Currently at this point in my practicing clinical interviews I know my strengths and weakness. I do find myself sometimes uncomfortable when I am being observed. I think the struggle is that I aim for perfection and take interviewing very critical and serious so when I miss something or perform poorly, I feel like I am not seen as a thoroughly practicing counselor. It is the feeling that others would view me as not being competent enough to take care of the client’s needs.
So when I am being observed I begin to focus on how others are viewing my performance and I have a harder time getting comfortable with the session. I like to think that I am prepared to work with a range of clients, but I know that is not the case since I cannot relax while being recorded. I get very nervous and I am thinking too much about what I have to say next and the right words to use when interviewing.
Currently I know that clients with personality disorders can present significant challenges for counseling sessions because personality disorders can cause different unwanted patterns of perception, cognition, mood and behaviors during session. Those patterns can create a therapeutic dynamic that is not easily controllable for the counselor to work effectively.
The counselor must be able to quickly identify personality disordered patterns and implement interventions that manage them so that short term goals can be achieved. The counselor must be able to identify the proper approach for the client so that there is clarification, confrontation, interpretation and behavioral change/manage. Understanding that personality disorders are unique and challenging in general because of the extensive list of symptoms creates a sense of fear of personality disorders for me to approach. I know this is a weakness for me. It is the pressure on the counselor because the counselor needs to be aware of the different patterns, as discussed above. I am always nervous that I am going to miss addressing some vital information.
The Essay on Eating Disorders And Personality Disorders
ter>Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites Patients suffering from eating disorders binge on food and sometimes are both Anorectic and Bulimic. This is an impulsive behaviour as defined by the DSM (particularly in the case of BPD and to a lesser extent of Cluster B disorders in general). Some patients adopt these disorders as their way of self mutilating. ...
My other weakness are assisting clients that have experienced some form of trauma and pedophiles. I know that I am not prepared or have the mental capacity to help clients that have experienced some form of trauma because I recently endured a trauma experience that I have refused to deal with. Trauma is an avoiding topic and something I know I have to address to be a successful therapist, but just have not gotten to it.
Pedophiles are difficult because I have a child and to think that someone would harm a child and violate them in this manner is difficult to handle. So I am currently working on maintaining my disposition and demeanor to address those populations. I know in Marriage and Family therapy, I have to be able to address and deal with a variety of issues and I do not get to choose my clients problems, they come with them already.
My strengths are that I give great attending skills, eye contact, body language and facial expressions. I know how to paraphrase, summarize and ask open ended questions. When it comes to the basic interviewing skills, I have those and I am comfortable with knowing what they are and how to present them. I show and present empathy and I pay attention to the client and ignore everything else surrounding the client to attend to the client. I enjoy the opportunity to sit with a client and discuss their problems and just to be able to share that space with them, so I am eager to perform how I feel.
Knowing my weakness and strengths allows me to be relate to a variety of clients and demands cultural awareness. Integrating cultural context into my interviewing is important because every client is different and their experiences are not shared; all clients can encounter the same problem, but handle it completely differently. Integrating cultural context is about recognizing that culture contributes to a person’s experience and rather the client discloses their cultural background or not, it is important as a counselor to acknowledge there is a cultural difference. I think it is as important to ask the clients for clarity or to give an overview of their culture.
The Essay on Qualifications or Experiences Is Important?
Linh: Today, we’ll talk about the topic: experience and qualifications. And there’s a statement that: “Experience and ability are more important than qualifications”. Do you agree or not agree? Let’s discuss it with two members in my group. Hi, Tam! What do you think? Tam: Um, I think qualifications are more important. Because if we have no paper qualification, we’ll have a lot of difficuties when ...
This is done simply by asking questions about their upbringing and religious background. It is gathering clarity about their experiences to see how different rituals, customs etc., have influenced their life; decisions, views, values and beliefs. All these things help with the treatment plan. The treatment plan has the target and goals that the client has decided to work on as solutions for their problems.
While helping clients create a target and goals is important, it is just as important for me to focus on some target and goals in my own interviewing and counseling practicing. While I can be educated enough to apply what I have learned, it is the smooth flow of a session I want to feel when I am done with counseling skills. I want to be able to client focus in the room regardless of whose observing. I want that comfortably in relying on my knowledge to know I am doing my best and every counselor is different. Focusing on that will allow me to use my skills and be a successful counselor.
