Using silence as a technique Silence is an important technique that provides active listening to the client. The process of this therapeutic silence gives clients a chance to think and dig deeply into their emotional feelings. Clients make the choice to come to counseling because they’re facing a heavy load of confusion, struggle with decisions and alternatives for their actions. Silence places the responsibility of the session in the client’s hand but when the silence is broken the agenda has become the counsellor (Ivey, Bradford Ivey & Zalaquett, 2016). “Listening to silence also has a calming effect on clients, as well as counselors. It prevents them both from racing ahead. It prevents counselors from pushing too hard, or at the wrong time, and it is a capping mechanism for clients’ emotions that are out of control” (Cihangir-Cankaya, 2012). Using silence technique in that particular situation …show more content…
When this occurs, a counselor may feel the need to reveal their sensitivity to cross-cultural approaches to silence (Smaby & Maddux, 2009). It’s best to keep in mind that silence is a protective mechanism for clients to keep acute anxiety under control and defense structure. Therefore, counselors should avoid the tendency to categorize each pause, over-think silent periods, or interpret each period of silence (Ivey, Bradford Ivey & Zalaquett, 2016). It’s easily said than done, but I do believe with time this skill can be mastered. I’m learning that silence has four inferences; which are negative or positive inferences, or rejecting or accepting inferences. I believe that societal pressures and expectations can discourage silence by fostering social conversation (Cihangir-Cankaya,