Getting Better at What We Do -Tips for each other

If you can afford it, Nancy Murphy has a course on dealing with domestic violence. The material is applicable to counseling in general. If not, there are quality books at your local library and bookstore on counseling. Never represent yourself as an expert, if you're not able to demonstrate it, but get the skills you can. One of the hardest things to accept is that you can't save everyone from everything, all the time. You can't always talk your way out of a situation, and you can't always say something that will make it all better. Failure happens, and so does getting caught off guard. It's important to keep in mind what this is all about: the people. If you can't save the day by stopping something bad from happening, or giving advice to prevent something bad from happening, there's always a need for help in picking up the pieces after the fact. That includes listening, which can be just as hard as accepting your limitations, because you don't feel like you're offering anything, but you may be offering more than you can know.

It's also good to learn what you can about communication, psychology, social engineering, marketing, etc. A message, well spread, can be extremely powerful, especially in the minds and hearts of the people.