your discussion along the five dimensions of counsellor self– awareness and reflect on your personal motivations, qualities, strengths and limitations, illustrating with relevant life experiences and/or counselling–related examples. Discuss two areas of personal biases and prejudices which might hinder your future counselling practice, and what you can do to address these possible hindrances.