The conservation between me and Laura (fellow student), a total stranger up until that moment, started off with us expressing our mutual weirdness of the situation. From the very beginning of the session, I was aware and conscious that I had to bring my natural self to this session, not my counsellor self. Did I have a counsellor self? What was my natural helping style? Will I be of any help to this person? Will Laura like this session? What will she think about me? How will I relate to this total stranger, who comes from a totally different culture? Were some of the mind banter, I was battling with prior to the session.
None of the mental banter, seemed to surface again, once the session started, …show more content…
Even though I knew her acceptance to take the offer would mean re-organising an already hectic schedule. Do I always do this? Put others before myself? I realise the answer to these deliberations are an astounding “Yes”.
If I look through the analytical lens of Enneagram personality type, I become cognizant of boxing myself as Type 2 – the Helper, however is that the only lens there is to apply, what about the cultural considerations? The familial attachment style? The social context I grew in? The myriad other considerations which interplay in an interaction.
This exercise to understand my natural helping style, has invoked various layers of my awareness, giving me an opportunity to introspect on my personality aspects and blind spots. Most importantly it has sparked an internal quest to challenge my own assumptions of my personality, whilst urging me to ponder on the interplay of cultural, social and familial and societal aspects that influence one’s