GIVE A HELPING HAND...

We had our last class of Counselling and Helping Skills last Monday. In a way, I feel happy because I can concentrate on my assignments and dissertation now that class is over. But in a way, I feel sad too because I won't be seeing my lecturer and coursemate again. After months of routinely meeting them every week, of course I'll feel something is missing in me. But although it's the last day, I know it's just a new beginning for all of us to start our next journey. All that we've learnt were just basic knowledge that need to be further developed, nurtured and importantly, practised.

In our last class, my lecturer asked us why do we need to have counselling and helping skills? In my response, I said because all the people surround us have lots of emotional and behaviour issues and agendas. Just look at the news about gun-shooting at Virginia Tech, teen murders, gang fights, all sort of terrors happened around the world. So, to me if we could give a helping hand to one or two people with emotional issues or give a shoulder to cry on to some friends and collague who need help, that'll be grateful enough.

After I attend this course, I think I know one of the counselling skills that I could develop is my listening skill. I've had response from some of my coursemates and my friends back home that I'm a person they find easy to talk to and a good listener. Although, counselling is not my profession, I hope to be able to strenghten this skill, well... who knows I might change my mind someday and take up counselling professionally.

I remembered when I went back home to Brunei last month, I met a lady from a neighbouring country. In our 16-hours flight, I learned to know about her quite well. She told me about her life story, her marriage, her sick mum, her two children, her dead brother, her two sisters and her nephews and nieces. What did I do? Just listen to her story sincerely and encourage her to talk more.... in a way I try to practise what I learnt from the class. I think some people find it easy to talk to a complete stanger. Just pour their heart out and somebody listens to their story will make them feel better.

An Indian Philosopher, Jiddu Khrishnamurti said, "So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole part of it, not part of it".