COUC 505 Notes (week 5)
Week 5 Summarizing
Approach should not:
Person/Client centered therapy skills: (by: Carl Rogers)
Unconditional positive regard
Empathy (need to broach)
Congruence (genuineness)
Self-Disclosure:
Only when appropriate and purposeful
Not burdensome
Don’t share your trauma
Do not reveal details about yourself
Return the focus to the clients
Not deep or overly personal
Attend to the client’s story
Be genuine and don’t share too often
Don’t illicit sympathy
Identify with feeling not events -I’ve felt betrayed before
Don’t interrupt your client to share your story
Example:
Client: My mother died this week
Counselor: (even if you also lost your mom) you say “I also have experienced great lost”,
Attentive Silence:
oCounselor initiated: Control dialogue
oPromote deeper thought
oEncourage client to collect thoughts, reflect, and speak
oShows conversation has ended
Client Initiated:
oStruggling to gather thoughts
oProvides a reflection tie
oThey are done with their thoughts
oWaiting for your thoughts
oUpset or embarrassed
Solution-Focused
The Miracle Question: goal to amplify the impact of the miracle by a series of questions
designed to guide the client in exploring the implications of the miracle in the client’s
life.
o“If a miracle happened tomorrow, what would that look like for you…”
What will be the first thing that would tell you that the miracle has
happened.
What might others notice about you that would tell them that the miracle
has happened that things are different or better?
Have there been times when you have seen pieces of this miracle?
What’s the first step you can take to begin to make this miracle happen?
Exception Questions: those occasions in clients lives when their problems could have occurred
but did not-or at least were less severe.
oAre there times when the problem does snot happen or is less serious? When?
How does this happen?
oHave there been times in the last couple of weeks when the problem did not
happen or was less severe?
oHow was it that you were able to make this exception happen? What was different
about that day?
oIs your friend (teacher, relative, spouse, partner, etc./) were here and I were to ask
him what he noticed you doing different on that day, what would he say? What
else?
o
Coping questions: attempt to help the client shift his/her focus away from
the problem elements and toward what the client is doing to survive the
painful stress or circumstances. They are related in a way to explore for
exceptions.
What have you found that is helpful in managing this situation?
Considering how depressed and overwhelmed you feel how is that
you were able to get out of bed and make your way to this
appointment?
You say that you’re not sure that you want to continue working on
your goals. What is it that has helped you to work on them up to
now?
Scaling Question: 10 is always good! 1 being the worst 10 being the best
Embedded Question: have a hidden suggestion and an expectation that things are going
to get better.
“When the problem is resolved, what will you be doing that you are not
doing now?”
For example: “When you let go of your anger and forgive your father,
what will change in your family?
When you decide to develop a better relationship with your ex, what will
that look like?
oFocus on the future, optimistic message
SMART goals
oSimple and specific: Can your client relay it back in one sentence?
oMeasurable: How is achievement assessed?
oAttainable/achievable: Is the goal realistic?
oRelevant: Is the goal important to the client?
How confident are you that you are going to achieve this goal? 1-10?
oTimely: What is the estimated timeline?
