Caption: Feedback on a undergrad paper. Photo by me.
There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
Proverbs 12:18
Giving Effective
FEEDBACK
When it
comes to counseling, one of the first things students learn is how to listen,
but now it is time for my fellow counselors and me to learn how to talk. This is an area in which I need to become
comfortable because I have not been good at talking; I mostly just listen. One of the aspects of counseling that Thomas
and Sosin (2011) discuss is how to give feedback. Their acronym is very useful for remembering
how to give feedback, and I will have to keep much of it in mind. I am already good at being cautious, careful,
and calm, but I do need to learn the rest.
It never occurred to me that others have the same negative feelings that
I do when receiving feedback, and I will need to be sensitive to this. Additionally, I will need to humble myself to
prepare for my feedback to be rejected by clients; it is easy to feel insulted
when my words are pushed aside. Another
thing I need to learn is not to leave the client just with my words but to
encourage interaction with and digestion of my feedback, as it can help my clients
better examine themselves based on my feedback. I think the most difficult part for me to
learn is being direct. I struggle with
being concise when I talk, often giving too many words to explain something
simple, and I often tread too cautiously and display a lack of confidence in my
words. I will need to keep this in mind
as I counsel, so that not only will my clients feel listened to but also grow
with any useful feedback I can provide.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteYour post offered me new insight. I appreciated that you addressed the aspect of clients needing time to not only hear a counselor's feedback, but also to digest these comments. I think I often forget that the client has a right to oppose my opinion. Although counselors are given power during sessions, they are not automatically wisdom givers. It takes time for a client to view a counselor as wise and respect their feedback. I need to work on not getting offended when others do not want to heed my advice and give them the time to reflect to make judgements of their own.