Facilitating Skills in Counseling PDF

Facilitating Skills in Counseling VED316  Three Basic Skills required for effective counseling Hindrance for Effective Communication Ethical guidance and Consideration Counseling is both science and an art. While there should be a theoretical basis for the way one handles one information...

Facilitating Skills in Counseling VED316  Three Basic Skills required for effective counseling Hindrance for Effective Communication Ethical guidance and Consideration Counseling is both science and an art. While there should be a theoretical basis for the way one handles one information and moves through the different stages, positive movement can’t be expected in the absence of a skillful counselor. The art of counseling may spell the difference between success and failure. Microskills in counseling are crucial. There are three basic skill required for effective counseling, no matter what the preferred school of thought may be.  Articulation Skill Nonverbal Communication Facial expression, body posture, and physical movement send messages, these signals infl uence the client’s perception of the counselor. Attending behavior like moving closer to the client, looking at the client’s face or into the eyes, and nodding encourage the fl ow of communication since they indicate to the client that he/she has the counselor’s undivided attention, respect and acceptance. However counselor keeps to be aware and alert.  Articulation Skill Verbal Communication Articulation refers to how clearly someone forms words. It includes the ability of a speaker to be coherent and easily understood. Articulation involves using proper pronunciation and grammar and using an appropriate volume and rate of speech. Articulation can also refer to the physical abilities necessary to form sounds and words, including the movements of the tongue, lips, teeth and vocal cords. Leads and responses can be used to communicate interest, concern, emphatic understanding, unconditional positive regard, and nonjudgemental attitude. It can generate further sharing on the part of the client, but can also be used to confine the sharing to the information needed to make progress in the counseling session. Influencing skills are more palpable in verbal communication.  Listening A basis of counselor competence, because one cannot say the right thing at the right time without paying attention. Listening means attending to the paralanguage – the volume, pitch, pauses, quivering, halting – as the person talks. These are very important specially in the Asian setting, where Asians attempts to mask true feeling can be expected, this may say more than the client’s word.  Observation Skill Observation is listening with the eyes. Words can lie but the body does not. Color changes, tightening of the muscles, breathing patterns, quivering of the lips, and changes of facial expression are important indicators of what the client has been going through. These emotion can point what the client feels – anger, sadness, fear, shame, etc. aside from these, clothes and accessories can give a clue to the possible nature of the person one is dealing with. It is important, however, counselor must not just jump into conclusion in this point. Perception checking is necessary.  Important Leads and Responses Lucian 1975 6. Reassurance – ‘ So far you are doing 1. Acceptance - “uh-huh’ ‘I see’ very well’ 2. Restatement – ‘You want 7. Interpretation – ‘ You feel … because’ to..’ 8. Supposition – ‘Supposing you did … 3. Clarification – ‘This is what what do you think would happen?’ I hear you saying… am I right?’ 9. Facilitation – ‘The course of action you are thinking of requires…’ 4. Summarization – ‘So far, these are the things you 10. Interpellation – ‘how long has this have said’ problem existed?’ 5. General Leads – ‘Would you 11. Rejection – ‘What you are saying like to explain that further?’ seems to be unsupported by this’ Hindrances of Effective Communication George and Cristiani1995 Giving advice Offering solution Moralizing and preaching Analyzing and diagnosing Judging or criticizing Praising and agreeing; giving positive evaluation Reassuring ETHICAL CONSIDERATION Villar 2009  Ethical Considerations Lucian 1975 Limits to confidentiality and the clients must be Client’s needs and welfare come first aware of this before getting into the counseling. and should be given priority over the counselor’s need’s. Imposing one’s values and philosophy of life on Counselors are expected to recognize the client is considered unethical. the boundaries of their competence and their own personal and professional limitation. Client’s have the right to decide whether to enter into a counseling relationship with the specific counselor and must be told what to expect.  Code of Ethics Code of ethics represents the values of a profession translated into standard of conduct for the membership. It provide structure or guidelines for a profession’s membership to follow in their professional practice and also for the public to anticipate in their interactions with the profession and its membership. Code of Ethics and Standard of Practice of the American Counseling Association (1995) & Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct of the American Psychological Association (1992) are the two basic elements of ethical practice and behavior apply to work in the profession. -Failure to abide by these standards may result in expulsion from the profession. Ethical Issues Competence Ethical issue of competence begins when the counselor accepts a position as a professional counselor. The counselor applicant must indicate qualifications for licensure. Counselor is professionally responsible to practice within his or her limitations. Degree, licenses and certificates may convey level of competence. Yet, we should also note the responsibility of the professional counselor to continuously update his or her competence through participation in various professional educational opportunities. When counselors determine that a client’s needs may be beyond their competencies, they should promptly arrange for an appropriate referral. Confidentiality and Privileged Communication Confidentiality is a primary an ethical concept that refers to the counselor’s obligation to respect the client’s privacy, and to our promise to clients that the information they reveal during counseling will be protected from disclosure without their consent. Privileged communication -Privileged communication laws protect clients from having confidential communications with their counselors disclosed in a court of law without their permission (Shuman & Weiner,1987) Exemptions of Confidentiality and Privileged Communication 1. Protecting someone who 2. Confidentiality is is in danger may require disclosure of confi dential compromised when information when the counseling multiple clients, following conditions exist: including the following: Group counseling A client poses a danger to Counseling couple or families others A client poses a danger to 3. There are unique self (suicidal). confidentiality and privileged A client has a fatal, communication considerations communicable disease and when working with minor the client’s behavior is clients: putting others at risk. Counseling minor clients Exemptions of Confidentiality and Privileged Communication 4. Certain exceptions are mandated by law, including the following: Disclosure is a court ordered. Clients file complaints against their counselors. Clients claim emotional damage in a lawsuit. Civil commitment proceeding are initiated.  Personal Relationship with Clients 2. 1. Professional Boundaries In many states, sexual conduct with a Counselor must maintain clear client is illegal, regardless of the professional boundaries to ensure a consent safe therapeutic environment. Counselors can be prosecuted for statutory rape when involving minor clients. 2.Sexual Exploitation 4. Impairment of Professional All major ethical codes condemn Judgement sexual relationship with clients Counselor must avoid relationship that Engaging in such relationship can could impair their professional judgement Relationships with relatives, close friends, lead to lawsuits, lost of license, and and employers should be avoided. criminal charges. Thank you for listening! Ethical and Legal Guidelines Gibson and Mitchell 2003