Active Listening and Non-Directive Counseling.

¶ … active listening and non-directive counseling. The reverse of these are two pitfalls that are related to identifying psychotherapeutic issues and gathering relevant client information that you think would preclude you from really hearing and understanding your client from his or her perspective. A brief description is included about how to adhere to these two principles.

Topic heading 1: a brief description of a universal therapeutic skill and an orientation-specific ?skill based on a therapeutic model that interests you. Include why this is of interest to you.

The universal therapeutic skill that I would choose is active listening. I choose active listening because it is the basis of communication. To really want to help the client, one has to be there with him every step of the way and this involves arduous constant empathic mindful listening of the type that is called being-in -- the moment.

This type of listening zones in on the client's gestures, mannerisms, tone of voice and everything that lies behind the words. Since the words are on the surface only and since the counselor can know only a small portion of the story, it is important that she allow the client to lead her and, fro this reason, I therefore choose the Rogerian attitude of non-directive, non-interventionist counseling as my orientation-specific theme.

Rogers believed that people are inherently good and want to develop rather than destruct themselves. He also believed that people have the solutions within them and that they can resolve their own problems without intervention from the counselor merely by a genuine regard and care from the counselor for client. With counselor, in other words according genuine understanding, and empathic self regard, client can move towards progress and healing. Lack of active listening and interference -- telling client what to do rather than listening to him -- may impede the process of client's progression.

A practical way of incorporating active listening is by paraphrasing material and asking the client from time to time whether you have understood him correctly. In fact, all the Rogerian tools are instruments to accomplishing active listening.

A practical way to practice non-directive counseling is by recording oneself and the session and critically monitoring it for possibilities of improvement of skill and for signs of interference.

Topic heading 2: Describe at least one stage in the therapeutic process in which you ?would apply each skill and explain why. Be specific and give an example.

The stages of counseling according to the transtheoretical model of Prochaska and associates constitute six defined Stages of Change which are:

a. Precontemplation - the client has no intention to change behavior

b. Contemplation - the client, aware of a problem, would like to change some day.

c. Preparation - the client intends to change within the next month. he/she has taken incremental steps to attempting change.