Personal Reflections
- What did you learn about yourself when delivering reflections?
Delivering reflections allows one to enter into the inner experience of the client. It also supports internal search and makes one have an inward focus and identify feelings and will enable one to put words on the sensation. The reflection also allows one to rethink and reexamine what the client fills. It also validates feelings. When you label feelings, it shows that you are not afraid of feelings, that you are aware of the feelings, and makes the client understand that they are accepted regardless of their feelings. Reflections also help the client to avoid being defensive or having the feeling of being harassed. Therefore, reflection is an opportunity for a helper to show the client that you understand. It allows the client to open up and freely share the things they are going through. Hence the helper will get to build therapeutic relations with the client.
- What would you do if a client started to cry?
It is normal for a client to cry during an appointment. In some cases, you are unsure of what to do; you think of either leaving the room or feel anger. How this situation is handled can make or break trust and therapeutic relations. In most cases, you don’t want the patient to be embarrassed, feel strange, or feel that you dismissed them. Therefore, if a client starts to cry, it is essential to allow room for the patient to cry, mind your body language, provide the patient with a box of tissue, and respond verbally.
- In the past, some students have had a hard time selecting the most important feeling; some have become overwhelmed by lengthy client descriptions and could not differentiate “the forest” (feelings) from “the trees” (all the words); some were worried about hurting the client if they gave a “bad” reflection; some had difficulty figuring out the feelings if the client did not explicitly state feelings, and some had trouble when clients were very articulate about their feelings because they did not want to repeat the client’s feeling words. What was your experience?
My experience was being overwhelmed by a lengthy description by the client, and in the end, not being able to differentiate feelings.
- Are there particular feelings (e.g., anger, guilt) that you have difficulty using with clients because of your own discomfort or problems?
No, there are no specific feelings. I attain this by being open and welcoming to a discussion about my feelings towards them. I recognize that therapy is a safe place to discuss personal processes, and personal growth can be attained by doing so.
- In the past, many students have reported that their confidence dropped dramatically after beginning to learn to help skills but then increased with practice. What pattern do you see emerging with regard to your confidence as a helper?
The patterns emerging with regards to my confidence is that I am slowly building my confidence, and I am finding skills important in developing and improving my confidence levels.