In the current study the authors examine what is meaningful to participants in counseling, and what is similar or different in those perceptions for counselors-in-training and clients. What stood out for you in todays session? Clients identified goal setting, rapport and counselor empathic qualities as important. Is there anything else that you would like to tell me about todays session? Person-Centered Therapy (Rogerian Therapy) - Simply Psychology Researchers examined the experiences of a counseling session from the perspectives of counselors-in- training (CITs) and clients. Therapeutic Immediacy Shows Promise in Two Case Studies There also were instances of immediacy that were client initiated. Infusing qualitative traditions in counseling research designs. Requires a built-up relationship before it can be used. One of the CIT Contributing Characteristics and Behaviors valued by clients in this study, being non-judgmental, is also supported in the literature by findings of Singer (2005) and Bowman and Marshall (2000). When you think about todays session, I want you to think about what was meaningful to you . The CIT themes are presented first, followed by the client themes. Sells, S. P., Smith, T. E., & Moon, S. (1996). What are your goals for counseling? This included processing the here-and-now of the counseling relationship and the counseling process, broaching gender, and CITs sharing their experience of the client. CIT-Initiated, or Desire to Initiate, includes happenings in session where CITs initiated immediacy with their clients, and moments where they wish they had taken the opportunity to be immediate with clients. Many clients felt they were revealing, or would be revealing, intimate parts of their lives in session, making trust critical. Are. (1996) interviewed clients and counselors on effective and ineffective moments over the course of counseling. Immediacy. Effective counseling skills are vital in forming a strong alliance between the client and therapist. Further, having Someone to Talk to and Focus on Self is something that although very important for clients, would not be a factor CITs would be cognizant of necessarily, as this is not their experience of the relationship as CITs. "Deliberate self-disclosure is the psychotherapist's intentional self-disclosure of personal information to the client" in therapy, including feelings, personal experiences, and reactions (Barnett, 2011, p. 315). For example, it is reasonable that CITs would be aware of and experience boundaries as important in the counseling relationship, while clients may not be in tune with this characteristic. Grace experienced sharing her own insight with her client as powerful in session: I had insight and I dont know how I worded it now but it kind of made her cry and I realized that what I said made her cryI felt like it kind of meant that I hit what she really meant and what she was feeling and that really stood out to me. . What Is Immediacy In Counseling? - AnswerAcademia.com So, yeah, and I wonder like did he notice I wasnt being myself? Journal of, Counseling & Development, 89, 288295. Which of those things felt the most meaningful? . Wow. CITs reflected on insight in terms of whether the insight was their own, what they did to elicit insight, and what was client insight, whereas clients only reflected on their own insight. Llewelyn (1988) and Lietaer (1992) both examined helpful and unhelpful, or hindering, events in counseling. What is Counselling? Benefits & Importance of Counselling - Dr Neha Mehta doi: 10.1111/j.1752-0606.2009.00122.x, Bowman, L., & Marshall, F. (2000). Clients could tell whether or not they and their CIT were on the same page, and when their CIT wanted to understand them. Other CITs described their own insights in session as meaningful. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 41, 473483. Many themes emerged from both participants lenses, and reveal some overlap, as well as some differences among CIT and client themes. The fact that this relationship resembles no other relationship that many of the participants have experienced, though they have studied it, is significant as they negotiate what that looks like. 3. The desire for one's own well-being and the ability to Immediacy is a therapeutic skill used to cement, repair and strengthen the therapeutic relationship. The depth of sharing was related to the amount of trust clients felt with their CITs. Llewelyn (1988) found that clients most often reported reassurance or relief, and problem solving as helpful, while Lietaer found that clients, twice as often as counselors, identified the counseling relationship as helpful. Alex describes her process with this and her clients response well: when I stopped thinking, what am I supposed to be doing, and just was more myself, it seemed like I was able to do what I was supposed to be doing and then also being myself. Are you planning to continue past three sessions? She could bring it in and be like, you know, this is what Im hearing and I go you know what, yeah. Llewelyn, S. (1988). . Sue picked up on her clients desire to be challenged and used this opportunity to challenge the client with a homework assignment that was directly related to the clients goal of speaking up in class more often: So there was an opportunity at the end for me to, she said I want to be challenged, I want my teacher to call on me and I said, well, I would like to challenge you to step a little outside of your comfort zone and speak up just one time in class and, you know, if you have time jot down how it felt before and during, after, your thoughts about itwe kind of concluded that next week we would focus on what that experience was like. doi: 10.1037/0022-0167.35.4.385, Mahrer, A. R., & Boulet, D. B. Why would a therapist use the skill of immediacy? Since seeing clients is new to CITs, negotiating the counseling process and their role is at the forefront for them. Verbal immediacy behaviors include . Self-disclosure is a choice, and its outcome is moderated by the mental health professional's motivation to disclose (Metcalf, 2011). It takes maturity in the therapeutic relationship with the client it is a skill that will sharpen as it goes on. Ive got to just come to terms with everything that happened, you know, in my head or whatever and, yeah, I think it probably is going to make a really big difference soBecause I mean I wasnt expecting anything out of this, but Im getting like life-changing stuff out of it, so its pretty crazy. doi:10.1080/14733140112331385258, Rhodes, R., Hill, C. E., Thompson, B. J., & Elliott, R. (1994). All participants were asked about the counseling relationship, and the results add to the depth of what we know about how the relationship is experienced by CITs and clients. CIT. Further, CITs and supervisors would do well to tend to the aspects of the counseling relationship that clients found meaningful, but were not present for CITs, such as the characteristics and behaviors of CITs that contribute to creating a positive, counseling relationship. CITs dealt with some transference and counter-transference in session as well that stood out to them. Immediacy is also used to tap into the messages that are said in the here and now. Can you describe the relationship you have with your counselor? to figure out the counseling process with respect to their own role and performance within the process. would sink in more over time, and would impact their lives. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6678.2011.tb00091.x. What have you learned through counseling about yourself? Transference is a phenomenon in which one seems to direct feelings or desires related to an important figure in one's lifesuch as a parenttoward someone who is not that person. This is sometimes known in counselling 'speak 'as the music behind the words. Immediacy In Counselling (+Other Counselling Concepts & Techniques shared their experience of clients with them. Clients felt a variety of emotions in session including the following: nervous, anxious, relaxed, exposed, and vulnerable. Researchers have demonstrated empirically that counseling is effective (Nelson & Neufeldt, 1996), yet we still know relatively little about the counseling process (Paulson, Everall, & Stuart, 2001). CITs described the relationship as equal, collaborative and balanced. More specifically, with awareness of similarities and differences between client and CIT perspectives, counselor educators and supervisors can better prepare CITs to build strong alliances and work effectively with clients. Elliott and Sharpiro (1992) called for an examination of in-session subjective experience, and for a comparison of significant, in-session events among multiple perspectives. What of those seemed most important? Like clients, counselors also identified unclear goals and direction as ineffective. Other clients described how they felt about this session and about counseling in general. It's a tool that you can use - always with support and empathy - to gently share something that you're noticing right then and there. Presence, or how present CITs and their clients were in the moment with each other, was something some CITs were very in touch with. Immediacy in Counselling What is Immediacy? Meaningful experiences may be cognitive, emotional, relational or behavioral in nature. Annie asked her client a difficult question about how her relationships with men affect her relationship with her son, and describes here that occurrence and the clients reaction: At the beginningwe were talking about the resentment that she felt towards men, and I asked her how that relationship impacts her relationship with her son and she really paused and she was like, I dont know if, Im going to come back after three sessions. [CIT laughter] So I wonder if maybe that could have resonated. It often feels risky and unfamiliar. Immediacy in this subtheme include processing the here-and-now of the counseling relationship, of the counseling process, and broaching gender differences. 6. It also really just makes you feel like well, it doesnt really make sense that I think, to allow myself to think that way. Therapeutic relationships formed during counseling guide clients to a safe place where they can face, experience, and own their anxiety and upset. Kerry describes the journey of growing as a counselor through this session: I think todays session was really important for not only the client, but for me. doi: Nelson, M. L., & Neufeldt, S. A. What Is Immediacy In Counseling? - Psychotherapy blog This method consists of a first iteration of assigning open codes, in the form of emergent words or phrases, from reading the data broadly and noticing regularities and what stands out among participant interviews, and a second iteration of comparison within and between codes in order to combine codes into categories and identify themes. CS was keenly aware when interviewing the client participants of the differences between an interviewing relationship and a therapeutic relationship. At the time of this study, CS was a doctoral candidate in the same counselor education, program as the masters students in the study. As was the case in the CIT interviews, clients were asked in the interview protocol about the counseling relationship, making a discussion of the relationship inevitable. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 10(2), 103113. . Many CITs were in tune to the nonverbals exhibited in the room. for unhelpful, or hindering events, clients in Llewelyns study reported events related to disappointment as unhelpful, whereas events related to misdirection were unhelpful for counselors. Like, if she makes me uncomfortable or says something that I dont feel comfortable talking about, that just to let her know, you knowI thought that was important to make me, I think it was important for her to let me know that. Wandas wow demonstrates her awe of the trust she feels. The results of this study will inform counselors, counselor educators, and supervisors about what is meaningful to participants in counseling and where clients and CITs are congruent and incongruent in their perceptions. It was clear that clients were focused on goals and wanted to use session time to productively work towards their goals. Its strange to me still. CIT Annie describes initiating a conversation with her client about the counseling relationship and how that may have been significant for this particular client: I just kind of opened it up by sayinghow are you feeling in this room? Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of CITs and clients in the counseling process and answer the following two research questions: (a) What do CITs and clients experience as most meaningful in counseling? What do you imagine your client might say was most meaningful in todays session? 10. How immediacy works in the counselling room and (b) What are the similarities and differences of what CITs and clients experience as meaningful in counseling? Which of those things stood out the most for you? Varieties of client experience in psychotherapy: An analysis of literature. Sells et al. (2002). of the counseling process may allow counselors to build stronger alliances (Elliott & Shapiro, 1992) and to provide counseling that is more effective by using participant experiences as a guide (Elliott & James, 1989; Singer, 2005). (1996) found that clients emphasize the counseling alliance more, while counselors emphasize techniques. As. What do you imagine your counselor might say was most meaningful in todays session? The latter are clearly more visceral, experience-near, and liable to elicit strong sentiments. Still others described the process as odd or different. Be clear about the purpose behind using immediacy; Be prepared for crisis intervention in case the immediacy backflows and has a negative impact. Clients identified the following as ineffective in counseling: when counselors have their own agenda, when counselors do not understand or address the problem, unclear goals and direction, and lack of continuity of sessions. The theme of the Counseling Relationship consists of five subthemes describing meaningfulness in the relationship according to CITs including Depth of Connection, Trust, Depth of Understanding, Boundaries, and Collaboration. As noted above, this is consistent with the findings of Llewelyn (1988) and Sells et al. Mehr, K. E., Ladany, N., & Caskie, G. I. L. (2010). Journal of Counseling & Development, 69, 261265. The CIT theme of CIT Negotiating the Counseling and their Role, and the client theme of Reflections on, Counseling, although different, seem to be somewhat parallel for the different perspectives. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 35(4), 385390. Keywords: counseling process, counselors-in-training, supervision, counselor educator, counselor education, insight. Eight themes, with many subthemes, emerged for CITs: Counseling Relationship, Insights, Immediacy, Nonverbals, Transference and Counter Transference, Emotion, Goals and CIT Negotiating the Counseling Process and their Role. Seidman, I. E. (2006). The two perspectives shared the themes Counseling Relationship, Insights, Immediacy, Emotion, and Goals, varying somewhat in the subthemes. Researchers conducted data collection and analysis separately for CITs and clients, in order to examine each unique perspective, and to look for similarities and differences among the two. Sarah describes not feeling connected to her client, Its definitely not like, well, I dont feel very connected to him. What of those seemed most important? How should I phrase it? The research questions were answered through the qualitative tradition of phenomenology by analysis of in-depth interviews. . For avoiding, or lack of emotion, CITs reflected on their own actions that led the client away from experiencing their emotions. The resulting sample consisted of 12 CIT-client dyads, totaling 24 participants, including 12 CITs and 12 clients. 13. Sam describes her experience here of a moment of clarity and understanding between she and her client: He described it as the noise in his head was quieted and it was just very meaningful, a metaphor that he used, and it was a very meaningful moment for both of us because it was like this connection like he really hit the nail on the head of what he was trying to explain about how he cant interact with people. Others portrayed the relationship as respectful, comfortable, or easy. Llewelyns (1988) work shows that some differences in participant perceptions are to be expected, even when counseling has a positive outcome. Alex describes what other CITs also experienced, a difference in the counseling process when they and their clients were present and engaged. Why is immediacy important in counselling? So when she greets me and invites me into her office with a smile and a truly inviting nature about it, that makes the session go a lot better because it takes a lot of that load off of me right from the get go. Thompson, B. J., & Hill, C. E. (1991). connected to their clients. CITs described how they felt the sessions had gone; how well they felt they performed, and things they wished they would have done differently. Following. By Ashley E. Wadsworth May 9, 2022 Leave a comment Remember when we were all eager-minded counseling students? In addition, qualitative research allows for the process of making meaning of those participant experiences. 7. Effective. A few clients experienced immediacy as meaningful in session. Counseling is a dynamic process to investigate, consisting of interrelated and systemic entities of client variables, counselor variables, and what is happening between them (Henkelman & Paulson, 2006). Interviews were conducted in private rooms that were in the same building and on the same, floor, but separate from the clinic. Clients portrayed a wide range of Descriptions of their counseling relationships. Challenging Skills | counseling.education What things felt most meaningful to you in todays session? The evolving research tradition in Counselor Education and Supervision. I dont know if I trust her, but I dont distrust her. Trust can take some time to develop and some clients felt two sessions was not a sufficient amount of time, while others felt trust immediately with their CIT. Counselors in Lietaers study identified lack of empathy, avoidance of the here-and-now of the relationship, lack of congruence, and a flight to rationality in both themselves and clients as hindering events in session. Notably, Lietaer (1992) discovered that many participants, twice as many clients than counselors, chose not to answer the question of what is hindering in session. Client and therapist analysts of significant events. Immediacy is a counseling skill which enhances the therapeutic relationship, to bring the counseling session into the here-and-now, to address undesirable and maladaptive behaviors and coping mechanisms, and for increasing client awareness. Oct 8, 2014 | Article, Volume 2 - Issue 3, Corrine Sackett, Gerard Lawson, Penny L. Burge. . The first author (CS) conducted interviews with each client immediately following the session and then with CITs. Many more CITs described instances similar to Kerrys experience. For some, the counseling relationship is well developed by the second session, while for others this is too short of a time frame to have developed trust. Know why you are using the immediacy. ), Psychotherapy process research: Paradigmatic and narrative approaches (pp. Kerry describes here how the clients behavior translated to evidence of trust: Being our second session, and I think a way that kind of signified it, was that she was able to become emotional and let some things out, and I think that kind of let me know that she had somewhat of a trust built up with me. The practicum class consisted of 14 students, all of which were approached for this study. Further, in these relationships, mutual respect, mutual investment, and working collaboratively together are pillars. Responding can be defined as showing a favorable reaction. 2. When clients initiated immediate moments, CITs felt this indicated clients trust and comfort level in the counseling relationship. Journal of, Marital and Family Therapy, 31(3), 269281. Many clients experienced goals as very significant in counseling. Setting goals is one of the more concrete meaningful happenings in session that appealed to some CITs. It . In examining these differences in subthemes among CITs and clients, it is fitting that they would emphasize different aspects of the relationship. (2002), several methods were used in this study to establish credibility and demonstrate rigor. Finally, CITs would benefit from reading the results of this study to encourage reflection of their own development, the experiences of other CITs, and of what their clients may be experiencing in counseling. Llewelyn (1988) found insight to be most helpful from the counselors perspective, while problem solving or action related to goals, was most helpful from the clients perspective. To that end, we feverishly sought the feedback of our faculty and peers to enhance our basic counseling skills. Along these lines, the findings indicate a need for live and video. supervision to be sure we are not only hearing the CITs account of the session, and missing an important piece of the picture. Can you tell me about todays session? What things felt most meaningful to you in todays session? Make You Feel Strong and Empowered. The CITs were masters degree students in a counselor education program and were completing their practicum experience in the clinic at the time of the study. Now Id like you to think specifically about todays session . Supervisors can help CITs see the value in doing this, possibly by even modeling this conversation in supervision between themselves and CITs.