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Introduction and
Module 1
Designed to assist you in mastering and
evaluating interviewing skills and introduce
additional skills
Emphasis on skills and techniques used in
direct practice with clients
Exploration of essential attitudes and values
Practical and experiential in nature
Shebib, Bob. Choices:Practical
Interviewing and Counseling Skills
(6th). (Fifth edition) Prentice Hall, Allyn
and Bacon, Canada 2017.
late assignment policy as per outline
Evaluation:
Action
Beginning
Preliminary
Common Objectives of Phases
1. Forming and sustaining working
relationships
2. Establishing open honest and
productive communication
3. Evaluation ensures the overall
satisfaction of all participants with the
pace and it’s results
This phase focuses on two central tasks:
1. Preparing the Agency Setting
2. Preparing the Social Service Worker.
Agency Policy
Uncluttered
Neutral?
Some clients will have a history with the
agency
You will have access to potentially
helpful information about the client.
Can alert counselors to past incidents,
need to take precautions as well as a
history of service
Can speed the intake process
Be careful to maintain an open mind
and avoid prejudgment
Particularly prior assessments of
personality and manner
“Client was defensive and guarded.
He appeared unusually resistant to
explore his feelings”
Create a plan
◦ Think about questions you want to ask
◦ Stay open and flexible
◦ Reading the client file
◦ Seek facts/do background research (e.g. Fredrick's
Ataxia)
Tune in
◦ Be aware that self disclosure may need to happen
(client’s story may be close to yours).
◦ Tune in - think about what client’s might express
◦ Examine your own readiness
Self examine
◦ Ask yourself about yourself
◦ Are you ready to work with this client? Biases?
Objectivity?
Objective:
to negotiate a working relationship that
is goal directed and based on trust and
mutual understanding of expectations.
› Negotiating relationship
› Exploration for understanding
› Active listening (e.g. encouraging,
paraphrasing, etc.)
› Promoting core conditions
› Defining the relationship
› Strengths focus (search
for strengths and tell client)
A client’s reason for seeking
assistance is revealed right at the
beginning of your work together?
Your thoughts?
Relationship is time limited and based on a
contract outlining objectives and terms
Past experiences with needing and getting
help shape perceptions and expectations
Counselors are often in a position of
authority and client’s past comes
into play
Clients can be voluntary or involuntary
(more resistant at times about
needing help)
Acquiring and deepening
understanding of the Client’s situation
or problem
› Client’s tell their stories, describe their
feelings and explore their problems and
dilemmas
› Counselors are to prepare to listen and
learn
› From preliminary work comes ability to
predict themes and patterns but don’t
make assumptions
› Appreciate the unique nature of each client
› Using basic skills for this exploration
› BLS comes in very handy here
Gaining a deepened understanding can
be empowering for clients
Aiding clients in organizing their thinking is
done by systematic questioning to identify
feelings and mirror them back with
empathic statements
The unburdening process can be cathartic
Be sensitive to individual pacing needs
A time of change
Solving problems
Managing feelings
Set goals
Explore alternatives strategies
Assist clients to gain insight and make
discoveries about their situation (e.g. asking
questions and probing for detail).
› Goal setting and action planning
› Helping clients change behavior, feelings or
perceptions
› Teaching (e.g. communicating skills through role-
playing).
› Giving information
› Supporting
› Confronting (giving feedback, pointing out
incongruities)
› Immediacy
Spontaneous insight comes from
exploration – BLS (I.e., QEPRS)
Insight from provision of information,
ideas or perspectives – distortions are
challenged
Assisting with goal setting is the basis for
action
Development of new strategies
Cues indicate less anxiety about
counseling
Increase of acceptance of feelings and
more honest expression
Diminished negativism, self doubt and
blaming of others
Increase in responsibility for self
Increased empathy for others
Starts in the beginning with definition of
nature and limits of the relationship
Agreement around activities and goals
becomes the target of termination
Assess what has been accomplished
and what is left to be done
A time to evaluate the counseling
relationship
› Ending the counselling relationship
› Referring to other resources
› Giving information (books, pamphlets, etc.)
› Supporting (termination can be difficult for
many clients)
› Make sure you fully examine how the client is
feeling about termination?
Goals reached
Time limited
Client has sufficient capacity to work on
their own
Lack of time or competence – make
appropriate referral
Lack of objectivity – make referral
Situational Factors: Illness, Moving, End of
Practicum
No evidence that counselling is working –
terminate or refer
Evoke feelings of loss for both the
client and the counselor
Clients who struggle with transitions
may experience the ending as a
crisis
Helpers can feel a loss due to a reliance on
helping relationships to meet needs for
intimacy or because it reminds them of
other losses
Terminations can be a source of growth,
celebration and empowerment for clients
as they look back on achievement and
forward with new perspectives
Core Conditions – unconditional positive regard,
empathy, genuineness (Carl Rogers)
1.Genuineness/Congruence—genuineness, one’s
behavior congruent with emotions. Transparency.
2.Empathy—accurate ability to view the world from
client’s perspective
3.Unconditional Positive Regard—acceptance,
caring. Accepting the client for who they are without
any “conditions.” Non-judgmental.
“Respect the client, but reject the
behavior”
Active Listening:
Most people do not listen with the intent to
understand; they listen with the intent to reply. They
are either speaking or preparing to speak.
- Stephen Covey
Being Patient
Encouraging Trust
Controlling Noise
Staying Focused
Controlling Assumptions
Managing Personal Reactions
Knowing that Listening Doesn’t Mean
Agreeing
Being aware of Blind Spots
The second major active listening skill
The personal meaning of silence needs
to be considered
We have need to balance our verbal
agility with an equally strong capacity
for silence
Attended Silence is a skill – eye contact,
self discipline, focus
Video: Some thoughts on Use of Silence in
Counselling Sessions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jNZe
jN5yDI
1. Client is thinking
2. Client is confused
3. Client is encountering painful feelings
4. Client is dealing with issues of trust
5. Silence is the client’s usual way/nature
6. Client has reached closure
1. Rigidity and use of a “one sized its all” approach
2. Insufficient attention to the counsellor-client relationship
3. Advice Giving
4. Absence of core conditions – empathy, unconditional positive
regard, and genuineness
5. Missing the opportunities offered by attention to the nonverbal
channel
6. Loss of objectivity and judgmental responses
7. Pacing problems (too fast, too slow, inappropriate timing of
responses.
8. Inappropriate use of self-disclosure (too much, too little, poorly
timed)
9. Rescuing, false reassurance, minimizing problems
10. Cultural insensitivity