Listening: One of the Most Important Aspects of Counselling

The decision to take this course was rooted in a deepening interest in psychotherapy, self–development, the welfare of other people and in a desire to gain a theoretical base to enrich my current arts and health practice.

As the standards of the counseling profession are continuously being shaped, I desire to play a role in the educating

The second statement of the counselor that was a good characteristic was when he stated “Great. That is a good start. Let’s talk some more about where that frustration comes from.” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2012). The counselor used an open-ended question to allow the client to give an answer with a more elaborate answer than just yes or no. Also the counselor was supportive of the client’s choice to focus on himself at this point in his counseling. According to Cooper (2010) “open questions will allow for a more meaningful response and give more control to the client.” If a client is guarded in their responses open-ended questions will allow them to disclose what they feel comfortable disclosing without them feeling so pressured to give information.

I believe counseling is a collaborative partnership between client and counselor. Furthermore, this collaborative partnership is built from trust and acceptance of both client and counselor. I hope in conjunction with clients to understand the issues and concerns so to help them tap into their wisdom, creativity, and strengths to meet their current challenges. I believe in a comprehensive perspective through which clients can better comprehend themselves in the framework that our thinking about events can lead to emotional and behavioral upset. Moreover, counselors are to provide a safe environment for clients to explore their challenges and identify ways to move differently in overcoming these challenges.

As a counselor in training, I believe that counseling is a collaborative process between you and I. Counseling is a personal and safe process that deeply respects and honors each individual’s unique life experiences. Here are some aspects of counseling and therapy as I perceive and practive it: Therapeutic counseling

Carl Rogers, Born in Chicago in 1902 as the 4th of 6 children in a strict Fundamentalist Christian household.

At the beginning of the session I introduced myself by first name to the client before outlining the counselling contract with her. I felt it was important for the client to know

To be able to help a client to access their deepest thoughts and open up for discussion that is both helpful and meaningful, there are several specific microskills to know about to enhance the communication with the client (Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors, 2009). These communication skills are built through different stages and may feel a little unnatural at the beginning. However, counselling is not about giving advice, but about supporting and helping the client to find his/her own solutions. This makes counselling challenging on many levels as you need to be aware of your own behaviour (Perinatal Mental Health Project, n.d.).

This essay is an evaluation of two counselling models applied to a situation where a client has experienced loss and how a counsellor can create a therapeutic relationship with the client using each counselling model. It will also contain other skills a counsellor could use to obtain/maintain a good therapeutic relationship with the client.

Counseling is a relatively young profession when compared to other mental health professions. In my brief personal and professional experience with the field, I have come to define counseling as a process of engagement between two people, both of whom are bound to change through a collaborative process that involves both the therapist and the client in co-constructing solutions to concerns.

As with any other client the best way to discover Mario’s concerns and issues is to utilize the Basic Listening Sequence and the Five Stages of a Counseling Session as described in the microskills hierarchy from our textbook (Ivey, Ivey, & Zalaquett, 2014, pp. 10-11). The anticipated result from using these microskills is to further draw out Mario’s story so that I may view his concerns from his frame of reference. Another anticipated result is building the level of trust and rapport necessary to ensure compliance with any suggestions or instructions provided by myself or from insights gained by the client (p. 318). Once an empathic relationship is formed the Mario and I can collaboratively move forward searching for resolution of the his concerns.

First I introduced myself to her explained that I am a student at Lamar University and I am in the counseling Clinical and Mental Health Counseling, after introducing myself I went over the confidentiality and consent form with her ensuring her that the information will be kept between the two of us, only if there is a harm to self and others I will have to consult with a next to kin such as a family member. According to the code of Ethics, a counselor has the right to make a sound ethical decision that is in the best interest of the clients and public they serve (ACA, 2005). Then I asked her brings her to therapy, she explained to me some issues that she is dealing with on her job that is causing her to have a great deal of stress and she has been on the same job for 19 years and is ready for a change. After listening to her reasons I then explained to her how we would work together to come up with some goals and expectations for her in her sessions to avoid stress. Goal statements are global descriptions of what the final outcome will look like (Jongsma,

It is also useful to assess the clients emotional, instinctual and spiritual functioning as well as

I think listening skills are very critical when a client is discussion their personal issues. Because the counselor will be able to pick up on clues that needs to be address immediately. According to Hackney & Cormier (2013), immediacy will allow counselor to address the current situation by making the client aware of what is going. As I see it in order for me to maintain a therapeutic relationship which a client I have to empathize with them. A counselor cannot empathize with a client without listening to their issue. As cited by Doherty and Thompson (2014), empathy require actively listening to what the individual have to say and understanding the meaning of the

Active Listening - listening to the words being said, the tone in which they are said and paying acute attention to the non-verbal communication. This has many benefits it supports the client to feel understood, valued and accepted. This in turn will support the client to feel empowered. Active listening supports the counsellor to understand what is being said and to identify the clients’ thoughts and feelings. Active listening is a skill that needs to be practiced and developed. Barriers to the process could include the environment for example external noise and interruptions may cause distractions. The counsellor overthinking about how to respond to what is being said rather than actively listening, it takes practice to develop the ability to refrain from doing this. Or the counsellor may pre-empt, move ahead in their own mind as to the direction in which the client is taking the conversation blocking the ability to be open. The counsellor needs to be mindful or not allowing their own past experiences to cloud their thoughts and feelings towards the subject which may inhibit the ability to actively listen to the client.