There are four key factors here. Firstly, will you be credible as an agony aunt? Can you write fluidly, with structure and correct grammar, punctuation and spelling? Are you able to summarise key themes with brevity and make points succinctly and with the impact that you intended in your mind? No-one wants to read – and especially pay for – a long meandering load of waffle that, crucially, fails to address their problem. If you think you might need some help with this, buy a book or enrol on a course to help you write creatively and in fluid English. I can strongly recommend Line by Line: How to Improve Your Own Writing as a great resource. Alternatively, ICS do a great course on creative writing.

Secondly, will your advice be helpful? Even if you write beautifully, your advice may ultimately be useless without the ability to analyse information, use some mathematical calculation to determine the likelihood of (for example) B or C following A and apply logic, common sense and a sound moral compass. You need to be open-minded, fair and without a dogmatic approach to life. You should always present options –with or without a preference– rather than take a ‘do this’ attitude. Please don’t dictate a course of action: try to guide, enlighten and inform.

Thirdly, are you prepared mentally for giving advice? Although sometimes people’s problems can appear trivial (although not to the person asking for help) often the situations can be heartbreaking. Telling someone how you think they should escape what can be a real personal tragedy puts an onerous responsibility on the agony aunt, which can be stressful. Continually reading about the unpleasant side of human relations and experiences can be depressing, and requires a strong constitution and optimistic nature. I suggest that you take time out between answering problems - don't try to answer several all at once. It can really sap your energy to do too many. We also make sure that we discuss how we feel with each other over the phone, especially if one of us feels a bit down over something we've read or just want reassurance on advice we've given. You may not have the luxury of this, but you may want to make sure that you balance your time with doing other, more light-hearted activities.

The last point here to note - and which ties in with being mentally prepared - is that you should strive to be as impartial as possible, and refrain from allowing yourself to become emotionally involved with the situation or the correspondent. You are here to help people, not to make friends. Moving out of the counsellor-client relationship also leaves you wide open to unpleasant accusations. Stay professional, above all else.

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