Example Of Essay On •client Comment 1: "I Have No Idea What To Do, And I Hope You Can Tell Me."

Response: As I see it, my role is to guide you. I understand that you need help, but I am going to help you develop a plan. I won’t be telling me what to do, because I want you to really have a lot of say in what we talk about, and what what your plan is.
Key Concept: Explain how the Process works. It is important for both the therapist and the client to know and understand what their roles are in order to set boundaries and build a firm foundation.
•Client comment 2: "My mother thinks I'm making the wrong decision and that makes me so angry. She is always trying to control me."
Response: It’s understandable that you would feel angry, or insulted even, when your mother questions the decisions you make for yourself.
Key Concept: Provide Validation and Feedback. It is important that the client feel like they are speaking in a safe place, where they are accepted. Validating helps you share in their experience, and authenticate their emotions.
•Client comment 3: "I only came along because my wife made me. I just didn't want to listen to her continuing to nag. Counseling is stupid, and I don't believe it will help me at all!"
“I would prefer to try and help you feel comfortable here. Is there anything I can do to help you feel more comfortable and safe like sitting farther away, leaving the door open, not taking notes or getting you a glass of water?”
Key concept: While this is questioning, rather than commenting, it represents Establishing safety. It is important for clients to feel safe so that they can address their needs without fear.
•Client comment 4: "I'm going to school, I have a job, and I'm taking care of two kids and trying to make time for my husband. Most days, I don't even know where to begin."
Response: Uh-hunh, so you have a very full plate right now, and sometimes you think to yourself “I don’t know what to do first.”
Key Concept: Actively listening. The client needs to feel like you are actively listening, engaged, and prepared to respond. Sometimes, proving that you are actively listening is as simple as validating with a simple “Yes” or “Uh Hunh” and then repeating what they have said back to them.
•Client comment 5: "My five-year-old daughter died of cancer after a year-long struggle. I cry all of the time, and I don't know what to do. My daughter was everything to me, and I've lost her."

Response: “You seem heartbroken over that.”

Key Concept: Empathy. It is essential that your client feel that you empathize with their emotions, but empathy must be sincere, so you should avoid saying things like “ I know exactly how you feel” when you really cannot know the depth of their pain, or the exact way they are feeling. Instead, try mirroring what you see in their face or what you hear in their speech back to them through empathetic phrasing that does not focus on your own feelings.

References:

The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies. (n.d.). Person Centered Approaches Engagement Techniques. Retrieved February 3, 2015, from http://www.coalitionny.org/the_center/resource