What Makes a Good Mental Health Counselor?
The next generation of counseling professionals will respond to unmet mental health needs in their communities. A 2022 survey found that 43% of those who needed mental health care did not receive it due to staff shortages and cost. Many of those struggling with mental health issues face strained relationships and declining well-being without expert help.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates an 18% growth in counseling employment between 2022 and 2032 due to personnel shortages. Counseling careers are ideal for those with strong interpersonal skills and compassion for others. You may wonder what makes a good counselor as you consider this career.
What Does a Mental Health Counselor Do?
It is a good idea to understand what a counselor does before learning about the qualities of a good counselor. Counselors are state-licensed professionals trained to guide clients through challenges in their lives. They also evaluate clients for conditions like anxiety, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. These evaluations are accomplished using questionnaires, client interviews, and specialized testing.
Counseling professionals work with clients to identify the origins and impacts of mental health conditions. They develop treatment plans including non-prescription solutions like coping strategies and thought exercises. Ongoing evaluation leads to plan adjustments with specialist referrals when medical treatments are necessary.
There are a wide variety of practice settings for counselors because mental health affects all aspects of our lives. The BLS found that the most common practice setting for counselors was outpatient mental health facilities (18% of counselors). Additional workplaces for mental health counselors include:
- Individual and family counseling service providers (15%)
- Offices of other health practitioners (12%)
- State, local, and private hospitals (9%)
- Residential mental health facilities (9%)
Valuable Mental Health Counselor Skills
The core of an effective counselor-client relationship is mutual trust. Clients need to feel that they are in safe environments before exploring their experiences with mental health counselors. The following skills support these environments in beneficial ways for counselors and clients.
Communication Skills
Active listening is one of the most important qualities of a good counselor. This skill requires observing the other person’s words and non-verbal cues without outside distractions or intrusive thoughts. Counselors can improve their active listening skills by trying the following techniques:
- Maintaining comfortable levels of eye contact
- Paraphrasing or summarizing what the client just said
- Using open-ended questions to demonstrate curiosity
Effective counselors know how to adjust their communication methods based on client needs. They can effectively explain their assessment methods, diagnoses, and recommendations through speech or text. Counselors also identify resources to communicate through language barriers and cognitive impairment.
Compassion
Counselors make clients feel comfortable when they can fully understand their feelings and experiences. Compassion is especially important early in the counselor-client relationship because clients may be apprehensive about someone they don’t know. Mental health professionals integrate compassion into their practices through self-reflection and channeling experiences similar to their clients.
Cultural Competence
It is difficult for counselors to build trust with clients if they haven’t identified their assumptions and biases. Cultural competency means that counselors have self-knowledge of the racial, ethnic, and social forces shaping their worldviews. Counselors with this knowledge can then engage in culturally responsive evaluation and treatment.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) identified the following examples of culturally competent counseling:
- Display sensitivity to culturally specific meanings of touch
- Interpret emotional expressions in light of a client’s culture
- Frame thoughts in culturally appropriate ways
- Make allowances for cultural variations of personal space
Ethical Practice
Counselors ensure client safety and build trust by adhering to professional ethical standards. For example, the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) maintains a Code of Ethics as a baseline for counselor behavior and a mechanism for client concerns. This 114-point code covers a range of behaviors including:
- Avoiding non-professional relationships with clients online
- Following state or federal requirements for client recordkeeping
- Protecting client information from unauthorized access
- Pursuing appropriate training for supervisory responsibilities
- Taking proactive measures to prevent harm to the client
Establishing Boundaries
Counselors should establish and reinforce boundaries with their clients. The boundary-building process helps counselors meet their ethical obligations, reduce stress, and focus on client needs. Boundaries range from acceptable contact outside sessions to what counselors share about their personal lives. Counseling professionals should regularly consider what they need for their mental health and communicate appropriate boundaries with clients.
Becoming a Mental Health Counselor
A master’s degree in counseling psychology builds the skills necessary for mental health counseling careers. Advanced coursework, faculty mentoring, and practical experiences reinforce the qualities of good counselors.
State laws require mental health counselors to be licensed throughout their practicing years. We’ll use New Jersey’s Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) process as an example of state licensure requirements. LPC applicants need to complete the following steps:
- Submit transcripts from an accredited master’s program with at least 60 credit hours
- Report at least 4,500 post-graduate hours supervised by a current LPC
- 1000 hours can be completed while attending a Master’s program
- Achieve a passing score on the National Counseling Examination (NCE)
The NCE is important in the licensure process because it demonstrates competency across the counseling process. Aspiring counselors answer 200 multiple-choice questions shaped by a national job analysis of practicing counselors in the United States. This exam covers six knowledge domains relevant to the profession:
- Counseling Skills and Interventions
- Areas of Clinical Focus
- Professional Practice and Ethics
- Intake, Assessment, and Diagnosis
- Treatment Planning
- Core Counseling Attributes
Your first step toward a counseling career is completing a master’s degree from a reputable university. Finding a program that combines flexible learning options and a rigorous curriculum can be tough for working professionals. Felician University’s Online Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MACP) checks these boxes.
Preparing for Counseling Careers at Felician University
Online Master's in Counseling Psychology candidates complete their degrees in 10 semesters of part-time or seven semesters of full-time study. All coursework is completed online. Skills learned in these settings are put into practice during 100 practicum hours and 600+ internship hours in students’ communities.
Experienced faculty closely work with aspiring counselors throughout a 60-credit curriculum. Core courses on developmental models, counseling techniques, and community counseling build foundations for further development. Future counselors also learn about topics including:
- Marital and Family Counseling
- Multicultural Perspectives in Counseling
- Professional Issues and Ethics
- Psychopathology
Graduates carry Felician University’s reputation and values into their careers. The university placed among the top schools in U.S. News & World Report’s Regional Universities North rankings for 2024. Courses informed by Franciscan values including compassion, respect, and justice align well with the qualities of good counselors.
Learn how Felician University’s Online MACP opens doors to counseling careers.