Basic Counseling Skills

Counseling Defined
Counseling

A helping relationship that involves:

One party who needs help
Another party who provides help
A setting that allows a helping
process to occur
Counseling

A process by which a troubled

person is helped to feel and behave
in more satisfying ways through
interaction with an uninvolved
person who provides information
and reactions which stimulate the
client to develop behaviors which
enable him/her to deal more
effectively with himself and his/her
environment.
Counseling

A PROCESS that includes:

A series of purposeful actions
taken by the parties to achieve
certain pre- selected and
specific goals/objectives.
Counseling

used to facilitate changes in

attitudes and behavior
Counseling

a professional relationship that

empowers diverse individuals,
families, and groups to
accomplish mental health,
wellness, education, and career
goals (ACA, 2010)
Counseling is NOT:
Information giving although information
maybe given in counseling.
Dispensing advice.
Influencing attitudes, beliefs, behaviors by
persuading, compelling or threatening.
Selection and assignment of persons for
jobs or activities alone.
Interviewing alone.
What Good Would Counseling Do?

Counseling helps
people recognize
internal conflict

Counseling can teach

people that most
If it werent for psychological
these stupid problems come from
drivers
within
Goals of Counseling
Personal Effectiveness
Sound Mental Health
Behavioral Change
Decision Making
Problem Resolution
Unacceptable Goals in Counseling
Solving the problem or making decisions for the
PIN (person in need).
Making the PIN happy or satisfied
Persuading the counselee to give up something in
favor of what is right
Imposition of counselors point of view upon
another person
Carrying the burden of another persons life
Some Non-Helpful Behaviors

Advice Giving
Lecturing
Excessive Questioning
Storytelling
Asking Why?
 Goal Guidelines
Goals are mutually agreed on by the client
and counselor.
Goals are specific.
Goals are relevant to behavior.
Goals are achievement & success oriented.
Goals are quantifiable & measurable.
Goals are behavioral & observable.
Goals are understandable & can be re-
stated clearly.
Principles of Counseling
The Counselee/PIN is the center of the counseling
process.
The counselee seeks self-actualization and hopes
to make life more complete and satisfying.
The counselee sees the counselor as somebody
who is constantly sensitive.
The counselor should recognize the counselees
concept of himself/herself, his/her inner conflicts
and suppressed desires and why he/she behaves
so.
Principles of Counseling
The individuals experience, both in the home and
in educational institution, forms the backdrop of
counseling.
Individual differences must be recognized and
considered in any effort to guide a person.
Let the counselee develop own insights and make
own decisions, and take responsibility for self-
discovery, self-development, and self-
management.
Principles of Counseling

Consider most individuals as average,

normal persons.

Problems arise from situations

(heredity and experience).

Problems are interrelated.

The Setting

Create an environment that promotes

feelings of safety, respect, and
understanding.
The PERSON of the Counselor
Self-awareness and understanding
Caring attitude
Sensitivity
Communication skills
Open-mindedness
Objectivity
Personal Congruence
Good psychological health
Interpersonal attractiveness
Spiritual
The PERSON of the Counselor
The personhood or personality of counselors is as important,
if not more crucial, than their mastery of knowledge, skills,
or techniques.
(Cavanagh,
1990; Rogers, 1961)
The Client-Counselor Relationship
Counselors should experience being a client and feel
anxiety over self disclosure, and learn to model courage
and growth.

It is not sufficient to be merely a good person with

good intentions.

Also essential are a knowledge of counseling theory

and techniques, theories of personality, and
supervised experiences .
The Client-Counselor Relationship

Open Communication
Honesty
Mutual Respect
Professionalism
Willingness to learn
No hidden agendas
Risk taking
Sharing
The Client-Counselor Relationship
Personal support system

- Support communicates

someone is here for you

you can count on someone
I might not approve of what you are
doing, but I approve of you
there is a person in your life who is
reliable and dependable
you will not be taken advantage of
my job is to help you get what you want
The Client-Counselor Relationship

The quality of the client/therapist

relationship is KEY.

- Who you are as a counselor, is critical.

Authentic engagement
The Client-Counselor Relationship

What will you do if you have strong

reactions to liking or disliking a
client?
Basic Counseling Skills
Core Conditions
Genuineness or Congruence
The counselor's responses are sincere and
appropriate.

Empathy
The counselor understands the client's feeling
and experiences within the client's frame of
reference and communicates that understanding
without judgment.
Core Conditions
Positive Regard or Respect
The counselor communicates respect and
concern for the client's feelings, experiences and
potential, preserving the client's dignity without
interjecting his/her own values.

Concreteness
The counselor assists the client in expressing
her/his feelings and experiences in concrete and
specific terms.
Core Conditions
Immediacy
The counselor briefly and appropriately
discloses his/her immediate reactions about the
client to the client.

Warmth

Multicultural Awareness
Dimensions of Non-verbal Communication
Time
parameters of session, amount of time spent on
different topics
Body Language
posture, facial expressions, gestures. eye contact,
touching
Voice
tone, rate of speech, loudness
Use of Environment
distance between client and counselor, arrangement of
furniture, clothing
Basic Communication Skills
Minimal verbal response/minimal
encouragement
The counselor uses "umm hmm", "oh", "yes" to
communicate to the client s/he is listening
without interrupting the client's train of thought.

Probes
The counselor uses open-ended questions to
solicit additional information about the client's,
thoughts/feelings/behaviors.
Basic Communication Skills
Silence
The counselor can tolerate appropriate silences
in facilitating client progress.

Restatement
Paraphrase
Without changing the meaning, the counselor
states in fewer words the content of what the
client has previously said.
Basic Communication Skills
Clarification
The counselor has the client clarify vague or
ambiguous thoughts. feelings or behaviors

Reflection of Feeling
From either verbal or nonverbal cues, the counselor accurately
describes the client's affective state.

Reflection of Meaning*
Basic Communication Skills

Summarization
The counselor combines two or more of the
client's thoughts, feelings of behaviors into a
general theme.
Microskills Hierarchy
Microskills Hierarchy
 Microskills Hierarchy
Personal style and theory
Skill Integration
Influencing skills and strategies
Reflection of meaning
Focusing
Confrontation
Five-stage interview structure
Reflection of feeling
Encouraging, paraphrasing, and summarizing
Client observation skills
Open and closed questions
Attending behavior
Ethics and multicultural competence
 Basic Listening Sequence
Attending Behaviors
Open and Closed Questions
Observation skills
Encouraging, Paraphrasing, Summarizing
Reflection of Feelings
 Basic Skills and Concepts

Attending Skills
Eye Contact
Attentive Body
Language
Distance
Vocal Tone
Verbal Tracking
Silence
Reading Body Signals
 Reading Body Signals
Exercises
 Attending Skills

Orienting oneself physically and

psychologically
Encourages the other person to talk

Lets the client know youre listening

Conveys empathy
 Attending Skills

Attending Behaviors
Verbal Tracking Skills
Client Observation Skills
 Attending Behaviors

Eye Contact
Attentive Body Language
Distance
Vocal Tone
Verbal Tracking
Silence
 Attending Behaviors

S sit squarely
O open position
L lean forward
E eye to eye contact
R - relax
 Attending Skills
Client Observation Skills
 Attending Skills
Client Observation Skills
Observing body language,
tone of voice and
facial expressions
 Listening Skills
Examples
Clients may keep their eyes lowered,
seem dismissive of the counsellor and sit
in a closed position, not encouraging
communication.
 Listening Skills
Examples
Clients may keep their eyes lowered,
seem dismissive of the counsellor and sit
in a closed position, not encouraging
communication.

Feeling: resentful about the

counselling session taking place.
 Listening Skills
Examples

Clients may lower their eyes, or their

head, or look away.
 Listening Skills
Examples

Clients may lower their eyes, or their

head, or look away.

-uncomfortable with the

statement or question.
 Activity (Observation)
Play the game with these instructions:

One person chooses a feeling, everyone closes

eyes and the starter taps the person to the right
who then opens eyes and starter conveys
emotion through facial expression goes
round the room last person verbally identifies
feeling.
 Basic Listening Sequence
Attending Behaviors
Open and Closed Questions
Observation skills
Encouraging, Paraphrasing,Summarizing
Reflection of Feelings
 Basic Listening Sequence
Closed and Open-Ended Questions
* Questions that clients cannot easily answer
with Yes,, No, or one- or two-word
responses
Tell me about your family while you were
growing up
How did you feel when that happened?
What did you do when she said that?
What are your reasons for saying that?
 Basic Listening Sequence
Closed and Open-Ended Questions

* Purposes:
To obtain specific information
To identify parameters of a problem or
issue
To narrow the topic of discussion
To interrupt an overtalkative client
 Basic Listening Sequence
Closed and Open-Ended Questions

* Examples:
C: Are you scared?
O: How do you feel?
C: Are you concerned about what you will do if the test
results are positive?
O: What do you think you might do if the test
results are positive?
C: Is your relationship with your mother a good one?
O: Tell me about your relationship with your mother.
 Basic Listening Sequence
Paraphrasing
Activity (Listening)
Roadblocks to Communication in Counseling

1. ordering, directing, commanding

2. warning, threatening, promising
3. moralizing, preaching, should and
oughts
4. advising, giving solutions, or
suggestions
 Roadblocks to Communication in Counseling

5. teaching, lecturing, giving logical

arguments

6. judging, criticizing, disagreeing, blaming

7.praising, agreeing

8.name- calling, labeling, stereotyping

Roadblocks to Communication in Counseling

9. interpreting, analyzing, diagnosing

10. reassuring, sympathizing, consoling

11. probing, questioning,
interrogating

12. withdrawing, distracting,

humoring, diverting, sarcasm
 Barriers to Good Listening
1. judging and evaluating the
counselee
2. preoccupation with personal
feelings
3. selective listening
4. Probing
5. belittling the feelings expressed by
counselee
 Listening
involves the use of

LEADS and RESPONSES

Basic Listening Sequence
 Basic Listening Sequence
Paraphrasing
The counselor rephrases the content of the clients
message
Example:
Client: I know it doesnt help my depression to sit
around or stay in bed all day.
Counselor: It sounds like you know you should
avoid staying in bed or sitting around all day to
help your depression.
 Basic Listening Sequence
Paraphrasing
To convey that you are understanding
him/her
Help the client by simplifying, focusing
and crystallizing what they said
May encourage the client to elaborate
Provide a check on the accuracy of
your perceptions
 Basic Listening Sequence
Paraphrasing

When you have a hypothesis about whats

going on with the client

When the client is in a decision making

conflict

When the client has presented a lot of

material and you feel confused
 Basic Listening Sequence
Steps in Paraphrasing

Client, a 40-year-old woman: How can I tell

my husband I want a divorce? Hell think Im
crazy. I guess Im just afraid to tell him.

1)Recall the message and restate it to yourself covertly

2) Identify the content part of the message

- Wants divorce, but hasnt told husband because he
will think shes crazy.
 Basic Listening Sequence
Steps in Paraphrasing
3) Select an appropriate beginning

E.g., It sounds like, You think, I hear you

saying,

4) Translate the key content into your own words

Want a divorce= break off, split
E.g., It sounds like you havent found a way to tell
your husband you want to end the relationship
because of his possible reaction. Is that right?

5) Confirm the accuracy of the paraphrase

 Basic Listening Sequence
Reflection
- A verbal response to client emotion
Example:
Client: So many things are going on right now:
another hectic semester has started, my dogs
sick and my moms ill too. I find myself running
around trying to take care of everything. Im not
sure I can take it anymore.
Counselor: Youre feeling pretty overwhelmed
by all the things that are going on right now.
Basic Listening Sequence
Reflection
Helps clients:
feel understood
express more feelings
manage feelings
discriminate among various
feelings
 Basic Listening Sequence
Steps in Reflection
1. Listen closely and observe behavior
Watch nonverbal behavior
Verbally reflect the feelings back to the client
2. Identify the feeling category
3. Identify the intensity
4. Match the feeling and intensity of a word
5. Feed back to the client
6. Add content using the form
You feel ___ , because _____.
7. Check for accuracy
 Basic Listening Sequence
Summarizing
A collection of two or more paraphrases or
reflections that condenses the clients messages
or the session

Covers more material

Covers a longer period of clients discussion

 Basic Listening Sequence
Summarizing
Purposes
To tie together multiple elements of client
messages
To identify a common theme or pattern
To interrupt excessive rambling
To start a session
To end a session
To pace a session
To review progress
To serve as a transition when changing topics
 Basic Listening Sequence
Summarizing
Example- Client, a 10-year-old girl
At the beginning of the session:

I dont understand why my parents cant live together

anymore. Im not blaming anybody, but it just feels very
confusing to me. [Said in a low, soft voice with lowered,
moist eyes]

Near the middle of the same session:

I wish they could keep it together. I guess Ifeel like they
cant because they fight about me so much. Maybe Im
the reason they dont want to live together anymore.
 Basic Listening Sequence
Summarizing
1) Recall key content and affect messages
Key content: wants parents to stay together
Key affect: feels sad, upset, responsible
2) Identify patterns or themes
She is the one who is responsible for her
parents
breakup
3) Use an appropriate sentence stem and
verbalize the summarization response
e.g., I sense, or You are feeling
 Basic Listening Sequence
Summarizing

4.) Example: Earlier today you indicated you

didnt feel like blaming anyone for whats
happening to your parents. Now Im
sensing that you are feeling like you are
responsible for their breakup.

5) Assess the effectiveness of your

summarization.
Exercises
 The Counseling Process

1. Initiating the session : rapport and structuring

2. Gathering data : drawing out stories, concerns,
problems, or issues.
3. Mutual goal setting: What does the client want to
happen?
4. Working: Exploring alternatives, confronting client
incongruities and conflict, restorying
5. Terminating: Generalizing and Acting
6. Follow-up
 The Counseling Process
1. Initiating the session : rapport and
structuring
Building Rapport

Hello, _______!

Skills: attending behaviors and client observation

skills
 The Counseling Process
1. Initiating the session
- Opening interview
- What has brought you here?
- I see you have been sent here by _________________. Can
you tell me what came about?
- This is the counseling office, ____________. In what way can
I help you?
- My understanding is that youre seeking help in making a
decision about some important upcoming events in your life.
If thats not accurate, can you elaborate on your concern?
 The Counseling Process

- Assessing the reason for coming to

counseling

- Assessing previous counseling experience

- Assessing client expectations

 The Counseling Process
Initiating the session : rapport and structuring

Structuring

involves some form of telling the client what to expect from

the interview

includes purposes of the interview, general methods, and

other structural issues important to the relationship

what the counselor can do and will do and how it will be

done

what the counselee will do and how it will be done.

 The Counseling Process
Structuring
clear specification of the goals of counseling
explanation of the fact that counseling means
work for a client, as well as the corollary that
behavior change almost always involves difficult
struggle and discomfort
a check-out of client understanding of the definition
through client play-back and counselor correction
until such time as the client thoroughly knows.
Role Induction

Role induction is the process of

orienting the client to treatment so
that they are more likely to become
successful clients who understand
and can make good use of the
therapeutic process.
Role Induction

Familiarizing clients with the nature of

counseling with their responsibilities in
this collaborative process and with the
kind of changes that can be realistically
expected from treatment can help both
client and counselor to view themselves
as engaged in a common endeavor that is
likely to succeed.
Role Induction

Topics to be discussed:

How treatment promotes positive change

The kinds of issues and concerns that

usually respond well to counseling

The collaborative nature of the counselor-

counselee relationship
Role Induction

Topics to be discussed:

The roles and responsibilities of the

counselor

The roles and responsibilities of the

counselee

The importance of honesty and self-

disclosure on the part of the client
Role Induction

Topics to be discussed:

Ethical aspects of the therapeutic

relationship, especially guidelines for
maintaining and breaking confidentially
Information on contacting the counselor
and handling client emergencies
Counselors fees and appointment schedule
 The Counseling Process
2. Gathering data : drawing out stories,
concerns, problems or issues

Whats your concern?

What are your strengths/resources? (positive

search)
 The Counseling Process
3. Mutual goal setting: What does the client want to happen?

Clearly identifying specific current behavior which is

unproductive

Specifying the new behavior to be acquired

Obtaining client understanding of these two points,

agreement that the new behavior is desired

Eliminating all vagueness and ambiguity in the

statements of what the client will do and specifying
the sequence of actual steps to be taken
 The Counseling Process
3. Mutual goal setting: What does the client
want to happen?
Selecting only those goals, which are clearly attainable by
the client.

Selecting only those goals, which have real pertinence to a

client in order that some portion of daily living can
immediately improve.

Determining criteria by which goal realization will later

be realized.
 The Counseling Process
4. Working: Exploring alternatives,
confronting client incongruities and conflict,
restorying

What are we going to do about it?

- resolving concerns and finding relief for

the client
 The Counseling Process

5. Terminating: Generalizing and

acting on new stories

Will you do it?

Counseling Exercise/Practice
 The most basic and powerful way to connect to
another person is to listen.
Just listen.

Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our
attention...

A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect
than the most well-intentioned words.

- Rachel Naomi Remen

Thank YOU
References