NCE/Comp Study Guide (from peers) Flashcards
The helper is to
listen, act ethically, maintain confidentiality, maintain responsibility for the outcome, disregard being liked/disliked by the client
Characteristics of a counseling relationship
Mutual liking, or at least, respect
Purpose of the relationship is the resolution of client’s issues
Sense of teamwork
Safety, trust, honest disclosure from client
Honest feedback
Compensation agreement for the helper
Comprehension that this relationship is confined to sessions only
Can be terminated any time, as contracted
What clients want out of a counseling relationship
Teaching of a technique
Consistent nonverbal communication
Appropriate self-disclosure
Good listening skills
Strength-building
Emphasized client’s understanding and expertise on themself
Counselor was open to criticism
Validation and support
Good first impressions
Humor, when appropriate
Normalization of feelings, when appropriate
Counselor explained the therapy process
Nonjudgmental space
Roadblocks to counseling relationship (“dirty dozen”)
Ordering, directing, commanding → “Do this”, “Stop that”
Warning, admonishing, threatening → “You better do this or else”
Moralizing, preaching, imploring → “I wish you would do this”
Giving advice, suggestions, or solutions → “It would be best if you did this”
Persuading logic, lecturing, arguing → “Do you realize that..?”, “Here’s the right way”
Judging, criticizing, disagreeing, blaming → “You’re not thinking straight”, “That’s a stupid thing to say”
Praising, agreeing, approving → “You have so much potential”
Name-callin, ridiculing, shaming → “You really goofed on that one!”
Interpreting, analyzing, diagnosing → “You’re just jealous”, “What you really need is…”
Reassuring, sympathizing, consoling, supporting → “It’s not that bad”, “Things will get better”
Probing, questioning, interrogating → “Why’d you do that?”, “Who told you to do that?”
Distracting, diverting, kidding → “Think about the positives!”
Active listening
a way of attending and encouraging without intruding on the client’s telling of the story
7 most common nonverbal communications:
Eye contact
Body position → it’s suggested to lean your torso slightly forward, but not your limbs and do not cross your arms or legs
Silence → the social expectation to continue talking might prompt the client to open up more; do not use this when a client is experiencing anxiety or anger or any symptoms of a psychotic disorder
Voice tone → calm, empathetic; can mirror the client’s emotion
Facial expressions and gestures → occasional head nodding and non-distracting hand movements
Physical distance → avoid physical barriers (e.g., desks)
Touching → should be appropriate to the situation, shouldn’t impose a greater level of intimacy than the client can handle, and shouldn’t communicate a negative message
Encouragers:
words that the helper uses to support the client’s courage to confide in them
Door openers
a noncoercive invitation to talk, initiated by the counselor
Open questions
allow more freedom of expression and are seen as more helpful; enhance the therapeutic relationship by not boxing clients in and forcing them to answer
Paraphrase
listen carefully to what the client’s saying and feed it back to them in a condensed, nonjudgmental way; mini version of what the client’s saying; highlights what’s important; not a question
Reflection of feeling
“After that happened, you felt ____ about ____”
Reflection of meaning
“You feel ___ because ___”
Summarizing
help the client make sense of the tangles of thoughts and feelings expressed in session; may include content, major feelings, meaning, issues, themes, future plans
Focusing summaries
intervention that brings the discussion to bear on the major issues/themes, places a spotlight on the client’s responsibility for the problem, and reminds the client of the goals
Signal summaries
in the middle of the session, it tells the client that the counselor has listened to what’s been said and that we can move on to the next topic
Thematic summaries
the counselor has to be able to make connections among the content, emotions, or meanings expressed in many client statements or even over many sessions; pushes clients to an even deeper level of understanding; identification of themes; propose themes tentatively because you want the client to feel comfortable correcting you
Planning summaries
entail a review of the progress, plans, and agreements made during the session; brings a sense of closure
Culturally competent counselors are
actively and consistently trying to understand the worldview of their culturally diverse clients alongside the sociohistorical context where it develops
Multicultural counseling and therapy can be defined as
both a helping role and a process that uses modalities and defines goals consistent with the life experiences and cultural values of clients; recognizes client identities to include individual, group, and universal dimensions, advocates the use of universal and culture-specific strategies and roles in the healing process; and balances the importance of individualism and collectivism in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of client and client systems
Culture
consists of everything people have learned to do, believe, value, and enjoy; total of all the ideals, beliefs, skills, tools, customs/traditions, and institutions into which one is born
Individual oppression
microaggressions, subtle sexism, microassault, microinsult, microinvalidation
Microaggressions
the everyday slights, indignities, putdowns, insults, and invalidations that marginalized group members experience in their day-to-day interactions with well-intentioned people who are often unaware they’ve engaged in an offensive and demeaning manner
Subtle sexism
represents an unequal treatment of women that isn’t recognized by many because it’s deemed “normal” and “common”
Microassault
blatant verbal, nonverbal, or environmental attack intended to convey discriminatory and biased sentiments; related to overt racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism, and religious discrimination; using slurs, requesting not to sit next to someone in particular (e.g., Muslim), deliberately serving disabled patrons last
Microinsult
unintentional behaviors or verbal comments that convey rudeness or insensitivity or demean someone’s racial heritage/identity, gender identity, religion, ability, or sexual orientation identity
Microinvalidation
verbal comments or behaviors that exclude, negate, or dismiss the psychological thoughts, feelings, or experiential reality of a target group; unintentional and usually outside the perpetrator’s awareness
Morals
guiding principles; a person’s standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do. (want to do the “right” thing)
Ethics
specific rules/actions; “a code”; moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity
Basic ethical principles
Confidentiality
Avoid dual Relationships
Consultation with colleagues when in question
Awareness and respect of client’s value system
Strategies to maximize sensitivities to clients values
Become informed of multiple value systems regarding work and family in our society
Become aware of your own values
Be committed to client’s freedom of choice
Respect client’s whose values differ from your own
Consult with others when necessary
Refer when necessary
Ethical Practice for Career Counselors
Offer only services competent to offer
Respect and value individual differences among clients
Maintain confidentiality except in instances of client serious intent to harm others or self
Avoid dual relationships
Assume professional responsibility for clients and refer them for additional mental health services when needed
Your professional obligation to clients, your profession and to society
ASCA and ACA both have specific Ethical Codes for school counselors and counselors to follow
Life-Span Life-Space Approach Theory
Donald Super
Self Concept Implementation: A person chooses to enter an occupation which is most likely to permit self-expression
Differentiation: awareness as a distinctive individual
Identification: awareness of similarities with others
Self concept develops and changes over time
Career decisions reflect our attempts at translating our self- understanding into career terms
People are qualified, by virtue of these characteristics, for a number of occupations.
People differ in their abilities, personalities, needs, values, interests, traits, and self-concepts.
Each occupation requires a characteristic pattern of abilities and personality traits.
The nature of the career pattern is determined by: the individual’s parental socioeconomic level, mental ability, education, skills, personality characteristics, career maturity, opportunities to which he or she is exposed
Life stage development can be through: maturing of abilities and interests, reality testing, development of self-concepts
5 developmental stages—from birth to 65+; growth -> exploration -> establishment -> maintenance -> disengagement
Cycling & recycling: ages and transitions are flexible, can recycle through different stages
Career Maturity: children and adolescents accomplish vocational tasks and depends on vocational stage
Career Adaptability: Adults change in response to life roles and work environments
Life Space –> many life roles, Life roles play out in 4 different theaters (home, school, workplace, and community)
Linda Gottfredson’s Theory
Focused on the importance of gender roles and prestige in making career choices.
Focus on early childhood and adolescence
Focus on how people become attracted to certain occupations
Influence of self-concept
Self-Concept: key factor in career selection; people want jobs compatible with their self-images; SES background, intellectual background and sex-typing influence this
Social space: where someone sees self fitting into society
Compromise: the process of limiting career choices based on prestige, sex type, and field of interest
Circumscription: the process of eliminating unacceptable occupational alternatives based primarily on gender and prestige.
4 Stages of Career Development: Orientation to size and power (3-5) -> Orientation to sex roles (6-8) -> Orientation to social valuation (9-13) -> Orientation to the internal, unique self (14+)
John Holland
4 assumptions: 6 personality types (RIASEC); People search for environments that will let them exercise their skills and abilities, express their attitudes and values, and take on agreeable problems and roles; 6 kinds of environments(RIASEC); bx is determined by interaction b/w personality and the characteristics of the environment
6 Personality and Environment Types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, Conventional
Congruence : the degree of fit b/w an individual’s personality type and current/prospective work environment
Consistency: degree of relatedness b/w types
Vocational identity: possession of a clear and stable picture of one’s goals, interests, and talent
Most practical of the theories we will study
Most researched of all career theories
Gender and culture biased
Rule of Full Exploration—Explore all permutations of the 3 high codes
Rule of Intra-Occupational Variability— Every occupation includes a variety of people and types
Rule of Asymmetrical Distribution of Types and Subtypes—the distribution of Holland codes is uneven
Low flat: Client may be immature or inexperienced; may have lack of involvement in different experiences
High flat: May have wide range of interests and talents
Hansen’s Integrative Life Planning Model
worldview for addressing career development Addresses diversity issues
Focus on social justice issues in society and on adult career development (not a lifespan model)
emphasis on integrating the mind, body, and spirit.
3 main assumptions: Career professionals should help their clients think holistically about their lives; Comprehensive life planning in the 21st century should blend self-knowledge and knowledge about society; Career professionals are agents for positive change.
6 Career Development Tasks Confronting Adults: Finding work that needs doing in changing global contexts; Weaving their lives into a meaningful whole; Connecting family and work; Valuing pluralism and inclusivity; Managing personal transitions and organizational change; Exploring spirituality and life purpose
Narrative Career Counseling (Cochran 1994)
Clients narrate their past and present career development and construct their future.
Focus on meaning-making.
Listen to the clients describe their lives and how they enact work roles.
Career development as a story with the client as author. Client as an agent who is active in plot, not passive.
Constructivist Career Counseling (Kelly, 1995)
Individuals construct or perceive their own reality.
Different individuals construct their view of what’s real.
Client’s derive meaning from their experiences.
Use laddering techniques
Vocational reptest
Vocational card sorts
Interventions framed as “experiments”.
Engages clients in critical self-reflection.
Life Design/Career Construction (Savickas, 2015)
Assists clients with career transitions.
Provides a framework for addressing client concerns.
Core Elements: relationship, reflection, sense-making
Utilize the Career Construction Interview (CCI).
Co-construct counseling goals
CCI = 3 role-models you admired while you were a child, Why were they role-models?, 3 favorite magazines, TV, Websites, Blogs, etc., Favorite story from book or movie, Favorite saying, Early Recollections
What are specialty areas in counseling?
school, mental health/agency, marriage couple and family, addictions, student affairs and college, career, rehabilitation, pastoral
History of counseling profession
gained momentum in the early 1900s (progressive era) -> emerged through vocational guidance movement early 20th century, Frank Parsons -> Freud/psychoanalysis and client-centered/Rogers emerged -> WW2 = demand for counseling services for returning soldiers with trauma -> American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA) helped standardize professional development
Frank Parsons?
founder of the vocational guidance movement
Clifford Beers?
advocated mental health reform, established first mental health clinic in U.S.
Carl Rogers?
developed client-centered therapy
E.G. Williamson?
contributed to trait and factor theory
Qualities of an effective counselor?
empathy, authentic, positive regard/acceptance, mentally healthy person/ability to self-reflect, life-long learner, resilient
What is the reflective practitioner approach?
a method to understand the client and monitor self; being committed to awareness of reactions and reflecting/consultation
What is more important and predictive of success than the theoretical approach being used?
the counseling relationship
