My Beliefs About The Counseling Process

As someone who is considering entering counseling, you deserve to know about your therapist's approach, my thoughts and beliefs about the counseling process. There are several aspects of an effective counselor. Three of those aspects are thorough knowledge of a specific theoretical orientation, excellent use of counseling skills and personal history. What is my theory of counseling, what helps or hinders effective therapy, and what influences in my life have led me to a career in counseling?
I have found circumstances cannot always be controlled, people can control their responses to those circumstances. For example, there is little a person can do if someone else rear-ends their car, but they can control the way that they respond to that situation. Not only can people control their actions, but they are responsible for those actions no matter how unfortunate the circumstance may be. Another of my philosophies is that while we are all affected by our past, our past does not have to determine who we are. Nearly everyone is capable of change, and can learn new thought and behavior patterns if previously learned patterns are unsuccessful. Therefore, my approach to counseling tends to be cognitive.
Rapport is built through empathy, which is demonstrated through active listening skills, attentiveness, non-verbal cues, patience, and consistency. Respect and acceptance are vital aspects of the client-counselor relationship. A safe environment is necessary for therapy to be effective. The physical location where therapy takes place is more encouraging to therapy when it is private, secure and comfortable. Gathering information such as why the client is there, family situations, and identifying internal and external resources is another step toward effective therapy. In addition, goal-setting is a useful tool to give direction to the counseling process and to measure