Professional Strengths
1. What personal & professional strengths do you have that you can use and build on to create helping relationships with your clients? In thinking about my professional and personal strengths, I feel that my ability to be genuine and empathetic with people regardless of the situation at hand is one of my greatest strengths. Along with this, I believe that my non-judgmental approach with people allows me to quickly build rapport which in turn allows me to further establish a helping relationship where others are willing to work with me. In attrition, I also feel that my ability to communicate both verbally and non-verbally, and more importantly to listen without distractions allows me to build trust that I can utilize to further establish
…show more content…
rapport to create an effective helping relationship. I do however, feel that I will need to continue to build upon these strengths throughout time to ensure I am effective in the work that I do. And though I feel confident in my skills, I feel that through more exposure to new techniques and feedback from others will help me increase my effectiveness.
2. What knowledge, skills, and values do you already have that help you form an effective helping relationship?
In looking at the knowledge, skills and values that I currently possess, I feel that my working knowledge and skills that I have collected throughout the past 13-14 years in the field have allowed me to further my intrapersonal skills and have allowed me to build effective helping relationships. With this, I feel that the raw experiences of working in the field have taught me the most. In addition to gaining effective communication skills, long with gaining communication skills, I feel that I have learned the art of interacting with others and the delivery of how to speak with others and how to present myself and material to others in an effective manner. In addition to delivery, communications and intrapersonal skills, I feel that I am very aware of others and do well picking up on non-verbal cues.
3. Describe how you currently view your overall limitations in the process of forming helping relationships with your clients.
Although I feel that I have a great base to work from, I feel that I am sometimes limited by my confidence.
In being limited in my confidence, I feel that I am sometimes hesitant to fully engage with others in certain situations which limits my ability to form/ further a helping relationship. In addition, I feel that there are more skills to learn in this program and throughout life, which will better allow me to interact and engage with others at a higher level. What are you still working on? I am currently working on being more confident in displaying my abilities, as well as building upon my knowledge base through higher education. Some of what I feel I am missing cannot be learned in the class or any one situation, but will come throughout time as I continue working with other in helping relationships.
4. How can you transform these limitations into strengths in your work?
By being able to recognize what I feel is a vulnerability and a limitation of myself is a strength of its own. I feel that by sharing this and working on developing a stronger and more realistic view of myself is not only a strength, but an opportunity that allows me to look deep within myself to make the needed changes to be a better version of who I currently am. In addition, I feel that any experience we gain in our lives is a lesson that better enables us to work with others with a realistic understanding.
5. What is the difference between transference and
counter-transference?
Transference is where something is projected on the therapist by the client, and counter transference is something the therapist projects on the client. However, both are the transferences of emotion, thoughts, and past experiences that are directed towards another person.
6. How are they alike?
Both transference and countertransference stem from some type of emotion, or experience and are natural reactions. They are also both the projection of our thoughts and opinions of others that we create and place on others without fully knowing the other person.
7. What knowledge, skills, and values do you already have that help you effectively use transference and counter-transference to help your clients?
I feel that I am often able to recognize countertransference when it arises within and am able to evaluate where the emotion is coming from and work on making the needed changes to better support the client in that given situation. In using transference effectively I feel that it can be used to gain insight in to the client’s life experiences and realities, which could allow me to seek ways to best support them. What are you still working on? I am still working on keeping my emotions in check and finding ways to utilize this as a strength to better support those I work with. I am also still working on gaining a better understanding of how to utilize transference to support those I will work with.
8. With regard to conscious use of self, speak to how you might be “triggered” by certain clients or situations; what will be easy, what will be challenging?
I find that I am to work with an array of client and in an array of settings, however, feel that I most triggered when working with child victims of abuse. Though I find it easy to work with this population, taking the situations and the people in them for who and what they are, I find it challenging to maintain my emotions with them especially when details about their experiences/ cases are discussed. I feel that one of the biggest challenges in my career have been from working with young children, and feel that this will continue to be the biggest challenge due to my emotions.
9. What kinds of clients do you expect will be the most challenging for you to form helping relationships with?
I don’t feel that there will be one particular type of client that will be challenging to form a helping relationships with, but rather feel that I will be challenged by an array of different types of clients. However, I feel that when I begin to work more with adults and especially adult who are older than me, I feel that I will encounter more challenges due to countertransference’s. Although I have done well working with the adults in the past, I have experienced some resistance from older adults which has made it difficult to establish positive rapport, and to build helping relationships. What will be your countertransference reactions to these kinds of clients? I feel that my counter transference with older adults stems from having older adults in my life who continue to view me as a child and not the educated adult that I am, and the thought that they too may share similar feeling in working with a younger person such as myself is difficult.
Engagement with under-represented populations
10. What knowledge, skills, and values are especially important in engaging with clients from under-represented populations?
I believe that the some of the most important skills and knowledge that are need when working with individuals from underrepresented populations is listening without judgement and interruptions, and allowing them to speak their realities. In addition, I feel that they need to be heard for who they are and not who we feel they are. I also feel that it is critical to have an understanding of their realities as well as their culture to ensure they are heard and understood. I would also say that it is important that we value all people for who they are as well as honor and respect their realities and the information they share. In addition, I feel that it is important to build upon the piece we don’t understand through our interactions with such populations, allowing them to educate us as the professionals.
11. What knowledge, skills, and values do you already have that help you effectively engage with people from under-represented populations?
I would say that my personal values of honoring and respecting people for who they are and approaching each encounter as a learning moment allows me to effectively work with and develop rapport with people from underrepresented populations. While I have continued to address communication, and listening throughout this paper, I again feel that this is one of the biggest tools/ skills that I poses that has allowed me to be successful in effectively engage with all populations and especially with individual from under-represented populations. I would also have to say my willingness to learn from individual in such groups helps me engage effectively while building rapport. What are you still working on? Although I have had the pleasure to work with individuals from various under-represented populations, I feel that I will have to continue working on gaining an understanding of those I encounter and will work with in the future, as there are so many difference among each individual and population.
12. Define the “therapeutic alliance” and discuss factors that support and detract from the alliance. The therapeutic alliance is the collaborative/ shared relationship between client and therapist where the efforts of both parties are needed. Factors that support this collaborative relationship are the skills, knowledge base and values of the therapist who is able to approach the client in a genuine manner while also using effective measures to support the needs of the client. In addition, the client also plays a critical role in supporting the collaborative nature of such relationships. With this being said, I feel that the client plays a significant role in supporting the relationship as the relationships is more about the client.
rapport to create an effective helping relationship. I do however, feel that I will need to continue to build upon these strengths throughout time to ensure I am effective in the work that I do. And though I feel confident in my skills, I feel that through more exposure to new techniques and feedback from others will help me increase my effectiveness.
2. What knowledge, skills, and values do you already have that help you form an effective helping relationship?
In looking at the knowledge, skills and values that I currently possess, I feel that my working knowledge and skills that I have collected throughout the past 13-14 years in the field have allowed me to further my intrapersonal skills and have allowed me to build effective helping relationships. With this, I feel that the raw experiences of working in the field have taught me the most. In addition to gaining effective communication skills, long with gaining communication skills, I feel that I have learned the art of interacting with others and the delivery of how to speak with others and how to present myself and material to others in an effective manner. In addition to delivery, communications and intrapersonal skills, I feel that I am very aware of others and do well picking up on non-verbal cues.
3. Describe how you currently view your overall limitations in the process of forming helping relationships with your clients.
Although I feel that I have a great base to work from, I feel that I am sometimes limited by my confidence.
In being limited in my confidence, I feel that I am sometimes hesitant to fully engage with others in certain situations which limits my ability to form/ further a helping relationship. In addition, I feel that there are more skills to learn in this program and throughout life, which will better allow me to interact and engage with others at a higher level. What are you still working on? I am currently working on being more confident in displaying my abilities, as well as building upon my knowledge base through higher education. Some of what I feel I am missing cannot be learned in the class or any one situation, but will come throughout time as I continue working with other in helping relationships.
4. How can you transform these limitations into strengths in your work?
By being able to recognize what I feel is a vulnerability and a limitation of myself is a strength of its own. I feel that by sharing this and working on developing a stronger and more realistic view of myself is not only a strength, but an opportunity that allows me to look deep within myself to make the needed changes to be a better version of who I currently am. In addition, I feel that any experience we gain in our lives is a lesson that better enables us to work with others with a realistic understanding.
5. What is the difference between transference and
counter-transference?
Transference is where something is projected on the therapist by the client, and counter transference is something the therapist projects on the client. However, both are the transferences of emotion, thoughts, and past experiences that are directed towards another person.
6. How are they alike?
Both transference and countertransference stem from some type of emotion, or experience and are natural reactions. They are also both the projection of our thoughts and opinions of others that we create and place on others without fully knowing the other person.
7. What knowledge, skills, and values do you already have that help you effectively use transference and counter-transference to help your clients?
I feel that I am often able to recognize countertransference when it arises within and am able to evaluate where the emotion is coming from and work on making the needed changes to better support the client in that given situation. In using transference effectively I feel that it can be used to gain insight in to the client’s life experiences and realities, which could allow me to seek ways to best support them. What are you still working on? I am still working on keeping my emotions in check and finding ways to utilize this as a strength to better support those I work with. I am also still working on gaining a better understanding of how to utilize transference to support those I will work with.
8. With regard to conscious use of self, speak to how you might be “triggered” by certain clients or situations; what will be easy, what will be challenging?
I find that I am to work with an array of client and in an array of settings, however, feel that I most triggered when working with child victims of abuse. Though I find it easy to work with this population, taking the situations and the people in them for who and what they are, I find it challenging to maintain my emotions with them especially when details about their experiences/ cases are discussed. I feel that one of the biggest challenges in my career have been from working with young children, and feel that this will continue to be the biggest challenge due to my emotions.
9. What kinds of clients do you expect will be the most challenging for you to form helping relationships with?
I don’t feel that there will be one particular type of client that will be challenging to form a helping relationships with, but rather feel that I will be challenged by an array of different types of clients. However, I feel that when I begin to work more with adults and especially adult who are older than me, I feel that I will encounter more challenges due to countertransference’s. Although I have done well working with the adults in the past, I have experienced some resistance from older adults which has made it difficult to establish positive rapport, and to build helping relationships. What will be your countertransference reactions to these kinds of clients? I feel that my counter transference with older adults stems from having older adults in my life who continue to view me as a child and not the educated adult that I am, and the thought that they too may share similar feeling in working with a younger person such as myself is difficult.
Engagement with under-represented populations
10. What knowledge, skills, and values are especially important in engaging with clients from under-represented populations?
I believe that the some of the most important skills and knowledge that are need when working with individuals from underrepresented populations is listening without judgement and interruptions, and allowing them to speak their realities. In addition, I feel that they need to be heard for who they are and not who we feel they are. I also feel that it is critical to have an understanding of their realities as well as their culture to ensure they are heard and understood. I would also say that it is important that we value all people for who they are as well as honor and respect their realities and the information they share. In addition, I feel that it is important to build upon the piece we don’t understand through our interactions with such populations, allowing them to educate us as the professionals.
11. What knowledge, skills, and values do you already have that help you effectively engage with people from under-represented populations?
I would say that my personal values of honoring and respecting people for who they are and approaching each encounter as a learning moment allows me to effectively work with and develop rapport with people from underrepresented populations. While I have continued to address communication, and listening throughout this paper, I again feel that this is one of the biggest tools/ skills that I poses that has allowed me to be successful in effectively engage with all populations and especially with individual from under-represented populations. I would also have to say my willingness to learn from individual in such groups helps me engage effectively while building rapport. What are you still working on? Although I have had the pleasure to work with individuals from various under-represented populations, I feel that I will have to continue working on gaining an understanding of those I encounter and will work with in the future, as there are so many difference among each individual and population.
12. Define the “therapeutic alliance” and discuss factors that support and detract from the alliance. The therapeutic alliance is the collaborative/ shared relationship between client and therapist where the efforts of both parties are needed. Factors that support this collaborative relationship are the skills, knowledge base and values of the therapist who is able to approach the client in a genuine manner while also using effective measures to support the needs of the client. In addition, the client also plays a critical role in supporting the collaborative nature of such relationships. With this being said, I feel that the client plays a significant role in supporting the relationship as the relationships is more about the client.