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Personality Traits and Letter of Intent of Lekai Tao

Faculty of Behavioural Sciences, University of Yorkville

PSYC 6113 Theories of Personality

Dr. Croce

November 30, 2020

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Personality Traits and Letter of Intent of Lekai Tao

The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of Lekai’s personality traits on

therapy. There are three sections in this paper. In the first section, I rated myself on each attribute

listed in the Counsellor Attributes Profile and answered the questions from Kress & Paylo

(2019); In the second section, I briefly reflected on the results of the Big Five Personality Profile

as a counsellor-in-training. In the third section, I prepared a letter of intent using the data from

sections one and two, applying the counselling intern position of Insight Counselling & Therapy

Centre to complete the practicum requirements for my master’s degree.

Counsellor Attributes Profile

Below are the 15 important attributes of counsellors that listed in the Counsellor

Attributes. I rated myself on each attribute and scored two third of them average or above

average.

Attribute Ratings
Attribute 1–Poor 2–Fair 3- 4-Above 5–
Average average Superior
Comfort with emotional 
intimacy
Sense of humor 
Capacity to set aside 
personal needs to pay
attention to the needs of
others
Ability for introspection 
Emotional insightfulness 
Capacity for empathy 
Curiosity and 
inquisitiveness
Ability to listen 
Ability to gain insight from 
one’s own struggles
Comfort with being in a 
position of power
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Energy and capacity for 

support
Spontaneity and sense of 
timing
Openness and lack of 
defensiveness
Interpersonal competence 
Comfort and enjoyment 
with conversation
Note. Reprinted from “Treating those with mental disorders: A comprehensive approach to case

conceptualization and treatment (2nd ed.).” by Kress, V. E., & Paylo, M., 2019. Copyright 2019

by Pearson.

I believe capacity for empathy, interpersonal competence, and ability to listen are the

most important attributes in counsellors. As counsellors, we need to establish the therapeutic

relationship with the client to gain trust and cooperation from them first, then developing

treatment plans to help with their mental health issues. Counsellors’ empathy is essential for

client to feel that they are understood by counsellors, therefore they are willing to trust and

connect their counsellors in the therapy (Selva, 2020). Interpersonal competence is another

important attribute. Counsellors who are competent with interpersonal skills communicate with

others effectively and promote collaboration. Hatcher (2015) indicates that the interpersonal

competence is essential in counselling because successful interactions with clients is based on

this skill, and counsellor’s interpersonal skills have significant effects on the success of the

treatment outcomes. The ability to listen is also important attribute because counsellors are

trained to help clients with their mental health concerns. To achieve that, it usually starts with

listening clients talking about themselves, their issues, concerns and feelings. Counsellors with

good listening skills not only listen to the word, but also listen to the tone of voice, the body

language, and the mood. This makes clients feel they are really being heard, understood, and
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someone is genuinely interested in their life and wellbeing. This feeling creates trust in client-

counsellor relationship and contribute to positive treatment outcome (Seddon, 2013).

I think the ability for introspection is the most difficult attribute to improve. Because it is

not something people usually do or practice on very often. This attribute would require

counsellors to be self-aware of their own emotional status and not influenced by their client’s

emotions. A competent counsellor should be able to separate his or her own emotional issues

from those of clients (Whitbourne, 2011).

The ability for introspection is one of those attributes that I scored low. I would like to

improve on my ability for introspection by practicing my self-awareness. A few things suggested

by Ackerman(2020) that can increase self-awareness are creating space and time to connect with

myself daily, practicing mindfulness, writing journal to process my inner states, practising

listening including paying attention to the speaker, observing emotions and body language,

avoiding judgement or evaluation, and asking for a professional feedback to gain a different

perspective.

Big Five Personality Profile

After I completed The Big Five Personality Test, I received the following results: high on

openness, high on conscientiousness, high on extroversion, high on agreeableness and medium

on neuroticism. I must admit that some of the results from this personality test surprised me but

most of it is aligned with my expectation.

The high score on extroversion is a surprise to me. I thought I am an introvert because I

am usually very quiet; but I am an open person, friendly to others, and love to social. Speaking

from those perspectives, I might be an extrovert. The result of medium on neuroticism is another
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surprise to me. I would think myself is a calm person, however, there are situations in which I

would lose my calmness and patience. Especially when I am frustrated with certain things such

as family issues.

I realized my high score on openness, conscientiousness and agreeableness are good

personality attributes to be as a counsellor. The high openness shows that I am always interested

to learn new knowledge and skills. The high conscientiousness helps me to be organized in my

counselling practice. The agreeableness trait makes me an empathetic person and good at getting

clients to collaborate and cooperate with me (Science of People, n.d.).

The high on extroversion could be either a good or bad personality trait for being a

counsellor. Being an extrovert, I would be open and friendly. It is a good trait for clients to

receive me as likeable person and want to work with me. However, I need to be cautious on not

showing too much energy/excitement and talking too much when working with clients. As

counsellors, we need to be a good active listener to our clients and let clients talk about their

feelings (Grande, 2020).

The medium score on neuroticism may pose a challenge when working with clients. As a

counsellor, I need to stay calm and focusing on client’s worldview. If I felt overwhelmed, I need

to know when to stop taking on more. If there are certain things that would trigger my

nervousness or stress, I need to know how to avoid and manage that. This can be achieved and

managed by practising self-awareness and self-care (Collins, 2018).

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Letter of Intent

November 24, 2020

Donna Marie Perry

Clinical Director
Insight Counselling & Therapy Centre
4620 Manilla Rd. SE
Calgary, AB T2G 4B7

Dear Mrs. Perry,

I would like to thank you for providing me the opportunity to apply the counselling intern
position at Insight Counselling & Therapy Centre. I am very excited about this opportunity
which will allow me to practice my knowledge and complete the practicum requirement of my
master’s degree in Counselling Psychology. With my passion in counselling psychology, my
education, my personal attributes, and skills, I am confident that I am the right candidate for this
counselling intern position at your agency.
I am passionate working in counselling psychology field. I would like to help people who suffer
from mental health issues. I came to Canada at the age of 19 to attend the University.
Completing my education in a country with different culture and different language was not
without a cost. Living away from my family and friends were extremely hard for me at the
beginning. The experience of culture shock and homesickness taught me the importance of
mental health for the first time. With the help of the school counsellors, I was able to take control
of my emotions and develop resiliency. Experiencing and overcoming my own mental health
issues spiked my passions on helping others.
I am currently enrolled in Counselling Psychology program in Yorkville University to obtain my
master’s degree. Through the program, I have obtained the knowledge and skills in counselling
psychology, including biopsychosocial approach to counselling, theories of personality and
etcetera. I believe that all these knowledge and skillsets allow me to be a competent counsellor.
In addition to my passion and my education in counselling psychology, my personal attributes
and personality profile also make me a good counsellor. Firstly, I scored high on several
personality traits that are important for being a counsellor. I have received high on capacity for
empathy, openness and agreeableness. High on capacity for empathy shows that I am empathetic
person, and empathy is one of the most essential skill for building the therapeutic relationship.
The high score openness indicates that I am a highly open person which shows I am always
interested to learn new knowledge and skills. Great counsellors are always learning whether it is
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new skills, new approaches, new insights or new experiences (Shallcrosser, 2012). The
agreeableness trait makes me an empathetic person and good at getting clients to collaborate and
cooperate with me (Science of People, n.d.). Secondly, I have strong interpersonal skill which
means I have the skill to communicate with clients and colleagues effectively. This skill
promotes a desired therapeutic relationship in counselling and builds a collaborative teamwork
environment within workplace. Finally, I am highly conscientious which means I am a hard
working, dependable, pay attention to details and organized person (Science of People, n.d.).
With all these characters, I am confident that I will be a good fit to the counselling position in
your agency.
Please do not hesitate to contact me for any further information or questions. I appreciated your
time and the opportunity. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,
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References

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Ways to Increase It]. Retrieved on November 23, 2020, from https://positivepsychology.

com/self-awareness-matters-how-you-can-be-more-self-aware/

Big 5 (OCEAN) Personality Test: Discover Your Personality Traits. (2020, October 28).

Retrieved on November 24, 2020, from https://www.scienceofpeople.com/personality/

Collins, S. (2018). Embracing Cultural Responsivity and Social Justice: Re-shaping

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Grande, D. (2020, June 2). Active Listening Skills. Retrieved on November 24, 2020, from

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