I chose to take the person-centered approach in my counseling session. I wanted to let my client take the lead in the discussion, so she would be capable of finding her own solutions. My two primary goals were to increase her self-esteem and openness to the experience. I wanted to convey the three core conditions of empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard. Before my session began, I wanted to make sure I stayed engaged in listening to my client and trying to feel what she was thinking. I created an environment for my client to have the capacity to trust me. As part of my active listening strategy, I wanted to maintain good body position and eye contact. I made sure my facial expression and body language were open and relaxed to let her know she would not feel judged. I think my facial expressions, tone and pace of speaking were relaxing and comfortable to her. As the session progressed, I felt confident that I was helping the client. I do feel my focus on providing accurate responses caused me to feel nervous. This was clear to me in my hand movements, and looking up towards the ceiling before stating my responses. I practiced good communication skills by using …show more content…
I have found that listening came natural to me. I nodded to show the client I am listening and understanding her throughout her discussion. My skills during my assignment have been identified and my ability to convey the core conditions and overall assessing my skills I used in my session with my client. This assignment showed me that listening takes more than ears and talking takes more than just a loud mouth. I will continue to grow as I continue to educate myself in the theories and necessary skills to work effectively with helping