Microskills 1
What is the difference between ethics and morals?
Ethics are rules, typically prescribed by social systems and, in counseling, as professional standards. They define how things are to be done. Morals are individual principles we live by that define our beliefs about right and wrong.
What is a useful skill to communicate respect, compassion, and support to your client. Also, used intentionally, facilitates listening, conveys active presence, and shows you value their input?
silence
What type of question will a client give more detail and talk more in response?
Open Question
What words do open questions begin with? What words do closed question begin with?
open: who, what, when, where, and why. Could, can, or would
closed: do, is, or are.
What does "reflection of meaning" mean?
explore their own meanings and values in more depth from their own perspectives, but also the perspectives of others. The client discusses stories, issues, and concerns in more depth, with a special emphasis on deeper meanings, values, and understandings. ***
What does it mean to be aware of multicultural humility and social justice? Why is it important?
it is your level of awareness, knowledge, skills, and action. helps deepen your understanding by directly hearing their stories in a caring and an ever-learning relationship. Both you and your clients will appreciate, gain respect by, and learn from increasing knowledge in multicultural competencies.
If you are listening and attending, how do you think your client might react?
Clients will talk more freely and respond openly, particularly about topics to which attention is given.
What can we do to be encouraging?
repeating key words and short statements, head nods and smiling, using encouragers and restatements that are used in a questioning, supportive tone of voice.
What's the difference between paraphrasing and summarizing?
paraphrasing: Shorten or clarify the essence of what has just been said, but be sure to use the client’s main words when you paraphrase. Paraphrases are often fed back to the client in a questioning tone of voice.
summarizing: Summarize client comments and integrate thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Summarizing is similar to paraphrasing but used over a longer time span.
What is the counselor doing when they do "interpretation/reframing?
Provide the client with a new perspective, frame of reference, or way of thinking about issues. ***
What does it mean to have resilience and why is it important for us to promote resilience as the counselor?
Clients who are aware of their strengths and resources can face their difficulties and resolve issues from a positive foundation. They become resilient and can bounce back from obstacles and defeat. Help clients discover and rediscover their strengths. Find strengths and positive assets in clients and in their support systems. Identify multiple dimensions of wellness.
What are some examples of client observation skills?
Observe your own and the client’s verbal and nonverbal behavior. Anticipate individual and multicultural differences in nonverbal and verbal behavior. Carefully and selectively feed back some here-and-now observations to the client as topics for exploration.
By paraphrasing or summarizing, how does that benefit the client? Why do it?
Clients will feel heard and discover how their complex and even fragmented stories are integrated. helps clients make sense of their lives. also provides a more coherent transition from one topic to the next. They also become clearer and more organized in their thinking.
What is the purpose of a checkout/perception check?
give clients a chance to pause and reflect on what they have said. Without an occasional checkout, it is possible to lead clients away from what they really want to talk about. ***
What is the difference between empathic self-disclosure and empathic feedback?
self-disclosure: sharing your own personal experience related to what the client has said and often starts with an “I” statement. Or it may be sharing your own thoughts and feelings concerning what clients are experiencing
feedback: presents clients with clear, nonjudgmental information (and sometimes even opinions) on client thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, either in the past or here and now.
What are some examples of Therapeutic Lifestyle changes that we could give to our clients?
refer clients to medical personnel, nutritionists, physical therapists, personal trainers, and other behavioral health professionals. ***
What does it mean when a counselor uses "reflection of feeling"?
Identify the key emotions and feed them back to clarify affective experience. ***
What is the Basic Learning Sequence?
consists of these Microskills: using open and closed questions, encouraging, paraphrasing, reflecting feelings, and summarizing.
What are the five levels of the Client Change Scale?
1) Denial
2) Partial Examination
3) Acceptance and recognition, but no change
4) Generation of a new solution
5) Transcendence
Why should a counselor use natural and logical consequences in a counseling session for the client?
Clients will change thoughts, feelings, and behaviors through better anticipation of the consequences of their actions. When you explore the positives and negatives of each possibility, clients will be more involved in the process of making creative new decisions.
What are the three types of empathy?
Basic empathy, additive empathy, subtractive empathy. ***
What are the Five stages/dimensions of the Well-informed interview?
1) Empathic relationship
2) Story and strengths
3) Goals
4) Restory
5) Action ****
What are the steps in an empathic confrontation?
1) Listen, observe, and note client conflict, mixed messages, and discrepancies in verbal and nonverbal behavior.
2) Paraphrase and reflect feelings to clarify internal and external discrepancies.
3) Evaluate how the client responds and whether the confrontation leads to client movement or change. If the client does not change, flex intentionally, try another skill, and approach the conflict from another direction.
When determining your personal style and theory, as a counselor, what do you need?
Directives, introduction, psychoeducational strategies, skill integration. ***
When you reach transcendence as a counselor, what does that mean?
Transcendence speaks about your capacity to go beyond yourself and successfully apply your newly mastered skills to help others. The ultimate test of your capacities is the benefit they can afford others. ***