2.1 Use effective professional communication

Question 1

Use clear and concise written, oral and electronic

Communication.

Answer 1

During my practicum training at Hincks Dellcrest my correspondence and notes where reviewed by my supervisor and then discussed in our weekly supervision. Compliance to proper clinical note taking was emphasized. Files maybe internally at reviews or externally in event of court proceedings and or presented to the parents were of consideration in the edits that followed. In addition, my sessions with children were videotaped and reviewed by my supervisors to be critiqued in our weekly supervision meetings. These reflections were also the subject of the coursework in the Peer Supervision class.

Also as part of the single session (SSC) family team which met weekly during my 8 month placement, we took turns writing up the recommendations to the family letter. These letters were extensive 4-6 pages in length and were edited and returned for revisions by a senior member of the team.

Question 2

Use effective listening skills.

Answer 2

Principles of Group Therapy Process explored active listening as a component to running a successful group art therapy session. In the child and adolescence art therapy course at TATI the Judith Rubin text (Ch.5&7) and additional readings from Monica Carpendale explored the skills of active listening providing techniques to employ and the benefits of allowing the client to lead the direction of the discussion. We also discussed the importance of suspending judgment and adopting an interested unintrusive stance.

Question 3

Recognize and respond appropriately to non-verbal communication.

Answer 3

In the child and adolescence art therapy course at TATI the Judith Rubin text (Ch. 7) explores non-verbal cues and communications in children. The type of interaction in demeanor and physical clues can provide significant insight into how a child is feeling which will inform the treatment plan for a particular client. Sometimes thoughts and feelings have become internally scripted or masked to protect an individual having knowledge of the non-verbal cues allows therapists another input into what may be going on for a client.