Chapter 4: Observation Skills

Practice questions covering observation skills, nonverbal and verbal behaviors, movement synchrony, and discrepancies within counseling sessions.

How is 'observation' defined in the context of counseling?

Observation is the act of watching carefully and intentionally with the purpose of understanding behavior.

What are the anticipated client responses to a counselor using observation skills?

Observations provide specific data validating or invalidating what is happening in the session, provide guidance for the use of various microskills, and demonstrate movement symmetry or complementarity in smoothly flowing sessions.

What does 'movement desynchrony' indicate in a counseling session?

It provides a clear clue that the counselor is not "in tune" with the client.

Aside from smiling, what are some facial nonverbal clues to a client's experience?

Brow furrowing; lips tightening or loosening; flushing; inappropriate smiling; subtle color changes in the face; breathing speeding up or stopping; lips swelling; and pupils dilating or contracting.

What is 'movement synchrony'?

A phenomenon where people who are communicating well often "mirror" each other's body language; it has been discovered in neural correlates and connectivity within specific brain regions.

What is the difference between movement complementarity and movement dyssynchrony?

Movement complementarity refers to paired movements that are harmonious but not identical, while movement dyssynchrony refers to discrepancies in nonverbal behavior and a lack of harmony common between people who disagree.

How is 'acculturation' defined in the transcript?

Acculturation is the degree to which an individual has adapted to the norms or standard way of behaving in a given culture.

What are the three dimensions useful for direct verbal observation in a session?

Key words, concreteness versus abstractions, and "I" statements versus "other" statements.

How do clients high on the 'abstraction ladder' tend to communicate?

They talk in a more reflective fashion, analyzing their thoughts and behaviors, but may not easily provide concrete examples and may prefer to analyze rather than act.

What characterizes a 'concrete/situational' verbal style?

Clients provide specific examples and stories with considerable detail; they often look to the counselor for specific actions to follow.

What is a multicultural difference regarding the use of the word 'I' in Vietnamese?

Vietnamese has no reference to 'I'.

What are two examples of conflict internal to the client?

Discrepancies in Verbal Statements (expressing two contradictory ideas in a single sentence) and Discrepancies Between Statements and Nonverbal Behavior.

What are some examples of situational discrepancies between a client and the external world?

Discrimination, heterosexism, sexism, and ableism represent situational discrepancies where the client's ideal world is incongruent with reality.

What are four areas where discrepancies might occur between a counselor and a client?

Verbal and nonverbal messages; ethnic/cultural experiences; gender/age differences; and learning/personality styles and approaches.