Helping Relationship Lesson 2

Question 1

Identify and categorize the components and purpose of the microskills hierarchy.

Answer 1

During lesson 1, you learned about “intentionality”: acting with a sense of capability and deciding from among a range of alternative actions, thoughts, and behaviors in responding to changing life situations. Given this definition, you learned that intentional interviewing refers to when one interviews (or helps) in such a way (including information gathering, problem solving and advice giving) that demonstrates clear reasoning and a clear intention. Microskills are the foundation of intentional interviewing.
The microskills hierarchy provides a structure for how to think about the many components and skills that contribute to intentional interviewing and becoming an effective counselor. Starting from the bottom, one way to think of this model is the successive steps (or building blocks) whereby each level represents important skills that a helper (counselor) must have in his/her arsenal in order to operate with intentionality and work towards applying the higher order helping skills found on the steps above. You should refer to your text (pages 10-11) to read a more detailed summary of the steps represented on the figure seen here.

Question 2

Microskills Continued

Answer 2

Overall, as you develop the skills represented on the image above, the ultimate goal is to become a confident, effective helper who has an understanding and awareness of their personal style of helping and thus, acts with intentionality within the helping relationship. In other words, the bottom of the triangle (or the bottom of the model) addresses the foundational skills that are necessary to have in place in order to support the skills and components that rest upon it. Taken together, this arsenal generates and informs one’s personal helping style therefore allowing them to approach helping relationships and apply skills and techniques with intentionality.

Question 3

multicultural approach

Answer 3

Overall, during lesson 1 you read about how a multicultural approach to counseling allows helpers to examine their own beliefs, attitudes, and biases as they relate to diverse groups. Furthermore, you read how a good helper will aim to approach all of their helping interactions with cultural sensitivity and awareness. In order to be able to be an effective helper, one should have the awareness and knowledge to be able to approach helpees (clients) as individuals as well as members of diverse groups as no two individuals are exactly alike and every individual is entitled to be treated with respect and understanding relative to their unique needs and circumstances. Experiences, cultures, beliefs, and attitudes vary greatly – understanding this is essential to entering the helping field. As such, multicultural competence is a foundational component critical to establishing a helping relationship that will be effective and successful for the individuals involved and is a primary step in developing one’s personal helping style.

Question 4

multicultural awarness overview

Answer 4

During lesson 1, you learned about the components of building multicultural awareness. Here, you should now also understand why multicultural competence is a key, foundational element of helping. Nevertheless, you should also note that multicultural competence does not stand alone as the foundation of helping – it is paired with ethics.

Question 5

Why are ethics important

Answer 5

All major helping professions have codes outlining guidelines for ethical practice.
Ethical guidelines:
* Help keep good practice by establishing ground rules and expectations for individuals working in a specific field.
* Protect clients (or helpees).
* Enhance professions by putting forth a set of standards that will be expected and enforced.
Once you join a professional association or enter a field of work, make sure you are aware of the code of ethics that governs your specific area of work. Also make sure you know which code of ethics your office or agency uses as well.

Question 6

First three ethical considerations

Answer 6

competence, confidentiality, informed consent and power

Question 7

competence

Answer 7

Not everyone is fully equipped to handle all the different kind of problems that potential helpees will present – and that is okay. Ethically, it is your responsibility as a helper to learn about and know yourself – and know your limits. You should know who you are and what kinds of problems will you be able to handle and help a helpee with. If you want to begin to see a certain type of client (e.g., rape victim, someone who suffers from substance abuse issue, victim of spousal abuse, etc.) then you will need to get training for that particular kind of treatment. You should be equipped and prepared to address the problems that you agree to take on. If you find yourself in a situation that is outside your comfort zone or your area of knowledge or expertise, you also need to be aware of this and know how to proceed. It is important you know how to - and are willing to - refer clients when you can no longer treat them effectively.
a helper should come to the position and the helping relationship with a specific set of skills appropriate to the setting. Someone who is not equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to help should not be working in a helping profession. In other words, you will not be able to be a good helper if you are not appropriately equipped. Furthermore, not every helper is equipped for every situation. Perhaps there are some subjects or areas in which an otherwise excellent helper is not knowledgeable about. That is okay. Not everyone can be an expert and competent in every area. The key to ethics is recognizing when you (a helper) are outside of your comfort zone. If this occurs, the best helper will acknowledge this area of weakness and work to refer a helpee/client to someone who is more equipped to help them given the specific circumstances.

Question 8

Power

Answer 8

It is important for a helper to recognize that naturally, a client or helpee is in a position of lesser power than the helper – after all, the helpee has come to you for help/assistance. It is important to have an awareness of that power differential and even talk about it in session. It is important that a helper make sure to explain why interactions of a different nature (e.g., friendly) outside of the helping relationship are not appropriate given the helper/helpee relationship. Such dual relationships can be a recipe for disaster and potentially harmful to the parties involved. As such, to protect a client/helpee, helpers should keep an eye toward this natural distribution of power and strive to respect the boundaries of the specific relationship in order to protect themselves and the helpee.

Question 9

informed consent

Answer 9

In the helping (or, counseling) field, informed consent is very important. It is important that a potential helpee be made aware of all considerations when entering a helping relationship. In effect, informed consent allows individuals to make decisions with all the information. For instance, if you are still in training, a helpee should know that and be given the opportunity to make an informed decision about their level of comfort with entering the helping relationship with someone still in training. Furthermore, if you, as a helper would like to consult with someone else (e.g. a medical practitioner, etc.) the helpee should be informed of this and be given the opportunity to grant permission as appropriate. The keys to informed consent are respect and openness. An individual should be given the appropriate information at all times to be able to make an informed decision.

Question 10

confidentiality

Answer 10

In the simplest terms, confidentiality guidelines govern that whatever is shared/said in a session (a meeting between a helper and helpee) needs to stay in session. In other words, the helper is not at liberty to share information a helpee (client) shares in a session with anyone outside the helping relationship. Confidentiality frees the client to talk about personal material without the fear that what they say might be repeated to others who will use that information against them or will think less of them as a result.

Question 11

Exce

Question 12

Exceptions to the rules of confidentiality

Answer 12

suspected child abuse, harm to self or others

Question 13

additional considerations regarding confidentiality

Answer 13

Furthermore, it is important to note that confidentiality does not only refer to what is shared in a session or in therapy, but also pertains to the simple fact that a helpee or client is involved in therapy or any kind of helping relationship with you at all. For instance, it is common practice that counselors do not acknowledge knowing their clients if they run into them outside of the helping relationship (outside of a session) in an effort to protect client confidentiality. Additionally, you should not leave revealing information on a client’s voicemail. In fact, you should seek client permission before leaving any information at all on voicemail as you never know who else may have access to such information wherein this could reveal that they are in fact a client of yours.

Question 14

What happens if confidentiality is broken outside of the appropriate, designated situations?

Answer 14

confidentiality is in place to protect the integrity of the helping relationship. When a client is ensured confidentiality, they can feel more ease that they can be open and honest without repercussions outside of the helping relationship. Beyond this, confidentiality is an ethical standard upheld by most (if not all) ethical guidelines or licensing boards relative to those in helping professions (e.g., counseling, therapy, etc.). As such, if you become a licensed therapist, breaking confidentiality outside of the designated situations in which it is appropriate can result in you getting in trouble with your licensing board (e.g. probation, revocation of license) or being sued by a client. Even if you are not licensed, you should refer to the ethical guidelines/principles of your specific area of work/profession as most have specific guidelines addressing issues of confidentiality and expectations for you as an individual working in the field. Inappropriate release of confidential information can not only have severe repercussions for you, as the helper, but may also cause harm to the client. Imagine you share some information that, in the wrong hands, results in the client being harassed, losing a job, or having someone’s opinion of them change. As a helper you should, as medical doctors are told, first – do no harm. Taken together, you should be well acquainted with the guidelines put forth by the ethical principles upheld by your specific field of work/profession and strive to maintain confidentiality to protect yourself, the client, and the integrity of the helping relationship

Question 15

Identify and describe skills that can communicate attending in a helping relationship and why they are important. First, there are the basic listening skills that are critical to establish a relationship between a helper and helpee (client). The basic listening skills include:

Answer 15

Attending (Focusing and Following)
Reflection of Feeling and Content
Effective Inquiry (Open and Closed Questions)
Summarizing
Next, there are higher order skills which include skills like:

Focusing
Reflection of Meaning & Reframing
Influencing Skills and Strategies (e.g., Immediacy, Confrontation, Self-disclosure, & Information giving)
How will you build your skills?

Question 16

If a helper is attending they are doing

Answer 16

• Encouraging the helpee to talk:
  It is important that a helpee feels they are in a safe, open environment where they feel comfortable sharing. One way a helper can help to establish this comfort is by applying subtle strategies which encourage a helpee to talk and share. Things like body posture, nodding, and asking simple questions which demonstrate interest can go a long way to encourage someone to talk.
• Giving a helpee one’s undivided attention:
  Have you ever been trying to converse or share something with someone and felt like they weren’t completely focused on what you were saying? Perhaps your significant other was cooking dinner while you were trying to tell them about your day or something that bothered you at work? In a helping relationship, it is important that the helper give their undivided focus to the helpee.
• Letting the helpee know that you are listening:
  How does a helpee know that you are with them and they have your undivided attention? There are strategies a helper can use to communicate to a helpee that they are listening. For instance, a helper may nod to communicate that they are hearing and listening to what is being said.
• Being with a helpee:
  Beyond providing undivided attention, a helpee should feel a helper is with them – in the sense that they are not just hearing what they are saying, but they are also understanding and bringing thoughtfulness to the information being shared. Here, it is not enough for a helper to hear, but the helpee should also feel like the helper is in the moment with them.
• Paying attention to what an individual is saying and doing:
  Have you ever been in a situation where you could almost tell how a person was feeling based on their body language? As a helper, you should focus on what a helpee is saying, but also how they are communicating in other ways. Does the helpee look comfortable or uncomfortable? Open or closed off? Is he/she tapping their foot or fingers? Body language can often enhance how a message is communicated or communicate something that is not being said. A helper should pay attention to non-verbal cues.

Question 17

non verbal cues

Answer 17

eye contact, non verbal behaviors, verbal following, silences

Question 18

eye contact

Answer 18

In general, eye contact is considered a signal that one individual in an interaction is paying attention to the person speaking. For instance, you may recall times in school when an instructor asked the class to give their full attention to a speaker – in effect, the instructor was asking for everyone to look up and focus their eyes on the person delivering information. While staring at someone is not appropriate, generally, it is acceptable and ideal to maintain consistent and regular eye contact with someone with whom one is conversing – this is the same in a helper/helpee situation.
With that said, it is still always important to consider how culture plays into expectations for eye contact. In some cultures, maintaining eye contact is considered a sign of disrespect. As such, when working with a helpee, a helper should do their best to consider how cultural influences may impact the amount and appropriateness of eye contact – or how that would be interpreted and received. All the same, a helper should also consider this when interpreting how a helpee does or does not approach eye contact with them. Sometimes, helpers may misinterpret or misunderstand a lack of eye contact as resistance which is why it is important to consider culture. For example, Native American populations tend to avoid eye contact altogether when talking about important things – as this is culturally acceptable to them. Furthermore, traditional Asian cultures often interpret maintained eye contact as a sign of disrespect, especially when eye contact is maintained with someone who is older or in a position of authority. A skilled helper should strive to be aware of and learn to respect cultural difference in expectations for eye contact. Additionally, the skilled helper will strive to interpret helpee behaviors in the context of their own culture.

Question 19

non verbal behaviors

Answer 19

• Posture:
  A helper should sit straight and face a helpee. A helper should not slouch as this could communicate disinterest. Rather, by sitting straight and facing a helpee, a helper is communicating that he/she is there with the helpee and ready to listen.
• Arms:
  A helper should use gestures in moderation as gestures can communicate openness. However, a session with a helpee is not the time to be excitable. A helper should be calm and level headed, so as to facilitate the helpee in sharing. As such, the helper should communicate this by not using too many gestures, and especially not over the top, exclamatory gestures. It is not uncommon for beginning helpers to struggle with the over use of hand gestures. If you find you struggle with this, you may consider practicing by sitting on your hand. Over time, you will become most accustomed to interacting and speaking without the overuse of gestures.
• Facial Expressions:
  Facial expressions can communicate a lot. Consider the image below; you can likely identify the feeling associated with the many expressions. In a helping setting, a helper’s expressions should communicate openness and interest. Expressions should also be appropriate. It is okay to use facial expressions to communicate that you are following and understanding the emotion associated with the information being shared by a helpee. All the same, a helper should aim to stay away from overly exclamatory expressions. Rather, the helper should focus on matching their expressions to level and type of emotion being shared by a helpee.

Question 20

verbal following

Answer 20

Verbal following is also an important attending skills which lets an individual know that you are hearing and following what they are saying and sharing. Three strategies are outlined below:
* Correct Use of Tone of Voice:
Do you use rapid speech or talk too quickly? Perhaps you have had too much coffee today? Stumbling over words, talking to quickly, or tightness of voice can all signal uncertainty or stress. On the other hand, slow, quiet speech can also communicate uncertainty or inattentiveness. A helper should strive to use paced, clear language and at an appropriate volume to communicate that he/she is following the story being shared by the helpee. A soft, warm voice can help to foster comfort for the helpee.
* Staying on Topic:
It is a helper’s job to help the helpee to stay on topic. Furthermore, a helper staying on topic shows that the helper is in fact with the helpee.
* Relating to Previous Topics:
When a helpee is speaking, he/she may be focused on sharing such that he/she is not necessarily aware of how all the pieces are fitting together. By relating information the helpee shares, this demonstrates that a helper is paying attention to what is being said, but also helps the helpee to see how aspects of the information they are sharing are tied to one another. As such, tying together pieces of information help to showcase attentiveness and foster thoughtfulness.

Question 21

silences

Answer 21

• Sometimes silences can seem uncomfortable at first, but, sometimes people need time to collect their thoughts. Sometimes, you may need time to collect your thoughts. A good helper should learn to be comfortable with silences. Silences do not need to be filled. Silence is a form of communication and should be honored as such. With that said, silences should be used in moderation. When a helpee comes to a helper, he/she is there to work through something. Part of working through that thing may include silent moments to reflect and think, but it should also include sharing and talking. Silences should be appreciated and enacted in moderation.

Question 22

Attend to culture

Answer 22

• While all the strategies described above are aspects of attending, remember to be aware of how there are appropriately applied while considering culture. For instance, recall that in some cultures eye contact is considered inappropriate or disrespectful. Furthermore, although body language such as leaning forward may communicate interest in some cultures, it may be considered an invasion of personal space in others. Additionally, direct verbal follow up may be viewed as rude in some cultures but encouraged and accepted in others. Overall, a good helper should always aim to be culturally sensitive and apply approaches appropriate for the individuals they meet with.

Question 23

seven phases of the helping relationship

Answer 23

Development, inventory, priority, goal formulation, action plan formulation, action, termination

Question 24

Phase 1 Development

Answer 24

initiation of helping relationship getting to know you. Purpose/Goals:
* Initiate a working relationship
* Helper and helpee discuss expectations and parameters for the helping relationship.
* Get to know the client
* Helper should work to discover the helpee’s problems or concern (collect the information).
What Does It Look Like?
During this first (or, initiation) phase, the helper will work to provide structure to the helping relationship and the session(s) by giving the client (or helpee) a sense of what to expect. The helper will explain how the sessions will work and any expectations. For instance, the helper might explain how long sessions will be, how to schedule sessions ongoing, the parameters of confidentiality agreements, what to expect about how the interaction will be structured, etc. During this phase, the helper will also focus on getting to know the client (or helpee) by asking questions to get an idea why the client (or helpee) has come to counseling. Here, it is important that the helper get a clear sense of the issues that are relevant to the helpee.

Question 25

Phase 2 inventory

Answer 25

understanding the problems/concerns : Purpose/Goals:
* To develop a more focused and facilitative relationship
* To agree on a definition of the helpee’s (client) specific problems or concerns.
* Facilitate choosing a problem to focus on
What Does It Look Like?
During this phase, the helper works to define the problem so that the helping relationship can be focused and effective moving forward. In other words, after the “getting to know you” phase has ended, phase two is when the helper helps to facilitate getting down to business. The helper and helpee will agree upon the focus and direction that should be taken. During this phase, the helper will ask specific questions about issues the client brings up and probe to understand how the client is feeling and experiencing the circumstances described.

Question 26

Phase 3 : Priority: prioritizing what’s important

Answer 26

Purpose/Goals:
* To maintain/continue the relationship and assess the need for further action.
* To establish priority for problems discussed (e.g. what is the most urgent problem?)
What Does It Look Like?
During this phase, now that the helper and helpee have agreed about what problems exist and explored those briefly, the two will work together to figure out the priorities of what should be discussed. For instance, what is the most urgent problem? What seems to be upsetting or troubling the client the most? Here, the helper should gently help the client to realize their own priorities.

Question 27

Phase 4 Formulation: translate problems/concerns into goals to address problems/concern

Answer 27

Purpose/Goals:
* Sum up priorities
* Translate problems into goals
* Set small, realistic steps for goals
What Does It Look Like?
At this point in the helping relationship, the helper and client (helpee) have developed a shared understanding of the pressing issues. During Phase 3: Priority, the two worked together to identify the priorities. Now, the helper will work to help the client (helpee) translate problems into goals. Together, the helper and client (helpee) will discuss the ways the problems can be redefined to become attainable goals. In other words, you (the helper) now know what the problems are – now you need to address what can be done (or change) about it.

Question 28

Phase 5: Action Plan Formulation: generate a plan of action to achieve goals

Answer 28

Purpose/Goals:
* Acknowledge the client’s (helpee) responsibility to take action
* Generate plans of action to address specific goals
What Does It Look Like?
During this phase, the helper should make sure that the helpee understands his/her own responsibility to set and achieve the goals discussed during the previous phase. The helper and helpee (client) will work together to develop a plan of action for each goal discussed. The helper and helpee (client) should discuss a variety of action steps and determine which one is optimal in order for the helpee (client) to achieve their goal. Action plans should be specific. When an action plan is generated, it should address who is involved, what they are doing, where they are doing it, when they are doing it, and how it will be done. The helper and helpee (client) should also discuss what could come out of effective action taking – in other words, what would the outcome look like? Potential obstacles should also be discussed. For instance, are there things that could get in the way of effective execution of the action plan?

Question 29

Phase 6: Action : implement action plan

Answer 29

Purpose/Goals:
* Helper helps client implement action
* Helper helps client to develop plans for after the helping relationship has ended
What Does It Look Like?
Now that goals have been identified and action plans have been made, during Phase 6: Action, the helper’s primary duty is to help the client to implement the best action plan. Secondly, the helper should work during this phase to help the client to develop new ways of thinking or behaving and methods to maintain those new behaviors after the helping relationship has ended. In other words, the helper should work to make sure the client (helpee) will be okay and have the necessary tools to move forward after the helping relationship has ended.

Question 30

Phase 7 Termination: conclude helping relationship

Answer 30

Purpose/Goals:
* To end the helping relationship
* To leave the helping relationship open for reinitiating if/when necessary
What Does It Look Like?
Now that the helper has worked with the client (helpee) to make sure they have goals, an action plan, as well as the necessary tools and skills to move forward independently, the helping relationship is coming to an end. During this final phase of the helping relationship, the relationship ends, but the door is left open for that relationship to be revisited if/when the client feels it should be. In other words, the helper should send the client (helpee) out into the world once the goals are achieved, but recognize that there may be other issues or goals to achieve as time goes on.

Question 31

navigating the phases of the helping relationship

Answer 31

You have now read about the seven phases of the helping relationship. You may be wondering about how much time each phase takes or how many iterations each phase goes through. It is important to remember that these phases can be used to structure a single helping session with a client as well as to structure the entire course of a helping or counseling relationship. Additionally, although these phases seem ordered, they do not necessarily have to be. Once you start onto the track of a helping relationship, you do not have to keep on going straight through the phases until you hit the end. Although you need to finish one phase to continue to the next, you may find yourself doubling back as you may realize you are not working on the problem. For instance, you may find yourself (as the helper) wanting to go back and collect more information. As another example, during the action phase you may find that an action plan fails and you need to revisit the goals and plan formulation.