Why Did Rogers Use Silence In Counselling
According to Rogerian theory, during the session, Rogers facilitates the client volunteer with unconditional positive regard and process to reflect what PeterAnne is saying. Also, Rogers does not intentionally try to focus on PeterAnne experiencing processes (Temaner Brodley, 1996). However, he uses intention perceived by his client with no goals, nonverbal nodding, empathic and reflective listening while mirroring back in a non-judgmental way. Moreover, the silence process is used to reflect what PeterAnne was feeling. For example, Rogers begins to mirror PeterAnne’s nonverbal cues by crossing and uncrossing his legs when she does. Also, Rogers questions are open-ended, and he communicates validation in tracking PeterAnne’s replies that make
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sense and is understandable within the present life context or the situation (Cormier et al., 2013, p. 89). However, since Rogerian theory is nondirective, Rogers (1957) suggests a counselor express negative feelings to clients only if the feelings are constant and persistent or if they interfere with the counselor’s ability to convey empathic understanding and positive regard (Cormier et al., 2013, p. 94).
As counselor, I might have said some of the language differently. For example, I would have asked PeterAnne about her support group. Also, I would have reflected upon her grief when she said, “Well, I, I think there is, to a degree. I don't think that, I think that I dealt with that loss fairly well, that, you know, it's not something that I totally dwell on, and yet with the thought of a pregnancy there's the thought of what happened. In response, a reflection of feeling such as “it sounds like you are feeling grief and loss because you have thoughts of your pregnancy” may have acknowledged and encouraged PeterAnn to follow up more about her feeling to explore her emotion.
In identifying a specific counseling skill and explaining how I would improve it by either changing the language of the response or selecting a different type of response through reflecting on the moment that her energy was an expression of emotion through her nonverbal communication. For example, having noticed that PeterAnne’s body language spoke loudly with her left-handed finger motions that were gently and repeatedly stroking her heart. I would have asked her “where do you feel that?” versus reflective listening “mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Feeling that you're not really fulfilled?” (Rogers, 1985, 22:55). In viewpoint, PeterAnne was feeling the energy in her body which might have presented in her heart shown through nonverbal communication.
The five things that I have found personally impacting, informative, and of general interest about my learning and personal development as a counselor includes the use of silence for my client volunteer to process.
Interestingly, silence assists to regulate the course of the conversation, relevant information, and the interaction process in which silence and pauses help to maintain the conversational dialogue. It is informative to know that the intention of silence frequently is contingent on who initiates the pause. I found personally impacting that the use silence may convey feelings, or help to think over a problem, to call to mind or avoid an emotion, or to just process the moment (Cormier et al., 2013, p. 117). Interestingly, is my expansion of words for feelings that are essential in my professional development. According to Temaner Brodley (1996), ninety percent of Rogers's empathic following responses either use specific words that express the client's self as a source of reactions that include words for feelings (Temaner Brodley, 1996). Moreover, what I found interesting in my personal development is that it is essential to be mindful when delving into an individual’s personal life and clarifying more than a client communicates in their awareness, as well as what is beneath the “level of awareness” (Rogers, 1977 in Cormier, 2013, p. 129). Finally, learning to respond empathically to a client may be “an attempt to think with, rather than for or about the client” (Brammer, Abrego, & Shostrom, 1993, p. 98, in Cormier et al., 2013, p. 86). Therefore, learning to be aware that it is essential to respond to the client’s frame of
reference.
sense and is understandable within the present life context or the situation (Cormier et al., 2013, p. 89). However, since Rogerian theory is nondirective, Rogers (1957) suggests a counselor express negative feelings to clients only if the feelings are constant and persistent or if they interfere with the counselor’s ability to convey empathic understanding and positive regard (Cormier et al., 2013, p. 94).
As counselor, I might have said some of the language differently. For example, I would have asked PeterAnne about her support group. Also, I would have reflected upon her grief when she said, “Well, I, I think there is, to a degree. I don't think that, I think that I dealt with that loss fairly well, that, you know, it's not something that I totally dwell on, and yet with the thought of a pregnancy there's the thought of what happened. In response, a reflection of feeling such as “it sounds like you are feeling grief and loss because you have thoughts of your pregnancy” may have acknowledged and encouraged PeterAnn to follow up more about her feeling to explore her emotion.
In identifying a specific counseling skill and explaining how I would improve it by either changing the language of the response or selecting a different type of response through reflecting on the moment that her energy was an expression of emotion through her nonverbal communication. For example, having noticed that PeterAnne’s body language spoke loudly with her left-handed finger motions that were gently and repeatedly stroking her heart. I would have asked her “where do you feel that?” versus reflective listening “mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Feeling that you're not really fulfilled?” (Rogers, 1985, 22:55). In viewpoint, PeterAnne was feeling the energy in her body which might have presented in her heart shown through nonverbal communication.
The five things that I have found personally impacting, informative, and of general interest about my learning and personal development as a counselor includes the use of silence for my client volunteer to process.
Interestingly, silence assists to regulate the course of the conversation, relevant information, and the interaction process in which silence and pauses help to maintain the conversational dialogue. It is informative to know that the intention of silence frequently is contingent on who initiates the pause. I found personally impacting that the use silence may convey feelings, or help to think over a problem, to call to mind or avoid an emotion, or to just process the moment (Cormier et al., 2013, p. 117). Interestingly, is my expansion of words for feelings that are essential in my professional development. According to Temaner Brodley (1996), ninety percent of Rogers's empathic following responses either use specific words that express the client's self as a source of reactions that include words for feelings (Temaner Brodley, 1996). Moreover, what I found interesting in my personal development is that it is essential to be mindful when delving into an individual’s personal life and clarifying more than a client communicates in their awareness, as well as what is beneath the “level of awareness” (Rogers, 1977 in Cormier, 2013, p. 129). Finally, learning to respond empathically to a client may be “an attempt to think with, rather than for or about the client” (Brammer, Abrego, & Shostrom, 1993, p. 98, in Cormier et al., 2013, p. 86). Therefore, learning to be aware that it is essential to respond to the client’s frame of
reference.