Counseling Skillss
Reflections of a Trainee Counsellor |
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The aim of this essay is to reflect on, and critique, the experience of counselling a client. The focus will be on identifying key counselling skills and their importance in the therapeutic alliance between counsellor and client. The purpose of this is to aid in the development of understanding of the counselling experience and relationship for trainee counsellors. This essay will begin with a summary of the counselling session. This will be followed by a discussion of therapeutic alliance and the importance of basic counselling skills to support that. Identification, and a critique, of the skills displayed will be given including suggestions for improvement and a reflection on my experiences. This reflection will focus particularly on implications for future development. Throughout, this essay will aim to bring to the reader an understanding of the importance of basic counselling skills in the achieving of an effective therapeutic alliance (Dryden, 2006; Egan, 2007; Geldard & Geldard, 1997; Geldard & Geldard, 2004; Nelson-Jones, 2000; Young & Chromy, 2005). Alliances which are essential to the counsellor/client relationship as they “are predictors of positive outcomes in all treatment programs... (and are) more important than the type of therapy or intervention being applied to the client” (Daddario et al, 2001-2009, p2).
In summary, the counselling session I taped with Alex as my client began with an existing empathy and rapport between us due to a pre-existing relationship. This enabled Alex to enter into phase one of Egan’s (2007), helping model quickly and with ease. Throughout the remainder of the session Alex moved back and forth between the current picture and the preferred picture, phase one and two of the helping model (ibid). The session concluded (after the tape cut off), with Alex identifying specific tasks he would undertake, an action plan. This is an indicator of phase three of Egan’s model – the
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The aim of this essay is to reflect on, and critique, the experience of counselling a client. The focus will be on identifying key counselling skills and their importance in the therapeutic alliance between counsellor and client. The purpose of this is to aid in the development of understanding of the counselling experience and relationship for trainee counsellors. This essay will begin with a summary of the counselling session. This will be followed by a discussion of therapeutic alliance and the importance of basic counselling skills to support that. Identification, and a critique, of the skills displayed will be given including suggestions for improvement and a reflection on my experiences. This reflection will focus particularly on implications for future development. Throughout, this essay will aim to bring to the reader an understanding of the importance of basic counselling skills in the achieving of an effective therapeutic alliance (Dryden, 2006; Egan, 2007; Geldard & Geldard, 1997; Geldard & Geldard, 2004; Nelson-Jones, 2000; Young & Chromy, 2005). Alliances which are essential to the counsellor/client relationship as they “are predictors of positive outcomes in all treatment programs... (and are) more important than the type of therapy or intervention being applied to the client” (Daddario et al, 2001-2009, p2).
In summary, the counselling session I taped with Alex as my client began with an existing empathy and rapport between us due to a pre-existing relationship. This enabled Alex to enter into phase one of Egan’s (2007), helping model quickly and with ease. Throughout the remainder of the session Alex moved back and forth between the current picture and the preferred picture, phase one and two of the helping model (ibid). The session concluded (after the tape cut off), with Alex identifying specific tasks he would undertake, an action plan. This is an indicator of phase three of Egan’s model – the
References: Brammer, LM. & MacDonald, G. (2003). The Helping Relationship, Process and Skills. (8th edn) Boston, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon. Cavanagh, M.E. (1982). The Counseling Experience: A Theoretical and Practical Approach. Illinois: Wavelend Press, Inc. Egan, G. (2007). The Skilled Helper: A Problem-Management and Opportunity-Development Approach to Helping. (8th edn) Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Geldard, K. & Geldard, D. (2005). Practical Counseling Skills: An Integrative Approach. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Hackney, H. L., & Cormier, L. S. (2009). Building a Working Relationship. In The professional counselor (6th ed., pp. 6595). Sydney: Pearson Education Hovarth A.O., & Symonds B.D Lyddon,W.J., Clay, A.L.,& Sparks, C.L. (2001). Metaphor and Change in Counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 79, 269-274. McLeod,J. (2007). Working Collaboratively. In Counseling Skills (pp109-134). Maidenhead, UK: Open University Press. Mearns, D. & Dryden, W. (1990). Experiences of Counseling in Action. London: Sage Publications Rogers, Carl (1965) Sharry, J., Darmody, M. & Madden, B. (2002) A Solution-Focused Approach to Working with Clients who are Suicidal. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 30:4, 383-399 “The Relationship Between Counsellor And Client Is Submitted by LuckyG89 on March 25, 2011 * Category: Psychology