Questions
Answers should be at least 100-175 words and reflect critical thought. Whenever possible, please try to relate the course content to real-world applications from your work experience. Be sure to cite all sources as well.
1. Person-centered therapy requires the use of unconditional positive regard as one of the necessary components of the therapeutic approach. In what way might this become problematic with a difficult or oppositional client or with a client you do not personally like?
2. How is genuine reflective listening different from parroting back what the client is saying?
3. Lydia I appreciate your optimistic thinking, however, I'm going to have to burst your bubble. While you are correct in thinking that your personal view of a client should never interfere with your ability to provide service to a client sometimes your personal views can make the therapeutic process harder. For example, I had a client that had extreme issues with accountability. I believe he was borderline antisocial personality disorder.
In therapy he would discuss things that people had done to him but never acknowledged his role in anything. Even when he felt like therapy wasn't working he blamed me and displayed a complete disregard for his ability to take responsibility for his behavior. I felt drained and frustrated. I also decided to refer him to someone else. Consider the following: would you be able to provide services to a child molester?
4. Jillian, sounds like you have had some amazing experiences. I myself know that I cannot work with sex offenders at all. In counseling it is very important that you are aware of your limitations so that you don't cause harm to a client. For example, a therapist that treats a woman for depression but knows that they can't work with people that suffer from depression could potentially cause harm to client. What are some of the possible consequences of providing services to a client when you are not comfortable or have knowledge or training about the service they need?
5. You stated "there is regret in most people" and you would like to use that to help heal them. What about the murderer, child molester or Nazi that has no regret. The client that would act on their negative impulses again given the opportunity. Do you think you can counsel a person who has no guilt? Also as counselors do you think it is possible to identify when a client is pretending to fell guilty about their behavior in order to manipulate the counselor. For instance if a child molester had to agree to counseling before being released from prison, do you think you can tell the difference between sincere regret and pretending to feel guilt just to get out of prison?
6. According to the text, in person-centered therapy, the therapist's attitude is more important than the therapist's skills. According to client-centered therapy, there are three therapist attitudes that determine the level of success of therapy: (1) genuineness, (2) unconditional positive regard, and (3) empathy. With that being said, it may become problematic with a difficult with a client that you tend to dislike because of the lack of sincerity in the foundation of the client and therapist relationship. Fellow classmates, what are your thoughts?
7. The type of listening a person does is important to any conversation, argument, response, etc.. For example, as a therapist when we meet with clients we listen to everything they say to determine what their problems are. However, sometimes when we listen for problems we miss other information that may be pertinent to their treatment. An example of this would be a client describing their day and the therapist is listening for the problem rather than the details that contributed to the client wanting to describe their day. Sometimes people hear what they want to hear because they're not listening to understand they are listening to respond. What type of listener are you?
8. As therapist the type of listener you are is really going to be based on your personality. Now I know your personality shouldn't impact counseling, however, this is one of those times where it does. For example, if you have a "fixer" personality you will always listen for the problem and try provide solutions rather than the details leading up to the problem, if you a "get it done" personality your expectation will be for the client to come in and tell you exactly what's wrong. Neither one is bad and neither one is better than the other, it all just depend on the needs of your client. What would happen if you had a "fixer" listening style but your client was more into details?
9. According to the text, to use parroting to encourage them to talk more is merely repeating what they said, then pause. They will fill in the gap and keep on talking. Encouragement parroting need only be the last few words only and not even a complete sentence.The therapist uses parroting to check that you understand what they say. Sometimes, when you repeat what they say out loud is when you first understand what they are really meaning.
In this case, you might follow up quickly with an apology and explanation. Parroting is particularly useful when they have said something that does not immediately make sense to you -- this lets them hear what they have said and allows them to revise what they have said. Reflective listening practices require focus, intent, and very active participation. Empathic understanding means understanding a person from his or her frame of reference. What a therapist attempts to do is reconstruct what the client is thinking and feeling and to relay this understanding back to the client.
I think sometimes children have power over their parents and siblings when they go through the mimicking stage. How do you think that weighs upon a parent to maintain composure while disciplining a youth and they can't get a word in edge wise because the youth us consistently parroting them? Thoughts anyone?