Characteristics and Behaviors of Effective Counse - Assignment Example

Counseling Session Techniques When conducting therapy, it is important to remember that you already bring in your own set of values into the counseling session. During the course of therapy, you and the client are building a trusting therapeutic relationship. In order to accomplish this you must be aware of skills that are essential to the counseling process as well as remember the code of ethics when dealing with clients. The art and science of counseling requires not only knowledge of theories and counseling methods, but being able to wield them in such a manner that it will be of the highest therapeutic value for the client.

The new therapist had some good guiding techniques that helped make progress during the session. It is extremely important to know the major theories in counseling, but even more important still is to know when and what circumstances to apply them on. The therapist was able to figure out that the problems he was dealing with stemmed from childhood and personal experiences. This is evident of evidence-based practice, which is where rather than incorporating one theory, they apply specific techniques for intervention on a specific problem (Corey, 2009).

The therapist was then able to lead the client on a guided introspection which is good in having the client understand their problems by looking at themselves. Empathy and positive encouragement were also extremely good techniques in order to build understanding with the client. This also was a good example of listening, with the therapist asking for input from the client as well as the guide and pace method (Levitt 2001). Empathy and understanding help build the trust and understanding between the two.

Positive encouragement is good in instilling confidence in the patient and evoking positive feelings. As a new therapist, it is a given that mistakes will be made. There were some major flaws in the first counseling session. The first was that the client was not asked to sign and informed consent form describing how everything is confidential with the exception of violent and deadly activities. This should have been provided at the beginning of the session along with the demographic questions.

This lays down the foundational rules for the guided therapy sessions and helps create that first bridge of trust between client and therapist. According to research, when a counselor informs the client upfront of the entire counseling process, the client is more likely to see the counselor as a trustworthy figure (Vacc, & Loesch, 2000). Another major flaw was that the therapist lacked consistency on the topic throughout the course of the session. Although the topics were centered on the client, they tended to jump impulsively from marital problems to personal problems with communication, etc.

A good therapy session has to have a nice flow and good timing. It has to develop like one coherent thought pattern in order to help the client understand. Both these positive and negative aspects help balance each other out. In terms of the first session, it is good to make a good first impression because this client is expected to tell you everything that makes them feel insecure. The negative flaws in the session seemed to make the client uneasy and confused. In addition, the fact about the informed consent being at the end could have damaged the fledgling relationship.

In terms the emotions of the session, the therapist was good at getting through to the patient and having them engage in discussion. Counseling is both an art and a science. It is an art because you have to understand communication, both verbal and nonverbal, as well as how to engage in conversation. How you shape the conversation and alter the flow requires skill much like how a writer writes a book. However, counseling is also like a science because of the theory and foundational knowledge that underlies the art.

Therapists have to know the theories, ethics, and techniques of counseling in order to provide a quality section. As the therapy session goes on, the therapist must try to remain separate from the client and not become intertwined with the problems of the patient (Bard, & Kracen 2006). Like a hybrid plant, both must intertwine to become one and provide a unique therapeutic session. References Baird, K, & Kracen, A. (2006). Vicarious tramatization and secondary traumatic stress: a research synthesis.

Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 19(2), 181-188. Corey, G. (2009). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Thomson Brooks/Cole. Levitt, D. H. (2001). Active listening and counselor self-efficacy: Emphasis on one microskill in beginning counselor training. Clinical Supervisor, 20(2), 101–115. Vacc, N, & Loesch, L. (2000). Professional orientation to counseling. Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis.