The use of compliments in SFBT both helps the client to feel confident in themselves and in what they are doing as well as helps to discover strengths the client possesses. Compliments should not be used by the therapist as a method of being kind to the client rather they should reality based and derived from communication that is taking place during therapy (DeJong and Berg, 2013). The use of compliments as a technique in clinical situations is preferable as it provides the client with immediate positive feedback reinforcing the client’s efforts to change. A potential risk to using compliments in therapy is that when given or received compliments may feel awkward for all individuals involved. Additionally, a risk of giving compliments is
SFBT holds that language and words are very important, and that helping clients talk about their lives in more useful language can lead to positive change. One of the major differences between SFBT and other psychotherapies is that while SFBT acknowledged that clients tend to come to therapy to talk about their problems, the SFBT will not encourage them to talk about their problems, but rather to talk about solutions (Rafter, Evans and Iveson, 2012).
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
In addition to the many other topics therapists do not discuss and keep to themselves,
Furthermore, Dryden (2008) has shown on interpersonal styles. The idea is that the degrees of interaction between therapist and client can always be modified either when the fit is poor or even when the fit is too abundant and inappropriate. For instance, Dryden has described a dynamic fit when the therapist’s behavior is dominant and friendly while the client’s behavior is submissive and friendly. On the other hand, if the therapist’s behavior is passive and neutral while the client’s behavior is too submissive and hostile, then an unproductive fit is established. Here, the responsibility of the therapist is to be aware of the situation and be able to adjust his own behavior to match with the client’s. The therapist should also be aware of the client’s change in their interactive style to establish a strong and firm therapeutic alliance (Dryden, 2008). In fact, it is significant to know that clients who behave themselves in a
Therapeutic sessions assist in enhancing the member’s individual’s thoughts as well as those they are building relationships with. The support that they have from family, friends, significant others and the community is essential in their well-being as interactions with others are crucial for development of a sense of self (Meyer, 2003).
Therapeutic use of self involves using one’s personality, body language, active listening that is used to create and maintain a therapeutic relationship with others (Lowe et al., 2007). Establishing trust is also an important aspect of therapeutic use of self, to address the needs and goals of the client, which helps our scope of practice to remain client-centered. Using therapeutic use of self is beneficial for occupational therapists (OT), as it facilitates interaction with the client. It also encourages and allows the therapist to obtain necessary information, and to alleviate fear or anxiety that may take place during treatment session. During Level I Fieldwork at a SNF, I was able to apply these principles during a treatment session for a client diagnosed with dementia that was agitated and non-compliant with the activity. To divert her attention to the activity, and to get her to understand that I was
Reflection is a process of learning from ones experience (Spalding, 1998). The objective of my experience is to show the positive effect of using therapeutic communication skills with patients. Therapeutic communication can be described as a face to face technique of
“The goal of CBT is to teach clients how to separate the evaluation of their behaviour from the evaluation of themselves and how to accept themselves in spite of imperfections” (Corey, 2009, p. 279). In CBT the clients are expected to change their current behaviour (normally full of automatic thoughts) to a more rational way of thinking. The clinician will challenge the client’s behaviour in order for the client to understand his or her behaviour and get alternatives to change his/her behaviour. When using CBT, the client’s behaviour changes when they are aware of the abnormal behaviour. This approach allows the client to focus on improving his/her wellbeing. This enhances the client’s awareness of an existing issue and that changes are necessary. The client will develop new coping skills to deal with the situation and develop a new way of thinking from negative (automatic thoughts) to positive (more realistic thoughts). Initially the client may not recognise that a problem exists, but through this process will get
There are many values this writer wishes to incorporate into a counseling relationship. The fundamental values this writer wishes to incorporate are: flexibility, self-awareness, self-regulation, and empathy. The ability to be flexible and alter what one does in order to fit the client’s needs is crucial to establishing and maintaining a therapeutic relationship. Flexibility can be demonstrated in many different ways, such as the way the therapist interacts with the client, the tone of voice that is utilized, down to the way the therapist provides material to the client. In being flexible, treatment is able to remain focused on the client and his or her needs (Egan, 2014).
By creating a therapeutic environment in which the client feel safe to be entirely honest and open about their thoughts and feelings we can enable the client to be
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
There are many variables that influence the success of therapy for the client, none more so than the therapeutic relationship. The therapeutic relationship is defined as the strength and collaborative relationship between the client and therapist that emphasises mutually agreed goals and tasks within the context of a strong affective bond (Horvath, 1994.) In the therapeutic relationship, the clinician offers care, touch, compassion, presence, and any other act or attitude that would foster healing, and expects nothing in return (Trout, 2013.) Some clinicians believe that the “therapeutic relationship is a precondition of change, others as the fertile soil that permits change, while others see it as the central mechanism of change itself” (Norcross, 2010.) This is not to devalue other variables that impact the success of the therapy such as client involvement and the treatment method.
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
Yalom, Y.D. (2009). The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists and Their Patients: Harper Perennial
In SFBT, the therapist checks with the George regularly to see how he is doing in reaching his solutions or goals by asking scaling questions. This technique can be creatively applied to tap on the client’s perception about a wide range of