Counselling Skills
The counselling process is based on the exchange of emotions between the client and the counsellor which aims to form an alliance (Hough, 1998). It involves the counsellor using skills in which they possess in order to communicate effectively with clients (Hough, 1998). This reflective essay clearly articulates my application of counselling skills used in this practice session and suggestions for improvement. It will provide a summary of the session, identification of a range of skills used and a brief explanation of the reasons for using the skill. It will also provide an evaluation of my application of the skills chosen, including verbatim examples, suggestions for improvement, also including verbatim examples to demonstrate what could have been said or done and an overall reflection of my effectiveness as a counsellor and the implications for future reference.
My client met with me for 20 minutes to discuss an issue she had based on her sense of balance in relation to her study and other commitments. She felt it wasn’t going very well and she came to counselling to talk about strategies that would make her life easier. During the session I tried to demonstrate skills learnt in counselling skills 1 and 2. The skills that I reflect on include non verbal communication, development of rapport, active listening, paraphrasing and open ended questions. My use of non verbal communication was effective as I greeted my client with a positive hand shake and a smile to ensure security when entering the room. I feel I succeeded in my active listening skills as I demonstrated my listening through non verbal eye contact and nodding. I paraphrased my client’s statements effectively to demonstrate my understanding of her issue. However, I feel I needed to decrease the amount of times I stroked my hair and used negative expressions to ensure my security and confidence towards my client. I also needed to be aware of how I asked my open ended questions by excluding questions
My client met with me for 20 minutes to discuss an issue she had based on her sense of balance in relation to her study and other commitments. She felt it wasn’t going very well and she came to counselling to talk about strategies that would make her life easier. During the session I tried to demonstrate skills learnt in counselling skills 1 and 2. The skills that I reflect on include non verbal communication, development of rapport, active listening, paraphrasing and open ended questions. My use of non verbal communication was effective as I greeted my client with a positive hand shake and a smile to ensure security when entering the room. I feel I succeeded in my active listening skills as I demonstrated my listening through non verbal eye contact and nodding. I paraphrased my client’s statements effectively to demonstrate my understanding of her issue. However, I feel I needed to decrease the amount of times I stroked my hair and used negative expressions to ensure my security and confidence towards my client. I also needed to be aware of how I asked my open ended questions by excluding questions
References: Armstrong, P. (2006). Counselling skills. In N. Pelling, R. Bowers, & P. Armstrong (Eds.), The practice of counselling (pp. 46-75). Melbourne: Thomson Higher Education. Brems, C. (2001). Basic skills in psychotherapy and counseling. Belmont, USA: Wadsworth/Thomas Learning. DeVito, J. A. (2008). The interpersonal communication book. (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education. Egan, G. (2010). The skilled helper: A problem management and opportunity-development approach to helping. (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. Geldard, D & Geldard, K. (2001). Basic personal counselling: A training manual for counsellors. (4th ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education. Hough, M. (1998). Counselling skills and theory. (2nd ed.). California: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.