Practice Session Instructions

cartoon of counselor and client

In class you will participate in 5 special sessions with a peer. Each of you will play both the counselor role and the client role as indicated in the descriptions below. First you will play out Counseling Session 1 and then you will play out Counseling Session 2.

You will provide feedback based upon the feedback sheets linked below.

Specific instructions will be provided in class.

Upon completion of the Session each of you will complete the Session Quiz and answer each of the indicated questions.

Each of you will need to complete an Appointment Report form to document the session
...this will be handed in DURING class when the sessions are complete.

Practice Counseling Session 1

Counseling Scenarios will be announced in class

Session 1 Feedback Form

Session 1 Quiz

The questions on this assessment are as follows, prepare your answers ahead of time, edit and spell-check, and then copy and paste them in the space provided in the assessment quiz.

  1. Write a brief essay summarizing the benefits of Ethical Practice (you may need to do research beyond the lecture and book and look to the internet)
  2. List and describe each component of the Narrative Theory of Counseling
  3. Write a reflection citing the ways in which trauma might impact someone to the degree that they may seek counseling
  4. Briefly describe the INTENT you may have when you are using a closed and open ended question (describe the intent of a closed ended and open ended question)
  5. Review your understanding of the stages of recovery and highlight how you might use different questions to address individuals at different phases of the recovery process. Be sure you cover BOTH models of Stages of Recovery.
  6. Provide a brief summary of the feedback you received from your partner in this session. Be sure to cover all areas of Multicultural Competence, Attending Behavior, and Open/Closed Questions.
  7. Write a reflection as to how well YOU thought you did. Be sure to identify personal strengths and weaknesses in your skills that you identified.

Practice Counseling Session 2

Counseling Scenarios will be announced in class

Session 2 Feedback Form

Session 2 Quiz

The questions on this assessment are as follows, prepare your answers ahead of time, edit and spell-check, and then copy and paste them in the space provided in the assessment quiz.

  1. Review the DSM and select a one major disabling conditions. For your selected diagnosis write an essay that outlines the etiology (causes), major behavioral indicators (diagnostic criteria), and progression (how these change over time) of the disorder.
  2. In this question you are going to take a look at a client statement #1 listed below and provide key words, paraphrase, and summary.
  3. In this question you are going to take a look at a client statement #2 listed below and provide key words, paraphrase, and summary.
  4. Provide a brief summary of the feedback you received from your partner in this session. Be sure to cover all areas of Client Observation Skills and Encouraging/Paraphrasing/Summarizing.
  5. Write a reflection as to how well YOU thought you did. Be sure to identify personal strengths and weaknesses in your skills that you identified.

Example 1:

Chen and I have separated. I couldn’t take his drinking any longer. It was great when we was sober, but it wasn’t that often he was. Yet that leaves me alone. I don’t know what I’m going to do about money, the kids, or even where to start looking for work.

  • Write three different types of key-word encouragers for this client statement
  • Write a paraphrase that includes a check for accuracy
  • Write a summary

Example 2:

And in addition to all that, we worry about having a child. We’ve been trying for months now, but with no luck. We’re thinking about going to a doctor, but we don’t have medical insurance.

  • Write three different types of key-word encouragers for this client statement
  • Write a paraphrase that includes a check for accuracy
  • Write a summary

Practice Counseling Session 3

Counseling Scenarios will be announced in class

Session 3 Feedback Form

Session 3 Quiz

The questions on this assessment are as follows, prepare your answers ahead of time, edit and spell-check, and then copy and paste them in the space provided in the assessment quiz.

  1. Write a paragraph that contrasts paraphrasing with reflecting feeling
  2. Why do we explore feelings as a primary function of the counseling process?
  3. In this question you will write a lengthy essay which covers the "Case Study" presented below. Be sure to address ALL of the questions in your essay.
  4. Provide a brief summary of the feedback you received from your partner in this session. Be sure to cover all areas of Reflection of Feeling and the Five Stage Interview Process.
  5. Write a reflection as to how well YOU thought you did. Be sure to identify personal strengths and weaknesses in your skills that you identified.

Case Study

Jessica is a graduate student in biomedical science. She presented with concerns about her two-year marriage. After a stressful move from another city, she began graduate school, and soon she and her husband began having many arguments. Recently, her husband yelled at her in her face and pointed his finger at her nose. Jessica said this type of behavior (yelling and pointing a finger) was particularly difficult because that's what her father and her brother used to do to her. Jessica felt depressed, lost her appetite, and started having nightmares.

Jessica thought that she had moved on from her past when she got married and left her family. She wondered whether she had married someone like her father or her brother. Jessica noticed that she felt withdrawn from the relationship--even to the point of wanting to get away and hide somewhere. Jessica also said that she was not able to tell her husband how she felt.

Answer the following questions related to this case study in Question 3 above:

  1. What is the presenting problem?
  2. Is there a crisis or immediate concern to address (suicidality, harm/safety, etc)? Justify your answer.
  3. What questions could you ask about her marriage and her family history in relation to her presenting concerns? (Consider diversity/cultural issues and legal/ethical issues)
  4. Diagnose this situation and formulate a "treatment plan" as to how you might go about helping Jessica. (Consider the presenting problem and its intensity, frequency, and duration. Consider types of services that you might refer Jessica to)

Practice Counseling Session 4

Counseling Scenarios will be announced in class

Session 4 Feedback Form

Session 4 Quiz

The questions on this assessment are as follows, prepare your answers ahead of time, edit and spell-check, and then copy and paste them in the space provided in the assessment quiz.

  1. Based on the descriptions of Conflict Style in the Thomas-Killman model, describe a scenario in which you clearly used a particular style. Within your description be sure to identify your style and be explicit as to which behaviors of yours were in this style.
  2. Based on your results of the Myers-Briggs, reflect on your personal preferences as to being Thinking vs. Feeling and being Perceiving vs. Judging. Use personal social experiences AND your future as a Mental Health worker as the basis of your answer.
  3. Many of our clients wish to stop taking their medications. If a client of yours was insisting on stopping his medications write a statement that you might say to them that explains the important role that medications play in mental health treatment and the possible implications of refusing to take them. Be sure that your essay reflects a choice-based, client-centered, psychosocial approach!
  4. Provide an example as to how counseling might have an "Environmental Focus"
  5. Provide a brief summary of the feedback you received from your partner in this session. Be sure to cover all areas of Confrontation and Focusing.
  6. Write a reflection as to how well YOU thought you did. Be sure to identify personal strengths and weaknesses in your skills that you identified.

Practice Counseling Session 5

Counseling Scenarios will be announced in class

Session 5 Feedback Form

Session 5 Quiz

The questions on this assessment are as follows, prepare your answers ahead of time, edit and spell-check, and then copy and paste them in the space provided in the assessment quiz.

  1. Define Reflection of Meaning and describe its potential value to the interview
  2. Consider the six influencing skills associated with Lesson 12 and answer this question covering the information listed in the box below.
  3. Provide a brief summary of the feedback you received from your partner in this session. Be sure to cover all areas of Reflection of Meaning and Influencing Skills.
  4. Write a reflection as to how well YOU thought you did. Be sure to identify personal strengths and weaknesses in your skills that you identified.

Influencing Skills from Lesson 12:

  • Interpretation and reframing
  • Logical consequences
  • Self disclosure
  • Feedback
  • Information / Advice / Opinion / Instruction / Suggestion
  • Directives

Identify one that you consider you may have a particular problem or struggle using and answer the following questions.

  1. Which skill are you going to be discussing here?
  2. What is it about this skill that is particularly challenging or do you think presents particular challenges?
  3. In what ways does your personality impact your ability to use these skills?
  4. What do you think you can do, in terms of personal growth, to better your chances of using this skill effectively