Practice Session and Evaluation of Session - Coursework Example

RАСTIСЕ SЕSSIОN АND ЕVАLUАTIОN ОF SЕSSIОN Name of Student Institution affiliation РRАСTIСЕ SЕSSIОN АND ЕVАLUАTIОN ОF SЕSSIОN Summary of the session This session involved Dona a middle aged woman who was experiencing severe paranoia such as overreacting over small issues and occasionally worrying that something bad might happen to the people she love or herself. On the other hand, this patient also experiences some mild level of stress which she blamed on her over dramatic attribute especially when under immense pressure. Besides, the patient reveals that the stress disorder that she commonly experiences can be traced to her childhood life which was characterized by anxiousness and stressfulness (Boulton, 2013). The patient is also willing to talk about her disorders and most importantly she is willing to change. The patient also ranks the impact of this disorder life to an 8. However, she acknowledges that she would want the impact of this disorder to her life to come down to rank 1. On the other hand, she also acknowledges that she has previously been unable to cope with this situation as a result of this disorder. She also acknowledges that talking to someone about it helps though at time she feels like she just wants to stay alone and not converse with anyone. Moreover, she appears to be aware of how to deal with her emotions and how to remain calm and not overreact. However, she admits that when actually faced with this situation she is unable to contain herself. It is also notable that the patient’s busy schedule contributes to this disorder and the patient rarely has time for herself due to her ever busy schedule (da Rocha Barros, 2016). Therefore, the technique to freeze, analyze and act is recommended to the patients when she is faced with paranoia through using mindfulness and yoga to help maintain calmness. Further, it is recommended that when she is faced with paranoia she should talk to someone and vent or do it in writing when a person to talk or vent to is not available. Identification for the chosen method for counseling The chosen method for counseling is Psychoanalysis and psychodynamic therapies under psychotherapy. This particular chosen method of psychology focuses on changing problematic, feelings, thoughts and behaviors through pinpointing their incautious motivations and meanings. In addition to this the psychoanalytical methods under psychotherapy is characterized by a close working relationship between the patient and the therapist as evident in the reviewed session (Schachter, & Kächele, 2010). Through this chosen method of counseling the patients gets to learn about themselves by being guided on how to explore their interaction with the therapist through therapeutic relationships. This particular choosen method is associated with Sigmund Freud however, over the years it has been modified (Nemeroff, 2013). One main aim of this session is to move forward by tracking the main problem through a structured form while utilising the required skills. The other objective of this session is for reflective listening purposes, in this case; as the therapist I am able to reflect on Dona’s feelings and move towards eliminating these feelings which are unwanted and emphasising on the need for positivism that is helping her gain the important feelings (Barros, 2016). Identification of the skills you used and a brief explanation of why you used them 
 One of the skills I used in this session is reflective listening. For this particular skill I was able to reflect to Dona’s feelings and getting a grip of what she was going through and how it affected her negatively (Kemler, 2014). I used this particular skill to relate to Dona’s situation and experiences that she was going through as a result of this disorder. Empathetically agreeing and complementing her self-awareness was another useful skills that I employed. In this case, I ensured my feedback and responses to Dona revolved around empathy and a show of concern (Saltzman, 2016). I used this particular skill in order to get Dona to open up about her situation and the experiences she was going through. Additionally, I also used this skill to get Dona to trust me and be comfortable around me (Grundy, 2014). This was an essential aspect if I intended to get her to open up about her situation. The other skill that I used in this session is using the right lines to open up the session and to perfectly end the session. The reason for using this particular skill was to ensure that Dona perfectly settles in this session and at the end of the session she as well remains settled (Nemeroff, 2013). Moreover, this skill was also essential in ensuring that Dona remains comfortable throughout the session therefore, enabling her to open up about her situation and experiences perfectly. Evaluation of your application of the skills including verbatim examples The applications of these skills were quite effective in this case, the applied skills were effective and complementing Dona responses and relaxed mood throughout the session. One example of this skill used across the session is when I asked Dona “would you like to talk about your childhood or focus about your problem for now?”Additionally, the positive effect of the applied skills is evident through the reflective skills applied throughout the session that enabled Dona to open up about her motivation and hope for the session going forward. She stated that she had hopes in this session to give her relief from her feelings which were causing distress to her (Schachter, & Kächele, 2010). On the other hand, these skills were also effectively applied since throughout the session Dona is seen complying with the therapist’s questions and direction as well as opening up about her experiences and current situation. This skill is evidently applied when I asked Dona the question “What are those things not worth you stressing about?”Further, Dona is also seen revealing her thoughts, feelings and emotions about the session and her current disorder (Boulton, 2013). On the other hand, the application of these particular skills such as scaling questions was quite effective in giving me some insight of the severity of the situation or disorder that Dona was suffering from and severity of the patient's disorder (Cooper, 2014). The effective application of these skills is evident through the effect of the coping questions in this session. Thus, the coping questions were of great help in knowing Dona’s social network. An example of a coping question that was quite effective is “How have you managed to prevent things from becoming worse?” In this case, this particular skill enabled me get some insight of Dona’s emotional state where I got to learn that she left out the fact that she would occasionally experience some internal traumas which needed to be acknowledged from the beginning of the session. Suggestions for improvement in your application of the skills One area that I feel needs a considerate amount of improvement is my facial expression while conducting interviews. In this case, I feel that I showed more empathetic facial expressions. Despite the fact that as an interviewer and psychologist as well as the sensitivity nature of our session needs confidence and the ability to inspire a patient, thus, there is need for therapists to understand and embrace the feelings of their patients. However, too much of this tends to make Dona unable to express herself effectively and open up about this situation and experiences that she has gone through (Saltzman, 2016). Therefore, I feel like I overdid my empathetic facial expression, hence; I need to strike a balance when it comes to showcasing my empathetic facial expression in order to instil confidence and hope in patients. For instance when asking Dona the question; “when this problem occurs, at times when it goes well for you, you speak to a friend, at times it goes bad you don’t want to speak to anyone”? I think that it showcases a lot of empathetic expression; I would have asked her “what goes into your mind when you feel that you do not want to speak to anyone about this situations?”. The overall effectiveness of the interview is relatively fair; I think that more needs to be done especially in asking direct question rather than being too cautious with the interviewee through expressing empathetical expressions while asking the questions (Kemler, 2014). I also need to improve on my responses as pointed out, they are not quite direct and I tend to take relatively longer to give this responses an issue which hampers desired effect of the question. For instance, in my response “try to call and vent to your friend” I do not sound quite confident about what am saying; I should be more direct and straight with my answers for instance in this case, I would have responded by saying “You should call and vent to your friends it is actually therapeutic”. Evaluation on your overall effectiveness in applying your chosen method of counseling In overall I was able to work effectively with the model and apply its structure ensuring that I have achieved the aim of the chosen method of counseling. Moreover, I was also able to manipulate this model and apply its structure to ensure that the objectives of the chosen method of counseling are met. The implication of this effectively applied model and structure for the chosen method of counseling to meet its main aim is that it fosters the potential of this method of counseling to be of much greater impact in the future in improving Dona’s disorder and the condition she was going through (Nemeroff, 2013). The other implication of this effectively applied model and structure of the chosen method of counseling to meet its main objectives is to ensure that this session is a success in helping Dona attain the required skills in future and to be able to deal with her situation as she pointed out in the interview. References Boulton, N. (2013). Psychoanalysis as therapy and storytelling. Psychodynamic Practice, 13(3), 314-317. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14753630701453155 Cooper, S. (2014). Psychoanalysis Preparatory to Psychotherapy. Contemporary Psychoanalysis, 40(4), 557-576. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00107530.2004.10747244 da Rocha Barros, E. (2016). Discussion of ‘Listening and interacting through different filters: sessions with Nina’. The International Journal Of Psychoanalysis, 97(1), 167-175. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1745-8315.12486 Grundy, D. (2014). Psychoanalysis and Creativity: What's the Pattern?. Contemporary Psychoanalysis, 40(1), 109-116. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00107530.2004.10747238 Kemler, D. (2014). Psychoanalysis, Artistic Obsession, and Artistic Motivation: The Study of Pathography. Perceptual And Motor Skills, 118(1), 225-245. http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/24.22.pms.118k16w7 Nemeroff, C. (2013). Psychoanalysis, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, and Psychopharmacology. CNS Spectrums, 3(07), 18-18,74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1092852900006118 Saltzman, C. (2016). A rumour of empathy: Resistance, narrative and recovery in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. Psychodynamic Practice, 22(4), 405-407. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14753634.2016.1198985 Schachter, J., & Kächele, H. (2010). The Couch in Psychoanalysis. Contemporary Psychoanalysis, 46(3), 439-459. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00107530.2010.10746071 Read More