Nonprofessional Counseling and Counseling Microskills Flashcards
What falls under professional counseling?
Mental health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers)
Use their professional training to help patients find ways to solve pervasive life problems
Outside of expertise (marital counseling, substance abuse, DV, depression, etc.)
What falls under nonprofessional counseling?
Deals with present-moment current problems
Strategies for coping with life in the context of current problems (help patient become aware of themselves, beliefs, and feelings)
Within lines of expertise
Problem-centered
Includes supporting parents, family members, and significant others
What is the goal of personal adjustment counseling?
Help patients and families make the practical changes in their lives that will help them develop a more positive adjustment to their own conditions and disabilities, a more positive embracing of the technologies available to them, and a more positive acceptance of the residual communication difficulties they may still experience
When should you refer a patient to a professional counselor?
Unremitting parental guilt over child’s hearing loss
Persistent intolerance of residual communication needs (parents or spouses) - needs not addressed by the amplification
Parent/spouse becomes emotionally withdrawn from patient with hearing loss
Parents/spouses have unrealistically high expectations
How should you recommend professional counseling to a patient?
Referral should come naturally out of the growing relationship
Honesty about need for referral (patient needs help that we are unable to provide; be willing to answer questions and allow patient to explore their emotions)
Consider which terminology to use (counselor vs psychotherapist)
Document
Arrange a follow-up
Is it important to find local resources?
Yes, especially those who are familiar with hearing loss
You can also educate local professionals about hearing loss
Psychologists in schools are a good resource for children with hearing loss
What are counseling microskills that can be used in non-professional counseling?
Establish rapport and trusting relationships (convey unconditional positive regard and empathy)
Active listening
Nonverbal communication
Silence
Empathy
What is active listening?
Full focus and concentrated on patient
Manage your own internal thoughts, dialogue, and distractions
Observe, listen, and note patient behavior before responding
You can paraphrase what you have observed
What is non-verbal communication?
Bidirectional
Facial expressions, paralanguage, eye contact, physical gestures, posture, proximity, and autonomic display
Arrangement of office
Be aware of physical or cognitive conditions that affect nonverbal communication
What is silence used for during an appointment?
Can be used to organize thoughts
Sets a gentle pace
Skill requires getting comfortable with silence
What is empathy?
Understanding or seeking to understand the experience of another while still maintaining you own point of view
Not sympathy or pity
Indicate that you are understanding the patient
What are some empathy statements?
I can see that is really difficult for you
That sounds very frustrating
How terrible
How do you express empathy?
First step is to understand your own feelings
Don’t assume what the other is experiencing
Check that you are accurately reflecting back the emotion (don’t assume) - “correct me if I’m wrong, let me make sure I understand, is that right”
