Practice Session Taping

This reflective essay will try and develop an understanding of the experiences and theory that has been applied to a counselling roleplay and applied content over the duration of the module. Furthermore, identifying what has been covered and what has not been covered in the roleplay, its strengths, weaknesses, what needs developing and how it can help as counsellors within the field. The first topic will reflect on the skills and attributes that have been applied to the roleplay and how it has been beneficial. The second topic will be a critical analysis on the roleplay conducted during counselling focusing on what techniques have not been covered, what skills and attributes were not demonstrated in the roleplay. Then identifying how improving and applying these skills and attributes may contribute to the overall effectiveness of counselling. The last topic will touch on micro-skills such as summarizing and goal setting, its application to the role play looking at both the strengths and weaknesses assessing why micro skills are important in the counselling practice.

Through my work in counseling, I will aspire to be respectful of and sensitive to my client’s developmental needs and therapeutic goals. It is imperative for counselors to recognize that the counseling process can be intimidating for many clients. I will draw from a variety of

The role of a counselor takes on many different forms, and it is a very important career, because it helps people make better life choices. The personal values we have, and also how we view the world, can help shape the type of counselor we will be. I will take a self-reflective view of what I hold dear, and also explain how my personal experiences have led me to chose a career in this particular helping profession. I will also describe the differences between the professional counseling, and other helping professions, such as social work for an example. I also will look at how accreditation, licensure, and certification, are important in defining what a counselor is, and does.

During the session a strength that was pointed out what that I was able to reflect throughout the session and this is a strength because it showed that I am being assertive and being able to reflect back to the client everything they said and also expressing the same emotion that they told me back to them to show them what they are doing and so this shows them what emotion they are putting in with their words so that they know how they are feeling about a certain topic. I think this is a strength because they are able to show that I am not only listening but also taking in the

For this part of the assignment I am using examples from a 50 minute session recorded within the learning environment. I play the role of the counsellor, and another student plays the role of the client. In order for me to answer the learning outcomes, I have watched the DVD recording.

I got the opportunity to interview two distinct professional counselors. I will be discussing their similarities and differences in their professional careers; Based on their professional identity, approach to therapy orientation, work setting as well as discussing unique experiences they have encountered. The interview experience was very insightful in understanding the work environment for counselors across the board is very diverse. Moreover, it was a great incredulity to my ignorance of the daily duties of a counselor on a daily basis. I had the privilege to interview two very distinct therapists with different licensure and outlook in their field.

Particularly, I did not summarize enough. Upon listening to the recording, I feel that summarizing would have been beneficial at times, including after we completed the activity, when she spoke of her fight with her boyfriend, and after she explained her first panic attack. Further, I should have reflected meaning and feeling at various times throughout the session. Another problem I found throughout the session, was that I was not very clear or concise with my language. When I was explaining automatic thoughts I could tell the client was a bit confused and I was not direct with my statements. Also, some of the rewording of the client’s thoughts were not concise and it took some time to work through what I was thinking. I also used terms such as “automatic thoughts” and other technical terms that the client may not have understood. I also asked a few closed ended questions that would have been better used if I phrased them in an open way. Listening back to this session, emphasized my need to improve the language I use with clients so that is it exact and

The dynamics between the human dimensions and the professional demands of conducting a counseling practice has been the subject of a considerable amount of literature in the field. Indeed, it is a focus in counselor preparation programs. It not possible to segregate who we are as people and what we do as professionals. These two aspects of our lives are inexorably linked. The dynamics are such that the one impacts the other, while influence may be dominant in a particular direction, there is an inescapable mutuality. Further, research suggests that the individual attributes of the counselor have the most critical influence on therapeutic outcomes and have at least as much impact on client/ counselor relationship quality as the counselor's techniques and theory do (Corey, 2010).

For this assignment you need to keep a journal for the first few weeks of the module. The aim of the journal is to reflect on various aspects of professional practice, study challenges, or any other feature of counselling work or study. You do not hand in the journal.

Improving the skills necessary, to become an effective counselor, means studying research for new evidence, interaction and networking globally and applying the core foundation of what I have learn in each class through this future academic

This essay is to illustrate my understanding of the skills of counselling. Evaluate and analyse the value of counselling skill used throughout the recording of the DVD. Furthermore, I will talk about my improvement that I have accomplished during completing this module and lastly I will demonstrate exactly how I can incorporate theories and approaches to support different skills used in the recording of the DVD.

It is strongly encouraged that counselors in training experience personal counseling. It is considered a growth experience for future counselors. Equally important, it is an opportunity for the counselor in training to seek help for any personal concerns/issues. I chose to seek counseling at East Carolina University’s Center for Counseling and Student Development. After attending at least five personal counseling sessions, I have gain useful insight about the counseling process from a counselor in training and a client’s point of view. When I made my first appointment I was really nervous about how I would feel knowing that attendance was a part of an assignment; however, I remained open minded and decided to take advantage of this opportunity and discuss real life issues.

A counselor must be flexible in the face of conflict, steady in moments of confusion, and firm when professional boundaries are threatened. When I was a customer service agent, I utilized these skills when customers became enraged or spoke inappropriately over the phone. I developed additional skills during my time abroad. Whenever I was faced with an unfamiliar situation, I reacted by remaining calm, keeping my wits about me, and taking control of the situation. I am very resourceful, capable of handling stressful situations, and am gifted with the natural ability to listen. These talents, coupled with my acquired skills from my work experiences and time abroad, are the building blocks on which I will develop my counseling

The purpose of this paper is to assess my skills as a counselor, while reflecting on an interview, which was recorded earlier this month. This 25 minute interview was my third meeting with the client. In my first meeting with the client, I introduced myself and clearly defined our roles; the expectations of the counseling process and asked her for permission to videotape the interview.

Participants were asked the central question of “ Describe your personal counseling experience”, with additional questions and prompts (see Appendix_) used to learn more about the participants personal counseling experience along with the personal and professional life factors that impacted counselor development. All initial interviews were transcribed after the initial interview. The transcripts were checked for accuracy against the original audiotape. Permission was received during the initial interview to provide participants with an emailed copy of the interview transcript for reflection and to review for any changes in preparation for the follow-up telephone interview. Once the initial interview transcript was sent to the participant by email, the follow-up interviews were scheduled for a minimum of 30 minutes. During the follow-up interview, participants were asked the questions (see Appendix _), to ensure accuracy of the initial transcript and to obtain clarity and collect additional information related to their personal counseling experience. All follow-up interviews were transcribed after the follow-up interview by the researcher with data analysis occurring