To outsiders, it may appear that mental health counseling might be a lost cause in many cases. When patients don’t show signs of improvement in their condition or their pathology, it’s easy to write off counseling altogether. As mental health and family counselors like Quinetta Owens Grant knows, however, success is not often measured by whether or not a patient is completely “normal” or “cured”, it’s measured by progress. For many patients, simply talking to a responsive counselor who is willing to listen and take them at their word, they improve over time. This is the goal of all mental health counselors.
In order to achieve this goal of improvement, Quinetta Owens Grant and counselors like her have to possess and refine certain skills. The first skill that all counselors must develop is the most obvious: listening.
Everyone thinks they are good listeners until they truly test themselves. Listening is about more than paying attention and taking copious notes, it’s about making the speaker feel comfortable with sharing all the aspects of his or her life that could lead to a better mental state or a better, more secure place with their families. Quinetta Owens Grant and other mental health counselors must also know the signs to look for in someone who is at risk to themselves or others so they can steer them to a safer, more peaceful path.
Quinetta Owens Grant works for Georgia Health Partners as a therapist assisting clients with mental health and family and/or marriage matters.
In order to achieve this goal of improvement, Quinetta Owens Grant and counselors like her have to possess and refine certain skills. The first skill that all counselors must develop is the most obvious: listening.
Everyone thinks they are good listeners until they truly test themselves. Listening is about more than paying attention and taking copious notes, it’s about making the speaker feel comfortable with sharing all the aspects of his or her life that could lead to a better mental state or a better, more secure place with their families. Quinetta Owens Grant and other mental health counselors must also know the signs to look for in someone who is at risk to themselves or others so they can steer them to a safer, more peaceful path.
Quinetta Owens Grant works for Georgia Health Partners as a therapist assisting clients with mental health and family and/or marriage matters.
