Problem:
As a student how would you respond to this classmate of yours, include in-text citation and references from 2021 below and ask questions
Open-ended questions and summarizing act as gentle nudges that achieve effective empathic questioning. Unlike restrictive closed-ended questions, open-ended questions invite clients to be curious about their own lives while providing contextual details for the counselor (Egan & Reese, 2019). These answers naturally facilitate summarizing. Summarizing allows either the counselor or the client to reflect back and recap the key experiences being expressed. When we summarize, we demonstrate active listening and a deep investment in the client's life (Egan & Reese, 2019).
Through this exercise, I learned that active listening and summarizing are my strengths. However, formulating open-ended questions in the moment was hard. I paused frequently to rephrase questions and overused "How does that make you feel?" a lot. I also actively resisted the urge to ask questions that started with "why?" Ultimately, my empathic questioning furthered the session process by showing I wanted more than quick answers. Like Noll (2026) emphasizes, listening someone into existence is about choosing connection. Validating and naming their emotions in my summaries helped my volunteer find peace while sharing (Noll, 2026). Clear cues showing this were effective was that my volunteer visibly relaxed, shared more than what I asked, and even ended the exercise by telling me thank you for allowing them to share with me. Need Assignment Help?