helping relation quiz 1

intro to the helping relation, a model of the helping process, self awareness, cultural awareness

helping

one person collaboratively assisting another in exploring feelings, gaining insight, and making changes

skills

verbal help related to listening + encouraging exploration of personal + emotional concerns

helper

person providing assistance

• helping to accomplish the goals the client set for themself

• i.e. therapist, coach, case manager, advisor

client

person receiving support

similarities bn helping relation and having a conversation with a friend

• experiences are being heard + problems are being addressed

• emotional support

• safe space

differences bn helping relation and having a conversation with a friend

helping (L) v. friend (R)

• unbiased v. biased

• education-backed v. personal opinion

• diff boundaries

• scope of relationship: client v. friend

• knowledge of client/friend’s history: helper know what client discloses to them v. friend knows events that occurred intimately

• objectivity

• purpose of speaking: goals for progress in therapy v. ranting to / being heard in a friendship

• reciprocity: helper does NOT receive care back v. friend receives similar treatement

6 common factors across psychotherapies

1. therapeutic relationship: sense of connection + collaboration bn therapist + client

2. instillation of hope: “i believe i can be helpful to u to achieve ur goals”, planting a seeds for the client that they can feel / do better

3. new learning experiences: teaching the client things they might not alr know (i.e. navigating life / relations, that change can happen and is possible, access new skills + acknowledge past-learned ones)

4. emotional arousal: invitation to feel strong emotions to motivate change

5. enhancement of master / self-efficacy: build capacity to believe in ur ability to accomplish ur goals, believing u can change + acting on it

6. opportunities for practice: supporting as client practices in + out of therapy

facilitative aspects of helping

• healthy, nondamaging, intimate relationship

  • sometimes a corrective relational emotional experience

• support + relief

• insight + understanding self in a new way

• deal w existential concerns

• teach clients new life skills

• making decisions about life direction

• offer clients feedback about how they are perceived by others

• teaches clients to function on their own

problematic aspects of helping

• providing just enough relief to enable someone to stay in maladaptive situations / relationships (i.e. a helper can’t tell a client to get out of an abusive relationship, and can only listen to the client)

• creating dependency on helpers

• imposing personal / societal values on clients

• cost

• time

two factors necessary for people to seek help

1. people must become aware that they’re in pain facing a difficult situation + must perceive their feelings / situation as being problematic

2. the pain must be greater than the perceived barriers to seeking help

components of being an effective helper

• learning + using the helping skills

• being self-aware

• having a facilitative attitude

process of learning helping skills

1. unconscious incompetence: u dk that u dk

2. conscious incompetence: recognized lack of ability

3. conscious competence: uk what to do + ur talking urself through the process (i.e. talking urself through the steps of tying ur shoes when you first learned how to do so)

4. unconscious competence: having a feel for what ur doing + what u need to do; second nature, clinical judgement, intuitive nature

factors of striving for self-awareness

• willing to introspect + strive for self-awareness

• cultural awareness

• awareness of biases + expectations

parts of the facilitative attitude

• empathy

• warmth

• genuineness

• compassion

• nonjudgementalness

process of learning to be a helper

1. instruction

2. modeling

3. practice

4. feedback

factors that affect personality development

• biological + genetic predispositions

• environment

• early experiences of attachment, family, and culture

• existential goals

• defenses to cope with anxiety

• some degree of control / choice

• emotions, cognitions, and behaviors

how people change

• corrective emotional + relational experiences (i.e. strong therapeutic relationship)

• insight → action

  • my knowledge abt myself and how i function in the world → can be built through a strong therapeutic alliance → the relationship itself (even before the fancy techniques) can help

variables that contribute to helping process

• client contributions

• helper contributions

• therapeutic relationship

client contributions to the helping process

• motivations, involvement, and agency

• 5 stages of change

  1. precontemplation

  2. contemplation

  3. preparation

  4. action

  5. maintenance

5 stages of change

1. precontemplation: person doesn’t even think they have a problem; need a helper to raise awareness on problematic behavior

2. contemplation: person starts to realize issue; helper helps navigate decision-making process

3. preparation: person devs a plan to make life changes; helper provides encouragement, strategies, and makes challenges feel more manageable

4. action: active implementation of stragies; relapse will happen as progress is not linear; helper helps w shame / guilt, asks what happened + learns from mistakes

5. maintenancee: not as much as a heavy lift but maintaining behaviors; helper checks in based on clients needs

sympathy v empathy

• sympathy: feelings of pity / sorrow someone else’s misfortune; “poor u”

• empathy: genuinely caring, nonjudgmentally accepting, predicting client reactions, communicating your experience to the client in a sensitive + accurate way

parts of a therapeutic relationship

1. real relationship

2. working alliance

3. transference / countertransference

transference

client distortions of the helper based on experiences in previous significant relationships

i.e. client might expect helper to be judgement / shaming bc their parents were that way

countertransference

helper’s distortions of the client based on experiences in previous significant relationship

3 stages of the therapeutic relationship

1. exploration stage: facilitate clients in talking about their thoughts + feelings related to their concerns

2. insight stage: foster awareness + facilitate insight into reasons for thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

3. action stage: focus on changes to facilitate action, including considering which changes to pursue

what makes up self-awareness?

• stable characteristic: self-knowledge or self-insight

• state of heightened self-focus: sensitivity in the here-and-now

helper characteristics

• listening

• being nonjudgmental

• open to new experiences + people

• approachable

• friendly

healthy self-oriented motivations for wanting to help

• helping environment allows them to work with clients who are striving toward actualization of their potential

• it is intellectually challenging to help others

• helpers can vicariously experience other ways of living

• it can lead to personal growth

• giving sense of purpose or meaning in life

unhealthy self-oriented motivations for wanting to help

• they’re needy + view helping as a way to develop personal relationships (w the client)

• go into helping as a mission to save others

• can feel better by comparing self to those who r less fortunate

• like the sense of power + authority

• seeking achievement, wealth, prominence, fame, prestige, and glory

• work trhough unresolved personal issues or change situations they found painful in the past

hot buttons

a topic or issue that is highly charged emotionally/physically/etc.

bracketing

being able to set aside a difference you have with a client to treat them well

cultural dimensions

• how ppl interpret u can affect how they + the world treat u

• understanding status as a subgroup in these groups (ADDRESSING model groups) can help identify a privileged / marginalized identity

ADDRESSING model

• A → age + generational influence

• D / D → developmental or other disability

• R → religion + spiritual orientation

• E → ethnic + racial identity

• S → socioeconomic status

• S → sexual orientation

• I → indigenous heritage

• N → national origin

• G → gender

intersectionality

the interaction of multiple identities of systemic oppression

acculturative stress

when familial hierarchies are disrupted because children acculturate faster + can use a new language better than their parents

enculturation

retaining norms of one’s indigenous culture