Interpersonal Communications Essay

In order for the counseling process to be effective for the client the characteristics and behaviors of the mental health counselor must be effective. To be an effective mental health counselor the process must include both the art and science of helping clients when they struggle. This paper will address both effective and ineffective characteristics of the given transcript along with an explanation of how a counselor’s characteristics or behaviors influence a session with a client.

There is no doubt that the counsellor needs to be aware of the complexity of culture (Pedersen & Ivey, 1993). Culture results from the interaction of a number of variables including ethnographic, demographic, socio-economic, and relational factors. Within a culture, people develop patterns of behaviours based on a number of assumptions they have learned either directly, observationally or vicariously (Mitchell & Krumboltz, 1996). People also develop a cultural identity by

There are many variables in interpersonal communication; sex and gender, race and ethnicity, age and social class, just to name a few. The variables in which were most present in

Derald (2013) stated, “The adage “counselor or therapist, know thyself” is the basic building block to cultural competence in the helping professions.” (P.6) Part of connecting with clients includes the separation and awareness of the helping professional versus the other person. The helping profession has not always embraced the awareness of self in regards to culture. To be culturally competent the helping professional should conceptualize the issue with the understanding of the cultural background of their client. In this paper I will summarize significant historical changes in society that influenced

The potential impacts of using specialist communication skills and techniques in the counselling setting fall into a broad spectrum. When counsellors use the active listening skill and unconditional positive regard, clients will feel encouraged and supported in telling their story allowing them to convey their feelings. This can also be supported and further enhanced through the use of reflection of feeling, which gives the client an opportunity to examine, decipher and understand their own emotions. The

As a counselor one should have an appreciation for cultural diversity and eliminate judgmental thoughts. Suspending thoughts and judgments in the effort to hear a client’s feelings and understand their perspective of their world, is a form of empathy. The counseling environment needs to be a safe place for a client to share their most intimate concerns. Unconditional positive regard is an essential characteristic also. “Emotional warmth, appropriate reassurance, the communication of confidence and interest in the client (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014). Congruence, the characteristic that provide clients with clear and honest communication is effective in

Although there are many aspects of the counseling relationship, the most important of these aspects is empathy. Empathy is the ability to truly comprehend the feelings of the client (Cormier, 2016). It is a true connection with the client that is real with a genuine desire to help the client. Empathy is almost an automatic emotion that some people possess, however a deeper understanding of the client goes beyond empathy is the principle of care, which is a higher cognitive function (Wilhelm, 2010). The principle of care is a more professionally trained form of empathy; utilizing a cognitive process of purposeful assessment of a client’s situation that adheres to a higher moral standard (Wilhelm, 2010). However, when the counselor does have

Human service professionals are challenged with a significant role in assisting clients to work through difficult or traumatic situations that they have dealt with or currently struggling to get through. According to authors, the clinician demonstrates unique knowledge and understanding of human behaviors. Often times, these behaviors are a reflection of psychological theory, systems theory, and communication skills (Murphy & Dillion, 2010, p. 8). Human Service Professionals (HSP) undergo extensive training to master the skills and knowledge required to assist their clients with life altering events that has created a sense of depression or stress. Human service professionals are professional individuals who are expected to display professional

Data collected from Sharpley, Fairnie, Tabary-Collins, Bates, and Lee (2000), suggest that strengthening a rapport with an individual is paramount to the therapeutic alliance and is the contributing factor of whether the person perceives the counselor to be influential to determine if the session was successful. To be a competent counselor, he or she should use open-ended questions, reflective statements of feelings, paraphrase key components of the conversation and utilize minimal encouragers to enable ability to strengthen a rapport with a person (Sharpley, Fairnie, Tabary-Collins, Bates, and Lee, 2000). This is an essential characteristic trait an effective counselor should adopt as often the individuals we serve have low-self esteem and encounter difficulties managing or reducing their symptomology, which could implicate the therapeutic alliance. By establishing and strengthening a rapport with an individual, that creates a framework for the counselor to set realistic goals to improve the person's

As a counselor, ways that my cultural worldview might affect my assessment and diagnosis of a client’s situation is through lack of cultural understanding, awareness and my values, beliefs, biases, and perceptions of that culture. The adage “counselor or therapist, know thyself” is the basic building block to cultural competence in the helping professions (Sue and Sue, 2005). I would have to agree. If I am not careful I can easily fall into the trap of compartmentalizing my clients, due to their culture. This can be problematic as it does not allow for me to treat my client as an individual separate from their culture, but aware of their cultural background and history. As a culturally competent counselor, I must consider the characteristics,

Although these videos portray a medical doctor’s office, the principles used are pinpointing the questioning skills of those in the human services field. Improper use of closed-ended questions can leave the client not trusting the human services practitioner and not trusting that they are the expert on their own feelings and emotions. When clients do not trust the human service practitioner they are less likely to build a relationship and confide in the human service practitioner counseling

For a person to be a good balance interviewer, one must have a few characteristic necessary to carry out an effective interview. Empathy must be one of the most important features to have; it is important to have the compassion for the person who is opening their thoughts and feeling to the interviewer (Benjamin, 2001, p. 54). If we don’t have empathy, it will be very hard to be able to understand what they are going thru. The interviewer may use some self-disclosure to share some similar situation he/she may have gone thru without been to open with the client, but maybe something similar and by feeling empathy, he may have an understanding of what the client is going thru. They should also be able to feel the warmth from the person they are

Clinical mental health counselors have the ability to use their resources to gain knowledge about diverse societies. Examples of gaining knowledge might be consulting with a colleague, researching articles, attending educational workshops, incorporating specialized training, or other ways to educate themselves. Another important aspect of an effective counselor is the ability to understand each client and be able to address issues that arise from cultural differences. As Newsome and Gladding (2014) explained in chapter 4, clients from a different background may seek counseling for many reasons. Some of those reasons may be for their own personal growth and understanding, coping mechanisms to effectively express themselves to family members or friends, or adjusting to life events or transitions. Many clients from a diverse society manifest feelings of rejection, loneliness, confusion, and depression. Counselors are able to use strategies and skills to encourage

Half-way through the session, my client noticeably relaxed. She stopped twisting her pant leg and articulated her feelings with less difficulty. When I noticed that I was successfully demonstrating my interest to my client and fostering a comfortable and welcoming environment, I felt increasingly confident. Had I presented an unwelcoming demeanor, I believe that my client would neither have relaxed nor expressed the feelings that she did. Our session would have unfolded differently and presumably less successfully. Evidently, knowledge and application of these foundational skills benefitted both myself and my client. However, over-focusing on these skills made it more difficult to effectively consider my client’s concerns. Therefore, with additional practice, I hope to improve these skills until they become increasingly natural. This will allow me to both conduct interviews with confidence and attend to my client’s narrative with consideration. Possessing ethical and multicultural awareness, along with utilizing attending behavior and empathy, creates the foundation to a trusting and effective helping

Previous researchers have found that for a person to achieve better and more effective communication competence, it is necessary to develop skills that allow an appropriate participation in specific situations. The ability to listen, ask questions, and express concepts or ideas effectively is an important part of communication competence. Intercultural communication presents an unexplored and challenging field that needs to be understood for a better development in communication. (Dillon and McKenzie, 1998). The variables of listening depend on the different perceptions that a person obtains through their cultural background. Furthermore, culture often affects the structure of consciousness in the act of listening. When a person seeks to