Participants
Rules
Context
2.Identify three key characteristics of effective communication and briefly explain their impact on the communication process.
Supportiveness encourages the client to open up without fear of judgement or blame.
Empathy is important to communication because counsellors need to express that the client is not alone in their feelings. It builds rapport and a good relationship.
Positiveness supports communication since the client is looking for ways to improve their life. Using positive messages helps the client feel positive about the counsellor and builds rapport.
3. In communication processes between a client and a counsellor, barriers may be present. List three specific communication barriers.
Environmental factors
Time and timing
Context and inadequate background knowledge
4. Take one of the communication barriers given in your answer to the question above, and briefly describe how you would apply strategies to overcome these barriers.
Environmental factors can cause a barrier to effective communication. Distraction, interruption and noise can get in the way of a flowing dialogue between counsellor and client and can interrupt thought flow. Ensuring the room is tidy, paperwork is neatly filed and the computer screen is off is one way I can focus my attention on the client and what is being said. Other strategies including taking the phone of the hook, having a work environment separate from home and family and applying noise cancelling window treatments would help. When outside of the office taking a room apart from others and putting mobile phones on silent can aid communication by making it easier for both parties to concentrate on the counselling process.
5. List two basic micro-skills of counselling and briefly describe how they can be used to facilitate the relationship between counsellor and client.
All micro skills are