Facilitation and Counseling Techniques, Essay Example

In the field of psychology, it is common for people to want and need counselling, and this can be for various reasons, depending on the individual. Because individual as well as counselling needs are varied, so must be counselling techniques. According toThompson (2003), counselor’s can implement specific techniques to draw certain responses from clients to help them cope with their problems. However, it is stated that counselors should be careful not to allow focusing on techniques to overshadow including the human element in their counselling facilitation.

There is an assortment of techniques counsellors can use with a client, one which involves understanding the client’s body language and other behaviors associated with non-verbal communication.

Observing Body Language

By observing the client’s eyes, the practitioner may get clues to how the client is engaged in the counselling session. If the client gazes directly into the practitioner’s eyes, it means that he or she is paying attention. On the other hand, if the client keeps looking away, he or she may be distracted, uncomfortable or attempting to hide his or her true feelings; this may also be characterized by frequent blinking of the eyes(Class 2, 2014).

Other body language sources include the mouth, arms and legs and observing how the client uses these parts of the body can give clues about the client’s state of mind, as well as how the counselor’s interaction with the client affects him or her(AIPC, n.d.). A client’s mouth gives clues such as disapproval or distrust with pursed lips, anxiousness or stress with lip biting, hiding an emotional reaction with covering the mouth, as well as a mouth turned up or down indicating optimism or sadness. The client’s arms and legs give clues such as defensiveness or being closed off with crossed arms, aggressiveness on being in control with hands on the hips, boredom or anger with the hands clasped behind the back, and impatience or frustration with rapidly tapping the fingers(Class 2, 2014). These are all body language signs that are common to the feelings associated with them, and good counseling techniques benefit from observing these signs.

Posture is another aspect of body language that practitioners can use to understand a client’s mental status. This relates to open posture and closed posture. A client has an open posture if he or she has the trunk of the body exposed. This shows that the client is open, willing and friendly. With a closed posture, the client’s trunk is often obscured in some way, such as with the arms crossed or the body hunching forward. This may indicate the client is unfriendly, anxious or hostile(Class 2, 2014).

Along with body language, the personal space distance a person keeps gives clues as to how comfortable they are in the presence of someone. For example, according to the Class 2 notes, a person keeping a distance of only 6 to 18 inches shows intimacy. If someone stands 1.5 feet to 4 feet away from someone else, that person is keeping his or her own personal space. Social distance is from 4 to 12 feet and a public distance is from 12 to 25 feet. Paying attention to a client’s personal space comfort level can also tell how they feel about a person.

Client Differences

Effective counselling techniques require understanding that clients have differences, which means they all have unique needs and attributes. Practitioners should have the appropriate skill level, sensitivity and knowledge to deal with client differences. Practitioners should be accepting and understanding with clients, which show creditability in counselling them. It is important for practitioners to show no tendencies toward racial or ethnic stereotypes or differences in clients’ personalities, gender, stage of life, religion or sexual orientation. In addition, a client’s culture should not hamper his or her treatment by the counsellor. This pertains to the internal locus of control as compared to the external locus of control. A person’s culture has to do with his or her beliefs, values, customs and behaviors, and these factors should not hinder his or her counseling(Class 2, 2014). The success of the client-therapist relationship hinges on these factors, as this relationship is the basis for the helping process(Thompson, 2003).

Helping Clients who are Different

Counselors need knowledge to have the skills to help clients who are different; they can gain this knowledge through cultural study, cultural experiences and by taking a tutorial stance, which means the counselors allow clients to teach them about their cultures. In addition, counselors need to listen effectively and have supportive attitudes toward clients to empathize with them with an open mind(Class 2, 2014).

Multicultural Counseling

It is important for practitioners to understand the importance of multicultural counseling, because at least half of minority clients quit after the first counseling session; this is not the case with their Caucasian counterparts with a third of them quitting after one session. Many minority clients may feel that a Caucasian counselor is no different from other people of that race discriminating against them. Additionally, minority clients are prone to being misunderstood, misdiagnosed and deem therapy as unhelpful. This is why multicultural counseling skills are important(Class 2, 2014).

Counseling Skills that are Inviting

Effective counselors use the following nonverbal skills to invite clients to engage in counseling sessions: eye contact, relaxed and attentive body position, attentive silence, calming vocal tone, attentive facial expressions/gestures, appropriate physical distance, and caring touches(Class 2, 2014), like maybe a hand on the shoulder. Additionally, the counselor can make the client feel comfortable with inviting him or her to talk in a non-coercive nature by maybe asking a general question.

It is important for the counsellor to ensure the client is receiving messages on three levels, which are (1) cognitive (the client’s understanding of facts and thoughts), (2) emotional (client’s underlying feelings), and (3) existential (hidden meanings). This will help the counsellor explore facts about the client’s problems, as well as the client’s feelings. Speaking to the client should include paraphrasing the client to show understanding and being non-judgmental. Additionally, it is important for the counselor to have a good emotional intelligence level, which pertains to awareness, acceptance, tolerance and modification to help the clients. This is demonstrated by the counselor stating in his or her own words what clients convey regarding emotions, their stories, or nonverbal responses. The best way to accomplish this is for the counselor to identify with the clients’ feelings, make a statement that mirrors the clients’ emotions, without taking too long to do it(Class 2, 2014). This may make the client uncomfortable or suspicious and cause him or her to want to quit the counseling sessions.

These are an overview of good facilitation and counseling techniques for practitioners to use with helping their clients.

References

AIPC. (n.d.). Verbal & Non-Verbal Communication Skills. Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors.

Class 2. (2014). Counseling Techniques: CP 6610. Class Notes. [PowerPoint Presentation].

Thompson, R. (2003). Counseling Techniques: Improving Relationships with Others, Ourselves, Our Families, and Our Environment (2nd ed.). Routledge.