It has been two weeks since I began field placement at camino nuevo charter learning academy. I have to admit that the past two weeks, it has been such as challenging experience for me. One because I am not use to using therapeutic skills with clients . Two, also because I have had to think out side the box and become more responsive to clients I have worked with. I recognized that there has been several factor that have affected my work with clients. Beginning with struggling with having clients actively take part in sessions. Also,when engaging in open ended questions questions asked very limited. In sessio nound myself becoming distracted when in sessions. I too have caught myself providing poor reflective listening and open ended questions. Snuggle with mentioned skills have impact services of clients due to lack of participation. My work experienced has been in community mental health to help families with case management services,thus, I have felt discussion with parents, genuine and sincere. Thus, whe. not sing client. s disengage has made me become aware of the ways I have incorporated myself in the sessions. Then I reflected back on change in need to make, to have genuine and sincere sessions with clients. Being …show more content…
First method has been my body language as I this week I remained calm when helping a client. Symptoms client presented were defiant symptoms and struggle follow directions,therefore, need thus, . Second, my tone of voice in the sessions has been passive, even when a client has become aggravated. By remaining calm . it has helped I become more aware of the importance of how we incorporate methods used with clients. For example, effective communication can help tremendously a client to communicate openly. Furthermore, attending behaviors that I need to enhance is beginning to increase demons. ing skills through active
This method is grounded in the strengths perspective, a perspective in which the worker center’s their sessions around the clients’ abilities, gifts, and strengths (Shulman, 2016). Instead of focusing on what is wrong with the client, the worker highlights what is right with the client building on their strengths instead of emphasizing their deficits: the client already has what they need to get better or solve their problem (Corcoran, 2008). The role of the worker in this model is to help the client recognize their potential, recognize what resources they already have, and discuss what is going well for the client and what they have been able to accomplish already (Shulman, 2016). Techniques commonly used in this model, although they are not exclusive to this model, include an emphasis on pre- and between-session change, exception questions, the miracle question, scaling questions, and coping questions (Shulman, 2016). These questions are used for many reasons: for example, the miracle question is used because “sometimes asking clients to envision a brighter future may help them be clearer on what they want or to see a path to problem-solving.” (Corcoran, 2008, p. 434) while coping questions are used to allow the client to see what they are already accomplishing, rather than what they are transgressing (Corcoran, 2008). All
The one skill that I used more of was empathy; I wanted the client to know that I understood her situation as well her feelings. At the end of our conversation, I summarized everything that we talked about, especially her want to open up to her parents and express herself to them. She mentioned that she wants them to fell empathy towards her, because the lack of parental empathy that she felt when she was younger, has even affected her in her adult life (Kilpatrick,2005).
Last week at practicum was a time of renewed energy. Megan and I had a meeting with one of our supervisors and we discussed our experiences, thoughts, and concerns regarding the placement thus far. Additionally, our other supervisor completed his IPT comments, leading us to have a productive conversation about how our goals are being met and what needs to happen during term two to ensure that we achieve the remainder of our goals. Having this conversation before our mid-term evaluation was very meaningful, and at this point, I think that my practicum placement is as good as it could be. Moreover, I feel very validated by the level of support I have received from my supervisors and how they have taken our feedback of the agency seriously. Seeing my suggestions be authenticated and incorporated into the volunteer orientation makes me realize that my contributions will have a lasting impact on the community. The primary changes that I want to see are workers approaching clients from a strengths perspective instead of from a deficit one, and more mental health training for volunteers. After learning about reframing the way people think about issues during the cognitive behavioural therapy lecture in SOWK 310, I feel more prepared to give concrete strategies and examples of how workers at the agency can empower clients by using a strengths approach. In this context, reframing will aid the agency in seeing problems as opportunities
The counselling process is one that may last for as little as one session or for years, it is within the middles stages of the helping relationship that particular counselling skills such as a focusing, challenging and immediacy can be implemented, as well as use of advanced empathy that can be applied due to increased familiarity with a speaker. Many actions may occur within middles stage of the helping relationship such as transitions that occur for a multitude of reasons and the outcome of which can vary based on the attitude of the speaker. Self-awareness remains vital throughout the entire counselling relationship due to the continual influence of empathy in the helping relationship and remaining aware my own motives and values when using advanced empathy and specific counselling skills. Ethics and boundaries are also involved within the counselling process as within a counselling relationship, I as the counsellor, must be careful with the balance or expenditure of power when challenging.
Counseling skills has provided me with a valuable insight into the helping relationship and how it is both created and maintained in order to encourage growth and development in the client. The factors involved within the helping relationship include considering Roger’s core conditions, congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathy as the three main characteristics necessary in a helping relationship. In order to fully incorporate all three of Roger’s core conditions, I as the counselor must be self-aware, as a lack of self-awareness may inhibit truly listening and understanding the client; self-awareness can be enhanced through exercises such as Johari’s window. Counseling skills such as body language and active listening also plays a role within encouraging the client to open up and can help me as the counselor convey empathy.
The counselor accomplishes the above by expressing empathy, developing discrepancies, going along with resistance and supporting self-efficacy. Moreover, the counselor guides the client toward a solution that will lead to permanent posi...
...ationship with involuntary clients necessitates the development of a ‘mindful holding environment’ in order to promote client well-being. The identification, acknowledgement, and use of the resistance that arises in a mandated therapeutic relationship to engage the client in treatment participation is essential for helping him/her work on the problems affecting their ability to realize goals, as well as, liberate themselves from oppression. Similarly Teitelbaum stated (1991), “ The best we can do as analysts is to try particular interventions that follow from different formulations, assess their impact and be flexible to shift our technique in face of the continual changing dynamics presented by the patient” (p. 128). In the same vein, meeting clients where they are ensures readiness for treatment approaches set forth and solidifies the therapeutic relationship.
... properly interact and communicate well with their clients, they need to be emotionally intelligent, self aware, create a therapeutic relationship and develop reflective practices. All of the above contributes to an individual’s health and so it’s very important that we are able to control our emotions, correct and learn from our mistakes, examine and balance our life and create a therapeutic environment so that our clients feel comfortable, safe and trust us enough to live their life in our hands.
The use of active listening is an essential skill to achieve this type of relationship as well as a sensitivity for clients who come from a culture different than the counselor’s culture. Great counseling also includes being honest with the client from the first session where informed consent is provided. It is important to discuss the limitations of confidentiality. Another important factor is to guide the client into setting realistic goals, so the counseling sessions can be more
People inherently have the power to solve their own problems and come to their own solutions. Clients are expected to play and active role in their own change by being open to expressing their problems,creating goals and ultimately evaluating their progress. Clients often use stories to explore their problems in preparation for deciding which goals they want to set and subsequently accomplish. Each client has specific issues and life experiences which the goal should reflect. Clients are expected to put great effort into discovering a desire that the client has deep convictions about and will commit to putting in the work it takes to change behaviors that are no longer working in their life. When the client discovers what they want to be changed it can become their goal. The goal needs to be important to the client and not something that someone else wants them to change. When ...
Working with the clients at Silver Saddle, facilitating anger management group and being able to identify the clients needs have been the greatest experience that has had a large impact on my learning. Working with clients helped me set a professional standpoint while maintain healthy boundaries with my clients, which is something I struggled with because I wanted to be more like a mom to the clients. Talking with my field instructor helped me establish more clear boundaries, which is something that’s very import as a social worker so this impacted my learning. Having the ability to address my client’s needs while co-facilitating
I was able to talk to my client without being visibly nervous. I am proud to say I handled my client’s problems as they came up without fear that I may say the wrong thing. In the first video, I found myself repeating things, for what reason I do not know. I can say my nonverbal skills need improving. One specific aspect of the interview was my hand gestures and motions. I really got involved with my client’s problems, and the way I tried to help her understand what I was saying and to get an understanding what she was saying, so I used my hands. I tried to keep by body in a position that would let the client know that I was using attentive listening skills. I cared about why she came to the facility for help. Each session, I adjusted my seat to make eye contact so my client could like she could trust me with her information and that I cared enough to listen to her
Training to be a therapist or counselor is stressful and involves significant shifts in identity, self-knowledge and confidence. Most of these changes appear to be linked to starting work with clients (Edwards & Patterson, 2012). The practicum or clinical experience portion of a therapist or counselor’s training is arguably the most important part of the program. It is also one of the most stressful and overwhelming times in a therapist trainee’s academic career. Trainees’ clinical internships involve multiple challenges; developing competence with clients is only one challenge that beginning practicum students face. They also must begin to navigate their new practicum environment, develop new working relationships with supervisors and peers, continue expanding knowledge of models and theories, as well as tackle the influence of personal issues and life challenges as they begin to understand that everything in their lives ultimately influences their therapy with clients (Edwards & Patterson, 2012; Folkes-Skinner, Elliott & Wheeler, 2010).
Use communication skills effectively, use active listening by listening to the other person and paying close attention to what they are saying, asking questions and rephrasing what the person says to ensure understanding.
The counseling session began with the introductions where I introduced myself as the counselor and later introduced my client. This stage is important in any counseling session since it is the time of exploration and focusing according to Gerard Egan as quoted by Wright (1998) in his essay on couselling skills. It is in this session that I was able to establish rapport and trust with my client in order to come up with a working and fruitful relationship with him. During this stage I made use of skills like questioning, where I would pose a question directly to my client, sometimes I would choose to just listen to what the client wanted to speak out while in some instances I would be forced to paraphrase the question if I felt the client did not understand the question I had asked previously. There were also other times when I would reflect through silence. During such a period, I got time to study the client and the information he had given. This being a difficult area, since some clients may not be able to volunteer information to you as the counselor, I decided to assure the client of confidentiality of any information he was willing to share with me with a few exceptions which I also told him about. Being open to him about the only times the information may not be confidential was part of my building rapport and establishing trust with him. I therefore, decided to ask the client what information he wanted to share with me and lucky enough he was ready to speak to me about different issues that he was going through.