Caption: Boy Facepalm
URL: https://pixabay.com/en/boy-facepalm-child-youth-666803/
URL: https://pixabay.com/en/boy-facepalm-child-youth-666803/
Self-exploration is “the elaboration and
deepening of self-awareness and self-concept that occur as clients speak about
themselves” (Meier & Davis, 2011). To
do this, counselors need to be sure to pay attention to nonverbals. Nonverbals can sometimes provide insight to a
deeper meaning or connection to a topic being discussed if what is being said
and what is being done do not align well.
I have been confronted for
smiling while talking about a friend who had tragically passed away. When approached, I can then clarify that my
friend was a Christian and that I will see him again, and that through the process,
God taught me and greatly changed my life.
While that is a positive example, this is not always something that is
positive. Smiles can be used to hide embarrassment
for example, and ultimately nonverbals tend to show more of the basic or
underlying feelings (Meier & Davis, 2011).
Davis and Markus (2006) found that being able to see someone made it
easier to detect deception than if one were to read a transcript or to just
listen to the audio. A counselor could
then maybe press into the nonverbals and try to get the client to explain the
incongruence.
Additionally, it is
important for the counselor to not communicate anything nonverbally that may
hinder the client from being open. In a
study testing the influence of nonverbal gestures on eyewitness testimony, Gurney
(2015) found that misleading nonverbal gestures can lead a witness to provide
false information. So it could be said
that a counselor reacting nonverbally, such as a slight brow movement, could
cause a client to be less open or truthful.
References
Davis, M., & Markus,
K. A. (2006). Misleading cues, misplaced confidence: An analysis of deception
detection patterns. American Journal of Dance Therapy, 28(2), 107-126.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10465-006-9018-z
Gurney, D. J. (2015).
What's Left Unsaid: How Nonverbal Influence Compares with Verbal Influence.
Psychiatry, Psychology & Law, 22(3), 465-473.
doi:10.1080/13218719.2014.985624
Meier, S. T., &
Davis, S. R. (2011). The Elements of Counseling (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:
Brooks/Cole .
Julian,
ReplyDeleteYour blog addresses an important issue in the therapeutic relationship…nonverbal communication. Our body language, though silent, can speak volumes, and people are making interpretations about these nonverbal movements and gestures. Additionally, many nonverbal communications, such as facial expressions, have global meanings. Therefore, it is easy to see how someone can read a facial expression and assume its meaning (counselors often “read” clients in this manner). This can create misunderstandings when our nonverbal gestures are incongruent with our verbal communications. The story you shared about smiling when talking about the death of a friend is a great example of such a misunderstanding. This is why as counselors, we must remain self-aware of our presence in the room, including our facial expressions and body language.
It is an interesting and useful skill to obtain and often requires a lot of practice. Many times one can be in the moment and not realize how he or she is reacting to someone through facial expressions. There is some sort of desire to relate to people and reflect how they are feeling back to them, so one might not even realize that he or she is smiling when a client is smiling, but talking about something tragic. This can be useful to get to the underlying feelings and really figure out what is going on.
DeleteIt is an interesting and useful skill to obtain and often requires a lot of practice. Many times one can be in the moment and not realize how he or she is reacting to someone through facial expressions. There is some sort of desire to relate to people and reflect how they are feeling back to them, so one might not even realize that he or she is smiling when a client is smiling, but talking about something tragic. This can be useful to get to the underlying feelings and really figure out what is going on.
Delete