While the holiday season can be a wonderful time to enjoy sweet moments with loved ones, they can also be challenging and lead to a lot of conflict for many couples or families. Holidays bring up intense emotions and put a spotlight on relationships, intensifying personal conflicts, financial struggles and other things. Adding to the stress you are already dealing with on a day-to-day basis, this can affect the bond you have with your partner and loved ones.
The most important skills you need as a counsellor are empathy, active listening, good communication, a non-judgmental attitude and the ability to give comfort and support. Read on to discover more about each of these skills.
What is empathy?
Empathy is the ability to share in the feelings or emotions of another person. Having empathy can help us understand other people's perspectives and provide insight into their behaviour. Empathy does not require an individual to agree with other peoples' views, but it does require open-mindedness and understanding.
