Counselors need to be excellent communicators therefore should know and demonstrate an appropriate variety of techniques in every setting. Those skills start with active listening. This skill seems to be essential and above all others. People decide to pay other people just for their attention and desire to be heard and understood. Active listening should be corporated with clarifying and asking appropriate questions. Clarifying and asking questions convince the patient that we understand the issue and we can suit into patient skin. This kind of technique can not be theoretically learned rather is built with experience. Appropriate responding to patient stori is very individual and can not be implemented procedurally. The solution associated with interpreting non-verbal communication comes with practice. The pat should be convinced about counselor empathy and positive unconditional regard.
To familiarize with that empathic statement we will strip those methods to the core.
Active listening
Is not passive listening similar to watching TV. Active listening is a process that we react in real-time to receive information and we participate in the story. Active listening is centered on the person and focuses exclusively on them. Understanding what the patient says provides the counselor ability to respond at any given moment especially if the patient needs congruent. It can be done by facing the person maintaining eye contact and mirroring facial expressions. Verbal communication is critical. For example, we can nod to show our understanding it is the best way to not interrupt and politely let the patient know that we understand. We also can use the confirmation phrases as ‘OK’, ‘I see’, ‘clear’ and sound as ‘yeah’, ‘hmmm’, ‘ohh’.
Responding
In this section, we have a chest of a toolbox with universal Keyes to open human psychics. Responding includes; using silence, paraphrasing and summarising, reflecting, validating feelings and
cheerleading.
Using silence
The man says ‘Speech is silver, but silence is golden’ we can not credit those words properly. But those words clearly show how important the moments of silence are. More not always mean better especially in interactions between humans. Appropriate use of osilence can have a significant impact on communication. Silence provides ‘psychological air’ but it may vary. If we detect that silence start to be less comfortable we should manage it with words. Silence provides individuals chance to express their feelings and emotions. Silence provides the space for reflection and evaluation to help to sort out thoughts. Silence may be used as recovery relief from intense feelings or conversation.
Paraphrasing and summarising
Saying what was rise back to the patient in their own words is paraphrasing. It helps to convince the individual that we understand. Moreover, it helps the patient to understand how accurately we follow up. Summarising simply acknowledges what the patient says. We do not judge or offer advice when we paraphrase or summarise. Summarising have also important role thus, it indicates that we are closer to finishing the session. It helps patient to leave the session with feelings of achievement of milestone.
Reflecting and validating feelings
Reflecting is a process where mirror neurons are involved to share experiences with others. Similar facial expressions and body language will mimic how patients feel. Moreover, it will induce a similar state in the counselor. Reflecting is a process of synchronization. It can be done with body language tone of voice and on another dimension of undetectable subtle factors. Reflecting and validating feelings may be also done by using language. Acknowledgment by simply repeating patient words may help to reflect and congruent feelings. In general reflecting help to deeply view and validate feelings and emotions.
Cheerleading
Is a way how we can encourage others to continue talking about actions they have taken. We should cheerlead each time when individual behaviors are helping to move them forward. Positive statements by positive reinforcement may overcome negative behaviors and lead to further achievements.
Closed questions
Are questions where individuals can not add anything else but the information we ask about. Those questions are not useful to counselors thus, do not provide any additional pieces of information. That kind of questions doe not lead to openness thinking or evaluation. Therefore should be avoided in counselor practice.
Open questions
Help to express validate emotion and are essential in counselor practice. Open questions explore the issue deeply and are important to move forward with patients’ issues. Open question reveal where the tipping point of case is and conduct the type and tempo of healing. The question required more than binary answer and therefor help to explore subject multidimensionally. With open question we should avoid using ‘why’ questions with ‘why’ maybe participate as judgmental. The best example of an op question may be ‘Could you tell me how did you feel?
