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Analysis Of Clara Hill 's ' Helping Skills '

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The readings fir this week in Clara Hill’s “Helping Skills”, particularly chapters 7, 8 and 9, discuss how helpers can authentically attend observe and listen to client’s thoughts and feelings. Hill spends a considerable amount of time exploring verbal and non-verbal feedback the helper gives to the client. This section was of particular interest to me due to a concern to be at a loss of words when a client says something that causes me to be unsure how to continue.
In chapter 7, Hill mentions minimal verbal behaviors that can help to encourage the client to continue with their story and that we are attending and listening. I agree that this can be helpful in encouraging the client to continue with their story, though I am concerned that it would not be enough. The content of these chapters have helped with the realization that although we already know the words, being comfortable and fluent with the phrases and open-ended questions can be similar to learning an entirely new language. To illustrate, in doing the role-play with the intake, I found it most challenging to simultaneously keep to the script and actively listen to the story that was being narrated.
Authenticity in the therapy room has been an ongoing theme through the last few weeks; nevertheless, whenever I get into a role-play I tend to more ridged and soft spoken. Hill mentions we should match our client’s language, with the exception of grammatical errors to name one; yet I still embody a professional

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