THE IMPORTANCE OF ACTIVE LISTENING AND THE COMMUNICATION OF EMPATHY IN THE COUNSELLING RELATIONSHIP

Empathy is a two way process, its about trying to fully understand what your client is saying and feeling and also showing your understanding to your client.

This is supervised and checked regularly by an accredited member of the BACP to ensure that the requirements of the BACP are being met. A person using counselling skills in other occupations may use similar methods but will not be formally using the guidelines and being assessed in such a way as that of a qualified counsellor. The intention of the use of the skills is also different. The counsellor and client relationship is a therapeutic one and both parties understand the potential or intended result of it, whereas using counselling skills may used for other purposes. For example, a person in a professional setting such as a people-management role may use listening, reflective and paraphrasing in a similar way to a counsellor yet the objective is different. The use of the counselling skills facilitates the relationship of the manager and the employee but there isn’t the intention behind it that there is between a counsellor and their client.

When assessing clients a specific skill that I identify with is empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share feelings of others. To effectively display empathy requires certain characteristics. Some of the characteristics of empathy that I employ are; having the innate ability to put myself in the other people’s shoes. This allows for a better understand toward the experiences the family has gone through. For empathy to be displayed accurately, effective communication is essential. Effective communication is asking the right questions and providing reflective listening so the family knows the professional truly understands their circumstances. Effective communication allows for an accurate assessment of the family. Effective communication is a vitally important component of empathy. Empathy can be displayed though effective communication, such as, effectively

In this essay I will describe key elements of Psychodynamic theory, Person-Centred theory and Cognitive-Behavioural theory. I will also identify the key differences between the above theories. I shall also describe how counselling theory underpins the use of counselling skills in practise. I will then end with my conclusion.

A counselling relationship is likened to being on a journey - a beginning, middle and end (Smallwood, 2013). During the beginning phase the client develops sufficient trust in the counsellor and the relationship ‘to explore the previously feared edges of his awareness’ (Mearns and Thorne, 1988, p.126).

Due to Marks very depressed state, the initial interaction required a great deal of empathy and high degrees of compassion. When first engaging a client, it is important to be compassionate and empathetic and listen without interrupting, prompting or advising (Berg-Weger, 2013). Reflecting and summarizing content delivered in the session is a valuable way to let the client know that you are actively listening to what they are saying

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.).

Being attentive means giving all of your physical attention to another person so that you are fully present for them. This will help you to notice what the client is NOT saying, by noticing their body language, and also their tone and pace of voice. The use of non-verbal cues and the counsellor’s own body language conveys to the client that he is interested in what the client has to say. (Bolton 1979). Managing silences from the client shows

Is Empathy a prerequisite for a good Therapeutic relationship? If so, what is the optimal degree of Empathy required for a positive Therapeutic outcome? In the recent years, much emphasis is placed on understanding what "ingredients" in Therapeutic relationship contribute to a positive outcome. Many researchers have attempted to separate essential aspects of the Therapeutic relationship. Rogers (1957) quoted three essential aspects that were vital to attain a "psychological climate" in where a client could reorganize himself. These aspects were characterized as genuineness in the relationship, acceptance of the client (warmth), and accurate empathic understanding of the clients’ phenomenal world. Findings of previous studies shows that these three aspects are separate and can be measured independently (Bergin, 1967; Truax, Wargo, Frank, Imbe, Battle, Hoehn-Saric, & Stone 1966).

After reviewing the article written by Lisa Moore, I began to reflect upon how I would incorporate empathy in my interactions with a client during the assessment phase of therapy. Empathy in a nutshell is attempting to match your feelings or current state of mind with that of another individual. In our field, empathy is of the utmost importance. It allows the speech-language pathologist (SLP) to meet clients where they are, to enter their world, and truly understand what it feels like to be them. SLP’s must not only view the client from an external frame of reference, but they must attempt to extract the client’s thoughts, feelings, ideas, beliefs, and values before and whilst administering an assessment protocol. There are several ways in

People should feel comfortable when expressing their feelings to the interviewer, for a decent relationship to begin. The human service professional do not have to agree with the client, in order to show empathy but understanding. Counselors must recognize important nonverbal clues when speaking with clients. According to the “Mental Health Facilitator” people should start with self-alertness and advancement of empathetic abilities (MHF, Empathy: An MHF Feeling).

Understanding the counseling session from the client’s perspective is a very important aspect in the development of a therapeutic relationship. A clinician must be an excellent listener, while being to pay attention to the client’s body language, affect and tone. The dynamics in the counseling session that is beneficial to the client include the recognition of the pain that the client is feeling. The detrimental part of this includes a misunderstanding of the real issues, a lack of consideration of the cultural aspects of the client, and a lack of clinical experience or listening skills. In this presentation, we will discuss the positive and negative aspects of the counseling session from the client’s perspective which

When someone has empathy if gives them the ability to look at the situation from the perspective of the client. According to Martin (2014), “empathy in a counseling relationship, involves the ability and willingness to experience a client’s beliefs, thoughts, and feelings through the client’s personal lens” (63). Consequently, by having empathy it will allow you to properly evaluate the whole situation, and provide sustainable help. An empathic heart will promote active listening skills. Being empathic will give you an engaging mindset. Martin states (2014), “Active listening counseling relationship also includes behaviors such as maintaining direct eye contact and observing the client’s body language. This will make for better

Counseling skills has provided me with a valuable insight into the helping relationship and how it is both created and maintained in order to encourage growth and development in the client. The factors involved within the helping relationship include considering Roger’s core conditions, congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathy as the three main characteristics necessary in a helping relationship. In order to fully incorporate all three of Roger’s core conditions, I as the counselor must be self-aware, as a lack of self-awareness may inhibit truly listening and understanding the client; self-awareness can be enhanced through exercises such as Johari’s window. Counseling skills such as body language and active listening also

stories, we may get caught up in our own emotional reactions, how we would feel if we were in a similar situation. To listen empathically, you have to set aside as much as you can of your own "stuff" and enter the world of the client.