The Major Shadow Side Issues of Each of the Three Stages
Briefly identify and discuss the major “shadow side” issues of each of the three stages.
I. Storytelling
A. Shadow side: accountability
1. The tendency to tell a story ambiguously or unclearly
2. If I leave some out, I won’t be accountable for it all
B. Shadow side: accuracy
1. What will the helper think of me?
2. Self presentational process.
C. Shadow side: discretionary change
1. Nondiscretionary change is mandated change
2. If I don’t have to change, I won’t
II. Challenge (Blind Spots)
A. Shadow side: dealing with dissonance
1. Some clients dodge and weave at suggestions to change
2. They discredit the challenger
3. They attempt to change the challenger’s views
4. They devalue the issue
5. They seek support elsewhere
6. Cooperate in session, do nothing outside the session
B. Shadow side: the “MUM” effect.
1. Counselors are reluctant to challenge, withhold bad news even when in the other person’s interest
2. Excuses
i. I am not used to challenging
ii. I may be hurt
iii. I might become negative
iv. I don’t want to hurt others
v. They won’t like me
III. Leverage Shadow Side
A. Wasted time discussiong non-issues
1. Helpers unknowingly feed agendas
2. They fit the client to the model, not the model to the client
B. Unbrought-up concerns
1. Some client’s skirt issues that are uncomfortable
2. Some clients lie to avoid blame
IV. Possible Strategies
A. Shadow side: choices in life
1. Information gathering
i. Clients gather too little information
ii. Client get the wrong information
iii. Helpers should make the process “good enough” for decision making
2. Information Processing
i. Clients bring emotions to the rational table
ii. Some decisions are based on taste
3. Choice and execution
i. Some clients do not analyze the situation
ii. Some do not like the choice, so they discount the process
iii. Some rationalize delaying the choice.
B. Shadow side: Making Smarter Decisions
1. The status quo bias
i. Clients feel safe when the process uplifts the present situation
ii. Watch and wait approach to change
2. The confirming evidence trap
i. If the client decides not to change, he will search for evidence to support the decision
ii. Clients tend not to test their decisions, but build them up
V. Change
A. Shadow side: helpers as agents
1. Some helpers respond to passivity with passivity
2. The helper must be a doer before he can inspire action
B. Shadow side: reluctance to start
1. Passivity may take the form of doing nothing, acting aimlessly, and shutting down
2. Learned helplessness is giving up before you start because of pre-confirmed self stereotypes
3. Disabling self-talk takes the form of negative inner conversations
4. Vicious circles of guilt and depression because of failed attempts
5. Disorganization feeds the tendency to not succeed.
C. Shadow side: entropy
1. Entropy is the tendency to fall apart
2. Clients tend to not change, or stop what they are doing
VI. Commitment’s shadow side: Goal setting
A. Helpers and clients both tend to not want to set goals.
B. Goals mean intended action, and passivity on the part of the client breeds passivity on the part of the helper
These are examples of where an abuse of the hierarchical relationship between a counselor and student may come into play, and are the exact areas in which I hope to distance myself from in my practice. The idea that every conversation I have should end with the other party feeling empowered is one that really resonates with me, and a goal I will continue to strive towards.
A common struggle for counselors can sometimes be to find the right balance between “the demands or managed mental health requirements and obligations to clients” (Braun & Cox, 2005, p.426). Often times counselors may be t...
The helper helps the clients to explore and choose possibilities for a better future. In stage II, the key problem of deciding what type of key opportunities in asking the question what the future might be on manageability. The helper asks the client what do you want the future to look like? In thinking about a better future are often leads to finding ways to make the future a reality. The first relates to those that need help in managing specific problems. The principles for helping the client work on an issue is to find out if this a crisis. Begin with issues that needed to work on immediately. “Large, complicated problem situations often remain vague and unmanageable. Dividing a problem into pieces can clarify where the value lays Egan, G. (10 edition 2014)”.
Lastly a strong morally opposition to a client’s behaviors, beliefs, et cetera can result in limited ability to help the client. A counselor may be subconsciously unwilling to help or even openly unwilling to help a client with a particular issue they have taken a stance on. In inability or unwillingness to help a client certainly impacts therapy. It can impact what a client is willing to talk about, the progress that is able to be made, and determines if a client should seek services elsewhere. If a client does not feel their issues are being adequately addresses they will either retreat and give up on addressing them or move on to an alternative solution.
Sometimes individuals consider becoming counselors after overcoming some major life challenge such as addiction or a history of bad relationships. Perhaps an individual has encountered a particularly effective counselor or therapist and has a desire to follow in those footsteps. Others may have had a bad experience with counseling and concluded that it can be done better. People do not think of this work so much as a job, or even as a career. More typically, a constellation of life experiences that demand explanation and a sense that others seek one out for assistance and emotional sustenance become driving forces leading one toward the counseling profession” (An invitation to). .
Collaboration is an important indicator of the liklihood of change occuring. When the counselors and client can cooperate resistance does not occur.
A counselor should always keep their thoughts to themselves and remain open-minded about the situation. The only time a counselor should share their thoughts is if it helps the client with their situation that they are dealing with. “Counselors must practice only within the boundaries of their competence (Standard C.2.a.), and, if they “determine an inability to be of professional assistance to clients” (Standard A.11.b.), they should facilitate a referral to another provider. (Kocet, M. M., & Herlihy, B. J. (2014). Addressing Value-Based Conflicts Within the Counseling Relationship: A Decision-Making Model. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 92(2), 180-186 7p. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2014.00146.x).” Keeping your thoughts to yourself is
Counselors are open-minded and do not pass judgment verbally or physically at anytime while assisting students. Prejudging minimizes responses from distressed or problematic students. Giving advice and assistance should not be based on counselors’ personal opinion. Good counselors will refrain from bias and therefore communicate effective skills to empower students. Counselor should become listeners, observers, and advisers.
...blem as well as their treatment. Miller suggests that client resistance is a product of the interaction with the counselor who uses confrontational interviewing style. Rather than counselors trying to convince the client to change, the counselor should draw out arguments for change. Such technique is the use of empathy in their style. Several studies supported that therapists behaviors influence clients treatment outcomes. It has been found that the more counselors confront the clients drinking the more the client will drink (Miller, 1993).
...ing silence, paraphrasing and reflection of feelings, as well as non-verbal skills such as body-language and active listening are all used in order to allow the client to introspect and work with their problems in a safe environment, the role of the counselor within the relationship being to support the client and help them to reach their true potential by expressing emotions and thoughts that they can’t express outside of the helping relationship, whether it be for fear of rejection or some other reason.
Multiple relationships create a conflict of interest situation, which often leads to a distorted judgment and can motivate a psychologist to act in a way that promotes their own personal interests. We, as humans, have a capacity to deceive ourself, especially when given a reason to rationalize. But above all, the client’s well-being must be the main focus of the therapy, not the psychologist’s.
Understanding the counseling session from the client’s perspective is a very important aspect in the development of a therapeutic relationship. A clinician must be an excellent listener, while being to pay attention to the client’s body language, affect and tone. The dynamics in the counseling session that is beneficial to the client include the recognition of the pain that the client is feeling. The detrimental part of this includes a misunderstanding of the real issues, a lack of consideration of the cultural aspects of the client, and a lack of clinical experience or listening skills. In this presentation, we will discuss the positive and negative aspects of the counseling session from the client’s perspective which includes the client’s attitudes, feelings, and emotions of the counseling session. We will next examine the propensity of the client to reveal or not reveal information to the counselor, and how transference, and counter-transference can have an effect on the counselor-client relationship.
There are few circumstances counselors have to oblige when dealing issues from clients. Counselors have to be trustworthy; this is a fundamental to understanding and solving issues. Counselors have to keep information gathered confidential and restrict any disclosure of information to anybody. Clients voluntarily seek help to counselors for therapy or any kind of help they need. Hence as a counselor it is important to respect their clients’ self-government and ensure precision in information given. Commitment of a counselor plays a big role in a therapy. It is not ethical for a counselor to neglect a client such that the client’s well being is not taken care of. It is also important for counselors to have a fair treatment with all their clients. No matter how each client will be, there must not be any form of judgment, which will cause any form of unfair
Sometimes, counselors will confront sin in their client’s life when they shouldn’t and it causes more harm than good. The client will feel even more hurt because the counselor “jumped the gun” in confronting them about their sin. As a result, it is important for counselors to wait until the client is ready to confront their sin or to wait until the timing is right. Another caution mentioned in the class sources that counselors often overlook is “counselor self-awareness” (Peters, n.d., Week Seven Powerpoint Lecture Two). Counselors must be aware of their own emotions and attitudes when it comes to confronting sin in a client’s life so they do not become angry with their client because of sin in their life, or even judgmental towards them (Peters, n.d., Week Seven Powerpoint Lecture Two). Counselors need to have an awareness of their own attitudes and emotions before seeking to confront sin in their client’s
In this experience, I saw a client ask the counselor what they thought they should do in a situation where both choices were not desirable. The counselor did not give their opinion and it seemed like the client left more frustrated and confused than when he had come in. I empathized with him and frankly was a bit annoyed with the counselor for not giving him advice or her opinion. After the session, the counselor had mentioned that it was necessary for the client to make the decision by himself. Although I could appreciate this, I was not completely satisfied with this