 |
| Senior woman with her caregiver http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/hledej.php?hleda=caregiver&x=27&y=10 |
Blog 2 Chapter 6
The Thomas and
Sosin(2011) text brought up many issues involved in the skills we are learning;
SOLAR, paraphrasing, summarizing, questions, and basically creating the
environment of a safe and gentle counseling environment. I have experienced this type of counseling; I
have also experienced counseling that felt like I was in an inquisition. I want to learn to develop the safe and
gentle environment for my clients. It is
challenging to keep all these things straight while I am practicing with my
fellow students, and nearly every week I fall short. I am pleased to have the opportunity to
practice now, and to have time to learn these most basic skills, before trying
to learn more advanced skills.
As a nurse’s
aide, I was charged with going into a client’s house and following a care plan
in assisting the client to achieve the goals on the plan. This could involve showering, dressing,
helping them dress, etc. Naturally, many
were not happy that I was there and some felt that it was a complete invasion
of their privacy (which it was), and I often found that my initial visit was
spent trying to establish a relationship with the client before attempting to
accomplish our daily goals. Once the
relationship was established, I was able to help them, but I was very careful
to allow them to set the pace, and I let them know from the beginning that they
have the right to refuse any or all assistance.
Once we established that they were in charge, everything proceeded much
more smoothly, which is not to say that I never had challenges. I heard a lot of stories about other aides
who did not share my perspective and were rough and demanding with the clients. I hope to be able to remember the skills I learned
with my health care patients and use them with my counseling clients. Although a very different field, I sense many
of the same challenges in counseling.
Reference
Thomas, J. & Sosin, L. (2011). Therapeutic
expedition: Equipping the Christian counselor for the journey.
Dear Marcella,
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts on integrating what experiences you have already had with what we are learning in class prompted me to think further about past and present experiences that can be used as a reference. Thinking about how we have already used these skills without knowing it can help us relax and remember that we these skills can be a natural outreach of the hearts we have for the client. Thomas and Sosin (2011) spoke to the point of loving the client as Christ loves us, and referred back to treating others as we would want to be treated. You encapsulated that point well in reflecting on your own counseling experiences, and I believe you have a rich well to draw from when applying even the most difficult techniques. However, there is a warning that I can see coming from the focus on our past experiences. Countertransference, and why we want to help the client. Are we before the client because we want to do better than someone has done for us? Or instead are we before the client because we seek to be who Christ was for us in love and grace? Challenging questions, especially for me, but hopefully helpful.
Rachel,
ReplyDeleteYou ask some important questions. We do have to be constantly aware of what we are focusing on. Hopefully, we will meet these challenges with love and grace. I have to admit;
at this point my mind is just buzzing when I'm trying to remember what we are supposed to be doing and what we are supposed to be avoiding. I am hopeful that it will become more clear as we continue. Thank you for replying to my blog!