An interactive text for courses in Counseling Process Skills, and Techniques and Counseling Interventions or a refresher and hands-on resource for counselors new to their professions
Students and beginning counselors get step-by-step guidance for developing the skills and techniques they need to effectively help their clients.
This best-selling book emphasizes the techniques and skills necessary to be effective in the art of helping—from the basic building blocks to advanced therapeutic techniques. It goes beyond the basic techniques to address the “megaskills” and common curative factors that lie behind these methods, including how to form and repair a therapeutic relationship. The author’s conversational tone is appealing to students, yet the book is carefully referenced for instructors. The goal is to make beginning helpers become “reflective practitioners”—“Stop and Reflect” sections, exercises, homework, class discussion topics, and journal starters support this approach. Included are ample opportunities for students to practice the skills and techniques plus video segments (available on MyCounselingLab) to let them see the ideas in practice.
Chapter 1 Helping as a Personal Journey
The Demands of the Journey
Becoming a Reflective Practitioner
How a Helper Develops: Perry's Stages
The Development of Expertise
The Challenge of Development
The Perfect Helper or When Do I Quit Developing?
Who Can Be an Effective Helper?
What Can You Bring to a Client?
Chapter 2 The Nuts and Bolts of Helping
Defining Some Important Terms
How is Professional Helping Different from Friendship?
What Can You Expect from a Helping Relationship?
Learning Basic Skills and Common Curative Factors
Stages of the Helping Process: A Road Map
Chapter 3 The Therapeutic Relationship
The Importance of the Therapeutic Relationship in Creating Change
How Can a Helper Create a Therapeutic Relationship?
Other Factors That Help or Strain the Therapeutic Relationship
Chapter 4 Helping Someone Who Is Different
Differences That Can Affect the Therapeutic Alliance
Challenges Caused by Differences in Culture
Helping a Client Whose Culture is Different from the Helper's
Challenges Caused by Differences in Gender
Chapter 5 Invitational Skills
Listening to the Client's Story
Nonverbal Communication Between Helper and Client
Nonverbal Skills in the Helping Relationship
Opening Skills: How to Invite
Chapter 6 Reflecting Skills: Paraphrasing
Reflecting Content and Thoughts, Reflecting Feelings, and Reflecting Meaning
Reasons for Reflecting
The Skill of Paraphrasing: Reflecting Content and Thoughts
Common Problems in Paraphrasing
Chapter 7 Reflecting Skills: Reflecting Feelings
The Importance of Understanding Emotions
The Skill of Reflecting Feelings
How to Reflect Feelings
Common Problems in Reflecting Feelings
Chapter 8 Reflecting Skills: Reflecting Meaning and Summarizing
Meaning: Uncovering the Next Layer
How to Identify Meaning Issues with a Clint
Summarizing
The Nonjudgmental Listening Cycle
Chapter 9 Challenging Skills
When Should We Use the Challenging Skills?
Giving Feedback
How to Give Feedback
Confrontation
How to Confront
Evaluating Confrontation and Client Response
Chapter 10 Assessment and the Initial Interview
Why Assessment?
Testing as an Assessment Tool
Assessment is a Critical Part of Helping
Categorizing Clients and Their Problems
Beginning Assessment Methods
Chapter 11 Goal-Setting Skills
Where Do I Go from Here? Set Goals!
What are the Characteristics of Constructive Goals?
Who Owns the Problem? The Technique of Focusing on the Client
The Technique of Boiling Down the Problem
Chapter 12 Change Techniques
Giving Advice and Information
Brainstorming
The Skill of Alternate Interpretation
How to Teach a Client to Use Alternate Interpretation
Chapter 13 Outcome Evaluation and Termination Skills
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Helping
Basic Outcome Evaluation Methods
Termination
Dealing with Loss at Termination
How to Maintain Therapeutic Gains and Prevent Relapse Following Termination
Chapter 14 Curative Factors and Advanced Change Techniques: Part I
Curative Factors
Treatment Planning and the REPLAN System
The Therapeutic Factor of Enhancing Efficacy and Self-Esteem
Silencing the Internal Critic: The Technique of Countering
Practicing New Behaviors
Role-Playing
Homework
Chapter 15 Curative Factors and Advanced Change Techniques: Part II
Lowering and Raising Emotional Arousal
Techniques that Stimulate Emotional Arousal and Expression
Activating Client Expectations, Hope, and Motivation
Providing New Learning Experiences
Glossary
This new edition continues the best selling features of the previous editions by emphasizing the skills needed in the art of helping—from the basic building blocks to advanced therapeutic techniques—while incorporating new integrative features that help readers discover the most effective methods for dealing with clients.
Opportunities for small group or whole class discussions allow students to discuss issues and the pros and cons of using a specific technique. Small Group Discussion topics appear at the end of each chapter.
Students are able to gauge their own progress and set goals for improvement through Self-Assessments in most chapters.
Students are introduced to both basic skills and advanced techniques, such as role-playing, reframing, and basic cognitive therapy methods, and see how they relate in order to put them to use with their future clients.
Readers get the most up-to-date research and references. References and in-text examples, cases, and transcripts are updated or replaced.
The book addresses today’s diverse culture. Chapter 4, Helping Someone Who is Different has been omitted and instead content regarding multicultural and diversity is integrated throughout.
Readers get relevant information on suicide and risk assessment, included in the Assessment ad the Initial Interview chapter.
Readers have opportunities to pause, integrate the concepts and ideas, and consider their reaction to real cases and situations through the Stop and Reflect sections within each chapter.
Additional reinforcement is provided, giving students the chance to practice the skills they’ve just learned with classmates through the Group Exercises.
Readers get to test new ideas and reflect on conflicts and challenges they develop as helpers through Journal Starters that allow them to continue their learning between classes.
Students can see the techniques in action through Video Segments/Exercises for every basic skill in every chapter, available on MyCounselingLab*.
*Access MyCounselingLab can be packaged with this book by ordering isbn 0133033252, or students can purchase access from www.MyCounselingLab.com
Mark Young is a Professor at the University of Central Florida. He received his doctorate from Ohio University. He has trained helpers for more than 20 years and worked in community mental health, private practice, college counseling centers, and corrections for more than 15 years. Dr. Young’s professional writing has focused mainly on therapeutic methods and techniques, wellness, and counseling couples. He is the co-author of Counseling Today (2012) with Darcy Granello(Pearson) and Counseling and Therapy for Couples, 3/e with Lynn Long & Brigid Nooan (In press, Cengage) with Lynn Long & Brigid Noonan.