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The importance of communication
The importance of communication
The importance of communication
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Since, I have been working in the mental health field for two years alongside therapists and other mental health professionals; I imagined therapy to be a lot more relaxed then what it is. While recording the sessions, I realized how strategic and challenging therapy can be. I have witnessed many therapy sessions and never realized the amount of preparation and techniques therapist use. Often times it seems as if therapy is really subjective and there is no real approach. After learning different techniques in class and effective ways to utilize those skills I am aware that a competent therapist must possess certain skills. After working on the first two videos I can definitely see the growth in my third video and progress as a perspective counselor. During the first two videos it was difficult for me to elaborate the informed consent and client rights professionally and comfortably. I struggled with …show more content…
While watching the video I noticed that I had good attending skills such as good posture, eye contact and tone. I believe my presence was a little more warm and professional then my second video. While watching the video I noticed that I utilized a lot of the techniques taught in class. I listened very well and paraphrased the clients concerns to ensure I had proper understanding. The client was asked open ended questions so that I could gain as much information as possible. Encouragers were used to motivate the client to elaborate more about certain topics. The client was able to speak freely with few interruptions. The client was also challenged to explore her own issues and solutions. The client was challenged to find different alternatives and coping strategies for managing frustration. I experienced some confrontation from the client and I was able to redirect the client to the purpose of the therapy
... By scheduling an activity that the client can participate in and complete, it can give them a sense of mastery in a specific task. This can be beneficial for the client to feel accomplished. Another technique that I feel can be beneficial in therapy is role-playing. Role-playing can be helpful for a client to learn how to dispute irrational beliefs by becoming aware of negative feelings towards theses beliefs (Tan, 2011). In addition, role-playing can help the client to overcome their emotions and practice coping skills that are more effective. The last technique I would incorporate into therapy would be relaxation training. I would suggest ways that can help the client relax including, deep breathing, meditation, yoga, a massage or exercising. By getting the client to have methods to relax, I think it can help with managing their thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
These techniques include showing concern for clients through active listening and empathy, showing respect for and confidence in clients, focusing on client’s strong points and positive traits, resources, replacing discouraging thoughts with encouraging ones, and helping clients to develop a sense of humor about life. (Watts & Pietrzak,2000,p 443) Another method, as mentioned earlier is building a strong rapport with the client. Therapists use a variety of techniques to facilitate change in the client’s behavior. Therapists help clients to choose alternative behaviors to the behaviors that are maladaptive. The next method is getting the client to change how he or she views a situation. This is done inside and outside of counseling. Through this technique a client comes to realize their abilities and strengths. Last but not least, therapists help clients draw on their resources and strengths when faced with a situation that seems troublesome. (Watts & Pietrzak,2000,p
One theme of the book that stands out is the counselor as a person and a professional. It is impossible to completely separate one’s personal and professional lives. Each person brings to the table certain characteristics of themselves and this could include such things as values, personality traits and experiences. A great point that Corey, Corey, and Callahan (2010) make is to seek personal therapy. Talking with colleagues or a therapist will keep counselors on their toes and allow them to work out any issues that may arise. This could also prevent counselors from getting into a bad situation. Another good point made in this book was counter transference. Therapists are going to have an opinion and some reactions are going to show through. It is not easy to hide one’s emotions, but a good therapist will keep the objective in sight and keep moving forward. After all, the help counselors are providing is for the client.
Probst (2015) conducted a study on how personal clinician therapy may enhance the therapist’s ability to create and maintain a strong clinician-client relationship. Upon review of Barbara Probst’s article, the author agrees that the integration of personal clinician therapy into the repertoire of extensive practitioner training is essential and desirable (2015). This opinion is in correlation to Freud’s position that to
According to Jeremy Safran and Christopher Muran (2000), psychiatric research shows that the quality of the therapeutic alliance is the most important factor in determining the therapist's success. “Some therapists are consistently more helpful than others; differences in therapist ability seem to be more important than therapeutic modality, and the more helpful therapists appear better able to facilitate the development of a therapeutic alliance” (Safran & Muran, 2000). However, the main problem is that it is difficult to teach the skills necessary for the creation of a therapeutic alliance. In fact, psychotherapy research stresses the importance of the development of human qualities in the therapist. According to Safran and Muran (2000), the therapist need to constantly develop themselves and become involved in personal growth through inner work. Without this feature, the therapists will not be able to devel...
...p their own solutions to problems. Clients may need some guidance, education, or direction depending on their abilities and how the therapy is going. It is then that I want to be able to help them feel more empowered and recognize that they can make changes with effort on their part.
A therapist must be psychologically stable. Inasmuch, analytic mastery is achieved in Qualitative and Quantitative Methods as part of a rigorous curriculum at Walden University. This scientific mindedness is key, recognizing life as an opportunity for experimentation (Kaslow, Grus, Campbell, & Fouad, et al., 2009). Scientific principles I learned in Research Methods and foundation classes in Applied Psychology.... ...
Being a therapist is not only sitting in a chair listening to your clients’ problems all day. It is also not “reading-minds” as many people think and it is not giving advice or solving each clients’ issue. Therapists have many qualities that define the effectiveness of their treatment and their competence in the field. The important qualities that a therapist should have are empathic and great listening skills. In addition to, the therapist must be knowledge in their skills and in the different mental disorders in order to prevent a misdiagnosis. Furthermore, the therapist should have other qualities such as interpersonal skills and the ability to build rapport with the clients so they can feel secure and continue to come to therapy.
The latter will include peer feedback, instructor feedback, and self-criticism. This paper will conclude with a brief discussion of the future direction of therapy were I to remain a therapist. Presenting Problem Both Michelle and Katy came to therapy with complaints of an increasing frequency of arguments. These arguments began almost a year ago and, as time passed, have become more emotionally intense. Michelle reported that during these arguments, she often cries.
The one skill that I used more of was empathy; I wanted the client to know that I understood her situation as well her feelings. At the end of our conversation, I summarized everything that we talked about, especially her want to open up to her parents and express herself to them. She mentioned that she wants them to fell empathy towards her, because the lack of parental empathy that she felt when she was younger, has even affected her in her adult life (Kilpatrick,2005).
The counselor accomplishes the above by expressing empathy, developing discrepancies, going along with resistance and supporting self-efficacy. Moreover, the counselor guides the client toward a solution that will lead to permanent posi...
I don’t think I could just focus on a client’s problem and problematic behavior, and not try to help better them as a person. This is the type of therapy that is the warm and fuzzy type. I like to think as myself as very empathic person, and always try to put myself in other people’s shoes. I try
... properly interact and communicate well with their clients, they need to be emotionally intelligent, self aware, create a therapeutic relationship and develop reflective practices. All of the above contributes to an individual’s health and so it’s very important that we are able to control our emotions, correct and learn from our mistakes, examine and balance our life and create a therapeutic environment so that our clients feel comfortable, safe and trust us enough to live their life in our hands.
Taking the techniques of counseling class was a great course that contributed to my evolution as a perspective therapist. Certain skills I already possess such as, great communication, being empathetic, and open to learning. However, throughout the class I learned different therapy policies such as confidentiality, attending skills, and self-awareness. Having knowledge of these basic practices and skills has contributed to me becoming well rounded, self- aware, and a competent perspective counselor. I have made moderate progress towards the learning goals I established for myself in the beginning of the semester. During the beginning of the semester I anticipated learning different counseling approaches, becoming culturally competent, and learning how to be more confident. Throughout the course not much was mentioned about theoretical approaches and how to incorporate the framework into therapy. Nonetheless, the content that I learned allowed me to be more culturally competent, self-aware, and confident. To be culturally competent, it is essential to know basic background information about a client before assisting them. It is imperative to know basic information about a client such as age, sex, and nationality to determine how to assist the individual. Not knowing certain information may contribute to unethical work and a disservice to the
When I first seek out for therapy, it was interesting and scary. I made my first appointment and I was anxious and upset during my visit. I did a 20 minutes interview over the phone before my first initial office visit. My intake worker that assess my caseload allowed me to know her briefly, and let me know she would not be my therapist, but allowed me to accept the rules, polices, and therapist assigned to me. As the article stated, “explain what therapy is, how it works, and answer questions about what the client can expect from therapy in general and from therapy with you.”