1. Focus on Learning.
Learning is the basic of all knowledge and wisdom, without the dedication to learn you shall always get less than you expected in your counseling career, be it from clients, officers and also emotionally to financially. Learn from the steps of the most successful counselors around you. Look into their life, you might sense something so different that was limited only to them.
In this case you can extend it to yourself by careful observation, experimentation attempts and proves. Take for instance, counselors that deal with emotional breakdowns and mind conflicts, sometimes they act like a charm to bring hope into the life of people in just less than 30 minutes. It isn't a magic, in order to become a good counselor, just learn from them a bit and concentrate on the implementation of the trait according to yours personal counseling field.
2. Consider Wisdom of Physicology.
Wisdom is something we learn with time, knowledge and experience. In the wise man's life journey, we consider experience as "black spot" of attaining wisdom the hardest way, and so it is so much omitted from our mind lists. But in counseling, experience can teach you alot; learn to attempt the most hardest and scary counseling you would ever think of. Consider attending to people as much as possible.
The knowledge side of wisdom involves learning from fellow counselors, reading much counseling testimonies and books online, and finally taking the time to share your experience or teach others how to counsel, in the sense that the more you teach the better you become. Do not neglect knowledge at its peak, always enjoy being corrected and move on with life. Remember they say you can't be perfect, even though you're a psychologist, but do believe in perfection and you shall be.
Time Is also Very Important to become a good counselor. You can't just become the perfect counselor at the first attempt of your counseling career after you've finished your counseling degree. Your first might be worser than what you expect, but consider time as a good factor of achievement. As life goes on, you'll become more better and better, but do not allow bad past experiences to ruin your second attempt to be a successful counselor.
3. Talk Less, Be a Thinker.
Yes, we cannot test our creative sense without thinking alot. We cannot even figure out the new things expected from us if we never think more of it. So get a time to think and analyze things personally before meeting your client with the best solution they ever needed.
4. Do not argue with clients.
This is the must awfull features of the worsest counselors I've ever meet. Lack of control and corrupted endeavours are the traits behind failures in attaining the right position as a counselor. Do not argue with a client no matter what. Your aim is to bring up solution, and fight for its implementation but not to add sorrow by acting like the normal so called friend or family members there. You see, counselors are to act like angels, so to say. Put some sense into your client and talk in a way you can circumvent all the unnecessary confusions. To do this, you must listen first, know how they feel about it, not how you feel to become the good counselor you ever wanted to be.
If you're still running a degree service or planning to get into counseling courseworks, then you are at a good stage to build yourself to become a professional counselor. Take this as a career by giving your all in trainings and experiments in order to become mentally fixed on the main goal -- make an influence in people's life, and not to bother about the high salary pay. Knowing how to become a good counselor, you would never need to strive in making money, for it will come by itself with fame.
