BCR's 2 Flashcards
_________ is a response from the counselor to encourage clients to be clear about what they are truly feeling and experiencing.
Clarifying
What is the intent of clarifying?
to Explore a vague or incomplete statement by the client
What is the focus of clarifying?
Any (client feeling, client behavior, client thought, or client experience)
Clarifying responses encourage clients _________ about themselves and indicates a willingness on the part of the counselor to listen. It is a prompt to encourage the client to discuss an issue more fully.
to disclose information
Client “I am so concerned about
my son. I try to help, so I call him a lot and try to be there.”
Counselor “And . . . “
Client “I am so afraid that I am
going to drive him away.”
Identify the counselor’s response
Response: Clarifying
Intent: Explore
Focus: Client Feeling
Client “But it is quite a
responsibility being a parent. You look back at all the mistakes . . . but ultimately, I feel good about the communication between me and my kids.”
Counselor “Can you tell me more about the responsibility?”
Identify the counselor’s response
Response: Clarifying
Intent: Explore
Focus: Client Thought
_______ is asking the client to do something new or different or to go in a different direction.
Directing
What is the intent of directing?
to explore or challenge
(explore a new activity, area of interest, behavior, situation, or feeling. Could be challenging for the client if for example the counselor asks the client to consider different thoughts, beliefs, feelings, or behaviors.)
What is the focus of directing?
any (client feeling, client behavior, client thought, or client experience)
Give some examples of directing.
assigning homework, asking the client to go back to something that was said earlier or to stop and stay with an emotion.
To direct the client is NOT to ask _________, though directing responses may sometimes sound that way.
for more information
It is important to remember that clarifying is used to gather _______, where as directing is used to direct the client __________.
more information, in a certain way
Client (speaking about his job)
“Why am I doing this to
myself? Just for money? I am prostituting myself. IT
doesn’t make your feel good if you think about it.”the client continues to talk about work issues)
Counselor (a few minutes later)
“Let’s go back to
something you said
earlier: ‘Why am I doing this to myself?’”
Response: Directing
Intent: Explore
Focus: Client Experience
_________ can challenge clients to evaluate whether behaviors, thoughts, or feelings are effective in getting them what they want.
Questioning
What is the intent of questioning?
to challenge or explore
What is the focus of questioning?
any
Although questioning is named as its own distinct counseling response, other basic counseling responses can take the form of a question, such as ______.
opening or clarifying.
Give some examples of questioning.
- -“How is this week different from last week?” (how questions)
- “What problems are troubling you?” (linear questions)
- -“What kinds of situations make you particularly anxious?” (circular questions)
- “Why haven’t you told your wife how unhappy you are?” (strategic questions)
- “What might be some specific benefits of taking more responsibility for your life?” (reflective questions)
Client:
“At the beginning of the semester, I was taking 4 classes. But I recently dropped two of my classes so that I could spend more time with my two kids.”
Counselor:
“How are you feeling about your decision?”
Identify the counselor’s response:
Response: Questioning
Intent: Challenge
Focus: Client Feeling
Client:
“It means they left… (client giggles) …and I’m feeling really vulnerable … (pause) … because they’re not here toprotect me.”
Counselor:
“What does it feel like, right now, knowing that you are unprotected?”
Identify the counselor’s response:
Response: Questioning
Intent: Challenge
Focus: Client Feeling + Immediacy
_________ is used to lead to a deeper understanding of the client’s issues, feelings, or situation and the meaning that the client gives to each of these.
Playing a Hunch
What is the intent of playing a hunch?
to challenge
What is the focus of playing a hunch?
any, and is often used with immediacy
Client:
“I’ve worked for this company for a long time. They once had things going for them. They were rolling in the money. Now, with all the new people, it’s a negative environment and I dread it.”
Counselor:
“I’m wondering after hearing you talk about this, whether it’s a possibility that you feel undervalued, that people don’t care about you at work—the higher-ups, the corporation does not acknowledge you as a person.”
Identify the counselor’s response:
Response: Playing a HunchIntent: ChallengeFocus: Client Experience & Client
Feeling
______ occurs when a counselor notices themes of interacting, behaving, thinking, or feeling by the client.
Noting a Theme
What is the intent of noting a theme?
to challenge
What is the focus of noting a theme?
any
Noting a theme is NOT just pointing out a common denominator or a repeated topic; the goal is to make the client aware of ___________.
the significance of the frequent occurrence of a theme or pattern.
Client:
“This paper has a life of its own. I’ve created a monster from it. I want it to be perfect, but I can’t seem to get it right. I see it as a separate entity that is totally burning me up. Like … I am creating my own anxiety. “
Counselor:
“I’ve heard this theme in previous sessions: You have high expectations of yourself but you do not expect to meet them.”
Identify the counselor’s response?
Response: Noting a Theme
Intent: Challenge
Focus: Client Thought
___________ is when Discrepancies are pointed out by the counselor from what the counselor has observed and deduced. In other words, the counselor goes beyond what the client has recently said and suggests that there may be a discrepancy in what the client is now saying, has said before, or is doing.
Noting a discrepancy
The intent of Noting a discrepancy is:
to challenge
The focus of Noting a discrepancy is:
any + immediacy
With noting a discrepancy, it is possible that this type of response may have________ because the counselor is pointing out discrepant components, and each component may consist of a different focus
multiple focuses
Give an example of a softer and harder noting a discrepancy response:
softer: “I notice that a few minutes ago you said that you wanted to change; now you are saying that you do not want to change.”
harder: “It seems that there may be a discrepancy between…”
It is helpful to follow up a discrepancy with an opportunity for the client to discuss the impact of having the discrepancy noted: “How was it to have this pointed out?”
Identify that counselor response:
response: questioning
intent: to challenge
The two are similar, but _______ consist of the counselor pointing out 2 or more issues that may, or may not, be congruent; and Noting a Discrepancy consist of the counselor pointing out two inconsistent components.
Giving Feedback
Client
“I have to get off this fence between teaching and going to night school. AS long as I am teaching, it takes so much time and energy that it would be better to just do something that doesn’t take so much thought and is on a real schedule.”
Counselor
“I’ve heard you mention before that the teaching is something that you really enjoy, and yet you are also talking about the possibility of terminating.”
Client
“Well, I think that really what I’d like more of is what’s calledthe mentor program, where you are kind of a facilitator between the children, the school, and the teachers.”
Identify the counselor response:
Response: Noting a Discrepancy
Intent: Challenge
Focus: Feeling + Behavior
Client
The client is discussing a decision to not move back east with her husband. “What if I am happy being by myself? Yeah, that’s scary, that’s very scary. What if I end up liking it? What if it feels real good to me and I don’t him back full-time?”
Counselor
“You’re talking about being scared but you’re smiling.”
Client
“I’m smiling, I know. (client groans…then laughs) I don’t know what that is about. I think it is kind of a nervousness . . . It is hard to acknowledge that.”
Identify the counselor response:
Response: Noting a Discrepancy
Intent: Challenge
Focus: Feeling + Behavior
When using __________, the counselor tries to help the client make connections between things that provide action oriented insights and perspectives.
noting a connection
When Noting a Connection, the components will ______; when noting a discrepancy, the components will ___.
go together, not
Connections can include similarities between:
- What a client is saying or not saying and the counselor’s perception of what the client is experiencing.
- What the client is saying and what the counselor heard the client say at another time.
- What the client is saying in the session and the client’s actions outside the session.
Client
Over the course of several sessions, the client has made numerous references to how poorly he is treated by other people. He talks about his high stress job and how busy he is.
Counselor
“It seems that there may be a connection between your high stress level and the way you perceive people are treating you.”
Client
(long pause)“…Well…maybe. When I’m under stress, I react to people differently…and I guess that I may not always hear what they are saying to me. I guess I should look at what is going on here.”
Identify the counselor’s response:
Response: Noting a Connection
Intent: Challenge
Focus: Feeling + Behavior
Client
“Well, I drank too much last night and feel terrible this morning. At least I don’t have classes today; I certainly don’t feel like doing any homework. The test I took last week, you know the math test…well I flunked that test. I don’t know what I’m going to do. That’s the second test I’ve flunked.”
Counselor
“I think we need to talk about your drinking and how that affects how you are doing in school.”
Client
“That really scares me. I am not sure I want to talk about it…”
Identify the counselor’s response:
Response: Noting a Connection
Intent: Challenge
Focus: Feeling + Behavior
________ gives the client another view on experiences, feelings, thoughts, behaviors, or the current situation.
Reframing
The intent of reframing is:
to challenge
the client to consider a different perspective.
The focus of reframing is:
any + immediacy
Give some examples of reframing:
- -An experience—“I wonder if this can be seen as an opportunity to make a change.”
- A feeling—“You say anxiety, but another word may be ‘excitement.’”
- A thought—“You say that you haven’t learned anything from this experience, but you have learned to
survive. ”
- A thought—“You say that you haven’t learned anything from this experience, but you have learned to
- A behavior—“This feeling may be a signal to avoid the situation.”
Reframing is an invitation, from the counselor to the client, to _________________.
look at something differently
Though the two are similar, _______ is suggesting an alternative point of view while _________ is sharing the counselor’s own interpretation of what may be the case.
Reframing, Playing a hunch
CLIENT
“I feel very weak admitting how manipulative I am.”
COUNSELOR
“Another way of looking at this is that you are being very courageous to want to admit it.”
Identify the counselor’s response:
RESPONSE: Reframing
INTENT: Challenge
FOCUS: Feeling
CLIENT
“As a child, I learned to shut down my feelings. Now I am confused about how I feel about everything.”
COUNSELOR
“I’d like to suggest your shutting down was a necessary survival response.”
Identify the counselor’s response:
RESPONSE: Reframing
INTENT: Challenge
FOCUS: Feeling
_________ is the art of knowing when to be quiet.
Allowing Silence
The intent of allowing silence is:
any
The focus of allowing silence is:
any
CLIENT
“I don’t know why I get sick…maybe it is the stress in my life, the fast pace…”
COUNSELOR
(silence)
CLIENT
“It is kind of nice to just sit here quietly and rest.”
Identify the counselor’s response:
RESPONSE: Allowing Silence
INTENT: Acknowledge
FOCUS: Experience
CLIENT
“I guess that’s where I’m having a hard time with it…”(The client was discussing difficulty with her job and meeting the needs of her husband.)
COUNSELOR
(silence)
CLIENT
“I’m not really sure where to go from here … but … it seems like I need to figure it out.”
Identify the counselor’s response:
RESPONSE: Allowing Silence
INTENT: Explore
FOCUS: Experience
_________ is defined as “sharing aspects of the self to deepen the relationship and facilitate movement”.
Self-Disclosing
The intent of self-disclosing is:
to acknowledge. In rare cases, to challenge
The focus of self-disclosing is:
any
When self-disclosing, it is critical that the counselor keep the focus _________, even though the counselor is
sharing personal information.
on the client
CLIENT
“I feel like an imposter. Everyone in the internship group knows what to do except me. I should never have come to graduate school.”
COUNSELOR
“When I started my internship, I felt the same way. I was sure that I was the only person that felt this way. But I learned that everyone felt this way at first.”
Identify the counselor response:
RESPONSE: Self-Disclosing
INTENT: Challenge
FOCUS: Feeling
CLIENT
“I failed my comprehensive exams, and now I have to take them again. Oh well, that’s just the way it goes!”
COUNSELOR
“You know, when I fail exams, I get very upset as well.”
Identify the counselor response:
RESPONSE: Self-Disclosing
INTENT: Challenge
FOCUS: Feeling
