Helping Skills

Helping Skills Overview

• Course Code: PY 250

Agenda

• Overview of helping model, video presentations

• Stages of Change

• Practicing techniques together, either today or the next session

• Overview of helping skills

• Note: Not all items are in sequential order.

The Helping Model (Hill)

• Stages:

  • Exploration

  • Insight

  • Action

• Each stage plays a critical role in the helping process.

Exploration Stage

Goals

• Establish rapport with the client.

• Develop a therapeutic relationship.

• Encourage the client to share their story.

• Explore thoughts and feelings of the client.

• Facilitate the arousal of emotions.

• Gain comprehensive knowledge about the client.

• Importance of allowing the client to explore independently, rather than guiding them.

Skills

• Nonverbal Behaviors: Body language, eye contact, etc.

• Minimal Verbal Behaviors: Encouragement with low verbal input.

• Restatements: Rephrasing what the client has said for clarity.

• Open Questions/Probes for thoughts and feelings: Both types of questions help deepen the exploration.

Insight Stage

Goals

• Help the client gain self-awareness regarding their thoughts and feelings.

• Foster insight into the roots of their problems.

Skills

• Challenge the client towards self-awareness.

• Facilitate the process of insight through:

  • Open questions

  • Interpretation of client actions and feelings

  • Disclosure of insights enabling relationship dynamics to shift.

  • Employ immediacy when beneficial.

Key Characteristics

• Clients often struggle to see the interconnectedness of their experiences.

• The role of the therapist is to introduce new perspectives and insights.

• The therapist acts as an external observer, capable of seeing patterns the client may not.

• The relationship itself can be a catalyst for self-discovery.

Recognizing Readiness for Insight

• Example: Roger and Mark have discussed feelings of depression in retirement contextualized with changes at home.

• Trust has been established, fostering a conducive environment for insight exploration.

Considerations During Insight Phase

• Assess for contradictions in a client's feelings or thoughts.

• Explore barriers preventing change.

• Reflect on personal emotions within the therapeutic relationship.

• Questions to consider may include:

  • "What might be causing the client’s current behavior?"

  • "What keeps the client from changing at this moment?"

Example Dialogue for Insight

• Roger (helper): Engages Mark in exploring connections between his emotions and current relationships.

• Mark (client): Reflects on a connection between his feelings of depression and dynamics with his husband.

• Roger: Provokes deeper reflection, demonstrating probing techniques for insight.

Interpretation in Insight

• Involves sharing educated guesses about underlying issues the client hasn't explicitly recognized.

• Examples:

  • Making connections between seemingly isolated events.

  • Identifying themes and patterns in client behavior and interpreting them.

  • Challenging longstanding beliefs derived from past experiences.

Action Stage

Goals

• Collaborate with the client to identify and implement changes.

• Questions to consider include:

  • What change is desired?

  • What is the significance of this change?

  • Pros and cons of the change and needed resources.

Skills

• Open questions tailored for action planning.

• Provide informed advice and disclose strategies as appropriate.

Overview of Stages

• Exploration: Establishes the groundwork for insight.

• Insight: Clarifies understanding of issues and evaluates change necessity.

• Action: Offers support in applying changes and measuring their outcomes.

Key Points on Change

• Change comes from feeling empowered and hopeful about insights gained.

• Trust and engagement from exploration facilitate the shift towards actionable change.

• Progress is often non-linear, with clients moving back and forth through stages.

Effective Helping/Therapy Attitudes

• Empathy: Establishing a psychological connection with the client.

• Compassion: An intrinsic desire to promote client wellbeing.

• Collaboration: Recognizing the reciprocity in the helping relationship.

Quotes on Empathy

• "Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another..." — Alfred Adler

• "To my mind, empathy is in itself a healing agent..." — Carl Rogers

The Power of Empathy

• Develops genuine care and acceptance of the client.

• Anticipating client reactions aids in communication and understanding.

• Sensitively reflecting back facilitates a safe space for clients to express themselves.

Inviting Clients to Share

• Understand that clients may hesitate to be open due to fears.

• Create a supportive environment that encourages disclosure and validate their feelings of vulnerability.

• Maintaining respect and care for the therapeutic relationship is crucial.

The Stages of Change Model (Transtheoretical)

• Stages:

  • Precontemplation

  • Contemplation

  • Preparation

  • Action

  • Maintenance

Understanding the 5 Stages

• Precontemplation: Unawareness of the issues.

• Contemplation: Recognizing the issues and considering options.

• Preparation: Identifying steps toward change.

• Action: Actively making changes.

• Maintenance: Sustaining changes and preventing relapse.

Applying the Stages

• Individuals can cycle through these stages multiple times.

• Counseling strategies should align with the client’s present stage.

Transference

• The client's redirection of feelings toward the therapist based on past experiences.

• Examples: Viewing therapist as a parental figure, experiencing intense emotions.

• Important for recognizing relational dynamics.

Countertransference

• The therapist's emotional reactions influenced by their own past.

• Must be managed carefully to maintain professional boundaries.

• Regular reflection and supervision are vital for effective practice.

Looking Ahead

• Future sessions will dive deeper into specific helping skills and practice them.