Basic Counseling Skills
  • Home
  • A. TECHNIQUES
  • Pattern of Sessions
  • Active Listening
  • Body Language
  • Asking Questions
  • Paraphrasing/Tone
  • Summary
  • Note Taking
  • Homework
  • Goodie Bag/Fun Stuff
  • Technique References
  • B. THEORIES
  • Client Centered
  • Holistic/Biopsychosocial
  • Strengths Based
  • Cognitive/Behavioral
  • Solution Focused
  • Existential Therapy
  • Letting Go
  • Theory References
  • C. SAMPLE SESSIONS
  • 1. Client Centered Counseling
  • 2.&3. No Show/Cancellation
  • 4. Strengths Based
  • 5. Cognitive Beh. Counseling
  • 6. Holistic Health Counseling
  • 7. Solution Focused
  • 8. Existential Counseling
  • 9. Becoming Unnecessary
  • D. SELF HELP
  • Journaling
  • Mood Mapping
  • Whole Health Check In
  • Community Resources
  • Ten Things I Like About Me
  • Common Lies We Tell
  • Goal-Setting
  • A Why to Bear a How
  • Happy People
  • Self-Help References
  • E. CONTINUING EDUCATION
  • F. SITE MAP
  • G. CONTACT ME!
  • H. READERS' CONTRIBUTIONS
    • Addiction and Sleep - Jessica S
    • Alcohol Counseling - Carol G.
    • Depression and Addiction Rehab - Katherine C
    • Quit Smoking and Alcohol Rehab
    • Reducing Stigma - Patricia S.
    • Suicidal Thoughts and Alcohol Abuse - Julia W
    • Recovery Village - William B.
    • Bereavement Counseling - Sally W
    • Personality Traits - Sally W
    • 3 Solutions to Worst Fears - Paige M
    • 30 Min Reduce Anxiety - Paige M
    • Restorative Power of Arts & Crafts - Sally W
    • 3 Ways - Rid of Sunday Scaries
    • Conquer Fear of Flying - Sally W.
    • Document Anxiety through Journaling - Sally W
    • Career Options - Sally W
    • School Counselor ToolKit - Serena K.
    • Psychology Degrees - Lindsay F
    • Depression and Addiction Rehab - Katherine C
    • Diagnosing Depression - Melissa M
    • PostPartum Depression - Tracey F
    • Assisted Living Options for People with Disabilities
    • Wheelchair Home Safety - Michael M
    • Cerebral Palsy Resources
    • Counseling and Persistent Pain - Sally W
    • Mesothelioma Guide - Corine F.
    • Mesothelioma Resources
    • Finding Start Up Success - Eva B
    • Cleaning House for Better Health - Cheryl C.
    • Destress/Clean Home - Cheryl C
    • Financial Stress - Sally W.
    • Financial Debt - Sally W
    • Be Happy - Hazel G.
    • Gut Health & Mental Health - Sally W
    • How Having a Skincare Routine
    • Counseling the Impoverished - Sally W
    • Conquering Interviews - Eva B
    • Daily Journal Routine - Paige M
    • 4 Journaling Tips for Beginners - Shristi Patni
    • Drug Dangers - Rebecca P.
    • Recall Report - Laura P.
    • Living Mindfully - Mollie Wilson
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - Sally W.
    • Couns. Resources - Tim C.
    • Practical Financial SKills - Johanne H
    • Nutrition to Help Anxiety - Sally W
    • Retirement Career Change - Sally W
    • Managing Phobias - Sally W
    • Healing Power of Pets - Sally W
    • Geriatric Counseling - Sally W
    • Counseling Seniors with Anxiety - Sally W
    • Senior Resources - Claire S.
    • Addiction and Sleep - Jessica S
    • Better Sleep - Better Health - Cheryl C
    • Treating Insomnia - Sally W
    • Tuck Sleep - Kellen S
    • De-Fogging Brain - Sally W
    • Recovery from Sports Injury
    • Improving Mental Clarity - Sally W
    • Indoor Air Quality Can Affect Mental Health - Sally W
    • Stress on Health - Sally W.
    • Stress Management - Sally W
    • Suicidal Thoughts and Alcohol Abuse - Julia W
    • Summer Side Gigs for Teachers - Joyce W
    • Tobacco in 2017 - Mary G.
    • Take Control of Your Life - Dorothy Watson
    • No More Winter Blues - Rufus Carter
    • How I Put Anxiety Attacks on Pause
    • 8 Effective Tips for Improving Mental Health - Camille Johnson
    • Manage And Reduce Stress For Your Employees With These Tips - Rufus Carters
    • Moving Forward When Grief Intrudes in Your Life - Camille J
    • Working Remotely - Emma Grace Brown
    • Unlock Greater Confidence - Rufus Carter
    • Coping With a Mid-Life Crisis - Rufus Carter
    • 6 Self-Care Tips - Laurie Abner
    • Help a Loved One After the Loss of a Spouse - Rufus CarterNew Page
    • Relocating After a Tragic Loss - Lucille Rosetti
    • Guidelines for Teens Who Want to Thrive as Entrepreneurs - Lucille Rosetti
    • 5 Common Lifestyle Habits That Can Cause Skin Damage - Andrew Mark

Client Centered or Rogerian Counseling

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The basic premise behind Client Centered (Rogerian) counseling (link to Skills in Person-Centred Counselling & Psychotherapy by Janet Tolan) is that the client is the best authority on her / his own experience, and it asserts that the client is fully capable of changing and growing into all that the client can and wants to be. However, the client – like all of us - needs favorable conditions in which to blossom and bloom.

*****

“Founder”: Carl Rogers (1902 – 1987)

If I can provide a certain type of relationship, the other person will discover within himself [sic] the capacity to use that relationship for growth and change, and personal development will occur. – Carl Rogers


*****

A good image of Rogerian counseling is of a plant – the counselor provides the growth-promoting climate and the client is then free and able to discover and grow as she / he wants and needs to.

In a successful Client Centered session, the following characteristics will prevail:


• Empathy

• Acceptance or Unconditional Positive Regard

• Genuineness


Empathy

The counselor accurately understands the client's thoughts and feelings from the client's own perspective. When the counselor is willing and able to experience the world from the client's point of view, it shows the client that her/his perspective has value and she/he is accepted.

Acceptance or Unconditional Positive Regard

The counselor accepts the client without conditions, without judgment. This frees the client to explore her/his thoughts and feelings, positive or negative, without danger of rejection or condemnation.

Genuineness

The counselor is authentic and does not put on a professional “I know best” façade. The counselor is “there” for the client and is “real”. In this way the client does not have to worry about what the counselor is really like or truly thinks.



Techniques

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 Client Centered counselors would not say they use techniques – rather they have an approach of being empathetic, accepting and truly “there” for the client. Having said that the following skills are central:

• Active and empathic listening

• Reflection of content and feelings

• Genuineness which may include appropriate self-disclosure by counselor


Do the first two sound familiar? They should! We covered these when we learned basic counseling skills. If you have not already studied and practiced these or if you would like to review, click on these buttons on the LHS of your screen:

• Active Listening

• Encouraging Body Language

• Good Tone

• Open Ended and Closed Questions

• Paraphrasing

• Summarizing



Self-Disclosure

Self-Disclosure falls under the notion of genuineness in Client Centered counseling, and can be a bit of a tricky area. Too much self-revelation and the client may lose respect for you; not enough and the client may think you are not a fellow human.

In our Sample Session One, we meet a counselor named Joan. In terms of her office environment, we might think it is a little too “genuine.” The client, Mary, could think Joan was loopy. And the “goodie bag”? That’s taking a risk. At the same time, Joan does not reveal anything about her personal life through her words. Precious talk time needs to be used by Mary and it is.

In Sample Session Four, Joan uses self-disclosure. When Mary expresses guilt about not talking to her mother enough, Joan assures her by saying, “Mary I want you to know that you aren’t alone in your struggles with your parents. I’m a daughter too and don’t call home as much as I think I should; and my daughter feels that way about me. OK, so this is a common challenge.”

This empathic, non-judgmental comment shows that Joan is very real – but in no way is Joan dominating the session or attempting to bend it to herself. She remains client centered.

Some good general guidelines about self disclosure:

1. First impressions are lasting impressions. What you wear and what your office looks like speak volumes about you. Try to find a balance. If you are eccentric, tone it down; if you are a minimalist, soften things with a plant and a picture.

2. Generally speaking, in the first session it is best not to reveal personal information about yourself. You don’t want the client to dislike you because of a non-essential disclosure.

3. Less is best. The session is about the client. She or he is not there to hear about you and your challenges, or to discuss the things you’d like to talk about.

4. If you do share an incident in your own life, make sure it’s one that had a positive resolution.

Further Reading and Videos

Books

“On Becoming A Person” by Carl Rogers, Houghton Mifflin Books, 1995

"Kitchen Table Wisdom" by Rachel Naomi Remen, Rivertrade, 2006

Therapy Resource

PACT Therapy - https://www.choosingtherapy.com/pact-therapy/ - a reader's contribution

Video


Here is a sample of a Person Centered counseling session.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew8CAr1v48M&feature=related


The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen.

Just listen.

Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention...A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.

- Rachel Naomi Remen
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