Duba, 2008

The Skills of Active Listening

Ivey & Ivey, 2007

Functions of Active Listening Skills

Clients need to know that they are being
heard, that the points of view are being
seen, and that their world as they
experience it is being felt.
The skills allow for the following:

Clarification for what client has said

Clarification for interviewer as to what client said
Encouragement of the client to talk more in detail
Helping an overly talkative client stop repeating the same
facts/story
Duba, 2008

Active Listening
Full participation by helping the client
enlarge and enrich the story
Hearing small changes in thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors
Empathetic understanding including the
following skills:
1) Open and closed questions
2) Client observation skills
3) Encouraging
4) Paraphrasing
5) Summarizing
6) Reflection of feeling
Duba, 2008

Attending Behavior: 3 Vs + B
Visual/eye contact
Vocal qualities
Verbal tracking
Attentive and authentic body language

Duba, 2008

Seeking Clarification:
Functions of Questions
Encourage and discourages client talk
Brings out additional specifics of the
clients world and enriches his/her story
Makes an effective assessment of the
clients concern
Guides manner in which client talks
Helps to open or close client talk according
to needs of client
Duba, 2008

Encouraging
Head Nods
Open Gestures
Positive Facial expressions
Repetition of key words
Angry. Never anyone else.

Repeating Clients phrases or

words in a comment or
questioning voice

Duba, 2008

You got furious at her.

It never ends.
Color changes in face
Inappropriate smiles
Breathing

Paraphrasing
Sentence Stem
I hear you saying
It sounds like

Key Words
So your sister really frustrates you. She doesnt believe in you.

Essence of What The Client Has Said

CL: My boss never seems to see how i perform on the job, and my
husband, he never pays attention to what I actually do around the
house.
CO: So it seems as if you work really hard at home and at work,
but no one seems to notice or care.

Check-out
So, am I hearing you correctly?
Lets see if I have this right. You are really feeling angry and also
sad.
Duba, 2008

Summarizing
Timing
May cover an entire interview
May begin a session
May be used during the middle of an interview

May include both verbal and nonverbal

observations and comments made by the
client during the session or during a few
sessions
Duba, 2008

Reflecting of Feeling
This skill results in the following:
The richness of the clients emotional world
Helps clients sort through their mixed or
ambivalent feelings toward significant others
and events
Grounds the counselor and client in basic
experience (instead of intellectualizing)

Duba, 2008

Active Listening and Diversity

Rapport may be the sole focus with clients who are culturally different
from you
North American and European counselors may want to move quickly
to problem focus
Some clients may want to spend time getting to know you (i.e., Native
American Indians, Pacific Islanders, Aboriginal Australians, New
Zealand Maori)
Some clients may seek direction and advice (Cambodian, Chinese,
Japanese, Indian)
Young adults and children may expect reactions from you throughout
their story
Discuss differences from the start of the counseling process (race,
ethnicity, age, sexual orientation)

Duba, 2008