Communication with Clients - Case Study Example

Case Study and Counselling Task I: Case Study Question Verbal clues Examples of verbal clues are tone and pauses and silences(Daisley-Snow, et al., 2014). Tone refers to the pitch, that is, the highness or lowness of the voice. A high-pitched voice could be an indication that the speaker is angry. A low pitch, on the other hand, could be a sign of submission or fear. Pauses and moments of silence are other indicators as to when the listener should stop listening and speak (Daisley-Snow, et al., 2014). A good communicator will pause at appropriate intervals so as to enable the other person to contribute to the conversation. By contrast, a poor communicator will speak non-stop, denying the other party an opportunity to take an active part in the dialogue. Non-verbal clues Examples of non-verbal dues are facial expressions and eye contact(Daisley-Snow, et al., 2014). Facial expressions reveal the emotions of a person in a powerful way that words cannot. For instance, a person who is surprised may raise their eye-brow. Similarly, when people are sad, they frown and when they are happy they smile. Eye contact is one of the most powerful visual clues (Daisley-Snow, et al., 2014). When one talks to a person and the recipient maintains their gaze into the eyes of the speaker, this is usually taken as a sign of interest. Also, when a person is thinking, they tend to stare far into the distance. These are the tools I would use to build a therapeutic relationship with my client Adonia. Question 2 Listening skills In order to get the most of my consultation with Adonia, I would use several listening skills. These would include paraphrasing, summarizing, questioning and the use of encouragers (Bolton, 2009). I would use paraphrasing whenever Adonia would seem uncertain of what they were telling me. In that case, I would paraphrase what they had just said and ask if that was what they meant. I would resort to summarizing if I felt that the client was giving too much information that was not relevant and, therefore, not adding value to the consultation. I would look for appropriate moments then intervene. Such moments would include her pauses. I would intervene by redirecting her to the purpose of the consultation. I would question my client whenever they appeared not sure of whatever they were saying or at moments when they appeared doubtful of me. In the first instance, I would restate what they had just said and ask them if they were sure of it. In the second instance, whenever I sensed doubt through the way she expressed herself facially, I would encourage her to ask me questions so I could clarify points. Encouragers would come in handy throughout the consultation, given my client’s concerns from the beginning (Bolton, 2009). I would keep on encouraging them to speak up. One way I would achieve this is my listening more actively and talking less. More listening and less talk on my part would convince them that I was interested in understanding them. Attending Skills I would use eye contact to win the trust of my client. Usually, when a person speaks to another and maintains eye contact with their listener, they are genuine and sure of what they are saying. I would employ this skill throughout the conversation. I would also maintain an appropriate tone during the consultation. Given Adonias doubts about my ability to attend to them, they are likely to be difficult to convince, and their "stubbornness” would tend to anger me at times. However, I would strive to control my tone despite the anger. A posture of engagement would also help. The posture would entail sitting upright in my chair or leaning forward toward my client. These postures would convince them that I was genuinely interested in them as a person and in their concerns. Otherwise, leaning back in my chair would not help. A non-distracting setting would also help (Bolton, 2009). I would take action to ensure that I created a conducive environment for understanding between the two of us. This would entail turning off my radio, for instance. If, on the other hand, I insisted on my radio playing in the background as we conversed, it is likely Adonia would think I did not take them seriously. Question 3 An example of a closed question I would ask my client is: Have you ever had this problem before? Now this kind of a question is not helpful as it will no elicit much information from my client. Therefore, I would ask them open-ended questions such as this one: What did you do the last time you experienced this problem? This type of question would require Adonai to explain themselves. In the process, I would obtain a lot of useful information (Daisley-Snow, et al., 2014). Another benefit of open questions is that they would allow me to listen more as opposed to closed questions that would turn the consultation into an interrogation. Apart from asking open questions, I would listen to my client more and talk less (Daisley-Snow, et al., 2014). In fact, I would listen actively by maintaining eye contact with them, for instance. By so doing, I would win my client’s trust. Consequently, they would open up and tell me things they would have otherwise not told me. Then I would address their questions and concerns in a manner that demonstrated understanding and a genuine interest in helping my client solve their health problems. Having demonstrated that I understand my client’s problems, I would proceed to offer possible solutions. Otherwise, jumping into solutions without a demonstrated understanding of the problem would not do much good. Question 4 Understanding and recognizing the prospect’s expectations is important for several reasons. First, expectations usually influence the outcome of the treatment process (Daisley-Snow, et al., 2014). Secondly, Ill know how to tame any unrealistic expectations. Thirdly, I’ll be able to better understand my client once I understand their expectations. Question 5 Adonia’s Special Needs Adonia is hearing impaired. This presents a special need because I’ll have to deal with Adonia differently from others clients who have no difficulties with hearing. I’ll meet this need by speaking slowly yet loudly and as clearly as possible. I’ll also ensure that any possible sources of distraction, such as a radio playing in the background, have been eliminated. Secondly, Adonia is of quite an advanced age. At 70, their health needs are different from those of a young person, say, in their thirties. It is possible that at their age, the client has developed complications that come with aging. I’ll address this special need by taking the time to understand the health problems of my client. Their Personal/cultural Needs Adonia speaks English as a second language and so is not fluent. They need their daughter to explain certain things to them. I will meet this special need by exercising a lot of patience so as to allow enough time for the client’s to explain things that may not be clear to them. My prospect has doubts regarding my qualification to attend to her. I’ll overcome their doubt by explaining to them as clearly as possible my qualifications. I may also convince them that I’m registered and regulated by the government. Finally, I may give them testimonials of happy customers I’ve served before. Question 6 Apart from the email drafted below, I would use telephone calls to respond to the prospect’s enquiry if they provided their phone number. Also, if they asked for a hard copy of my prospectus, I would send it to them through the post or via a courier service, depending on the needs of the situation. Draft Email To: Adonia Subject: XYZ Health Hello Adonia, Im Norman Jacobs from XYZ Health, and I’m glad you contacted us. I’ll tell you briefly about us. XYZ Health is a leading health services provider in St. Leonards City and other cities across the country. We offer many services such as surgery, laboratory, psychotherapy and pharmacy. The government licenses and regulates us, and have in operation for the last ten years. Our commitment is to provide the best healthcare at affordable prices. We are open round the clock. Our doctors are picked from the best in the country and are available around the clock. We like to make every clients visit a memorable experience. For this reason, we have provided adequate parking at our facility, so our customers do not have to do those aimless rounds across the city looking for parking. We have also invested adequately in the security of our car. We look forward to serving you. Regards, Norman Jacobs. Task II: Counselling Vignette Question 1: Needs for basic counselling Supporting the client: Given Tinas devastation, they need emotional support. This support would entail, among other things, letting them appreciate that even though their husband has cheated on them, life must still continue. It would also involve cautioning them against feeling guilty of the unfaithfulness of their husband. Otherwise, Tina may go on punishing and blaming oneself for the wayward behaviour of their husband. They must not feel that the reason the husband cheated on them was because there was something they (Tina) were not doing right in their marriage. Facilitating the sharing of information: It is often said that sharing a problem solves it half-way. Tina confesses that they find it difficult to share their experience with anyone. Thus, one of my main goals would be to convince them that they need to find a person they can confide in, other than myself. The person could be a friend, a family member, a relative or a counsellor. Whoever they settle on, it must be someone Tina trusts. By sharing their story with the confidant, Tina could discover that they are not the only one facing the problem of an unfaithful partner. Determining the need for professional counselling: Because Tina is greatly embarrassed by the action of their husband, it might be very difficult to talk to any of the persons identified above save for a professional counsellor. Tina’s fear may be understandable especially if they reveal that they once confided in a person only for that person to go broadcasting Tina’s secrets. Under these circumstances, a professional counsellor may be the best solution. First, Tina and the counsellor are not known to each other. Secondly, the counsellor is bound by a professional code of conduct to treat everything Tina tells them with utmost confidentiality. Question 2: Basic counselling skills Active listening: Active listening, especially on the part of the counsellor, is at the heart of counselling (Nelson-Jones, 2011). Active listening demands, among other things, that the counsellor listens more and talks less. One means of accomplishing this is by asking the client open questions as opposed to closed ones. That way, they will be able to identify the problem (s) of the client. Offering and withdrawing help: Counselling is a journey involving the counsellor and the client. The counsellor guides the client towards overcoming an identified problem such as drinking (Nelson-Jones, 2011). The counsellor must know when to hold the client’s hand and when to withdraw. Otherwise, the client may develop a dependency syndrome that would inhibit the healing process. Question 3 Because myself I’m not a counsellor, I will refer Tina to a professional counsellor I may know in town. In order that Tina gets the best help possible, I will try as much as possible to send them to a counsellor who is known to me personally and whose reputation is good. I would give Tina the contacts and physical address of the counsellor. Alternatively, if the counsellor and I are close enough, I may call them and introduce Tina to them. Such action would convince Tina that I treat their problem with the urgency and seriousness it deserves. For my records, I will maintain a register of all the clients I’ve referred to other health practitioners. Better still, I will maintain a database with a column indicating whether or not the client was referred. Then, I would encourage the customers I’ve referred to give me feedback on their experiences in the hands of the practitioners they were directed to. This information will help me to refer my customers only to those practitioners that have a proven good record in serving their clients. This way, my customers will get the best value for their money every time I refer them. Question 4 One thing I would do to encourage Tina to be honest and discuss their fears and questions is to ask them open-ended questions(Daisley-Snow, et al., 2014). Open-ended questions require the recipient to explain their responses. In the process, the client reveals useful information that may, otherwise, have not come out had I asked closed questions. An example of an open question is: how did you find out that your spouse has been cheating on you? By contrast, an example of a closed question is: how many children do you have? Besides open questions, I would use eye contact to convince my client that Im interested in the consultation. This knowledge will encourage them to speak up. Having got Tina to ask questions and share their fears, I would proceed to answer them as vividly as possible. Thus, I’ll avoid medical jargon and use simple language. I’ll also make sure I’m audible enough. Above all, Ill project an image of understanding, trustworthiness, interest and understanding(Daisley-Snow, et al., 2014). Such an image will help me win the trust of my client, and they will open up more. The more the patient talks, the more they reveal about themselves. In turn, the more information I have, the better and more precisely I can locate their problem. Then, once the problem is clearly, understood, it is easier to address it. Question 5 I would exercise discretion in determining whether or not Tina needs to see a professional counsellor(Nelson-Jones, 2011). The discretion will be based on how best Tina explains their situation. However, given that I’m not a counsellor, the degree of my discretion would be limited. In order to ensure the confidentiality, I would ensure that I speak to Tina in a private room. I would also ensure that I explain to the client how I’m bound by my professional code of conduct to uphold the privacy and confidentiality of the patient. While sympathizing with Tina, I would delineate a boundary of confidentiality(Nelson-Jones, 2011). Even though I’m obliged to respect Tina’s privacy and to treat all the information they share with me with the highest degree of confidentiality possible, I would make it clear to them that I would have to ask questions they might be uncomfortable with. Besides the boundary of confidentiality, I would also make it clear that there exists a professional boundary between the two of us. This boundary would find its expression in gestures like shaking hands and the personal space between us during our discussion. However, given the nature of Tinas situation, a consultative session could become very emotive and cross the boundaries discussed above(Nelson-Jones, 2011). This could lead to undesirable outcomes like having sexual affairs. In order to avoid this threat, I would avoid small, secluded rooms. Instead, I would go for a large room with a designated area for discussing with clients. References Bolton , R., 2009. People Skills. 1st ed. New York: Simon & Schuster. Daisley-Snow, J., Womack, D. & Nicotra, C., 2014. Communicate with Clients, St. Leonards: Nature Care College. Nelson-Jones, R., 2011. Basic Counselling Skills: A Helpers Manual. 3rd ed. New York: Sage Publications Ltd. Read More