Qualities in The Helping Relationship
Ways to show respect to a patient
Look at your client
Provide undivided attention
Maintain eye contact
Smile
Move toward the other
Find out how the other likes to be addressed
Use the client’s name and introduce yourself
Make contact – handshake, gently touch arm
Protect confidentiality
Show interest and concern in your clients’ problems
Accept their uniqueness
Accept the client as a partner
Accommodate cultural and social differences
Be courteous and attentive
Work diligently and competently
Genuiness
Presenting your true thoughts and feelings verbally and non-verbally with communication that is congruent. Being genuine means being authentic.
Means not hiding behind a role or title
Means not responding in scripted ways
Means not being defensive
Means recognizing the “equal humanness” between themselves and their clients
“Being real”
If the helper is not genuine, the client may:
Distrust the helper
Become suspicious of the helper
May become confused
May question the helper’s credibility
May believe the helper is “hiding something”
This may result in a strained relationship and it blocks meaningful interaction
Mutuality
Benifits to using humour
Puts people at ease
Effective way to deal with fear and anxiety
The helper appears more human and genuine
Build bridges between people
If the helper can laugh at themselves, they model the belief that no-one is perfect.
Phases of the Therapeutic Relationship
Pre-Initiation Phase
Period of self-reflection and preparation:
Preparation of the physical setting so it is physically and psychologically comfortable
Orientation Phase
Woring Phase
Termination Phase
Begin to prepare for termination during the orientation phase.
Client (and helper as appropriate) can share thoughts and feelings about termination.
Engage in mutual evaluation of goal accomplishment.
Helper says good-bye.
Follow-up interventions are identified as needed.
Broad opening statements
Please feel free to discuss your concerns with me.
Tell me more about that.
Broad opening questions
What would you like to discuss?
What has brought you to see me today?
Can you tell me more about that?
Open ended questions
can be used at the beginning of an interaction (broad opening) or throughout the interaction, when you want more information from the client.
Require more than a minimal or one-word answer.
Places the focus on the client.
e.g. How do you think you will cope with your retirement?
What were you thinking about when you suddenly left our session last week?
Closed questions
are used to obtain a brief answer, usually just “yes” or “no”.
Good for gathering specific information.
Examples:
How many brothers or sisters do you have?
Are you feeling like you want to harm yourself?
Pharaphrasing
the nurse rephrases all or a portion of the client’s previous statement, in his/her own words. The basic message is not changed. Intersperse throughout the interaction. Don’t overuse.
Why do we use paraphrasing?
Lets the client know that you are hearing their message accurately.
Allows nurse to clarify/verify their understanding of the client’s comments.
Builds rapport, keeps focus on client and keeps the nurse focused
Summarization
ties multiple key points of the client’s message that occur over time. Can be used throughout the interaction and at the end of the interview.
Summarization of content- rephrases two or more cognitive messages. (Cormier and Hackney, 2012)
Provides structure to the interaction. Helps to focus the discussion. Clarifies.
Reframing
: helps client see the situation/person, in a different way (half-full as opposed to half-empty)
Example:
“I feel like such a failure! I can’t seem to get all my projects done!”
“Is it possible that your tendency to not set boundaries for yourself has left you overburdened?”
Also helpful when clients are using words like never, always, constantly, etc..
ABC (Antecedent-Behaviour-Consequences) Question
helpful in understanding context
“Are there any people who make this behavior worse? Make it better?”
“Where and when does this usually happen?”
“Please tell me what happened immediately before you began to feel like you wanted to cut your arm.”
Examples of non-therapeutic communication
Opening an interview
What to do with Silence
Attending Skills
Attending: conveys warmth and concern to the client
Position
Eye Contact
-Way of showing attentiveness and a + attitude
Observing
Listening
Reflecting feelings
help professional zeros in on the client’s feelings. Listen to content and voice inflections as well as non-verbal. Frequently use the words “you feel”. “It sounds as if”, “perhaps you feel”. If you don’t stop a client from talking the feeling might change from angry to ambivalent to positive