Final Exam Flashcards
what is paraphrasing?
reflection of content
a miniature version of the client’s story
steps of paraphrasing
- Listening carefully to the client’s story
- Feeding back the client a condensed, nonjudgmental version of the facts and thoughts
o Finding the important information in a large volume of client material and repeating it back in a succinct summary
o Keep the paraphrase short.
characteristics of evocative responses
- Particular (specific)
- Subjective (how the client feels in the situation not how the helper is feeling)
- Connotative (associative, suggestive, and metaphoric language)
define evocative
what moved you, grabbed you, feeling poignant
what is the nonjudgemental listening cycle
- A repeating series of basic helping skills
- A way of conceptualizing a normal or average helping session during which you use the most common building blocks
- the model gives you a pathway of what is could look like to engage in the skills while going through one of these non-judgemental listening cycles
- You are not held hostage to follow these exact steps, it is just an example of what it could look like
- The nonjudgmental listening cycle never goes away; it is the default position of any helper when a new topic is introduced
define positive regard
the ability to suspend judgement and accept a person regardless of his or her actions.
how do novice helpers compare to expeirenced helpers when using the NLC
- Beginning helpers generally have more and smaller listening circles because they cover a greater number of topics in less depth. More experienced helpers have fewer and bigger circles because they explore a small number of topics in more depth
what are the reasons for reflecting
- Communicates to the client that you recognize the emotional background of the story
- Involves listening and then expressing in one’s own words the emotions stated or implied by the client
- Verbally communicates empathy
- Confirms or corrects what client is saying
- Stimulates further exploration of client’s experience
- Captures relevant aspects of client’s message that may have remained camouflaged
- Kind of like a mirror because you are reflecting their experience back to them.
- Provides genuine relief from emotional pressure
- Reflection captures important aspects of the client’s message that otherwise might remain camouflaged
what are the common problems in paraphrasing
- Difficulty hearing story because of “Noise”
o Noise in your head
o Mental noise - Worrying about what to say next
o Remember that your job is to respond to the last thing the client said rather than stimulate a new topic or ask a question
o Shift your attention to the client because it is too difficult to think of two or more things at once - Bring “too much” on the side of the client (siding with the client)
o People tend to side with their client, because you show unconditioned positive regard. You could be reinforcing their own beliefs that might not be really true
o Want to help the client widen their perspective to change their behaviour, not narrow their perspective - Being judgmental of the client
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define emotional intelligence
the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions
o The ability to recognize and express another person’s feelings can be learned and it has power to deepen the relationship and allow the client to release his or her emotional burdens
when should you state a reflection of feeling
- State the reflection of feeling after 2-3 minutes of talking. But do not wait too long.
steps to reflecting feelings
1. Identify the feelings o Imagine how the client is feeling o nonverbals are major clues o Listening intently to the client 2. Articulate the underlying emotions o Putting the emotion into words o Make a statement that mirrors emotions o Use the appropriate tone of voice to mirror the emotions the individual is experiencing o You feel \_\_\_ 3. Reflect a feeling with a paraphrase o You felt\_\_\_ when\_\_\_\_
common pitfalls with reflection of feeling
- Saying, how did that make you feel?
- Focusing on the wrong person or the wrong topic
- Use the word feel in the place of think
- Undershooting/overshooting
- Parroting
- Letting your reflecting statements go on and on
- Compound response
what is a compound response
o Reflection + question
o It is easier for clients to respond to our next question than sit with the reflection of feeling. But most times, we want them to sit with the feeling
problem with using the word feel in the place of think
o We often use the word feel instead of saying think when it is actually a thought not a feeling
o People often say feel when they are making a statement
o You might believe that you are reflecting feeling but you are really just paraphrasing because the words feel are being confused for the words think
what are the four domains that can be a topic for discussion between a helper and client
- Talking about what is going on inside the client
o Called focusing on the client
o Including their thoughts, feelings, and meanings
o Based on the assumption that the client cannot change others, and it is best to keep bringing the conversation back to the client’s viewpoint and reaction to events even when they complain about others - Talking about the helper
- Talking about the relationship between helper and client
- Talking about external factors such as the environment and other people
what is the Alter ego technique
- An action method for learning to identify feeling is the alter-ego technique from psychodrama
- The alter-ego is asked to imagine the client’s feelings
- The groups will include a client, helper, alter ego
- As the client is taking, the alter- ego will state the emotion the client is expressing. This helps the helper identify the emotion easier and reflect that feeling back.
why do we reflect meaning
- To understand the client at a deeper level
- To lead to deeper self-understanding in the client
- To emphasize that the story is the client’s version
- To push the client to go deeper
- To examine the concept of depth
what is the inner circle strategy
- Sometimes clients have difficulty recognizing that their stories have these deeper layers, and it is useful to challenge them to move form a superficial recounting to the area of personal meanings, secrets, and core beliefs.
- The helper draws a series of concentric circles labeled A, B, C, D, and E
- Most relationships start at E and move toward A
what is the E ring in the inner circle strategy
- At ring e: issues are essentially public and might be discussed with anyone
what is the A ring in the inner circle strategy
contains issues that are very personal
what are the types of summaries
- focusing
- signal
- thematic
- planning
define a focus summary
- Focusing:
o focusing the discussion on the major issues and these, highlights goals.
o Typically, at the start of a session to recap what was talked about during the last session
o Brings the discussion to bear on the major issues and themes, places the spotlight on the client’s responsibility for the problem and reminds the client of the goals
define a signal summary
- Signal:
o middle of session. Ready for the next topic
o tells the client that the helper has digested what has been said and that the session can move on to the next topic.
o If the helper does not summarize occasionally, the client may feel that it is necessary to over an issue several times until full understanding is communicated
o A good time use a signal summary is when the client seems to have come to the end of a story and pauses
define a thematic summary
o notices content patterns and big issues across sessions
o advanced skill because you are making connections across different meaning and different sessions
o is an advanced reflecting skill because It means the helper has to be able to make connections among the content, emotions, and meanings expressed in many client statements or even over many sessions
o often provides new information to the client who may be unaware that the issue is resurfacing so often
o core themes: represent problems that appear in a variety of circumstances
o rather than signaling a transition to a new topic, the thematic summary tends to push clients to an even deeper level of understanding or exploration
o have to know the client for a while
define a planning summary
end of session. Reviews progress in session. Brings closure and plans next steps
o entails a review of the progress, plans, and agreements made during the session
o brings a sense of closure and ends the session on a hopeful note
which summary type is an advanced reflecting skill
thematic summary
define questioning cycle
an unproductive spiral that occurs when the helper does not follow the NLC but automatically reverts to closed questions when there is a pause in the conversation
how to get out of a questioning cycle
o The way to get out of a questioning cycle is to response to the client’s last statement with a paraphrase or an open question
define open self
known to others and ourselves
define blind self
known to others and not to ourselves
define hidden self
known to us but not to other
define unknown self
nobody knows
what is the idea of therapy
- The idea of therapy is to shrink the blind self
- When we get feedback from the helper, the blind self-shrinks because we become aware of what is blind to us
what is the best condition for therapy
medium confrontation and high support
what happens in high confrontation and low support
o Self-examination: low
o Trust: low
o Topics discussed: very superficial
what happens in low confrontation and low support
o Self-examination: low
o Trust: low to moderate
o Topics discussed: superficial
what happens in high confrontation and high support
o Self-examination: high
o Trust: moderate to high
o Topics discussed: deeper if the confrontation is not too high
what happens in low confrontation and high support
o Befriending
o The client is probably encouraged to maintain his or her current behaviour
o Self-examination: low
o Trust: high
o Topics discussed: moderately deeper if confrontation is not too low
what are the worst conditions for helping
high confrontation/low support/trust
what does the ratio between support and challenging effect
the clients willingness to trust the helper, to discuss either deeper or more superficial topics, explore their own thoughts, feelings, motives and actions
what is the primary goal of challenging
to empower clients by encouraging them to explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours and to take steps toward their dreams and goals
when to challenge
- Self-misinformation (I know I will do badly on the test)
- Mistaken ideas and belief (I have to be perfect)
- Misinterpreting others’ actions (ie. Mind reading)
o Common mistake among couples.
o When a client acts on assumptions without confirming them
o Ex. I could tell by your actions he did not want to date me anymore - Blaming others vs self (ie. Blaming your boss for your work mistake)
- Inconsistent thoughts, feelings, behaviour, values
- Not operating according to their own values
- Not working on goals
how to give feedback
- Use “I” messages
- Stick to behaviours, not personality traits
- Specific, concrete, nonjudgmental
- Ask permission if appropriate
- Offer feedback tentatively
- Give 1-2 pieces at a time
- Don’t forget to give feedback that emphasizes client’s strengths
- Follow up afterward to process
define discrepancy
an inconsistency, a mixed message, or a conflict among a client’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours