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A topic that interested me from the Young (2017) text is giving
feedback to clients. Oftentimes, people to not want to tell others hard truth.
This makes me think about all of those terrible singers who would audition for American
idol. In order for them to make it so far to audition, their friends and
families probably never told them how terrible they were. Watching the show, my
family would always assure me that if that was me, they would tell me that I
was terrible. As counselors, we will need to be willing to tell people the hard
truth if it will benefit them to hear it. Their friends or family may be too
afraid that telling them may damage the relationship (Young, 2017). I see this
as a challenging balancing act for a counselor. We are supposed to show clients
unconditional positive regard, but many clients we encounter will be very
sensitive harsh sounding feedback. For example, a client who feels judged by their
friends and family may take it hard to hear their counselor tell them hard to hear
truth. I think using this skill, just like all the others needs to be used only
with the clients best interest in mind. Feedback like this should probably only
be used after establishing a trusting relationship, and one the counselor has
gained an idea of how the client may respond. Often, it may be better to
suggest the truth, and see if they come to the realization themselves. Bluntness
may not go well with certain individuals, so we should approach them with gentleness
and love.
Young, M. (2017). Learning the art of helping, 6th
edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
ISBN: 0-13-416578-0
Garrett,
ReplyDeleteThank you of your honest post. It reminded me of a time a friend was honest with me. All friends should be honest, but, as you said, that can be hard when we do not want to hurt another's feelings. I was in Jerusalem for the summer and my friend from Hungary called me out. She told me everything I was doing wrong and while it hurt for a moment, I truly needed to hear it. I was thankful for her boldness to approach me in all the faults I (and no one else) had acknowledged. She helped me gain awareness and move forward. This is something we can practice with our future clients in a loving way. Great insight and I liked your connection with American Idol.
Jenna
Garrett,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post and it was thought provoking for me. Giving honest feedback is definitely not always the easiest option, but it usually is the best option. I always tell my friends and family that because I care about them and love them, I will always tell them the honest truth even if it is not what they might want to hear. I see the same to be true for us as future counselors. We want to give our clients honest feedback because we want the best for them. I agree with you that in order for honest feedback to be received positively, we need to establish a therapeutic relationship with our clients. I believe feedback should always be delivered in a way that is loving and not judgmental or condemning. As you mentioned, we need to be mindful in expressing empathy and unconditional positive regard to our clients. I think it does come down to finding a balance between giving honest feedback and respecting our clients.
Kaitlin Troutman
When we choose to give feedback in any relationship, there is always the possibility that we may say something that will upset them. Even if this is not our intention, it is still possible. I think that what we say as counselors carries even more weight when in session with clients. We are in the position of authority, regardless of whether we try to remove the power differential or not. How we act and respond to clients has the potential to make or break progress in the limited time we have with individuals. Because that is the case, we must be especially careful in our responses and feedback, just as you said. How we approach each situation does truly depend on the person we are currently working with. Some need a more confrontational style, others prefer to be more indirect in calling attention to the things we challenge them on.
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