Basic Counseling Skills PDF

Basic Counseling Skills DR. SUNIL KUMAR RAVI [email protected] Counseling 2  The provision of assistance and guidance in resolving personal, social, or psychological problems and difficulties, especially by a professional...

Basic Counseling Skills DR. SUNIL KUMAR RAVI [email protected] Counseling 2  The provision of assistance and guidance in resolving personal, social, or psychological problems and difficulties, especially by a professional. Definition of professional 3 counseling:  In 1997 the Governing Council of the American Counseling Association(ACA) accepted the following definition of professional counseling: Definition of professional counseling: “The application of mental health, psychological or human development principles, through cognitive, affective, behavioural or systemic interventions, strategies that address wellness, personal growth, or career development, as well as pathology.” Some Basic Principles 5  Each client must be accepted as an individual and dealt with as such (the counselor does not necessarily approve of all behavior, but still accepts the client as a person).  Counseling is basically a permissive relationship; that is, the individual has permission to say what they please without being reprimanded or judged.  All decision-making rests with the client. Some Basic Principles 6  Counseling is centered on the difficulties of the client.  Counseling is a learning situation which eventually results in a behavioral change.  Effectiveness in counseling depends largely on the readiness of the client to make changes and the therapeutic relationship with the counselor.  The counseling relationship is confidential. Factors that Influence Change 7  The counseling process is influenced by several characteristics that help it become a productive time for the client & counselor.  Structure  Setting  Client Qualities  Counselor Qualities Factors that Influence Change  Physical Setting.  Counseling can happen anywhere, but the professional generally works in a place that provides -  Privacy,  Confidentiality,  Quiet and  Certain comfort  9 BASIC COUNSELLING SKILLS ACTIVE LISTENING PROCESSING TEACHING RESPONDING Active Listening 10  Active listening by the clinician encourages the client to share information by providing verbal and nonverbal expressions of interest. Active Listening 11  Focusing on all aspects of a client's expression.  Resist distractions.  Listen to the client's tone of voice.  Listen for cues to the client's feelings.  Listen for generalizations, deletions, and distortions.  Listen for common cognitive and emotional themes.  12 Verbal Listening  Show interest  Gather information  Encourage speaker to develop ideas  Communicate our understanding of ideas  Request clarification of understanding  Build the therapeutic alliance Non Verbal Listening 13  Maintains eye contact  Makes few distracting movements  Leans forward, faces speaker  Has an open posture  Allows few interruptions  Signals interest with encouragers and facial expressions Processing Processing 15 Processing is the act of the clinician thinking about his or her observations about the client and what the client has communicated. Processing 16 Processing allows the counsellor to mentally catalogue the following data:  Client’s beliefs, knowledge, attitudes, and expectations  Information given by his or her family  Counsellor’s observations Responding Responding 18 Responding is the act of communicating information to the client that includes providing feedback and emotional support, addressing issues of concern, and teaching skills. Expressing empathy 19 Empathy is the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another. Probing 20 Probing is the counsellor’s use of a question to direct the client’s attention to explore his or her situation in greater depth. Probing 21  A probing question should be open-ended  Probing helps to focus the client’s attention on a feeling, situation, or behaviour  Probing may encourage the client to elaborate, clarify, or illustrate what he or she has been saying  Probing may enhance the client’s awareness and understanding of his or her situation and feelings  Probing directs the client to areas that need attention  22 Interpreting Interpreting is the clinician’s explanation of the client’s issues after observing the client’s behaviour, listening to the client, and considering other sources of information.  23 Interpreting Effective interpreting has three components: 1. Determining and restating basic messages 2. Adding ideas for a new frame of reference 3. Validating these ideas with the client Silence 24 Silence can encourage the client to reflect and continue sharing. It also can allow the client to experience the power of his or her own words. Skills And Techniques 25 Silence  It can be used as an encourager.  It keeps the focus on the client.  It can help the client absorb what was said.  It can help the client collect his or her thoughts for expression. Skills And Techniques 26 Understanding  Advanced empathy:  Attends to the feelings and thoughts that are not expressed by the client.  Helps the client see the bigger picture.  Helps to open up areas for counseling for which the client is either unaware or has only hinted at.  Helps to identify themes.  Helps the client own his or her feelings and behaviors. Skills And Techniques 27 Self-Disclosure  Sharing personal information with a client.  It must be for the benefit of the client and not the counselor.  It can be used as a model to help the client self-disclose.  It should not take the focus off the client.  Used sparingly and appropriately, it can enhance the therapeutic relationship. Skills And Techniques 28 Confrontation  A form of advanced empathy which helps the client look at thoughts and behaviors that might be self-defeating or harmful.  It is a form of challenge and not a verbal assault.  It needs to be done with a high level of empathy.  Usually it is in reference to a incongruence or discrepancy on the client's part. Skills And Techniques 29 Immediacy Is the ability of the counsellor/helper to use the immediate situation to invite the client to look at what is going on between them in the relationship. It often feels risky and unfamiliar. It implies the use of the present tense. It is one of the most powerful skills in counselling.  Immediacy uses present tense statements.  It usually relates to the counselors view of the relationship.  It adds intimacy to the counseling relationship. Skills And Techniques 30 Directives  Instructions given to the client.  Basically it is the counselor telling the client what to do.  The timing in giving a directive is important.  Some theories use more directives than others. Skills And Techniques 31 Advising  A form of directive.  The advising should not be seen as a command or a demand.  Counselors need to take responsibility for the advice they give.  Do the advising in such a way as it leaves the client with the ultimate choice. Feedback 32  Gives information about how the person is experienced by others  Serves to:  Help client see self more objectively (as others see him or her)  Feedback works best when  It is requested or desired  It is concrete  It is positive  If negative, it addresses something changeable or controllable  33 Any Question ?