Lec 3: Interpersonal Characteristics

Communication Style

• Situational

  • Natural predisposition towards interactions

  • Feeling or thinking toward the therapist

  • Social or cultural background

• Enduring

  • Neurologic impairments

  • Symptoms of psychiatric disorder

  • Effect of substance

  • Transient feelings about the situation

Capacity for Trust

• questions on adequacy, ultimate effectiveness, appropriateness, safety to approach

• usual response to others

• response to therapist

  • locate and address the source of discomfort or trust

Needs for control

• empower clients to exercise choice and control

• may interfere with the therapy process

Capacity to Assert Needs

• Requires clients to be able to discuss what they want from the therapist openly and directly

Response to change and challenge

• Capacity to manage stress, to adjust

• Using…

  • Internal strengths and coping mechanisms

  • Extensive social support networks

• Resilience and adaptation

• Difficulties:

  • Worry, fear, irritability, challenging behaviors

  • Withdrawal, avoidance

Affect

• reveals information about client’s thoughts and emotions

• influences the therapist’s response to the client

• difficulties:

  • ability of emotions, impulsive behaviors and reactions

  • Absence or inappropriate emotional response

Predisposition to giving feedback

• reciprocal feedback for client and therapist

• feedback allows therapists to:

  • adjust strategies

  • maximize likelihood of positive outcomes

Capacity to receive feedback

• May be given to the client on issues with:

  • Nature or consequence of an impairment

  • Ability for (and quality of) performance

  • Goal attainment

• Forms

  • Positive reinforcement

  • Constructive feedback

• Difficulties

  • Dismissing, ignoring feedback

  • Self-critical or deflated

  • Irritability, anger, hostility

  • Passive-aggressiveness

  • Defensiveness

Response to human diversity

• response to wide range of differences that distinguish individuals from one another

  • acceptance or tolerance of differences

Orientation towards relating

• does the client feel more comfortable if the therapist shows

  • Emotional response to disclosure?

  • Effort to show care or concern?

  • Formal or casual interactions?

Preference for touch

• Comfort and tolerance with any touch

• Can be observed through:

  • Physical withdrawal or emotional discomfort with touch only

  • Positive response to any touch initiated by therapist

  • Initiation of or seeking for caring touch

Capacity for Reciprocity

• Giving and sharing

• Affects development of mutually gratifying therapeutic relationship between client and therapist

• Linked to capacity to relate to others in a healthy and developmentally appropriate way