Regulating skills & Differentiating skills

Question 1

what are 2 kinds of regulating skills

Answer 1

1 - situation clarification = ability to recognise and discuss ambiguities/misunderstandings –> requires meta-communication; discuss aspects of the convo that just occurred/what is about to happen/what is happening
2 - thinking aloud = explain to the client about both your conclusions and your thoughts and your considerations leading up to them –> can be especially helpful when you don’t know what to do next

Question 2

In which 3 situations can situation clarification be helpful

Answer 2

• A situation in which the client finds it very hard to talk about problems.
• A situation in which the client jumps from one subject to another.
• A dialogue that goes round and round in circles and never seems to get anywhere

Question 3

what are 4 functions of thinking aloud

Answer 3

• client gets to know what’s on the helper’s mind which reduces anxiety
• helper avoids getting stumped/stuck themselves
• to get acquainted with the client’s frame of reference and gives an example for the client to do the same
• advances joint cooperation → greater chance at finding a joint solution

Question 4

what are 5 kinds of differentiating skills

Answer 4

1. advanced accurate empathy = showing accurate understanding of what is said, bringing out the hidden things and listening keenly
   → listening to the context of the story, the tone of voice and making connections between different parts of the story
2. confrontation = more pronounced form of AAE, helper uses interpretations that are quite distant from the client’s frame of reference, giving a response to client’s view that is different from that of the client
   → should be presented in a quiet, professional, tentative and especially accepting tone
3. positive relabelling = apply new, positive reconstruction to the parts of the problem originally found to be negative → place the client’s ‘sick’ aspects in a favorable light
   → giving a positive motive to what is supposed to be the cause of the problem
4. examples of one’s own = helper shares some of their own experiences → self-disclosure
5. directness = frank discussion about what is happening in the here-and-now situation of the contact between client/helper

Question 5

what are 3 functions of positive relabeling

Answer 5

1. altering client’s negative self-image
2. creating a more differentiated look at the problems, which makes it easier to decide what steps should be taken to do something about them
3. helper can offset undesirable standards of behavior which may be the norm in the client’s social environment

Question 6

when is applying a positive label (positive relabeling) helpful (2)

Answer 6

1. When the client himself gives a negative explanation for his behavior, thoughts, or feelings leading to a worsening of the problematical situation. Positive relabeling can be seen here as a correction by the helper.
2. When the client cannot account for the problematical situation. ‘I don’t understand why I said those things to my mother’. Usually the effect of positive relabeling here is that the client regains grip on the incomprehensible situation.

Question 7

what are 3 functions of examples of one’s own

Answer 7

1. showing that what the client is going through is something shared
2. giving an example → increasing the chance that the client will also share their views
3. help put into words things that the client doesn’t dare to express themselves

Question 8

what are 2 aims of directness

Answer 8

• promote further joint cooperation
• give the client an idea of the consequences of their behavior

Question 9

when is directness indicated (2)

Answer 9

when:
- the helper feels uncomfortable about the progress of the interview and believes that this can be improved by speaking about these feelings and their possible cause
- the helper has the idea that the client has difficulty putting certain thoughts and feelings into words