Classification of Professionally Important Qualities of a Counseling Psychologist

Abstract

It is noted that there are a large number of scientific achievements, which cover the list of professionally important qualities of a counseling psychologist. However, scientists have not reached a consensus on the list of professionally important qualities of a counseling psychologist. Some authors include professionally important qualities as «skills», «abilities», «faith», etc., although these are different scientific categories. The purpose of our research is to systematize, classify, and group professionally important qualities that should be inherent in the psychologist-consultant, according to their personal sphere in the structure of the character. Methodology – on the basis of scientific achievements, professionally important qualities of a counseling psychologist were selected, on the basis of which a questionnaire was developed and an anonymous survey of 53 practicing counseling psychologists was conducted, who were asked to mark their required level of development. Statistically calculating the results, we selected qualities with medium, high and very high degree of development, which was then systematized, classified, and grouped by their personal sphere in the structure of the character. Scientific novelty – for the first time professionally important qualities of a psychologist-consultant were classified and grouped according to their personal sphere in the structure of character – intellectual, volitional, communicative, sensory-perceptual, social-oriented and self-presentation. The intellectual professionally important qualities of a counseling psychologist include prudence, flexibility, critical thinking, predictability, insight, observation, creativity, imaginativeness, and reflectivity. Volitional includes such subgroups of qualities as a) purposeful volitional quality – purposefulness; b) self-regulatory – patience, endurance, self-control, self-government, c) self-organizational – organization, discipline; d) morally-oriented – responsibility. Communicative includes such subgroups of qualities as a) communicative and ethical – tolerance, tact, correctness, delicacy, impartiality; b) communicative-technological – diplomacy, dialogism; c) communicative-positional – sociability, contact, openness, assertiveness. Sensory-perceptual includes syntonism, empathy, sensitivity. To self-presentation – authenticity, friendliness, congruence. To the socially-oriented – altruism, reliability, humanism. Conclusions. Thus, grouping professionally important qualities of a counseling psychologist by their personal sphere in the character structure will promote a systematic and conscious selection of the necessary psychodiagnostic tools, which in turn will ensure the quality of the professional and psychological selection of candidates for the position of «counseling psychologist». A promising area of research is to determine the reference profile of the degree of development of professionally important qualities of a psychologist-consultant of the National Police.

Keywords: professionally important qualities; counseling psychologist; psychological counseling; professional and psychological selection; police.