2. Empathic Confrontation PDF

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Week 2 Lecture Notes on Empathic Confrontation, Lecturer= Amanda Hutchinson, Counselling Interventions SP5 2018, skills based on content from Intentional Interviewing and Counseling By Ivey, Ivey and Zalaquett ...

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COUNSELLING INTERVENTIONS WK 2 – EMPATHIC CONFRONTATION

Empathic Confrontation CONFRONTAITON IN COUNSELLING Clients come to counselling ‘stuck’- having limited alternatives for resolving their issues. STUCKNESS: describes the opposite of intentionality, or a lack of creativity (immobility, ambivalence, blocks, repetition compulsion) - Client has an experience of feeling stuck and having the desire to create change -Empathic confrontation is a more gentle skill. -Involves listening to the client carefully and respectfully; and then encouraging the client to examine self and/or situation more fully. -Empathic confrontation is not “going against” the client; rather, it represents “going with” the client. THE FUNCTION OF EMPATHIC CONFRONTATION Identify incongruity or mixed messages in behaviour, thought, feelings, or meanings Increase client talk and explain and/or resolve conflict Identify client change processes in the interview and throughout treatment Mediate conflict resolution Creation of the new

ANTICIPATED RESULT: Clients will respond to the confrontation of discrepancies and conflict by creating new ideas, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and these will be measurable on the five-point Client Change Scale. Again, if no change occurs, listen. Then try an alternative style of confrontation.

CONFLICT Conflict is stressful, and can inhibit neuronal activity and releases glucocorticoids and cortisol Long term conflict, stress/trauma  memory loss Effective counselling and therapy has reparative value Leads to new information, resolution of conflict, stress reduction, clarity, insight and awareness. CAVEAT Many clients may need (and even prefer) a more direct challenge Nonetheless, empathic listening remains central if you are going to establish any type of working relationship KEY COMPONENTS 1. EMPATHIC RELATIONSHIP 2. GOOD LISTENING SKILLS 3. NONJUDGEMENTAL CONFRONTATION: - Suspending your own opinions and attitudes - Closely related to positive regard and respect - People who are working through serious difficulties do not need to be judges - Your neutrality is necessary if you want to maintain the relationship and facilitate change - A non-judgemental attitude is expressed through vocal qualities and body language. EMPATHIC CONFRONTATION – 3 STEPS LISTEN: Identify the conflict/ discrepancy Internal conflicts: Between - Non-verbal behaviours

- Two statements - What one says and what one does External Conflicts: Between - People - Others and a situation SUMMARISE: Point out and clarify issues of incongruity and work to resolve them 1. Clearly identify incongruity 2. Draw out specifics and attend each part of the mixed message 3. Periodically summarise the dimensions od the incongruity 4. Conduct a positive asset search 5. When needed provide feedback from your observations QUESTION AND ELABORATION - Ask questions about dimensions rather than challenge immediately - Allow time to explore the discrepancy and find new alternatives - Take “time out” from confronting to focus on positive stories. NOT CONFRONTING - Listening may be sufficient - Pushing for change can get in the client’s way - Client may need to live with discrepancies that cannot be resolved EVALUATE: evaluate the change (effectiveness - Determine where your client is function in terms of change at any time during the interview - Discover how effective your responses have been - Observe client thinking and responding.

COUNSELLING INTERVENTIONS WK 2 – EMPATHIC CONFRONTATION

CLIENT CHANGE SCALE – CCS- DPANT 1 DENIAL: Not recognising that there's a discrepancy 2 PARTIAL EXAMINATION: seeing one part of the equation 3 ACCEPTANCE: can see the discrepancy 4 NEW SOLUTIONS: generation of new solutions 5 TRANSCENDENCE: living behaving and thinking differently, putting change into action. Transcendence is NOT a permanent state of being

ANTICIPATED RESULT: The CCS can help you determine the impact of your use of skills. This assessment may suggest other skills and strategies that you can use to clarify and support the change process. You will find it invaluable to have a system that enables you to (1) assess the value and impact of what you just said; (2) observe whether the client is changing in response to a single intervention; or (3) use the CCS as a method for examining behavior change over a series of sessions.

COUNSELLING AND CHALLENGING Counselling is like a good comedy- all in the timing Challenge when appropriate: after earned the right by being supportive, when likely useful for the client

HOW TO DUMB COUNSELLOR: How do you put X and Y together? SCALES: so on the one hand xxx, and on the other hand yyyy CLASSIC: you say x, but you do y...