Eliminating Counterproductive

Communication Patterns and Substituting

Positive Alternatives
Chapter 7
 Nonverbal
Barriers
• Physical Attending: being fully present
• Expected of beginning social workers
• Involves facing client, leaning forward
• Cultural context is critical (direct eye-
to-eye contact, client’s expectations,
long silences, etc.)
• Avoid barriers: yawning, fidgeting,
looking at phone or watch, extraneous
noises, lack of privacy.
 Table 7-1
Inventory of Practitioner’s
Nonverbal Communication

• Facial Expressions
• Posture
• Voice
• Physical Proximity
•Clients need to perceive that the
social worker is concerned about
their situation.
 Verbal Barriers to Communication

Reassuring, Sympathizing Consoling, Excusing

“Things will work out.” • More important to reflect what you
“Everybody has problems.” heard and understood

“I would have done the same thing.”
(Convey a lack of understanding of
client’s feelings/may reinforce
inappropriate behavior.)
• Positive reframing can put the
concerns in a different light without
discounting them.
 Advising or Giving Suggestions or Solutions
Prematurely
• “I suggest” • Social worker’s role is not
• “I think you should” dispensing wisdom, but
• “Why don’t you try to…..?” creating and shaping
Beginning social workers often “turn processes with clients to
off ” from listening and begin mutually explore solutions.
internally finding solutions.
 Using Sarcasm or
Inappropriate
Humor
•Questions to ask:
• Does the humor fit the
situation?
• What do you know about
the client’s sense of humor?
• Untimely use of humor can
be distracting, keeping the
content on a superficial
level.
• Can convey the problems
are not being taken
seriously.
 Judging, Criticizing or Blaming

•“You’re wrong about that.”

•“What you did was a bad mistake.”
•“You’re not thinking straight.”
•Clients won’t feel supported.
•Disapproval is detrimental to the helping
process.
•Your judging is not useful and is often
counterproductive.
 Logic, Lecturing,
Instructing, Arguing

• “Let’s look at the

facts.”
• “That attitude won’t
get you anywhere.”
• Boomerang effect
• Confrontational-
denial cycle
When challenged, accused or verbally abused, a defensive
response is counterproductive. It may duplicate the types
of responses the client has had from others.
Empathy produces a cathartic release of negative feelings
and defuses a strained situation.

Threating, Warning, Counterattacking

Questions: Stacking, Double-
Barreled and Leading

• Asking multiple questions in

one: diffuses the focus,
confuses the client.
• Leading questions are designed
to induce a person to agree
with a particular view.
 Interrupting and Dominating
• Interruptions need to be • Don’ts: talk too much, ask too
purposeful, well-timed and many close-ended questions,
executed. repeatedly offer advice, use self-
• Using an outline to prioritize key disclosure excessively.
questions could be useful. • Dos: Monitor participation by all
• Empathic summary is useful skill participants (including self) and
for repetitive client. give equal opportunity to everyone.
 Keeping Discussions Focused on Safe Topics

• This excludes feelings and • Two exceptions to the rule:

minimizes client disclosures.
• Social chitchat fosters a social
relationship, not therapeutic.
• Beginner mistake to defuse high
emotion, rather than reflect.
• 1) When it helps children or
adolescents lower their defenses
and risk being more open;
• 2) When it is part of the getting-
acquainted or warm-up period of
sessions.
 Parroting or
Clichés
• Paraphrase rather then
repeat clients’ words.
• Avoid jargon, superfluous
phrases and faddish
clichés:
• “You know?” “Awesome”
“and stuff ” “Sweetie” or
“Hon” “Dude” “That’s
neat.”
 Dwelling on the Past
Fishing Expeditions
• Focus on the present is vital to • Avoid pursuing content that is only
allow clients to change their present tangentially related to client
circumstances. concerns.
• Social worker’s response can shift • If social worker is exploring new
focus to clients’ present experience. areas, it should be explained.
 Failing to be Aware of
Cognitive Bias
(Confirmation Bias)

•Cognitive Bias: seeking

out information that
confirms our understanding,
preferences or perceptions,
while ignoring information
that contradicts these biases.
•Self-awareness is needed
to address and change our
biases.