Microskills II

Microskills II

Reframing, Eye Contact, and Nonverbal Communication

Reframing takes skill for a counselor to use, listening to the client’s story then either drawing from personal experiences or provide a theoretical perspective to provide the client a new way of thinking about his or her issues (Ivey, Ivey, & Zalaquett, 2012). Eye contact shows the counselor is interested in what the client has to say, but continuous eye contact may create uneasiness with a client. An example would be concerning Asian American’s; most believe that being looked in the eye is a sign of hostility (Sue & Sue, 2013). Nonverbal communication consists of the visual/eye contact, vocal qualities, attentive and authentic body language, and silence. Counselors also need to recognize the client’s nonverbal communication, such as facial flushing, body tension, vocal tones, intense emotion, and breathing content (Ivey, Ivey, & Zalaquett, 2012).

Individual Counseling

Reframing, when counseling an individual, involves active listening and broadening the restrictive thoughts of the clients. Helping to make a negative into a positive. Helping the client see a situation in a different perspective and allowing positive and fresh ideas is reframing. Self-disclosure pertaining to a client’s situation may help the client to view the situation differently. I may advise a client that I once took a job I thought I wanted and became unhappy. I went back to school and now I am working toward my dream job. I will explain that life gives us challenges and making these challenges, work in one’s favor is up to the individual.

Eye contact with an individual consists of understanding the client’s culture, paying close attention if eye contact makes the client look un...

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...to show interest. Nonverbal communication allows client(s) to see that the counselor has concerns, expresses interest, and allowing silence enables a client to reflect on what he or she just said. Counselors do need to have self-awareness with facial expressions and vocal tones so not to give the client any form of disapproval. All of these skills take practice and perfect timing when to use any of these techniques.

Works Cited

Ivey, A. E., Bradford Ivey, M., & Zalaquett, C. P. (with Quirk, K.). (2012). Essentials of intentional interviewing: Counseling in a multicultural world (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010e). Counseling techniques — micro-skills II. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2013). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.