International interviewing and counseling 9th ivey chapter 04

slide 2 of 2 Observation Skills: Observe your own and the client’s verbal and nonverbal behavior.. Nonverbal Behavior slide 1 of 6▲Nonverbal behavior is often the first clue to what cl

Intentional Interviewing and

Chapter 4

Observation

Skills

Chapter Goals and Competency

Objectives (slide 1 of 2)Awareness and Knowledge

▲ Understand nonverbal behavior How do you and your clients

behave nonverbally?

▲ Note verbal behavior How do you and your clients use language?

▲ Recognize discrepancies and conflict Much of counseling and

psychotherapy is about working through conflict and coping with the inevitable stressful incongruities we all face.

▲ Learn about abstract versus concrete language Where is the client

on the “abstraction ladder”?

▲ Understand varying individual and cultural ways of verbal and

nonverbal expression.

Chapter Goals and Competency

Objectives (slide 2 of 2)

Skills and Action

▲ See, hear, and feel the client’s world.

▲ Flex intentionally when working with diverse

clients, and avoid stereotyping your

observations.

▲ Observe your impact on the client: How does

what you say change or relate to the client’s

behavior?

Introduction: Are You a Good

Observer? (slide 1 of 2)

▲ Observation is the act of watching carefully and

intentionally with the purpose of understanding behavior

▲ Mastering this skill takes time and practice.

▲ Helps to get to know clients and what is

conveyed by their verbal and nonverbal behavior.

▲ Facilitates establishment of a working

relationship.

Introduction: Are You a Good

Observer? (slide 2 of 2)

Observation Skills: Observe your

own and the client’s verbal and

nonverbal behavior Anticipate

individual and multicultural

differences in nonverbal and

verbal behavior Carefully and

selectively feed back some

here-and-now observations to the

client as topics for exploration.

Anticipated Client Response:

Observations provide specific data validating or invalidating what is happening in the session Also, they provide guidance for the use of various microskills and strategies The smoothly flowing session will often demonstrate movement symmetry or

complementarity Movement dyssnchrony provides a clear clue that you are not “in tune” with the client.

Awareness, Knowledge, and Skills:

Principles for Observation

A good place to start is by noticing your own way of being

▲Take a brief inventory of your own nonverbal style

 You might begin by thinking back to your natural style of

attending, but expand those self-observations

 Make a video of you talking with someone about a topic on

which you agree.

▲What is your interpersonal style? What do you notice

and how might it affect your relationships with others?

▲Write your observations and then compare what you find

with later examination of your own videos and feedback that you obtain from others

Nonverbal Behavior (slide 1 of 6)

▲Nonverbal behavior is often the first clue to what clients

are feeling underneath the language they use

▲While listening to a client’s story, we need to be

constantly aware of how he or she reacts to what we say

—both verbally and nonverbally

▲Your ability to observe will help you anticipate and

understand what is happening with your client

 Be careful to watch for individual and cultural differences.

Nonverbal Behavior (slide 2 of 6)

Facial Expressions

▲Smiling is a good indicator of warmth and caring

 Important for developing relationship s

▲ A client’s nonverbals give you important clues to what he

or she is experiencing and may include

 Brow furrowing; lips tightening or loosening; flushing; smiling at

inappropriate times; subtle color changes in the face as blood flow

reflects emotional reactions; breathing temporarily speeding up or

stopping; lips swelling; and pupils dilating or contracting.

Nonverbal Behavior (slide 3 of 6)

▲ Each culture has a different style of nonverbal

communication

 Smiling is a sign of warmth in most cultures, but in some

situations, it may indicate discomfort Patterns of eye contact also vary by culture.

▲ Be careful not to assign to your clients your own ideas

about what is “standard” and appropriate nonverbal

communication

▲ Study nonverbal communication patterns and their

variations

▲ In a session, changes in style may be just as important as

or more important than finding specific meanings in

communication style.

Nonverbal Behavior (slide 4 of 6)

may not be identical but are still harmonious

▲ Some experts deliberately “mirror” their clients.

▲ Matching body language, breathing rates, and key words of the client can enhance the counselor’s understanding of how the client perceives and

experiences the world

Nonverbal Behavior (slide 5 of 6)

Body Language

▲Particularly important are discrepancies in nonverbal

behavior, or movement dyssynchrony

▲Watch for times when clients suddenly change posture.

▲Lack of harmony in movement is common between

people who disagree markedly, even between those who may not be aware they have subtle conflicts

Nonverbal Behavior (slide 6 of 6)

Acculturation Issues in Nonverbal Behavior: Avoid

Stereotyping

▲Acculturation is the degree to which an individual has

adapted to the norms or standard way of behaving in a given culture

▲No two people will be acculturated to general standards

in the same way

▲Consider biculturality and multiculturality Many of your

clients will have more than one significant community cultural experience

Verbal Behavior (slide 1 of 6)

▲ Counseling and psychotherapy theory and practice

have an almost infinite array of verbal frameworks

within which to examine the session

▲ Three dimensions useful for direct verbal observation in

the session:

1 Key words

2 Concreteness versus abstractions

3 “I” statements versus “other” statements

Verbal Behavior (slide 2 of 6)

Key Words

▲Note clients’ key words and help them explore the facts,

feelings, and meanings underlying those words

▲Key descriptive words are often the constructs by which

a client organizes the world; these words may reveal

underlying meanings

▲Joining clients by using their key words facilitates your

understanding and communication with them

Verbal Behavior (slide 3 of 6) Concreteness Versus Abstraction

Verbal Behavior (slide 4 of 6)

Concreteness Versus Abstraction

▲Match client’s style and join client where he or she is.

▲Help abstract clients become more concrete.

 “Could you give me an example?”

▲Help concrete clients become more abstract and pattern oriented

 Best effected by a conscious effort to listen to their sometimes lengthy stories very carefully.

Verbal Behavior (slide 5 of 6)

“I” Statements and “Other” Statements

▲Clients’ ownership of and responsibility for issues will

often be shown in their “I” and “other” statements

▲May be predominately positive or negative.

▲Need to achieve a balance between internal and external

responsibility for life issues

Verbal Behavior (slide 6 of 6)

“I” and “Other” Statements

▲Consider multicultural differences in the use of the word

Discrepancies, Mixed Messages,

and Conflict (slide 1 of 4)

Examples of Conflict Internal to the Client

▲Discrepancies in Verbal Statements In a single

sentence, a client may express two contradictory ideas Aid the client in understanding his or her ambivalence

▲Discrepancies Between Statements and Nonverbal

Behavior Discrepancies between what one says and

what one does are very important

Discrepancies, Mixed Messages ,

and Conflict (slide 2 of 4)

Examples of Conflicts Between the Client and the

External World

▲Discrepancies and Conflict Between People “I cannot

tolerate my neighbors.” Noting interpersonal conflict is a key task of the counselor or psychotherapist

▲Discrepancies Between a Client and a Situation In

such situations, the client’s ideal world is often

incongruent with reality Discrimination, heterosexism,

sexism, and ableism represent situational discrepancies

Discrepancies, Mixed Messages,

and Conflict (slide 3 of 4)

Discrepancies in Goals

▲Goal setting is an important part of the empathic

relationship-story and strengths-goals-restory-action

model

▲You will often find that a client seeks incompatible goals

Discrepancies, Mixed Messages,

and Conflict (slide 4 of 4)

Discrepancies Between You and the Client

 Be aware when your perspective conflicts with that of your client.

Action: Key Points and Practice of