Things I have learned in my intro to counseling course

First and foremost, I learned that a counselors mantra should be "DO NO HARM!!!!!!!!" I also learned that counseling is not even close to the same thing as advice giving. In fact, counselors shouldn't be giving advice, they should be helping clients achieve autonomy. The basic purpose of a counselor is to help a client reach mental wellness. Through what I have learned, many times counselors do no just stop there, but rather see that their clients achieve overall wellness. I learned the certification and licensing process to become a licensed professional counselor. I learned about boundaries, and that the counselor has an ethical obligation to maintain a strictly professional relationship with their client, and should avoid any behavior that might form a dual relationship. i learned that a counselor cannot just say that counseling is over, but rather have another session called a termination session, to bring the counseling relationship to a close. I learned the ethical decision making process, and applied it in three different case studies. By using that I also learned moral principles and virtues of counseling. Ultimately, through going through this class I was able to start forming my own definition of what counseling is to me.