Psychological communication: Theories, roles and skills for counsellors by van der Molen, Lang, Trower, & Look (second edition) – Book summary

This bundle contains a summary of the following chapters for the book Psychological communication: Theories, roles and skills for counsellors by van der Molen, Lang, Trower, & Look: 2, 5, 6, 7,

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Psychological communication: Theories, roles and skills for counsellors by van der Molen, Lang, Trower, & Look (second edition) – Chapter 2 summary

The diagnosis-prescription model (i.e. client is object of research) refers to an intake model where the client answers questions asked by the clinician with little room for own input and additional thoughts. The clinician has the full control over the conversation. There is a diagnosis afterwards and this is used to prescribe a ‘solution’. The clinician takes the role of the expert and views the client in an overly goal-oriented and reductive manner. This model can occur when the client expresses the need for concrete advice and support.The cooperation model (i.e. client is partner in counselling) refers to an intake model where the clinician works together with the client to find a solution to the problem. The clinician believes that the client should be encouraged to be self-reliant in searching for solutions for their problems and the clinician should actively and attentively help the client to think through one’s problems. The clinician should constantly aim to take the client’s perspective. To ensure that the client does not keep relying on others, it is important to discuss why it is important to make own choices and share in problem-solving endeavours. ...

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Psychological communication: Theories, roles and skills for counsellors by van der Molen, Lang, Trower, & Look (second edition) – Chapter 5 summary

A goal refers to what the client or clinician would like to achieve (e.g. reduction of problems). There are two types of goals:Process goalsThis refers to goals aimed at creating the right condition for effective counselling (e.g. creation of a good atmosphere).Outcome goalsThis refers to goals aimed at reaching a (pen)ultimate goal.The choice of outcome goals is primarily the client’s responsibility and goals may change and need to be adapted throughout sessions. The clinician needs to adopt a role and this role may change. There are four roles:Confidant roleThe goal of this role is to help the client talk and think through the issues. The clinician needs to create clarity and calmness during the session and the clinician needs to be attentive (1), understanding (2) and encouraging the client to speak freely (3). Communicative detective roleThe goal of this role is to obtain a clear picture of the client’s thoughts and actions. It includes asking questions and openness in the communication with the client (e.g. explain reasoning behind a question).Teacher roleThe goal of this role is to provide the client with a more effective approach to their problems and discussing how the client can put this to good use. The clinician takes up an explanatory role and introduces new perspectives in an empathetic way.Coach roleThe goal of this role is to help the client generalize new behaviour and thought patterns outside of the counselling environment. The clinician guides and helps their client by discussing and evaluating the outcome of their experiments with new behaviour in real life. Overgeneralization (e.g. “all Scottish people suck”) may occur when the client shows too little differentiation and too quick integration. All new information is immediately slotted into an existing mental framework. The client may also show too much differentiation and too little integration, meaning that there are too many nuances and information is...

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Psychological communication: Theories, roles and skills for counsellors by van der Molen, Lang, Trower, & Look (second edition) – Chapter 6 summary

Listening skills are used to give the client an opportunity and encouragement to tell their story. Non-selective listening skills refer to skills that exert little influence and are intended to encourage and stimulate the client. The are several non-selective listening skills:Non-verbal behaviourThis includes the following skills:Facial expressionThis should be tailored to the individual (e.g. occasional smiling; frowning)Eye contactThe clinician should look at, or in the direction of the client most of the times but should not stare or avoid eye contact.Body languageThis communicates the tenseness of the situation.Encouraging gesturesThis includes nodding and using supportive hand gestures.Verbal following silencesThis includes the following skills:Verbal followingThis includes ensuring that one’s comments line up as closely as possible with what the client says and does not introduce new topics (e.g. minimal encouragement). It gives the client the opportunity to explore and elaborate on their own line of thought.Use of silencesThis gives the client the opportunity to consider what they have just said.Selective skills refer to skills that are used to select a certain aspect of the client’s story which is deemed important. This can be done by going into the content, feeling of giving extra attention to a certain subject. There are several selective listening skills:Open questionsThis gives the client a lot of freedom in their answers.Closed questionsThis does not give the client a lot of freedom and often stem from the clinician’s frame of reference. It has three disadvantages:It restricts the client in their range of possible responses.The questions are often suggestive.It may steer the conversation to a question-answer format.Why-questionsThis is a form of open question that can give the idea of the need to justify oneself.ParaphrasingThis refers to briefly reproducing in one’s own words the gist of...

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Psychological communication: Theories, roles and skills for counsellors by van der Molen, Lang, Trower, & Look (second edition) – Chapter 7 summary

Psychological interpretation refers to redefining or restructuring the situation through the presentation of an alternate description of behaviour. The goal is to obtain new insights. Ubiquitous interpretation refers to interpreting from a certain frame of reference or viewpoint. Interpretation consists of a continuum between what is close to the client’s frame of reference and things that lie outside of the frame of reference of the client. It is important to not phrase interpretations right away:Interpretations are often wrong.It is the goal to have the client make their own re-interpretations.It may not be appropriate in the client-clinician relationship yet.An interpretation should be presented in a tentative tone and in language familiar to the client. However, a scholarly way of talking could be useful as long as it is in an understandable tone and helps the client understand their behaviour and problems. There are several skills (i.e. operationalizations) of interpretation;Advanced accurate empathyThis includes interpretations that are further away from the client’s frame of reference. The goal is to provide the client with a broader, more differentiated view of their problems. It demonstrates understanding and regards the emotional tone of the conversation. The clinician should:Use the context of the story.Pay attention to the tone of voice (i.e. tentative voice)Make connections between several parts of the client’s story.Summarize the content (i.e. newsprint summaries).ConfrontationThis refers to giving a response to the client’s views about themselves or the world that is significantly different from that of the client. The goal is to present the client with a different vision of themselves to get the problematic situation moving again. The clinician should:Understand that the client will most likely initially disagree.Present the confrontation in a quiet, professional, tentative and accepting voice.Use both...