1. IntroductionThe purpose of this essay is to examine, discuss and analyze the characteristics and attributes of an effective and professional counselor. This essay will examine the definition of counseling, determine the skills needed to be effective, explore the counseling process, and consider the ethics and values ​​defined within professional therapy. There has been an increasing emphasis on training counselors. in South Africa, while encouraging them to be professionally accredited with the HPCSA. This accreditation requires the counselor to be professional and effective in what they do and ensures that they can be monitored.2.1 Counseling2.1.1 Definition of CounselingCounseling can be defined as the process by which the client and counselor interact within the limits a safe and comfortable environment. identify, discuss and resolve customer problems. According to Cormier and Hackney (2014), the client is generally someone who is seeking help because they are experiencing some difficulty in their life; while the counselor is a professional willing to provide help because he or she can be seen as ethical, moral and capable of helping the client. The setting in which the interaction between the counselor and client takes place should be a warm environment because it should encourage the client to feel safe and open up to the counselor. (Cormier & Hackney; 2)2.1.2 The counseling setting The physical space in which the counseling process takes place is crucial to the development of the relationship. The room itself should be aesthetically pleasing and should be arranged in such a way that the client feels comfortable enough to express themselves... ... middle of paper ...... being resilient and it or she does it by taking care of herself. It is essential that the counselor possesses the skill of objectivity, as it is the ability to look at the client from an objective point of view. The client should not feel judged by the advisor. The advisor must possess flexibility characteristics because the counseling process is inevitably accompanied by surprises. Finally, it is essential that the advisor is trustworthy. If the client does not feel like they can trust the counselor, they will not open up to the counselor to discuss sensitive issues (Grobler & Schenck; 43). The above-mentioned characteristics of an effective counselor are related to virtue. of the advisor because he is committed to the well-being of the client because he must behave in an ethical and moral manner (Cormier & Hackney;9).