Chapter 12: Counseling Principles And Skills Flashcards
What is an important requirement of HIV counsellors
Compassion for another person’s struggle to live beyond the confines of disease and the willingness and commitment to walk with the patient
What is counseling
It a facilitative process in which a counselor within the framework of a special helping relationship uses specific skills to assist clients to develop self knowledge emotional acceptance emotional growth and personal resources
It involves addressing and working through specific problems making decisions managing crises dealing with feelings and resolving inner conflict
Aim is to:
Manage clients problems more effectively and develop unused opportunity to cope more fully
Become empowered so that they can become effective self helpers in their everyday lives.
What is humanism
Is a psychological school of thought which is a psychological and philosophical view that emphasizes the value of human beings established by Carl Rogers.
What is the role of a counselor
To have a focus around client in terms of
Affective (emotions and feelings)
Cognitive (understanding and thinking)
Behaviour ( actions
Combination of the 3
Counselors role is to help improve the life of the client by managing their problems make life changing choices and to cope with problems that will come in the future.
Mention some values ethics and attitudes of a counselor
Respect for client
Open and sincere attitude towards client
Belief in clients pursuit for growth
Respect for observing confidentiality
Sensitivity for client diversity
How does a counselor show clients respect
Accept client by showing unconditional positive regard which which means that irrespective of the clients values or behaviour the client is put ahead of the counselor.
Respect the clients rights
Do not judge.
How does a counselor show genuineness and congruence
Be themselves, sincere
Be honest
Be realistic
Treat clients equally
Know your own strengths and weaknesses
Develop self awareness
Explore concept of empowerment and self responsibility
Counselling is the desire to empower clients to take responsibility for themselves which can be done by:
Believe in your clients pursuit of growth self actualisation and self determination
Believe in clients ability to change
Share helping process with clients
Comment on confidentiality
Without permission of client a counselor may not under any circumstances disclosure HIV status or any info to anyone which is an expression of counselor respect for client.
What is diversity sensitivity
Refers to the counsellors ability to be aware of unsaid nuances of different cultures that have shaped the clients sexual behaviour and outlook on matters of sexuality.
What does ADDRESSING mean
A= age D= disabilities acquired D= disabilities development R= religion E= ethnicity S= social status S= sexual orientation I= indigenous heritage N= nationality G= gender
What are the four fundamental questions
Question 1: what is going on in my life
Counselors help clients identify and overcome blindspots that prevent them from seeing reality
Question 2: what do I need or want
Counselors help clients discover and commit themselves to what they need and want for a better future.
Question 3: how do I get what I want
Counselors help clients to realise that there are numerous ways to achieve goals and help them choose one that best fits their resource. They should help clients organise actions into simple achievable plans
Question 4: how do I make this happen?
Counselors encourage client to act in small ways from start to work on transition from current to preferred results.
What are the 4 phases of counselling
Establishing a working relationship between client
Helping clients to tell their story
Developing an increased understanding of the problem
Intervention
Explore phase 1 relationship building
To establish an open and trusting relationship where client feels safe enough to address personal issues and disclose information. The first step in relationship building is defining the relationship objectives process and parameters.
Establishing a therapeutic context
Provide physical settings for therapeutic relationship
Introduce yourself process and context
Important skills include. Listening skills Observation skills Attending skills Tracking skills Being responsive to the emotional tone of clients Trust building
Explore phase 2 helping clients tell their story
This phase determines the counselor understanding of the clients world and also called the info gathering phase because counselor may spend time finding out about the client present and desired scenario so that both understand the problems and can think about plans for intervention
Supportive client centred helping means that the needs of the clients are central and that ultimately purpose of the process is to identify and implement actions that will improve client situations
Active benevolent curiosity depends on counselor observations questioning and probing.
Counselors can
Refrain from suggesting solutions or providing answers
Deal with multiple levels of understanding
Involve context in enquiry
Focus on processes over time.
Counselling skills include: Accurate empathy Genuineness Respect Concreteness Minimal verbal response Question and probes
Explore phase 3 developing an increased understanding of problem
Is to gain a deeper understanding of the problem and to form the basis for specific action. Counselors need to look beyond info gained in phase 2 by intensive listening and reflection of feeling
Counselors can do so by
Help clients overcome blindspots
Help clients identify issues
Help clients make sense of their own world
Skills include Advanced accurate empathy Summarizing Partialising Clarifying Questioning Feedback or challenging Immediacy
Explore phase 4 intervention or action
Explore intervention options to help take action to manage problem.
Role of counselor is to give supportive client centred counseling where counselor functions as a change agent by facilitating process where client sees a better future sets realistic goals and decides on methods of achieving them
Skills include
Non directive counseling skills
More directive stance
Problem solving skills
What is the problem solving model
Defining the problem
Brainstorming
Weighing up solutions
Selection of solutions
Making an action plan
Taking action
Review
What are the communication skills needed by counselors
Attending: refers to way in which counselor is with clients physically and psychological.
Listening refers to ability of counselor to capture and understand the messages client communicate which can be verbal non verbal clear or vague.
Listen to verbal message
Listening to non verbal messages eg body language.
Listening in context
Listening with empathy
Problems to effective listening Inadequate or on off listening Evaluative listening Filtered listening Labels as filters Fact rather than person centred listening Rehearsing
Empathising: involves listening to clients understanding them their concerns and communicate this understanding to them.
Formula for basic empathy
You feel
Experience behaviour and feeling as elements of empathy
Principles of basic empathy
Ineffective empathy is when No response Distracting questions Clichés Interpretation Advice Parroting sympathy and agreement Confrontation and argument
How to show empathy
Give time to think
Use short response.
Gear your response to clients
Probing: when counselor uses questions or statement that helps clients to explore more fully and relevant issues.
This helps clients: remain focused on relevancy.
Help identify experience
-use mix of statement, questions and interjections
Clarifying: used to ensure that counselor understand client correctly.
Reflective commenting and summarizing : used to mirror or reflect back to client exactly what they have said
List some advanced communication skills
Advanced empathy: encourage client to explore new themes issues emotions that involves message behind message or story behind the scenes.
It helps clients make the implied explicit
Helps clients identify themes in story.
Avoid negativity and blaming.
Help clients make connections
Share hunches with clients
Immediacy: the skill of communicating what is happening in the counselling relationship while it's happening.useful when \+ Session is directionless \+ Tension \+ Trust issues \+ Diversity \+ Dependency \+Counter dependency \+ Attractions
Helper self disclosure: skill where counselor share info about own feelings experience or behaviour with clients that’s appropriate constructive and helpful
Info sharing suggestions and recommendations: include giving info and correcting misinformation
What are referral skills
Manner in referring a client to another professional to meet their needs better
How do counselors keep records
Records includes
Client details
Description of clients emotional state
Summary of main points of session
Any info that will help in sessions to come.
What are the similarities between traditional healing and western psychotherapy
- emphasize building a relationship based on trust
- Aim at personality integration
- Highlight importance of expressing feeling
- Rely on communication skills
What are the differences between traditional healing and western psychotherapy
Traditional healing is symbolic and integrally part of African cosmology. Western approach based on scientific and logical principles
The healer’s approach is directive giving advice by functioning as mouthpiece of ancestors. Western counselling based on principles that client must take responsibility for own actions
Traditional healing emphasize unity of body and mind. Western counselling gives psychological domain preference
