Page 6 - PartA

Counselling Skills

These core conditions and stages can now be explained in terms of the skills that
counsellors require in a counselling situation.

1. Unconditional positive regard

For a person to be able to grow and achieve their potential, they need to be valued for
themselves. In order to develop this as a skill, counsellors have to be able to separate
the actions and beliefs of the client from the client as a person.

The effective counsellor has to display an attitude towards the client that says, ‘I
accept you as you are’, even when they may not agree with the client or even when
they may be disgusted at their actions.

R Further Research: Unconditional positive regard

Use the link below to find out more about unconditional positive
regard. If you need help using the internet, you should seek advice
from your tutor or your local library. If the link does not work when you
type it into a browser, simply type ‘unconditional positive regard’ in a
search engine and the link will appear on the results.
https://www.harleytherapy.co.uk/counselling/unconditional-positive-
regard-what-it-is-and-why-you-need-it.htm

Key Fact

The counsellor’s role is not to change the client but to help the client
to change – the client has begun this process of change by seeking
counselling in the first place.

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