Counselling Skills
Stages of an interview
Interviews require the use of skills – for example, careful listening, noting nonverbal cues, monitoring the progress of what a client is saying while participating and taking notes, and require careful planning and preparation.
A counselling interview (taken from ICCS Diploma of Counselling Participants’ manual) is structured by a number of phases in the session. They are: * Phase 1- Arrival (5 mins) * Phase 2- Connecting (10 mins) * Phase 3- Exploring the client’s world (30 mins) * Phase 4- Taking action (10 mins) * Phase 5- Closure (5 mins)
Communication techniques including counselling micro skills
Good communication techniques are imperative to the counselling session. 1) The counsellor aims to get the client to talk freely and openly.
Micro skills used: Attending behaviour, such as appropriate eye contact, attentive body language, and communicates genuineness. 2) The counsellor tries to clarify and gather information from the client
Micro skills used: Active listening, reflection of content/ paraphrasing to clarify. Use open and closing questions, and summarising to gather more information. Use minimal prompts, encouragers and reflection of feeling. 3) The counsellor offers empathy and understanding to the client and builds rapport, relationship and trust.
Micro skills used: Reflection of feeling, warmth, genuineness, respect and congruence.
Communication barriers and resolution strategies
A communication barrier is anything that prevents one from receiving and understanding the messages others use to convey their ideas, thoughts and information. These barriers may be related to the message, internal barriers related to thoughts and feelings, or external barriers.
Internal barriers include: fatigue, disinterest, poor listening skills, past experiences with the client, home or work problems. (QCOSS, 2007)
External barriers include: noise and other distractions, unpleasant environment,
Interviews require the use of skills – for example, careful listening, noting nonverbal cues, monitoring the progress of what a client is saying while participating and taking notes, and require careful planning and preparation.
A counselling interview (taken from ICCS Diploma of Counselling Participants’ manual) is structured by a number of phases in the session. They are: * Phase 1- Arrival (5 mins) * Phase 2- Connecting (10 mins) * Phase 3- Exploring the client’s world (30 mins) * Phase 4- Taking action (10 mins) * Phase 5- Closure (5 mins)
Communication techniques including counselling micro skills
Good communication techniques are imperative to the counselling session. 1) The counsellor aims to get the client to talk freely and openly.
Micro skills used: Attending behaviour, such as appropriate eye contact, attentive body language, and communicates genuineness. 2) The counsellor tries to clarify and gather information from the client
Micro skills used: Active listening, reflection of content/ paraphrasing to clarify. Use open and closing questions, and summarising to gather more information. Use minimal prompts, encouragers and reflection of feeling. 3) The counsellor offers empathy and understanding to the client and builds rapport, relationship and trust.
Micro skills used: Reflection of feeling, warmth, genuineness, respect and congruence.
Communication barriers and resolution strategies
A communication barrier is anything that prevents one from receiving and understanding the messages others use to convey their ideas, thoughts and information. These barriers may be related to the message, internal barriers related to thoughts and feelings, or external barriers.
Internal barriers include: fatigue, disinterest, poor listening skills, past experiences with the client, home or work problems. (QCOSS, 2007)
External barriers include: noise and other distractions, unpleasant environment,