During counseling, there are many techniques that a counselor can employ to enable a working and lasting solution to the patient’s issues to be developed. In cases such as depression or for people trying to get over a difficult period, it is usually assumed that the patient already has what it takes to come up with a solution and the work of the counselor is to help them realize it (Blundo and Joel, 2015). As a counselor I would first listen attentively to what they are saying about their problem and also watch their body language for any nuances. If there are any unclear episodes, I would ask for clarification but avoid asking ‘why’ questions as these make the patient feel patronized. I’ll focus more on ‘what’ questions such as ‘what went through your mind when the incident happened? What was your reaction?’ These questions tend to make the patient conscious of the situation and make them look at their reactions introspectively picking out things they would probably have done differently given a second chance (Blundo and Joel, 2015).
To come up with solutions, one must have a greater sense of experience of what they went through and this can be achieved by making the patient create a narrative about their situation. I would achieve this by asking open-ended questions that make room for better meaning-making. ‘Would you share with me your thoughts on…?’ Such questions trigger the patient’s mind to open up and to think about a situation in many angles which contribute to better solution building (Blundo and Joel, 2015). As this is happening, summarizing statements made by the patient would also be done to pull information together and help create a focus on the issue at hand. Paraphrasing is also allowed but I would use it sparingly so as to reduce the chances of me adding my own meanings to the patient’s answers. To co-build solutions with the client, I would also use coping questions to try and look at what has worked so far with regards to their situation. ‘How did you cope with the situation the last time? What kept you from hurting yourself or your children?’ Such questions many times may help identify a solution that works and the counselor only needs to help modify the solution into something that will last much longer and also be more effective in helping the client overcome that challenge they are facing at the moment (Blundo and Joel, 2015).
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References
Blundo, R. and Joel K., (2015). Solution-Focused Case Management , Springer Publishing Company, pp61-62. Available at http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/springfieldcollege/detail.action?docID=4107860
