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Unit 6 Developing Communication Skills

1. What is the need for communication skills in counselling and family therapy?

The need for communication skills in counselling and family therapy is due to following reasons: 

• To identify with the client, 

• To communicate at the level of the client (conscious or unconscious), 

• To promote communication between family members, 

• To promote empathy towards the client, and 

• To add noticeably to the expressions of the client in a way that expresses feelings a level deeper than the client was able to express. 

2. List some of the active verbal communication skills. 

Active verbal communication skills are given below: 

• Greeting clients, 

• Leading, 

• Multi focused responding, · 

• Immediacy, 

• Humour, and 

• Confrontation . 

3. List a few leads used in verbal communication.

Leads used in verbal communication include the following: 

• Silence, 

• Acceptance, 

• Restatement (paraphrase), 

• Clarification, 

• Approval, 

• Interpretation, 

• Rejection (persuasion), and 

• Reassurance . 

4. What are the advantages of using humour in a counselling session?

The advantages of using humour in a counselling session are given below: 

• It circumvents client's resistance, 

• It dispels tension, 

• It helps clients distance themselves from psychological pain, 

• Humour can contribute to creative thinking, 

• It helps keep things in perspective, and 

• It make it easier to explore difficult, awkward, or nonsensical aspects of life. 

5. What is the difference between paraphrase and reflection?  

The difference between paraphrase and reflection is that paraphrasing is rephrasing of all or selected portions of the client's previous communication. In reflection the therapist focuses upon the emotions being ventilated by the client through the spoken words. The difference between them being that reflection is used to describe or reword the emotional content, while paraphrasing is concerned with the factual. 

6. What are the important non verbal skills as highlighted by Egan? 

The important non-verbal skills as highlighted by Egan are given below: 

• S: face the client squarely (that is, show interest and involvement in the client), 
• 0: adopt open posture, free from crossed arms and legs and showing non-defensiveness, 
• L: Lean towards the client. Leaning too far and forward and being too close may be frightening, but leaning too far away indicates disinterest. Counsellor needs to find a middle distance that is comfortable for both parties, 
• E: maintain eye contact. Good eye contact with most clients is a sign that the counsellor is attuned to the client, and 
• R: relax. A counsellor needs to be comfortable. 

7. What is acceptance? List the elements of acceptance.

Acceptance is the unconditional positive regard of others, as they are, with all their problems and idiosyncrasies, whereby it is not necessary to agree with their behaviour. 

Elements of acceptance are given below: 

• To deal with persons in a friendly, caring, helpful and considerate manner, 

• To be reversible in one's behaviour, 

• Not to judge what people do, say or feel, 

• To trust, and 

• To accept persons or groups in their present states of mood or development. 

8. What are the techniques conducive to effective listening?

The techniques conducive to effective listening are as follows: 

• Correct posture, 

• Privacy, 

• Appropriate behavioural response, and 

• Handling internal intrusions. 

9. What is the importance of listening skills in therapy?

Listening skills are important in therapy because listening: 

• Helps the clients tell their story, 

• Helps to draw out appropriate background and contextual information, 

• Communicates understanding, 

• Facilitates deeper level exploration, 

• Helps to make connection, 

• Demonstrates empathy, 

• Helps the therapist to facilitate the process of ')oining the family", and 

• Promotes a sense of belongingness and self-esteem among the family members. 

10. What are the reasons for counsellor induced silence?

Following are the reasons for counsellor induced silence: 

i) Loss of words where counsellor is taking time to absorb and comprehend all that is going on, 

ii) Counsellor has been very active and has decided to reduce the activity, and 

iii) Using silence as a therapeutic technique. 

11. What are the non-helpful verbal behaviour?

The non-helpful verbal behaviours are given below: 

i) Advice giving, 

ii) Lecturing, 

iii) Excessive questioning, and 

iv) Story telling by the counsellor. 

12. What do you understand by active verbal communication skills?

Active communication skills include several ways of directly responding to the client's messages such as greeting the client, confrontation or using humourous responses.

13. What are non-verbal communication skills? Explain with the help of examples. 

Non-verbal communication skills on the part of the counsellor are equally important. According to Mehrabian (1970), physically attending behaviours that are effective non-verbal ways of conveying to clients that counsellor is interested in and open to them include behaviours like smiling, leaning forward, making eye contact, gesturing and nodding one's head. 

These include:

1. Physical setting and seating arrangement, 

2. Proximity preference, 

3. Gestures and touch, 

4. Facial expressions, 

5. Eye contact, 

6. Gaze, 

7. Gestures, 

8. Posture, 

9. Appearance, and 

10. Body motion. 

14. Discuss helpful verbal and non-verbal communication skills. 

Verbal communication skills are crucial for therapists to build rapport, gather information, and facilitate client growth. Some helpful verbal behaviours include:

• Using clear and understandable language: Therapists should adapt their language to suit the client's level of understanding, avoiding jargon and technical terms.
• Active listening: Actively listening and reflecting the client's statements back to them, clarifying their meaning and summarizing key points, demonstrates attentiveness and understanding.
• Interpreting appropriately: Offering interpretations tentatively, to elicit feedback from the client, can help them gain insight into their thoughts and behaviours.
• Asking open-ended questions: Encourage clients to elaborate on their experiences and feelings, without leading or influencing their response.

Non-verbal communication is equally important, conveying empathy, attentiveness and building trust. Helpful non-verbal behaviours include:

• Maintaining appropriate eye contact: Making eye contact while the client is speaking demonstrates interest and attentiveness, but a fixed gaze can be intimidating.
• Open body posture: Facing the client squarely and adopting an open posture (uncrossed arms and legs) conveys a sense of openness and receptiveness.
• Leaning towards the client: Subtly leaning towards the client during the conversation demonstrates engagement and interest, but being too close can feel intrusive.
• Facial expressions and tone of voice: Matching the client’s tone of voice and displaying appropriate facial expressions, like occasional smiling, can enhance rapport and understanding.

It is important to be mindful of cultural differences in non-verbal communication. For instance, direct eye contact might be considered inappropriate in some cultures. The therapist should adjust their approach based on the client's cultural background.