Confrontation, Immediacy & Identifying Strengths
confrontation, immediacy and identifying strengths. All three skills can be challenging for emerging counselors. Many have a negative association with confrontation, however, helping clients to become aware of their own negative patterns and how they may be thwarting themselves can be a powerful tool. Maintaining a strong therapeutic alliance while challenging clients to face conflicts between their words, thoughts, behaviors etc. can help them to address those conflicts and become more congruent.
Likewise, many clients may challenge you by trying to keep your focus outside of the room on the words or deeds of individuals who are not present. By staying aware and present in the moment, you can use immediacy to address what is happening now in the room.
Identifying strengths is another skill that can help to reframe perception self or one’s circumstances. One of the first steps toward using these skills effectively is to recognize opportunities for their implementation. Apply each skill to one of the following vignettes.
Read the client statements given below before starting the assignment.
Client Statements:
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Client A: When I go to speak in front of a group, I totally panic. I freeze up and can’t think of anything to say. I feel like I’m going to start blithering and be incoherent. It’s crazy because I’ve been doing public speaking for a long time, but it never seems to get any better. I just don’t seem to have any confidence or think I have anything worth saying. I think I’ve always been this way. Even in grade school, I remember the kids teasing me because I blushed whenever I had to say anything in class. I don’t know why I was embarrassed then because my parents always encouraged me to speak in public. In fact, they entered me in all these contests for public speaking and coached me so that I would be good, and they really wanted me to win. So they did a lot to help me with this problem (Hill, 2009). Client B: I had a really bad blowup with my boyfriend. He was half an hour late coming to get me for a dinner we had arranged with another couple. I was just furious by the time he got there. It seems like he’s always late, and I feel like he is just inconsiderate of me. So I got really angry at him when he came, and it ruined the evening. He was angry at me the whole time. He pointed out that he had told me he might not get there right on time. He kind of threatened that he might leave me if I keep being so silly about such things. I ended up apologizing to him profusely because he was right that he had said he might be late. I don’t want to lose him because this is the best relationship I’ve ever had. But I don’t understand why I always feel so lousy after we’ve been together (Hill, 2009). Client C: I am nervous about meeting this woman tonight. I answered an ad in the personals because I really want to start dating, but I don’t know if this is such a good idea. I mean, what kind of people advertise in the personals? She might be a real wacko. I have pretty high standards for who I go out with, and I don’t want to waste time if we don’t get along. My past experiences have been pretty bad with dating. I go out and find someone I like, but then they never want to go out with me again (Hill, 2009). Client D: I just got back from visiting my family for Thanksgiving, and once again, I felt inadequate. My older brother was there, and he talked the whole time about how wonderful he is doing in his new position in a law firm. He entertained the family over dinner with all the cases he is working on. I just felt like I couldn’t get a word in edgewise and that nobody was interested in what I was doing. It reminds me of my whole childhood where I felt like I couldn’t compete with him because he was always the older, better brother (Hill, 2009). |
Tasks:
In a minimum of 400 words, post to the Discussion Area your response to the following:
Part A
- Review the client statements provided above and select one to practice confrontation. Identify the statement you chose and provide the confrontation as you would share it with the client. You may wish to start with a reflection statement followed by the confrontation. In your answer, identify the case you selected by including the case name (e.g. Client A or Client B) preceding your confrontation.
- Articulate the intention of your confrontation and what you hope it will facilitate with the client.
- Repeat the above with the skills of immediacy and identifying strengths, Note you can use the same client or a different one for each skill. .
Part B
- Articulate your strengths and challenges with those skills and how you intend to improve.
Your discussion posts and all written assignments should reflect graduate level writing skills and appropriate use of APA style, including in-text citations and references.
Submission Details:
- By the due date assigned, post your responses to this Discussion Area.
- Through the end of the module respond to more than two of your classmates’ posts that differ from your opinion. Your responses should be substantive in meaning, encourage further dialogue and discussion, and encourage your classmates to think about other aspects of the topic. Compare your responses to your classmates’ responses or ask a relevant, meaningful question to better assist you with your understanding. Responses such as “I agree” or “I don’t agree” are not complete enough.
Reference:
Hill, C. E. (2009). Helping skills: Facilitating exploration, insight, and action
(3rd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
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