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The Benefits Of Active Listening For A Counselling

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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. Reflection -this strategy involves the counsellor verbally reflecting back their understanding of what has been said and the feelings that have been displayed. This is a useful strategy as it supports the client to feel heard by identifying and validating the clients feelings it gives them the courage to discuss these and explore them in further detail.

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