I.

CHAPTER 4: INQUIRY SKILLS- skills necessary to gather information and to channel the exploration of
the client problems in certain directions.
a. Focusing: At the beginning of any therapeutic process, clients usually are vague and unable to
focus. It is the counselors job to assist the client to brake the problem into more manageable
pieces and to prioritize; therefore, assisting the client in centering on specific issues. There are
two areas in which focusing can be useful:
i. Focusing on the problem: when focusing on this, counselor assists the client in focusing
on one problem by asking questions.
1. I heard you say that you are angry at your family
2. I noticed that you mentioned loss of self. Can you say more of what you
were thinking when you said that?
ii. Focusing on feelings: Some people would focus on events without attaching feelings to
the situation. It is the counselor job to assist the client in identifying such feelings by
asking questions:
1. Just now, I noticed that you expression changed. Can you tell me how were
you feeling?
2. We have talked about the stressful situations, we have not talk about how
you feel about these stressful situations.
b. Probing: it is an inquiry skills that cause the clients to look more deeply into underlying features
of their problems. It can be used to 1- gather information, 2-evoke motivation to change, and 3-
genrate new meanings and experiences.
i. Probe to gather information: it is questioning to gather information; however, it is
important to continue focusing on the direction of the questioning:
1. Opening interview: What would you like to talk about today? Could you tell me
what has been going on?
2. Probing for specificity and concreteness: could you give me a specific example
fo what your wife does? What happened first (next)? What was the result?
3. Probing for clients point of view: What do you mean when you say depress?
Could you tell me more about it? In what way is that a concern for you? Could
you give me an example?
4. Probing for clients internal experiences: What is the feeling that goes with the
tears? How do you feel when you mother yells at you?
5. Probing for meaning: what does all this meant o you? What kind of sense does
this make to you? What do tell yourself when..
6. Probing for missing data: what important things are happening in your life right
now? Is there anything else happening in your life at this time?
7. Probing for the pattern of connection: who else worries? Who do you think
worries the most? Who do you image worries the least? What deos she do when
she worries?
ii. Probe to evoke motivations: it is also called motivational interviewing because the
questions as such are designed to arouse a desire in clients for healing and
transformation.
1. Evocative questions: evoke clients concerns about their own problems, leading
them to think about why they are stuck with their problems. For example: What
difficult have you had with the consumption of drugs?/ how much does that
concern you? What do you think will happen if you dont make a change? What
would be some advantages of making a change? What do you think would work
for you if you decided to change?
2. Extreme questions: assist clients to explore the most daring possibilities. Force
client to look at what hey are trying to avoid seeing. For example: what cocerns
you the most? What are your most dreaded fears about what might happen if
you dont make a change? What do you suppose are the words things that might
happen if you keep on the way you have been going?
3. Looking-back questions: this type of questions assist client to compare the past
with the present. For example: what were things kike fore you started drinking?
Tell me about how you two met each other, and what attracted you to each
other back then?
iii. Avoid- why questions; not closed ended questions (yes, no); avoid questioning
only.
c. Clarifying statement: This type of inquiring skill questions are better in encouraging clients to talk and
to explore. It that you involves reflective listening skills + not-knowing position. This combination makes
the client feel that you are listening. For example: I can see that you are angry, but I am not sure what
It is about I understand that you are concerned about your drug use. So please help me understand
what you enjoy about using drugs and whats the down side of it (not knowing).

II. CHAPTER 5: HELPFUL HINTS FOR BEGINNIGN COUNSELORS
a. Understanding presenting problems
b. Listening to silence: invite the client to restart the conversation: I am wondering what went through
you mind in this moment of silence? Seems to me that it is hard to share what is happening right now
and what is going in your mind I can tell is hard for you to know where to start.
c. Dealing with a rambling client: a client that divagates avoiding the pain and/or feelings of discomfort. If
this continues, there will be no benefit acquired by the client. So this clients will go over information,
give too many details, and exhaust you. Tyr to regain focus: let us stop for a minute and let us see if I
understand what you told me let me see if I can put together some of the stories you have been
talking about.
d. Frequency of talking (Counselor): Counselors should speak 35-40% of the time.
e. Tentative lead-in phrases in reflecting: assist clients to express feelings. I guess you feel. you seem
to feel it is as if you. you must have felt. sort of like
f. Avoid vague therapy: I understand I hear what you said
g. Avoid discounting phrase: everything will be fine, life will go on, this is natures way.
h. Avoid intellectualizing
i. Dealing with intellectualizing client: CONFRONTATION WILL WORK
j. Dealing with reluctant/resistant clients
k. Emphasizing with unlikable clients
l. Use of pause
m. Timing for pacing and leading
n. Speak briefly
o. When in doubt, focus on feelings
p. Expiring highs and lows
q. Coaching clients to use I language




III. CHAPTER 6: ADVANCED SKILLS: INFLUENCING SKILLS:
a. What makes one therapist stand out from many others is the repertoire of advanced skills. Everyone can
be emphatic, but therapy is not only about emphatic listening rather it requires support and listening; a
impetus process. This chapter actually engages in the second stage in therapy: the awareness. Stage in
which you are 1-to help clients develop an emotional awareness of ineffective coping patters, 2-to help
clients work through resistance to change, 3- to help clients accept, own up, and honor old patterns, 4-
to help clients recognize growth edges, and 5-to help clients envision preferred outcomes. Influential
skills lead the clients to explore self-awareness to a deeper level. All the following skills share one thing;
they are connected as they influence at deeper level in the relationship: content and process. This type
of relationship known as meta-communication; expresses how the counselor-client communicates.
i. Advanced empathy: you communicate the meaning and feelings that the client is not yet aware
of. It is advance because you are one step ahead of the client awareness into his own experience
and inner experiences and narratives. It occurs when you have a deeper insight into the clients
struggles. You point out underlying clients feelings, recurring themes, and unrecognized
resources. Questions to keep in mind to practice this advance skill: What is the person only half
saying? What is the person hinting at? What is the person saying in a confused way? What
messages do I hear behind the explicit messages? What is the open edge for growth?
1. The advance empathy may take six forms:
a. Reflecting the implicit emotion: explicit what is said. One need to explicitly say
that is implicit said or (underlying). For example frustration may indicated
inadequacy, anger (man) hurt or fear. For example: although you dont say it,
every time we talk about your mother you hang down your head and clench your
fist, I sense a strong feeling inside of you.
b. Identifying patterns: Assist the client in seeing themes that may express
previous patterns. It could be threads that run in the sessions or old patterned
behaviors to cope with the situation and/or the consequences of such cope
mechanisms. A theme usually has three components: 1-common thread or
interaction patterns, 2-coping patterns, and 3-vicious circle resulting from the
coping behavior. When you identify them, it is important to share them.
c. Connecting islands: it is more than summarization, rather a creation of
framework for the client to understand his or her problems in a more structured
form. In this instance, it seems that you utilize theories to make the problem
sound logical. Here, this influential therapeutic approach provides sort of
explanation to the client.
d. Exploring growth edges: rather than focusing on the problem or the insight of it
and/or the pathology, offering the client a learning point (growth edge) provides
them a gaining and a therapeutic point in which acceptance is gained. Seems to
me that his is an empowering technique in which the sparkling event is used
to encourage and depart from this point to build up strength in the clients view.
e. Vivid graphic language: when the client cant express the feeling and creates a
cirmculoquium of feelings, the counselor should bring vivid images of what the
client would like to do creating, in this way, an opportunity to tackle and face
feelings. Example: so when she starts whining, you just want to strangling
her(vivid image).
f. Successive approximations: gradation of words until the client feelings
comfortable. Using words in an escalation manner. A very behavioral way.
example: when you husband yells at you, you feel anxious, fearful.even afraid
for you life.
ii. Counselor self-disclosure:it is an advanced and influential skills that increase trust and
confidence. This self disclosure skill needs to be done economically as opposed to the social
interactions self-disclosure in which the disclosure happens at the same peace. Self-disclosure
must be done in the benefit of the therapeutic process and only with the objective of the
therapy. If you do it excessively, it may reveal unfinished business from the counselor. Below
there are some ways in which this can happens:
1. Process of self-disclosure: disclosing an immediate, within-the-session experience. This
is not the surface of information disclosure, rather the process which entitles
disclosing the feelings of what the counselor is feeling right there, the relationship
among the two parties, and the dynamics of it. There are three types:
a. Disclosing emotional connection- as you told me the story, I was moved to
tears as you spoke about your uncle, I felt angry and sad.
b. Disclosing physical Conditions- I have to tell you that I dont feel well today, I
have sinus problems I was on call last night, if I appear fatigued, that is the
reason.
c. Disclosing Misunderstanding- last session, I thought I have understood you,
but after given a thought, I think I was not clear on .. Could you please try to
explain this to me; so that, I can better understand.
2. Personal disclosure: disclosing a meaningful experience or a fact about yourself.
a. Personal disclosure upon clients request: when client ask you questions so,
are you married?- you can respond
b. Personal disclosure that normalizes clients feelings: actually share with them
your story as a way of providing normalizing experiences from your own life
experience.
3. Professional reassurance: disclosing a reaction to the clients progress.
a. I am very confident in your ability to take care of yourself"
iii. Immediacy: : direct, mutual talk: it is about communicating, discussing directly and openly what
is happening in the here-and-now. In order to do this, the counselor should observe the patter
of behavior. Immediacy is descriptive, there are no interpretations. Use this technique only
when the relationship with client is strong; know the patterned feelings/behaviors; focus on
what is being said and not said; observe the non verbal.
1. Nonverbal: observe the behavior, if it has meaning or you feel it has important meaning
share it. You eyes really sparkle whenever you talk about your grandmother I notice
that when see you this, you have fear in your eyes
2. I-You relationship immediacy: You want me to tell you what to do. I sense it I
noticed your urgency to know what I think.
iv. Confrontation: challenging:confrontation serve to allow client to explore more profoundly his
or her interpersonal style and its consequences. It should be tentative, non-judgmental, loving
and encouraging. Confrontation should be done only based on counselors effective listening
and careful observations.
1. Describe the clients maladaptive behavior: telling clients how you experience them
differently from the way they experience themselves.
a. Discrepancy confrontation: confrontation of behavior and verbal said. I sense
something here. You seem angry with me for being late, but you say that you
feel fine. You say you want to pass your class, but yet you dont spend time
research or visiting the library.
b. Distortion confrontation: You tell the client that the way they are experience
the situation is distorted, exaggerated or not accurate. you say you are afraid
of your teacher because of previous experience, and now you are seeing her as
distance; although, she is warm.
c. Confrontation of strengths: point out to the client his or her strengths and
resources
2. Urging to Act: moving client from talking to acting or taking action.
3. Information confrontation: involves giving clients information that they dont seem to
grasp fully or that they try to ignore. that university requires 28 points, and you have
scored higher than that.
v. FEEDBACK GIVING: The counseling process, when it is well done, provides the client with new
awareness of their interaction styles with other people. This process embraces telling the client
how his or her behavior affects your inner feelings and reactions to it. This is feed-back giving.
1. You need to say to the client his or her impact (interpersonal communication). You
need to give cues to clients:
a. Your reaction to the client has a repetitive pattern
b. The pattern of the clients transactions with you seem parallel to reactions with
significant other outside of therapy.
2. Principles to follow in applying feedback
a. Give feedback only when the client is ready and when trust has been developed
b. When giving feedback, describe the behavior pattern before giving your
reaction
c. Give feedback in the form of describing your reactions to consistent behavior
rather than judging the person.
d. Only give feedback about things that the client can change
e. Give it in small amounts
f. It should be about past and current behaviors
g. Ask client for feedback on your feedback (his or her reaction towards it)
IV. CHAPTER 7- INTERVENTION TECHNIQUES: Counseling skills and intervention techniques are different.
Counseling skills are generic whereas techniques are specific change agents developed by certain theoretical
orientations. The techniques will require the client to engage in certain activities during the sessions. In this
sense, we approach t the later stage in counseling (or problems resolution stage). There are some techniques
that we can observe:
a. Directives: From the Gestalts perspective, clients problem arise when there is a lack of integration
between feelings and their needs. The disowning and disallowing are two mechanism that
maintain the people suffering. The directives gives room for the client to make a decision whereas
commands there is an expectation from C to do what is told. Directives are more powerful that
suggestions; therefore: command<directives>suggestions
i. Attention suggestion: suggest the client to pay attention to current feelings (breathing, hidden
feelings, non-verbal cues): "take some time to hear what you just said. Don't move on, just stay
with in for a while".
ii. Experiential teaching: it is about teaching the client to rationalize their experiences. Assist them
in integrate the "parts" of themselves that they have disowned and that creates conflicts: "It
sounds like you are experiencing a kind of argument between two different parts of you. The
purpose of putting the two parts in different chairs is to bring this inner dialogue out into the
open". "Next time that you feel alone, dont feel ashamed, or afraid, rather own it and welcome
it to your life, say: 'hey old friend loneliness' what are you going to tell me now'".
iii. Awareness homework: writing homework: during this week, I would like to write all that you
are doing to yourself when you feel depress"; "this week, I would like you to pay attention to all
the external things that happen that makes you feel this way and preoccupy you".
iv. paradox: create an scenario that will contradict the common belief and challenge client to
defend his or her point. For example, "I have an idea. I will argue that you don't have a problem
and you will argue that you do and that you need to change; therefore, I will be you and you will
be me".
b. Parts dialogue: There are many experience that are incomplete and that fragment the client; creating
in this way, a split: for example one that is angry and the other that condemns angriness. As a clinicians
one needs to help the client to see from where the "condemnation" comes from and face it.
i. Using parts dialogue: the counselor can use split dialogue or introjection dialogue intervention
techniques to facilitate integration; that is, allow the client to put both parties in contact; this in
turn, will provide the client with awareness. See the following examples:
1. "you have two puppets, in one hand is the good girl; on the other hand, it is the bad
one. Have them have a conversation"
2. "It seems to me that you are caught into two parts of yourself. One that is responsible,
and other that is not. Please put the irresponsible Joe on one chair and the responsible
one on the other one and explain the irresponsible Joe that you want to provide a sense
of stability and security to your girlfriend".
c. Empty Chair: for unfinished business. An opportunity to talk, express and ask questions. Counselor
should drive the client to the highest emotions; otherwise, it would fall into a story-telling reaction.
Steps:
i. provide a rational: I know a way in which you can talk to your mother. Would you like to talk to
her.
ii. Making progress suggestions: do not ask questions!: "tell you mother what you feel as you say
that"/ "tell your ex-wife what you hear in her voice"/ "tell her what is behind your tears"/ tell
your boss what actually humiliated you".
iii. Give clients permission and support for Feeling expression: when extreme emotions are
experienced such as "anger" and "sadness" clients tend to push back. Allow them to continue:
"stay with anger"; "allow yourself to go as far as you will with that sadness"; "it's perfectly okay
to cry".
iv. Using role reversal to re-evoke the depth of unfinished feelings: reversal. HAve the client
respond to his or her feelings. If the ex is the problem, change the chair and have the client be
the ex and respond to the motions; thereafter, return back to the chair and react to what the
ex-has said.
v. Direct the client to use "I" language:
vi. Re-directing clients to change global complaints to specific resentment: redirect the client to
talk about what they feel instead of "generalizing it". for example: "you never pay attention o
me" could you say, "mom I am hurt, when you get so caught up in your own world that you
cannot be there for me".
vii. Helping client using developing focusing skills: "be aware of your voice". "notice how are you
shaking right now" "go back to the nausea and see how you express your anxiety".
viii. Sharing process observation: "I see that you are angry, but no emotions" "I noticed that you
often fight back tears and hold them despite being sad". "
ix. Feedings the clients sentences as try-ons: "please try the next: 'I hate that you always put me
down when all I did was just try to please you". "I feel your fucking pain when you were
desperate for my father". "you treated me like a piece of garbage and used me, abused me, and
destroyed me when I loved you".
x. Making Hunches about clients' internal struggles: "it seems that the part of you that wants to
get closer to your father is struggling of power with the part of you that wants to escape". "my
intuition tells me that you hide your emotions from your wife because your fear of being
vulnerable".
xi. Disclose reaction to client behavior:
xii. Focusing on incongruence
xiii. getting client in touch with constriction
xiv. making process comments on a client's deflection of emotions: "I noticed that you are having
difficulties expressing yourself by getting distracted and telling me jokes. This is a chair-
technique in which you can create everything".
xv. Helping client finish the cycle (the ebb-and-flow) of crying: the therapist should allow the
process until the body relaxes:
1. goodbye mom
2. C: it is okay to cry. let all tears go as long as you want and as far as you want
3. Never had a change to say it: I love you
4. C: it is okay to feel this way
5. sobbing
6. C: see how you body is responding.
xvi. Closing the experiment:
1. symbolic ceremony: "this candle represents the light of your mom inside of you. Are you
ready to say good bye"
2. "is there anything else you want to say".
d. Reflexive questions: It is an advance skill, is used to facilitate the client to "generate experience of
preferred realities. Reflexive questions are formulated to trigger clients to reflect on the implications of
their current perceptions and actions and to consider new options and meanings. Reflexive questions
facilitate self-healing by generating new meanings for clients, and by helping them produce constructive
patterns of cognition and behavior on their own. You can use this skill to enable client to see new
possibilities. There are five types of reflexive questions:
i. Future-oriented reflexive questions: imagine what would happen if they were to change in the
future. "when you face your problem with alcohol, what will be the first thing to happen?" "How
much more relaxed will you feel by June" (focus on the 'WHEN')
ii. unexpected reflexive questions: catch the client off-guard. In this type of questions behaviors
and inner processes are personified in a way that is unexpected so that change is more likely.
"What patterns of your behavior need to die?" / "what feelings need to be buried for you to
move on"
iii. Embedded-suggestion questions: questions that have suggestions imbedded within. "if you
were to tell her how insulted you feel about her infidelity, what do you image she would do"
iv. normalization questions: to let the client know that they are not alone. " Everyone has
problems dealing with loss. When did you first realize that you were not alone iny our
desperation?"
v. questions introducing hypotheses: create hypothesis (I see a problem-you limited the client to
your hypothesis disallowing him or her to say what the more logical hypothesis is).
e. Narrative steps: (after getting information and use reflexive questions to provide a new vision you need
to assist the client in "constructing" change within". The following are steps for co-constructing clients
change:
i. Empathizing with the Client's Story:
ii. Noticing themes or behavior coping patterns:
iii. Sharing the themes with the client:
iv. mapping out the impact of the client's self-defeating coping patterns
v. tracing past of current influences
vi. searching for unique outcomes
vii. planting the seeds for preferred outcomes
viii. client performing the preferred narrative
f. The body awareness technique: the idea is provide the client with a moment of relaxation in which
awareness if reached through relaxation (close your yes and just relax for few moments). -->Check your
body to see what you find 2--> Check anything in your body that is calling attention to itself. 3--> just
monitor your body, inch by inch, from tips of your toes to the top of your head and down to the tips of
your fingers. In particular, note any hot spots, cold spots, tight or tense muscles, pains, tingling, or
anything happening in any part of our body. Don't modify anything, just notice it.
i. After this exercise, ask the client to describe what he or she has discovered. The discovery can
be of good material for therapy continuation.
g. there are some emotions that have been buried so deeply that talk therapy will not work by itself;
therefore, it is recommendable to bring it up by awareness.
h. The yes set: A technique for the resistant client. "A 'yes' set is a state of mind that features
agreement and deep acceptance. When clients are in this 'yes' mind set, they will be receptive to your
therapeutic work. the first step in using the "yes" set of techniques is by reflecting the clients'
experience or share current experiences. This is called, "truism" in which you simply reflect or employ
current truths about the client or about shared experiences.
i. your name is Harry? -->yes
ii. We have spoken on the phone, but this is the first time you have come to my office-->yes
iii. you told me that you have had bad experience with therapy--> yes
iv. and now it is two o'clock on Tuesday afternoon and you area here and I am here...--> yes.
i. The no set: this is based on the idea that there are some clients that are very negative and will
answer all your questions with a "no". This people are called mismatchers. They can see the flaws in all
projects, but when they actually take this attitude in interpersonal relationships, people hates them.
The usage of this technique is a bridge of acceptance between the client and the counselor, leading the
client to change a 'no" mind set into a "yes" mind set.
i. client: it was very inconvenient to come here today, and I am not feeling very hopeful about
coming to therapy?
ii. C: you had some past experience with therapy that cause you to feel not very hopeful about
therapy (repeat client's negation), and yet despite the inconvenience (repeat client's negation),
you had the courtesy to drive here and keep this appointment, didn't you (end negation
question)?
iii. Client: yes, I did.
V. CHAPTER 8:- TERMINATION SKILLS
a. The idea is to employ techniques to assist the client to see the 'goodbye' of the therapy not as a lost but
rather differently; that is, assisting the client not to feel the anxiety that they had when entering
therapy, felt by the problems they presented in the first stance.
b. The following are techniques that are useful for termination
i. dealing with feelings of separation: invite clients to express their reactions (fears, concerns,
sense of loss, fief) about separation from the therapeutic relationship.
ii. assessing the progress: assess how ready they are to leave and how long they have got to. "in
scale of 10, if 0 indicates an extreme sense of hopeless, powerlessness and the worst sense of
yourself, and 10 indicates an optimal sense of confidence, feeling goof about yourself and trust
in life, where were you when you first cam in?"
iii. reviewing the counseling experience: How was counseling been important to you?/ when you
say you have grown a lot, what are some of the changes you have seen in yourself?/ what were
the highest of the counseling experience for you?".
iv. giving and receiving feedback: provide feedback: "this is what I have seen on you..." "I would
like to hear feedback about my working style.
v. carrying learning further: "how will help yourself... how will you continue to work...I would like
us to co-create a certificate that you have overcome depresison".
vi. saying goodbye: show appreciation of your client's sharing and experience. The learning
process that has taken you to be a new counselor.
VI. CHAPTER 9:- CASE CONCEPTUALIZATION-THE COVERT SKILLS:
a. The therapeutic process is actually a covert process in which you obtain, maintain and assist the client to
change. Skills that are overt skills are reflective, influencing, and intervention skills but this is not
sufficient for the change, counselor needs to conceptualize and analyze themes to tackled where change
can begin. The following are exercise for conceptualize cases/covert.
i. theme analysis
ii. contextual analysis
iii. unique outcome analysis
iv. preferred outcome analysis
v. how to write case notes