Purpose:
This activity is designed to provide students with numerous ways of learning, practicing, reflecting, and processing the needed skills to build and maintain a therapeutic alliance.
Instructions
Begin by reading through the Unit Notes for this week to explore developing self awareness, and response development and delivery.
Then, depending on the edition you have, please re-read
Shebib, B. (2022). Choices: Interviewing and counselling for Canadians. (8th ed.) Chapter 3, entitled The Process, Skills, and Pitfalls of Counselling beginning on page 88, paying close attention to Top Ten Counselling Errors in Table 3.7 and further explanations within the text.
OR
Shebib, B. (2019). Choices: Interviewing and counselling for Canadians. (7th ed.) Chapter 2, entitled The Skills, Process, and Pitfalls of Counselling beginning on page 33, paying close attention to Top Ten Counselling Errors in Table 2.7 and further explanations within the text
Then, write a 2-3 page (average of 250 words per page) reflection paper exploring and discussing your self awareness and the external and internal relationship. Consideration of the elements of delivery responses including tone, volume, rate of speech, and rate of response as well as the basket analogy should be considered.
The paper is to include consideration of information within the Unit Notes a as well as the Shebib (2022) and Young (2021) textbooks as references. Include as at least ONE peer reviewed article from 10 years or less for support.
Structure
Required components: Title page, reference page. Do not add an abstract. Do not use a running head.
Length of Assignment: The text body of paper (i.e., not including references or title page) should consist of approximately 500-750 words, (i.e., 2-3 double-spaced typed pages, Times New Roman font size: 12).
Format: Please format your assignment in Word (files with extension .doc or .docx)
References: Minimum is the Shebib (2020) and Young (2021) texts and one relevant, peer reviewed article that is 10 years old or less
8. Unit 8 Notes: Use of Theory: Intro to SFT and Further Skills In Session
This week we explore constructivist approaches to therapy which include Solution-Focused Therapy, Brief Therapy, Time Limited Therapies, Emotionally Focused Therapy and Narrative Therapy. The Sperry and Sperry text (2020) explores time limited treatments which can include many of these therapies. SFT in particular is considered a short term, goal focused evidence based therapeutic approach, which is the focus of this week’s learning.
Constructionist approaches are based in postmodernism and a rational epistemology that asserts that we can only perceive reality through subjective experience. Thus, universal “truths” do not exist, rather, truth is socially co-constructed in relationships with others. People therefore actively co-construct “realities” from their experiences, linking them together to form stories about their lives. People suffer when these stories are not functionally adaptive.
The goal of constructivist and constructionist approaches is to facilitate clients with replacing their problematic constructions with more functional ones. Therapy emphasizes solutions, accentuates the positive, and frames client goals in positive terms (i.e., what the client wants present in their life, rather than what they want absent). Thus, therapy often focuses on identifying exceptions to the problematic story, and beginning to construct new stories that honor multiple strengths and possibilities. The optimistic nature of solution focused therapy (brief therapy) and others similar to it have heavily influenced the practice of clinicians working from various other theoretical orientations. Therapists assume a not-knowing, non-expert stance and consider clients to be experts on their lives. Therapists have expertise in the process of co-developing solutions.
We also focus our attention on our own self awareness, the external and internal relationship, and the tone, as well as the rate of speech and response when we are working with a client. We consider the basket analogy and reflect on abilities that are being honed in working with clients.
Developing Internal and External Self Awareness – Self awareness is an ongoing process that will continue to be part of your work as a counsellor throughout your academic and professional career. There are two components to consider: the internal and external. The external is being aware of our environment. The internal is being aware of what’s happening inside of us and how we’re responding to the external and how that in turn is responding to us.
Consider that a client is discussing something emotional. You want to be aware of not only what is being said but how it is being said and all the things that are within that external world. This is everything from body language to tone. You must consider how that is affecting your internal experience and how you respond to what’s happening in that moment. This is everything from what you are thinking in the moment to any experiences that you have had that may be similar to the client’s.
As an example, if you are in a session with a client and they begin to discuss the deep feelings they are facing after the death of a loved one, there may be a lot of grief, anger, tears, and sadness – all sorts of emotions. In being in that moment with the client, you may find yourself remembering a place and time and feeling that you experiences. This may creep up on you slowly or hit you like a bowling ball. You must address this fully. Consider how your client and their narrative and feelings (the external) is affecting your own internal awareness. And then, consider how this internal awareness is now affecting your external awareness and environment. What will you have to do to stay in the present moment with your client? What is needed in that moment to keep your focus on the client so you do not become consumed by your own internal awareness?
Your self-awareness grows as you grow as a counsellor. Clients will test this time and again and there will be times when you will have to reassess and consider how to take care of you so that the external does not affect your internal in an unhealthy way, thereby possibly causing a rupture with a client or creating burnout for you. You want to continually assess your own external and internal awareness and how that not only can effect a client and your work together but you as well.
Response Development and the Basket Analogy – One of the things that new counsellors tend to struggle with is how to create responses to give to the client. This is all part of skill development. This will improve with continued practice and gaining more knowledge, along with help from professors and supervisors. One analogy to consider in developing responses is the basket analogy.
Responses are not scripted and there is no such thing as the perfect response that you can prepare for in advance. What we create comes from what the client gives us in the moment. Try to imagine that there is a basket between you and the client. This represents the space between you and your client. The client fills the basket with their stories, their narratives, their feelings, their thoughts – everything that they’re bringing goes into that basket. Then, it is the counsellor’s role to pull from that basket. The counsellor pulls out the feeling, symptoms, consequences, reactions, thoughts – anything and everything from that basket. That’s what is used to formulate responses to the client. With this in mind, there is no opportunity to script what is said. Instead, we use what the client is putting in the basket – that is what a counsellor should be working with. Clients will continue to add to the basket as you continue to use your micro skills to help the client fill the basket. You just keep puling it from that basket.
Response Delivery – Deciding on how to respond to a client can be a challenge when first starting out – each response is purposeful, and you want to consider not only the response itself but the way you deliver your responses. As you practice and watch your PASs and your peers, pay attention to the four factors of response delivery – tone, volume, rate of speech (ROS), and rate of response (ROR).
Tone – You really want to begin to pay attention to your tone and if it matches the client and the explorations brought forth. Does your tone sound sharp? Flat? Warm and inviting? Bored? For instance, if you respond to a client with, “That sounds like you have a lot on your plate,” you can warm your response to show empathy. You want your client to know you are understanding their feelings in any response you give.
Volume – You also want to pay attention to your volume. Are you too loud? Are you too soft? Volume can have a large impact, especially with clients who have a lot of feelings that are being brought forth, like in crisis situations. That’s a time where we may need to lower our tone to emulate a safe space for a client. However, when a client is excited about a goal reached that you worked on together, that may be a time when you may get excited with them and raise your voice to share in their excitement.
Rate of speech – Consider your pace. You may need to use a different pace than you do in your everyday life. Are you a fast talker? Do you stumble over your words? Are you a slow talker? Does it take a long time for you to process? You want to make sure that the client not only hears you but can follow and understand you. You also want to consider that you don’t want a client waiting too long for you to respond as well. It is a balance.
Rate of response – This is the dance you do with your client. The client talks and then the counsellor responds. There is a back and forth that should be smooth and easy and is paced to help the client explore and take time to reflect. You need to be in step with your client and take their lead. You don’t want to dance by yourself by talking too much and you don’t want the client to feel like they are alone by not responding enough. You want a rhythm that you create in the session.
