Watching
You can tell a lot about a person by
just looking at them. While I do not think one should blindly judge another, I
think it is interesting when we are able to draw characteristics of another
even from unspoken cues. When I think of a counseling session, I think of the
clinician asking questions and the client pouring his or her heart. While this
is common, a lot can be picked up from observation methods.
Young (2017) shares eight different
observation cues that can be used as informal assessment:
·
Speech
·
Clients
Clothing
·
Grooming
·
Posture,
Build, and Gait
·
Facial
Expressions
·
Other
Bodily Movements
·
General
Appearance
·
&
Feelings of the Helper (p. 182).
You can ask a client, “How are
you?”, but Young (2017) suggests looking more prospectively and using informal
assessment to observe the client. Instead of asking questions (which is
allowed), a clinician is able to pick up on the clients state by other
observation factors.
Fritz Perls (1959) even informed
clients on how bodily movements could express inner conflicts. This interests
me because a classmate shared with me during a counseling session that I often
look away and suggested that maybe I felt anxious or did not want to talk about
the loss of my mom. She was right and able to assess how I felt without me ever
saying it. I did not say I felt uncomfortable, but my internal expression was
discovered by the counselor’s observations instead of using words. I think it
is incredible how God allows us to pick up on unexplained feelings in
interpersonal relationships.
As a future clinician, I hope to
remain present in my sessions and really empathize and feel what the client is
facing. Instead of always asking questions, I hope that I will use my skills to
assess the client indirectly with means of informal observation.
Reference
Perls,
F.S. (1959). Gesalt therapy verbatim. New
York, NY: Bantam Books.
Young, M. E. (2017). Learning the
art of helping: Building blocks and techniques. (6th ed.).
Boston. Pearson Higher Ed.
Gabrinetti, Paul (Photographer).
(2017, February 8). Counselling [digital
image]. Retrieved from https://flic.kr/p/QGDauM
Thank you for sharing your post, Jenna. I find nonverbal communication and observation methods interesting as well. From a Christian perspective, it is interesting to me that the first created man and woman gave nonverbal clues as to what was going on inside when they disobeyed the Lord for the first time. By clothing themselves with fig leaves and hiding, one can observe how they felt guilt, shame, and a desire to cover up what they had done. I think that as humans we still do this today. Sometimes life is painful or confusing and we do not always know how to express the depth of what we feel inside our minds and spirits. I think it is wonderful that as a future clinician, you are becoming more sensitive to these matters, and I think it will be of great benefit to you.
ReplyDeleteJenna,
ReplyDeleteI am a firm believer that the body can tell you more than the mouth ever will. Some people have been taught to suppress their feelings and others may not have the vocabulary to do so. Thus, we often have to rely on nonverbal cues to figure out a person's true emotions. Although I have been taught to read body language and such, I had not thought about looking at a person's clothing attire or how well they groom themselves. Honestly, I know some people who dress really well to cover up their insecurities and others who do not tend to their physical appearance but feel more free and confident than most. I try not to judge people from their physical appearance because everyone is not able to dress how they prefer, however I do see how it would be helpful when observing a client for counseling.