Midpoint Counseling Skills Reflection

Through the midpoint session, I was able to reflect on my usage of the basic skills we have talked about throughout the semester and my usage of the newer topic area of motivational interviewing. As a result, I was able to observe and reflect on areas of growth and aspects of my counseling style that I need to continue working on. I found the experience to be informational and a great way to physically see the progress I have made thus far in the semester. It was encouraging to recognize growth in the basic skills and comprehension of the techniques used in motivational interviewing. Based on a comparison of the basic skills I highlighted at the start of the semester, I found areas of growth and a few aspects I will continue to work on.

As it relates to areas of growth, I found I am asking more questions, paraphrasing more, providing richer summaries, and I am beginning to feel more comfortable interjecting. It was clear during the baseline assessment session, I tended to let the “client” talk and didn’t ask many questions or paraphrase, which I understand now leads to an unproductive session. As a result of looking back on the first session, I began making it a point to ask questions, specifically focusing on using more open-ended questions. While it wasn’t always easy, as it can be difficult to think of questions to ask, I have noticed an increased comfort in coming up with intentional questions to help further the discussion. As it relates to paraphrasing and the simple skill of interjecting more, at the start of the semester, it wasn’t a skill I was utilizing. Through the sessions, I did force myself to step out of my comfort zone and interject more as well as paraphrase rather than summarize. Since I began interjecting with paraphrasing/reflective listening, I noticed an improvement in the flow and discussion of the conversations I had with “clients” during sessions. During the baseline session, I learned summarizing is a part of my natural counseling style. Over the course of the first half of the semester, I have noticed the content of my summaries have improved, a result I attribute to my increased use of paraphrasing. Because I am paraphrasing more, I am getting more depth to “client” stories and in turn the content of my summaries has become richer and brought about more insight on the topics discussed. While I am encouraged by seeing growth in my counseling skills, I am aware that I still have skills to learn and continue to develop. Through practice the rest of this semester and experiential learning in the coming semesters, I look forward to working on my counseling skills so I can become an effective career counselor.

While I am proud of the growth in my counseling skills, all that I previously mentioned are skills I can still work and improve upon further. In particular, while I have become more comfortable interjecting and incorporating paraphrasing into my repertoire, it is still a skill that requires me to be more intentional in my approach to ensure I am utilizing it effectively. One aspect of paraphrasing I need to work on is using complex reflective listening more, rather than solely incorporating simple reflective listening. After watching back on my sessions, I noticed my tendency to only reflect back what has been said in a different way, while that is progress in my counseling skills, I want to continue growing and improving upon my skill base. In particular, I want to start being more intentional in my use of complex reflective listening, so I can begin to better guide the direction of sessions. At times, I have felt lost in sessions, not knowing how to guide/focus the conversation. I am looking forward to learning more about motivational interviewing and the techniques that may help me be able to better guide clients through discussions. In addition to the skills I want to continue to develop, I am aware of my urge to utilize the righting reflex, which can inhibit client progress. It is an aspect of motivational interviewing that I find difficult to avoid, as I naturally want others to see what they are capable of doing. I know it will take practice and patience on my part to resist the urge to use the righting reflex, however, I am determined to be more aware of my natural inclinations. Overall, I am aware of areas of improvement needed in my counseling skills and I am looking forward to continuing developing and seeing growth throughout the rest of the semester.

The midpoint session provided the opportunity for personal reflection and analysis. While I anticipated to notice growth in my counseling skills, I am feeling more capable in my counseling abilities and I am looking forward to continuing to develop new and existing skills. Through reflection of the midpoint session and looking back at previous counseling sessions, I was able to see my progress as it relates to the basic skills and motivational interviewing techniques discussed in class. I look forward to continuing honing-in on my counseling skills and how they are reflected within my own counseling style as we move forward in the class.