Pre-Clinical Skill Building Notes

Modeling in Clinical Practice

• Definition: Clinicians unintentionally or intentionally serve as models for their clients.

• Inadvertent Modeling

  • Unconscious display of behaviors.
  • Clients may idealize clinicians, leading to unconscious mimicry of clinician behaviors and attitudes.
  • Example: A clinician showing empathy may lead clients to learn effective listening skills.

• Intentional Modeling

  • Clinicians consciously display behaviors that could help clients achieve their goals.
  • Can involve role-playing specific situations (e.g., conflict resolution in marital therapy).
  • Effective modeling requires a trusting relationship to be successful.

Self-Disclosure in Clinical Practice

• Definition: Clinicians revealing personal information to assist clients.

• Nature of Self-Disclosure: Should primarily benefit the client, not the clinician.

  • Example of positive self-disclosure: A clinician shares their own experience with education to help a client feel less alone.
  • Outcomes: Enhances the therapeutic bond, expresses empathy, encourages clients to open up more.

• Cautions with Self-Disclosure:

  • Avoid sharing too much personal information or becoming the focus of the conversation.
  • Consider ethical implications, avoiding disclosures that seek to satisfy the clinician’s own needs.

• Types of Self-Disclosure:

  • Content Self-Disclosure: Sharing specific personal experiences (e.g., divorce) to assist the client.
  • Process Self-Disclosure: Expressing clinician’s current feelings related to the client (e.g., feeling connected).

Guidelines for Effective Self-Disclosure

• Use sparingly and strategically, ensuring the client would feel comfortable.
• Focus on building the therapeutic relationship and showing empathy.
• Consider alternative responses first if necessary (e.g., active listening, questioning).

Assessing When Not to Use Self-Disclosure

• Avoid self-disclosing to meet the clinician's emotional needs.
• Steer clear of sensitive topics that may blur professional boundaries (e.g., sexual topics).

Types of Questions as Clinical Responses

• Closed Questions: Yes/no or short answer responses (e.g., "Do you like your job?").
• Open Questions: Encourage storytelling and deeper responses (e.g., "How did you meet your spouse?").
• Tentative Questions: Slightly open, with a focus on specific topics (e.g., "Would you mind telling me about your family?").
• Reflective Questions: Encourage reflection on past experiences (e.g., "What has worked for you in the past to alleviate your depression?").
• Avoid 'Why' Questions: They can make clients defensive (e.g., "Why didn't you do this?").

Conclusion: Mastery of Responses

• Understanding and applying these clinical response strategies creates a foundation for more advanced therapeutic training.
• Mastering these skills will aid in guiding clients toward constructive problem-solving solutions.