Introduction
Self-awareness refers to one's ability to be cognizant of his or her lived experiences, skills and thoughts. Self-awareness is achieved through self-exploration, and it is the unique ability that distinguishes humans from animals. Self-reflection concept can be used in counselling session by both the therapists and the clients with good results (Stella, 2016). This essay focuses on the importance of self-evaluation and critical thinking in therapy sessions.
Benefits of Self-evaluation
Self-evaluation leads to self-understanding and self-awareness. By engaging in self-evaluation, one gets to understand his or her abilities and weaknesses. According to Stella (2016), someone who has self-awareness can work optimally in his or her daily activities because of the understanding of one's abilities. Jacobs (2013) also notes that having accurate self-awareness reduces cases of risky or withdrawal behaviours. In a way, self-evaluation allows individuals to understand their limitations, and make choices that are in sync with their abilities.
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In a study carried out by Sutton (2016), it was revealed that self-evaluation is made up of components such as self-reflection, insight, and mindfulness. In the study, it was found that self-awareness makes it possible for people to be more accepting of their situations. In counselling psychology, counsellors must have the self-awareness to understand their biases, values and stereotypical belief systems (Sutton, 2016). A self-conscious professional counsellor is likely to excel in situations where he or she has to deal with diverse clients. Through self-evaluation, one can understand the difference between his or her experiences and the experiences of their clients.
Critical thinking is equally vital in the counselling profession. Counsellors must be able to distinguish between their opinion and critical thought. Critical thinking is essential to counsellors because it will help them understand cases in context.
Conclusion
Self-evaluation is the process of understanding one's self regarding the abilities and weaknesses. Professional counsellors must have a good understanding of their biases and stereotypes as this will help them give adequate services to their clients.
References
Jacobs, J. (2013). As education declines, so does civic culture: graduates show little ability to reason, write clearly, and critique other points of view. The Wall Street Journal , p. A15.
Sutton, A. (2016). Measuring the Effects of Self-Awareness: Construction on the Self-Awareness Outcomes Questionnaire. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 12(4), 645-658.
Stella, M. (2016). Befriending death: A mindfulness-based approach to cultivating self-awareness in counselling students. Death Studies, 4 0(1), 32-39.
