COUN 6100
Professor Matthew Gerstacker
October 6, 2012
Two very important characteristics that the counselor exhibited in the case study were empathy and genuineness. Empathy, the aptitude to understand how others observe, comprehend, and ultimately identify with experiences, is critical to a counselor’s ability to connect with their clients. Unlike sympathy, which merely causes one to feel sorry for another’s situation or circumstance, empathy allows counselors and therapists to value situations from their client’s perspective (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996). A healthy demonstration of empathy can positively influence any counseling session. According to Mancillas (n.d.), “client’s experience of feeling empathetically understood has been shown to be a primary component of effective counseling and the best predictor of a successful outcome” (p. 191). The only time that empathy can be ineffective is when a counselor does not exercise carefulness in making sure that their empathy or understanding is not misconstrued as agreement with client behavior, thinking, choices, or lifestyle.
In addition, genuineness is the ability to speak, act, and think authentically when expressing yourself to others, staying true to who you are and what you believe without wavering (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996). Counselors and therapists who are genuinely involved in their client’s recovery process “are freely and deeply themselves” (Patterson, 1985, p. 63). This behavior is influential on the counselor’s ability to encourage open and honest dialect during sessions. Furthermore, “by modeling this behavior, the therapist can help teach the client to also develop this important skill” (Cherry, n.d., para. 7). According to Corey (2009), “it is through our genuineness and aliveness that we significantly touch our clients” (p.15).
Two ineffective characteristics exhibited by the counselor in the case study were an inability to paraphrase and a lack of awareness for counseling policy and procedure. First, lack of good judgment was displayed when the counselor asked, in an insinuating manner, if the client threatens his wife. The counselor failed to paraphrase the client’s statement in an effective way and this, in turn, could have led to a disgruntled and unresponsive client for the remainder of the session. What the client actually said and what the counselor took from this statement were two totally different things. If the counselor is not careful going forward, this type of mismatch in communication and translation could be misinterpreted by the client as the counselor not being a good listener.
Second, upon entrance into a counseling relationship, a client should be provided the necessary information that constitutes their informed consent to carry on with the counseling session(s) despite and in light of the information they have read (American Counseling Association, 2005). This document should be read and signed before the client begins therapy because it: 1) sets the tone for the initial session, 2) lists counselor demographics (i.e. degrees, licensures, preferred treatment approach, etc.), 3) details the client’s rights as well as pertinent state and federal laws regarding therapy, and 4) provides the state’s licensing board information should client need to report any misconduct (American Counseling Association, 2005).
Ultimately, “all codes of professional counseling ethics
