Core Skills in Counseling - Assignment Example

Counseling Session Analysis [Name] [Institution Affiliation] Introduction When welcoming a client to a counseling session it is always important to show hospitality. I would have started the session by offering Catherine a glass of water or other alternatives that would be available. Since this is the first session with Catherine I would introduce her to the Initial Assessment Form and the Assurance of Confidentiality form to sign and witness. However, I would mention to her that filling the form is voluntary and that she has the right not to answer the questions. As I fill the form on her behalf, I would be telling her that the conversation we are about to have will be handled confidentiality except in cases where: 1. Children are abused or neglected. 2. The court convenes her. 3. She is leaving with an intention to harm herself (suicide) or harm another person. After the form filling procedure is over, the session would start where I would first concentrate on gathering information. I would ensure that I have an open body language, appear calm, and have a friendly tone. The objective is to show empathy and acceptance to the client. Instead of starting the conversation with “…you are free to talk when you are ready,” I would ask open ended questions. I would also be ready with a notebook to note down my observations. I would have started by asking Catherine what brings her to counseling. Assessment In the session, the counselor uses open question, “I can sense there is a bit of a worry there am I right?” this question. This question is asked with an intention of gathering more information from the client. Because Catherine is talkative and appears to know exactly what bothers her, the counselor uses active listening. Active listening helps the counselor look for meaning. The counselor does not speak much but leaves Catherine to do most of the talking. However, the counselor shows empathy, acceptance, and genuineness. In this case, the counselor speaks to seek clarification and to keep the conversation going so that the client may feel understood. The open questions prompt Catherine to elaborate in details her worries. She says that she is concerned that her son doing her final exams and about to go to secondary school is not happy at school. She is worried that he is being bullied and might be going through psychological torture, which could influence negatively on his GCSE results. Despite numerous efforts to provide the needed environment at home for study and providing him with books, she is worried he might fail in his final exams. She has tried to talk to the teachers about these issues, but she has not been given any feedback. At this point, the counselor uses paraphrasing, “correct me if am wrong, you said you are feeling frustrated and concerned...” The counselor paraphrases what Catherine has talked about to convey the message the listener is paying close attention. It is of paramount importance to show a client that they are being listened to; that you are concerned about their well being and ready to help them in every manner possible (Stephen, n.d). Catherine explains further that she has even written to several teachers and to the school head. She has also requested for a guide on how she can help him at home by revising what he learned but her requests are not being addressed sufficiently. She says that she is frustrated by the school. The counselor notes the mention of the word “frustration.” To know more about the frustrations she is talking about, the counselor asks Catherine to elaborate further on her frustrations. Here the counselor wants to understand the degree of agitation Catherine is experiencing. The counselor is seeking to know about the depth of the emotional frustration the client is going through. Catherine explains that she feels frustrated because her hands are tied against the system. She cannot do anything; she has already done enough. She points out that, the school had not even held a parents meeting. If this meeting had take place, she would have a ground for airing her grievances to the school’s administration. She wants to avoid a situation where at the end of the year, her son comes with poor results whilst she could have had a chance to do something about when she could. She points out some things that show that she feels really frustrated by the school, especially where she says that the school waits until it’s too late then they say that the child had a huge potential; that he/she could have done better. She wants the system that utilizes that potential when it can. In counseling, it is important to focus on the strengths of the client. Here, I would have tried to help Catherine understand her strengths. Catherine seems to be concentrating too much on the kid’s performance at school. She thinks that if she does not do something, her son will not perform well at school. If this happens, she might end up blaming herself. She might have this heavy feeling that she could have done more. It would thus be important to point out aspects that would help her view the situation from a positive perspective. The counselor could have done this by asking Catherine to write things she likes about the school. In addition, it would be of equal importance to tell her that she is a very caring mother. The fact that she even took some time to book a counseling session for the sake of her son shows that she is caring and dedicated to helping him sufficiently in his studies. Pointing out all this would go a long way to not only building her self- esteem and self pride as a mother but also break the monotony of the conversation. The counselor uses paraphrasing much. This helps to make the client understand that she is being understood and if not, the counselor stands to be corrected. The counselor also paraphrases to keep Catherine on track; to keep the conversation topic. At this point, I would be wary of the tone of my voice. I would try to sound accommodating, soft, and lighthearted. This is important because, the client may not remember what the client said but they will most definitely remember how the counselor made them feel (Stephen, n.d). When Catherine talks about the big leap from primary to secondary school, she sounds so upset with the school. All she wants is a copy of the work his son is supposed to cover every week so she could be able to prepare him beforehand. From this, it is evident that she has lost hope with the teachers and with the whole education system. She wants to handle too much at the same time. On noticing this, the counselor asks an open question about an ideal situation, what she would expect from the teachers to feel less frustrated. This technique is used to help Catharine process or understand the cause of the problem from a deeper perspective. She insists that all she wants is for them to help her help her son- get her a copy of the syllabus. The counselor again uses an open question, one that is directed towards providing Catherine with more ideas on how she can alternatively handle the problem. The question is about seeking out help from someone else in the department. Catherine asserts that she had tried to contact all of them to no avail. She says that the only option left that she can think of is getting an appointment with the school head. So far, Catherine cannot think of any other alternative to the problem. It is important for the client to provide her with the resources necessary to solve the problem. Being aware of this, the counselor seeks to understand the matter from a different perspective; looking at the situation was focusing on the kid instead of basing the conversation on presumption that the teachers are not responsible. The counselor thus asks a question intended to make Catherine think about the situation differently. The question was whether she thinks the son understands the work given to him. Catherine points out that her son is the kind of kid that needs to be pushed to do something. She says that unless he is given that extra kick, he cannot do anything on his own. Therefore, when the client asks Catherine whether that is why she feels that the son needs that propelling force, she admits in a delightful tone, “Yes, yes, yes…” The counselor has made Catherine come to an actualization. She has discovered something that that was so close yet it seemed so far. Here the counselor used cognitive behavioral counseling. Catherine has recognized the root cause of the problem with the help of the counselor’s direction. Cognitive behavioral counseling is about accuracy and making the necessary adjustment or changes rather than feeling frustrated, defeated and disempowered (Infed, n.d). It finally dawns on Catherine and the counselor that, in as much the school seems negligent and unconcerned, Catherine’s son is the kind of boy who needs to be forced to do things. She says that he is a typical boy who needs that extra kick to do what is responsible for him. With five minutes left, the counselor asks how the session was and whether she had learnt anything. Catherine admits that the session has been of much help to her. She had the problem fixed; she fixed it herself with the help of the counselor. She decides that her next step would be to make an appointment with the teacher. This would be a perfect opportunity for her to explain to the teacher that her son is the kind of kid who needs to be pushed. The teacher has to spend an extra time and be persistent with him. At this point, the solution seems to have presented itself. The counselor is now free to ask a closed question, “So that is something you are going to look into and take it from there?” Her reply, “most definitely” shows that she feels rejuvenated meaning that the session was fruitful. She is very happy and is more than willing to have a second session a week later. The role of the counselor was not to provide the solution but to provide a growth or an enlightening climate. At the end, Catherine was able to come up with the solution on her own. The counselor just listened to her and gave her a basis for reasoning. The counselor gave Catherine foods for thought. The role of the counselor is more of providing an avenue for solution. Therefore, counseling is a process meant to lead the client to self-discovery. In Catherine’s case, the counselor does not solution based counseling techniques, but rather uses integrative approach. The counselor uses client centered techniques, active listening, and cognitive behavioral counseling. Use of Core Objectives Core objectives are an important aspect in the counseling process. They help in improving relationship between the client and the counselor. It is worth noting that trustworthy comes when human beings feel that their subjective experience is understood and respected (Martin, 2012). This basis brought about the formulation of core conditions. In Catherine’s session, the counselor uses genuineness and realness objective. It is vital for a counselor to appear normal and try not to put up professional front. Catherine’s counselor uses this core objective by not using formal language when speaking to Catherine. Catherine converses in a non- formal manner. She does not sound like she is in a very formal office; she has put on her real personality into the picture. On the same token, the counselor has provided accommodating environment and has tried not putting up personal façade. Through the session, Catherine seems to be growing in a constructive manner. As the counselor lays emphasis on the main points, such as what Catherine terms as frustrating issues, she becomes open and empties all her feelings and her attitude towards the school and the teachers. This shows that there is a match between what is present in awareness and what the counselor expresses to the client. Another core objective revealed in this session is unconditional positive regard. Towards the end of the session, the root cause of the problem surfaces or rather a deeper understanding of the problem appears. Catherine is made to see the real picture. She understood that, she used the wrong approach to the problem because she did not comprehensively understand the problem. Instead of trying to get the syllabus and coaching her kid, she could have explained to the teachers that the kid needs extra time and a little push. If this was a normal one- on- one conversation between Catherine and a friend, there would be a high likelihood that remarks such as “you see you were wrong all along” could have been used. In this case, however, the counselor listens to her in a non- judgmental and warm way. This core objective helps the client to talk out her real inner feelings without fear of judgments or rejection. As the session progresses, the counselor is expressing empathetic understanding of Catherine’s worries. When Catherine talks about her concern that the kid might not perform well in her GCSE, the client shows empathy in her tone, “...I sense there is a bit of worry there…” This objective helps the client to feel appreciated and like they feel a sense of belonging. In this case, the counselor appears empathetic but not possessive. This is an important aspect in counseling process. A client is, during the session is normally vulnerable emotionally, and if the counselor becomes possessive, by acts such as hugs; the session might turn out to be like a personal matter. A few things missed in the session. The counselor did not give a summary of the session. Summarizing involves focusing on the main points of a presentation and seeking for clarification for accuracy. Note taking is also important during the counseling session. A counselor is supposed to be writing down shorthand information in a sketchy and messy manner since at times the counselor is supposed to be discreet and avoid disturbing the client’s thoughts or body language. At the end of the session it is also worth, seeing a client off with a goodie bag and other educative and fun stuff to make counseling process an occasion that is worth looking forward to and at the same time a learning experience. Conclusion Counseling is a basis upon which personal issues are talked through in a safe, supportive, and confidential climate. It helps in decision-making, problem solving, and other emotional issues such as anger management. The process is not meant to provide solutions, but rather the counselor helps client access their own resources to problem solving or tackling issues that are troubling them. In Catherine’s case, this aspect comes out very well. Catherine is able to decide on the next step to take. At the beginning of the session, she had come with a perception that she had exhausted all the possible solutions. Towards the end, however, she feels that the burden has been removed from her shoulder. The session gives her energy, zeal, and enthusiasm. References Martin, A. (2012). Cognitive approaches to counseling. Retrieved from http://w ww.thecounsellorsguide.co.uk/cognitive-approaches-counselling.html Infed. (n.d). Carl Rogers, Core Conditions and Education. Retrieved from http://www.infed.org/thinkers/etrogers.htm Steven, J. (n.d). Client centered counseling (Carl Rogers). Retrieved from http://www.basiccounseling-skills.com/client-centered-counseling.html Read More