Reflection Paper: Active Listening and Rapport Building

Historically, the alliance construct refers to the effective relationship between the therapist-patient and varying aspects of the alliance have been studied, for example, the relationship and outcomes (Horvarth & Bedi, 2002, Lustig et al, 2002), the role of the alliance (Horvarth & Luborsky, 1993) and the therapist’s behaviours that predict the alliance (Duff and Bedi, 2010) and failures in the alliance (Duff & Bedi, 2010). Lambert & Barley (2001) argue that a supportive alliance accounts on average for 30% of the variance in outcomes, whereas theory and techniques only accounts for 15% of the variance in outcomes. In comparison to the coaching relationship, the reverse is true as the same study (Grant, 2014) indicate theory and techniques account for 18.49% of the variance in outcomes whereas a supportive

This first topic will be a reflection of content that has been applied to and the strengths of the roleplay. The very start of the therapy process from the point to meeting a client is very important to engage the therapeutic alliance (Wener, et al., 2015, p. 312). A way to start engaging with the alliance is by presenting an open and respectful manner to the client, during the role play this initial phrase was

There are a multitude of reasons why an individual may need or want therapy; whether it’s due to learning how to cope with a mental disorder or disability, life happenings such as traumas or abuse, addictions, or even PTSD. Anybody can receive it – individual persons, families, or groups. It isn’t hard to argue that most therapists and psychologists will agree that the therapeutic alliance is one of the most beneficial foundations of a therapy session. Also referred to as the working alliance or working relationship, it represents the bond between therapist and

This is why it is important for both the client and the therapist to be open and honest with each other from the very start when discussing the initial problems/issues.

The foundation of therapy starts by building rapport with the client and applying strategies when necessary to overcome a variety of barriers. It is imperative to have rapport with a client and to be aware of barriers to facilitate a good treatment outcome. This will take practice and the use of methods and strategies ready to be implemented when needed. There are many components to building a good client rapport such as: intimacy, vulnerability, exploration of inner challenges, self-awareness, staying present; inner resiliency, empathy, anxiety management, and self-integration, and relationship acceptance. The two types of barriers are internal and external and this is for both the client and the therapist. The common barriers to rapport are countertransference and transference. Strategies for overcoming barriers are: Pause Moment and self-awareness. It also requires skills such as being genuine, sensitive, open, and

Collaborative therapy approach was founded by Harlene Anderson, Harry Goolishian and Tom Andersen. Their approach required the client and therapist to engage in a two-way dialog to examine and create a positive understanding to the client’s situation (Gehart, 2014). Creating a positive understanding and meaning can be done with the help of the therapist and sometimes a reflection team. The therapist and reflection team try to help the client shift their meanings and beliefs. Once that is done the therapist and client starts the restructuring process by changing the client’s behavior and interactions. Collaborative therapist have identified ways to help the client solve concerns by helping the client to stabilize, normalize,

Carmina salazar works at a prison and is like a cop. As i facetimed her, i was nervous that she would not answer because she is always busy. She normally doesn't answer because she works all day. I was also sacred she would answer because she was one of the people in florida without power as a result of the hurricane. When she did answer i was ecstatic because we hadn't talked in awhile. I told why i had called her and she was very happy that i had picked her. She asked me why i didn't pick my mom, i told her i picked her because she had more experience. We started the interview. I asked her how the people she hung around with affected her school work. She paused as if she didn't know what to say. She noted that she was older than most of the kids so it didn't affect her.

Listening is a skill that requires active, rather than passive, participation to advance shared understanding and minimise misinterpretation. Lang, Floyd and Beine (2000) describe active listening as a skill that ‘focuses on attending to patients’ clues, ie, utterances and/or behaviors that are not explicit but may have special meaning and suggest unshared ideas, concerns, and expectations’. This essay will discuss how active listening strategies such as analysing and displaying non-verbal body language, clarifying meaning and accuracy, expressing understanding for the speaker’s feelings through empathy and silence contribute to effective communication by encouraging the speaker to convey his or her thoughts, building trust and

The last technique that is really great with client-centered therapy is the use of active listening. This is when the therapist gives complete and total attention to what a client says or means (Allen 1994). A great way of doing this is by restating or paraphrasing what the client says. By doing this, a client begins to feel that their thoughts and ideas are understood by the therapist. On the flip side of the coin, the therapist can make sure that they understand what the client is trying to say. This definitely helps to make therapy more effective and time efficient by identifying any forms of miscommunication. Not only that, but the client feels like the therapist is invested in their situation. This can help them feel more comfortable with the therapist and therefore more likely to reveal key information.

Moreover, Kaslow, Grus, Campbell, & Fouad, et al. (2009) stated that the client/therapist relationship is built on trust and kindness, empathy, and positive regard. Interpersonal and professional relationships are key. Affective skills are based on personal and cultural context (Kaslow, et al. 2009).

If the client feels “safe” in the session, this can be very powerful for them. As sessions occur, the client will feel more comfortable in trusting the clinician with their feelings, attitudes and emotions. The client is able to present their needs and problems in ways that only they can express. Another factor that may resonate in the sessions may include transference and counter-transference. Transference is when the client’s attitudes, feelings and emotional conflicts from past events begin to be directed to the therapist, while Countertransference is exactly the opposite, when the therapist’s attitudes, feelings, and emotional conflicts from the past are directed towards the client (Transference and Countertransference, 2011). There are not too many positive factors with Countertransference, except being able to recognize it, when it exists, and be able to work out any conflict. A client’s experiences can affect their feelings, emotions, and behaviors towards their therapist. If the therapist remains their professionalism, and sets the proper limits and boundaries, a client can work through past experiences that are affecting their functioning. In a lecture, it is the role of the counselor to recognize the client’s experience; reflect and process the client’s emotional state, as well as process their own emotional reactions to clients and their issues. When clients can work through their problems from past

The ability to listen well is an important tool for understanding others. Sadly, very few people know how to listen well. In fact, most people can think of only one or two good listeners in their lives. Listening is not simply agreeing - it is much more. Good listeners are able to better understand and respond to others, complete assignments accurately, settle disagreements before they escalate, and establish rapport with difficult people.

For many, starting a conversation with a stranger is a stressful event. We can be lost for words, awkward with our body language and mannerisms. Creating rapport at the beginning of a conversation with somebody new will often make the outcome of the conversation more positive. Rapport is a state of harmonious understanding with another individual or group that enables greater and easier communication. You have rapport with someone when there is mutual liking and trust. Once you've established rapport with a person, he or she is far more likely to be open with you and share information, buy your product, recommend you to others, or support your ideas. It is important to build rapport with your client/colleague as it gets there unconscious mind

Active listening is an attentive and interactive form of listening. One of the primary objectives of active listening is establishing and achieving empathy among all parties engaged in communication together. The words a person uses during communication are important, yet active listening includes listening to a person's words as well as interpreting and intuiting what a person feels and thinks. Active listening is a highly engaging activity. Active listening requires the person doing the listening to have a very keen awareness of all aspects of the communication. Active listening then is a sensory activity that challenges the listener to see, hear, sense, perceive, understand, feel, empathize, and reciprocate.

Although Mary Ann did not want to waste time with this open communication process, she would have realized that Mike and Jeanine work better together when each subordinate individually feels useful and important. Mary Ann got the results out of Jeanine that she expected because she made her feel useful and important. If Mike was properly motivated and given