Your client's emotions are running high in career counseling. How can you maintain a professional demeanor?

Attending and active listening are keys to maintain a strong counselling relationship and to deescalating heightened emotions. The most important thing to do at that time is to keep the counsellor (yourself) and the client safe, so the counsellor can focus more on listening and attending to the clients' emotions, as well as ways to calm them down. Reasons and solutions can come later.

Stay calm and composed. Keep your cool and maintain your professionalism. Keep your voice steady and tone neutral. Listen actively without interrupting. Show empathy through body language and facial expressions. Acknowledge their feelings. Use phrases like "I understand this is difficult" to validate their emotions. Maintain appropriate boundaries. Avoid emotional reactions. Redirect the conversation to constructive topics when appropriate. Focus on problem-solving and actionable steps. If the situation becomes too intense, know when to end the session and reschedule.

Debemos aprender a poner límites y barreras emocionales para proteger nuestra estabilidad emocional. Por ejemplo, aprender a decir no, alejarnos de situaciones tensas o que nos puedan dañar. Afrontar conflictos con determinación y asertividad. Todo ello nos permitirá a gestionar nuestras emociones y la de los demás. Mejoraremos la comunicación interpersonal, seremos más honesto y nuestras relaciones serán más saludables y equilibradas. Importante cuáles son nuestros límites y aceptar que poner límites se tienen que practicar de manera progresiva. La empatía nos podrá ayudar a desarrollar nuestros límites.

Como Coach es importante dar el espacio a tu cliente para que sienta lo que tenga que sentir y proveerle de un espacio seguro para hacerlo. Puede ser con momentos de silencio, con palabras de afirmación, entre otros. Sin embargo, es importante como Coach apoyar a tu cliente sin asumir su carga emocional, es trabajo del Coach poder crear ese desapego para poder acompañar al coachee desde la entereza.

El autocuidado cuando se practica con regularidad nos aporta una serie de beneficios tales como: - Fortalecimiento de la autoestima. - Mejora adaptación a situaciones turbulentas. - Desarrollaremos una actitud más optimista y saludable. - Aumentará nuestro desempeño. - Fomentaremos una actitud más colaborativa. Por eso debemos cuidarnos desde el punto de vista: - Físico. - Hábitos saludables. - Emocional. - Social

Maintain a calm and empathetic demeanor. Actively listen to your client's concerns without interrupting. Validate their feelings by acknowledging their emotions. Use open-ended questions to help them express themselves more fully. Keep your body language open and non-threatening. Stay focused on their needs and goals, avoiding any judgment or personal opinions. Offer constructive feedback and practical advice. If necessary, suggest a short break to allow them to regain composure. Maintaining professionalism and compassion will help build trust and facilitate a more productive counseling session.

An advice that a friend with a background in counselling gave me is to always debrief with someone else about your experience - since it can be very stressful for counsellors to deal with heightened emotions and outbursts. Talk to your mentor, your own counsellor, or someone you trust (professionally) about the experience, and ways to move forward with the clients.