Following what had seemed a long week since my first session I eagerly returned to college for my second week on my Lv1 Introduction to Counselling. Despite walking into the wrong class room (which was the right class room but we had been moved!) things got to a great start. Sitting with a different group of people this time (which wasn’t my plan) turned out to be a good move as we worked productively together.
Initially we checked in which is something I still need to get used to. I explained how I’d had a relatively quiet week – nothing major arriving in my life. Getting down to business we did a brief exercise discussing what counselling is and isn’t. For instance;
It is about:
- Open ended questions as opposed to closed questions. This encourages the client to speak about their issues in more detail rather than a short yey or neigh.
- Counselling provides an opportunity for self reflection in a safe empathic environment.
- Active listening with an open posture.
- Facilitates the way forward.
- Allowing silence when required.
- Using listening skills
- This then led to the mention of Paraphrasing which I had previously read about in Margaret Hough’s Counselling Skills & Theory. Paraphrasing being the ability to summarise the clients issue and handing it back to them in shorter manner, outlining the main points. This will give them the opportunity to hear if your understanding of what they have just told you is correct or not.
Counselling is not about:
- Offering sympathy.
- Giving advice.
- Choosing the agenda.
- Disclosing personal information.
- Asking closed questions.
- Allowing the client to develop a dependency and encouraging infinite sessions.
- Saying little or nothing throughout the session.
Following our break we worked as a class giving out answers as to what different people offer to a person. These were Parent, Friend, GP & Counsellor.
Parent:
- Give advice & share experiences.
- Providing emotional support.
- Financial support.
- Providing a home.
- Teaching us right from wrong.
- Teaching about social boundaries.
- Providing appropriate [physical] contact – i.e. hugs.
Friend:
- Providing sympathy.
- Empathy.
- Alcohol(!)
- Confidentiality (which I gave and it was posed this could be questionable to which I replied that it does state “friend” and not “acquaintance.” Anyone who doesn’t offer this wouldn’t be considered a friend by myself.
- Time.
- Emotional support.
- Advice.
GP:
- Medicine.
- Limited time.
- 1 issue per visit.
- Support.
- Sign posting.
- Confidentiality.
- Diagnosis.
Counsellor:
- Confidentiality
- Time (50min)
- Sign posting
- Listening
- Empathy
- Referal
These were discussed in some depth and we all exchanged ideas and opinions as to where these qualities and offerings sat. It was interesting to learn that some people had different ideas and outlooks/perceptions of the roles outlined.
Boundaries & Contracts
It was explained to us about our “Limits of Ability”. For instance counsellors do not offer advice nor should they try to diagnose any other apparent conditions. If there is ever cause for concern it would be the responsibility of the counsellor to discuss this with their manager/supervisor only once they have notified the client of their intentions. The counsellor-client contract is something that is presented normally at the start of the first session. This wouldn’t need to be repeated unless for any reason you need to address a breach of this contract.
I’m really getting into this now and feel like I have a lot to learn. November will soon be here and I can’t wait to continue this journey.
Counsellor Chris 