Quiz 1 - Intro to Helping

Professional helping

collaboratively assisting another person in exploring their feelings, gaining insight & making changes in order to reach their goals

Six common factors across psychotherapies

1. therapeutic relationship

2. instillation of hope

3. new learning experiences

4. emotional arousal

5. enhancement of mastery/self-efficacy

6. opportunities for practice

When people seek help

1. perceive their feelings or situation as problematic

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

Factors in personality development

• biological & genetic predispositions

• environment

• early experiences (attachment, family figures)

• existential goals

• defenses to cope with anxiety

• conceptions of control/choice

• emotions, cognitions & behaviors

How people change

1. building insight turns to actions

2. a corrective emotional & relational experience

5 Stages of change - client

1. pre-contemplation (unaware of problem)

2. contemplation (starts to consider changing)

3. preparation (start to develop plan)

4. Action (implementation of change)

5. maintenance (new behavior becomes habit)

5 stages of change - helper responsibilities

1. pre-contemplation - raise awareness

2. contemplation - navigate decision-making process

3. preparation - create strategies

4. Action - normalize relapse process

5. maintenance - check-ins and support

Components of being an effective helper

Learning/ Helping skills

Self-awareness

Facilitative attitude

Components of facilitative attitude

empathy

warmth

compassion

non judgemental

genuine

Process of learning to be a helper

1. Instruction

2. Modeling

3. Practice (most important)

4. Feedback

Parts of the working alliance

1. Bond

2. Agreement on goals

3. Agreement on tasks

Transference & Countertransference

Distortions of someone else based on previous experiences in relationships; unconscious processes

transference = client onto helper

countertransference = helper onto client

3 stages of therapy

1. exploration

2. insight

3. action

Goal of Exploration stage

Facilitate clients in talking about their thoughts & feelings related to their concerns (i.e. Putting everything on the table)

Goal of Insight stage

Facilitate insight into reasons for thoughts, feelings, & behaviors (Start putting stuff together)

Goal of Action stage

Try to produce change - deciding on and executing changes

Interactional sequence

Sequence where helpers forumate intentions or goal → client reacts → client behavior shapes re-evaluation of intentions

ex. Question → answer → answer shapes next question → etc.

Importance of self-awareness

• who the helper is influences the process (we use our own process of self-development to guide others)

• biases

• mood

Two types of self-awareness

1. Personality (stable self)

2. Mood (changing self)

Helpful self-awareness

Using yours own reactions to the client to help them

Ex. anger at toxic behavior → indicate toxic behavior to client → client insight

Unhelpful self-awareness

anxiety of your skill and abilities

overwhelm

Other-oriented motivations for helping

• Social change

• personal experience (want to prevent the pain they felt in others)

• make a difference in people’s lives

Healthy self-oriented motivations for helping

• Feels good to help others

• Intellectually challenging

• Learn about others or experience other ways of living

• Sense of purpose/meaning

• Develop personal growth

Unhealthy self-oriented motivations for helping

• See helping as a way to develop relationships

• Wanting to be a savior

• Feel better comparing self to those who are less fortunate

• Enjoy the power and authority 

• Prestige

• Using helping to work through personal unresolved issues

Biases

• can only be self-aware of them, not get rid of them

• create hot buttons

Hot buttons

things that trigger us in the help setting often because of our biases or because of our own personal experiences

can cause countertransference