Module 1: Interviewing and Counseling (PSY25) PDF

Module 1 Interviewing and Counseling as Science and Art...

Module 1 Interviewing and Counseling as Science and Art PSY25 INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELING to your SECOND module! COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES NORINA C. BAUTISTA Instructor [email protected] San Mateo Municipal College Gen. Luna St. Guitnang Bayan I, San Mateo, Rizal Tel. No. (02) 997-9070 www.smmc.edu.ph PSY25 INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELING NORINA C. BAUTISTA, RGC INTERVIEWING AND COUNSELING AS SCIENCE AND ART MODULE 1 We humans are social beings. We come into the world as the result of others’ actions. We survive here in dependence on others. Whether we like it or not, there is hardly a moment of our lives when we do not benefit from others’ activities. For this reason, it is hardly surprising that most of our happiness arises in the context of our relationships with others. — The Dalai Lama LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of this module, students will be able to: Identify the similarities and differences among interviewing, counseling, and psychotherapy. Understand the step-by-step microskills framework for mastering the interview Recognize the varying patterns of microskills used by different theories of counseling and psychotherapy. Define intentionality, cultural intentionality, and intentional competence. Anticipate the impact of your comments on client conversation by learning and using the basics of intentional prediction. Outline and define the elements of the counseling and therapy model: relationship— story and strengths—goals—restory—action. Develop awareness of the impact on the brain of interviewing, counseling, and psychotherapy. Examine your own natural helping style and use personal expertise as a base for further development as you work through this text INPUT INFORMATION INTRODUCTION THE MICROSKILLS MODEL Microskills offer concrete tools for interviewing, counseling, and therapy. As presented here, they are based on the original single-skills microskills model developed at Colorado State University (Ivey, Normington, Miller, Morrill, & Haase, 1968). In 1974, multicultural differences in communication styles were identified (Ivey, Gluckstern, & Ivey, 1974/2006), and issues of diversity have been central in practice ever since. Intentional Interviewing and Counseling is based on original research and teaching practice and also was the first to place multicultural issues at the center of interviewing, counseling, and psychotherapy. THE SCIENCE AND ART OF INTERVIEWING Research shows that competent interviewing, counseling, and therapy make a difference in the lives of clients and that awareness of diversity is critical. With help, clients can change their thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and the meanings and visions that guide their future. Research and experience in the world help you determine what to do with each unique client. In the now moment of the session, you decide which piece of research, multicultural knowledge, or your own personal skills will empower your clients toward changes. You are a person with a special set of knowledge and skills who must make choices as you seek to help clients grow, change, and create what we call the New. Thus, in the interview, counseling is ultimately an art. You are the artist with the brush who must draw from a palette of knowledge and carefully developed techniques to help the client discover or create a new portrait. 2 PSY25 INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELING NORINA C. BAUTISTA, RGC BUILD ON YOUR NATURAL STYLE OF HELPING Natural style is defined here as your spontaneous way of working with others to help them achieve their goals. Look at yourself and respect your own natural competence as the foundation for your growth in interviewing skills. However, your natural style may not “work” with everyone—it may be necessary to shift your style to be fully effective. The effective interviewer gradually develops a blend of natural style and learned competencies. As you begin work with Intentional Interviewing and Counseling, focus on your own natural abilities as a foundation for growth and further development. SELF-UNDERSTANDING AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE Self-understanding is the broad concept of knowledge about oneself. Closely related is emotional intelligence. Self-understanding and emotional intelligence are essential to interviewing competence and enhancing your natural style. Interviewing and counseling themselves can be described as exercises in emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence was first defined by Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer in 1990 and was first brought to wide attention by Daniel Goleman (1998, 2005). Skills and Strategies relate to self-understanding and self-development 1. Self-awareness 2. Self-regulation 3. Motivating yourself and using your abilities 4. Empathy 5. Social skills TOWARD INTENTIONAL INTERVIEWING AND COUNSELING WHAT IS THE "CORRECT" RESPONSE TO OFFER A CLIENT? Imagine that you are the interviewer, counselor, or psychotherapist and a new client comes in. Immediately after you have discussed the boundaries of the situation, she starts talking rapidly with a list of multiple issues. What might you say, or do next that could be helpful? Client: I’m overwhelmed. My husband was let go in the latest downsizing and is impossible to live with. My job is going okay, but I worry about making the next car payment. Our ancient washer broke, flooded our basement, and ruined a box of family photographs. Our daughter came home crying because the kids are teasing her, and my mother-in-law is coming to visit next week. What should I do? Reflecting the client's emotions Select one aspect to focus on Ask an open question Respect the client Use appropriate skills and strategies INTERVIEWING, COUNSELING, AND PSYCHOTHERAPY Interviewing may be considered the most basic process used for information gathering, problem-solving, and psychosocial information giving. Interviewing is usually short term with only one or two sessions. 3 PSY25 INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELING NORINA C. BAUTISTA, RGC Ethical coaching is a relatively new term and conception of helping. It focuses on living life more fully and effectively. It falls most closely in the interviewing area. Ethical coaches work from a strength-based foundation and empower individuals, families, and organizations to help them make more effective plans. Life coaching, college coaching, and executive coaching are three examples. Counseling is a more intensive and personal process. It is generally concerned with helping people cope with normal problems and opportunities, although these “normal problems” often become quite complex. Though many people who interview may also counsel, counseling is most often associated with the professional fields of social work, school counseling, psychology, mental health and clinical counseling, pastoral counseling, and, to a limited extent, psychiatry. Clients with relationship difficulties may need several sessions of counseling to straighten out their situation. Example: A school counselor may interview each class member for 10 minutes during a term to check on course selection but will also counsel many students later about personal concerns and college choice. Both interviewing and counseling may be distinguished from psychotherapy, which is a more intense process, focusing on deep-seated personality or behavioral difficulties. Psychotherapists must interview clients to obtain basic facts and information as they start work with an individual. Despite relatively clear differences among interviewing, counseling, and psychotherapy, overlap remains. Effective interviewing can help clients make decisions, and that in itself is therapeutic. 4 PSY25 INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELING NORINA C. BAUTISTA, RGC MICROSKILLS HIERACHY Interviewing, counseling, and psychotherapy require a relationship with the client; they all seek to help clients work through issues by drawing out and listening to the client’s story. Intentional Interviewing and Counseling presents the key skills and strategies used by all three approaches. Microskills are the foundation of intentional interviewing. DRAWING OUT CLIENTS STORIES Interviewing, counseling, and psychotherapy are concerned with client stories. You will hear many different story lines—for example, stories of procrastination and the inability to take action, tales of depression and abuse, and most important, narratives of strength and courage. Your first task is to listen carefully to these stories and learn how clients come to think, feel, and act as they do. Sometimes, simply listening carefully with empathy and care is enough to produce meaningful change. You will also want to help clients think through new ways of approaching their stories. Through the conversation that is interviewing, counseling, and psychotherapy, it is possible to rewrite and rethink/restory old narratives into new, more positive and productive stories. Listening to the story, finding positive strengths in that story or another life dimension and rewriting a new narrative for action are what interviewing, counseling, and psychotherapy are about. In short: relationship--story and strengths--goals--restory--action. RELATIONSHIP--STORY AND STRENGTHS--GOALS-RESTORY-ACTION Narrative theory is a relatively new model for understanding counseling, interviewing, and psychotherapy sessions. Narrative theory emphasizes storytelling and the generation of new meanings. The concept of narration, storytelling, and conversation are useful frameworks as we examine skills, strategy, and theory in interviewing, coaching, counseling, and psychotherapy. Narrative model of Intentional, Interviewing and Counseling Relationship The relationship in every interview will be different and will test your social skills and understanding. Basic to this is being your own natural self and your openness to others and to different of all types. Your attending and emphatic listening skills are key to understanding and will play a part throughout all sessions. Another term for relationship is working alliance, which is in turn is based on what is now called the common factors approach. Your ability to listen and be with the client is the starting point for the interview. Story and Strengths The listening skills are basic to learning how clients make sense of their world--the stories clients tell us about their lives, their problems, challenges, and issues. Attending and observation skills are critical, while encouraging, paraphrasing, reflection of feeling, and summarization will help fill out the story. 5 PSY25 INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELING NORINA C. BAUTISTA, RGC Goals "What do you want today as a result of our conversation?" The counselor often starts the interview in this question. Once you heard the stories, and you and the client see the need for new and more effective story. What is the appropriate ending? Restory If you understand client stories, strengths, and goals, you are prepared to help clients restory-- generate new ways to talk about themselves. Effective listening is sufficient to provide clients with the strength and power to develop their own new narratives. Action All of the above efforts will be useless if the client does not take action on the new ideas that you develop together in the interview. Contract with the client to act and think in new ways during the coming week. Generalization to the "real world" can lead to success, meaning you have made a difference. INCREASING SKILLS AND FLEXIBILITY Intentionality Clients come to us with multiple issues and concerns. Intentional interviewing is concerned not with which single response is correct, but with how many potential responses may be helpful. Intentionality is a core goal of effective interviewing. "Intentionality is acting with a sense of capability and deciding from among a range of alternative actions. The intentional individual has more than one action, thought, or behavior to choose from in responding to changing life situations. The intentional individual can generate alternatives in a given situation and approach a problem from multiple vantage points, using a variety of skills and personal qualities, adapting styles to suit different individuals and cultures. Cultural Intentionality One of the critical issues in interviewing is that the same skills may have different effects on people from varying cultural backgrounds. Intentional interviewing requires awareness that racial and ethnic groups may have different patterns of communication. Intentional Prediction This text is action and results oriented; it is founded on research revealing that you may expect results when you use a specific microskill or strategy in the interview. If you work intentionally in the interview, you can anticipate predictable client responses. And when the expected does not happen, you can intentionally flex and come up with a helpful alternative skill or strategy. THEORY AND MICROSKILLS The theory underlying the microskills approach. The first is that interviewing, and counseling are informed by more than 250 theories and that certainly we don’t need another one. Second, your expertise with the basic skills can be very helpful with your understanding and practicing multiple theoretical approaches. For example, if you become proficient in attending skills, basic listening skills, and influencing strategies, you lay the groundwork for developing competence in many different theories ranging from person-centered to cognitive-behavioral to multicultural counseling and therapy. All theories require practitioners to listen to client stories and thus all use the listening skills, even though they may listen to different things. However, influencing skills are used quite differently from theory to theory, but the idea and structure of confrontation, focusing, and interpretation/reframing will be similar. From this perspective, the microskills presented here become a theory—an integrative theory that will enable you to practice effective counseling and to move more quickly and effectively into the many theories of helping that you will encounter. 6 PSY25 INTRODUCTION TO COUNSELING NORINA C. BAUTISTA, RGC LEARNING ACTIVITIES Your learning activities will be uploaded to your google classroom. ASSESSMENT Quiz will be announced/posted in your google classroom after the synchronous class meeting. ASSIGNMENT Advance reading on the next module. LEARNING RESOURCES Corey, G. (2013) Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy Ivey, AE (2010) Intentional Interviewing and Counseling 7