Assignment 1

My practice session will be with my friend Meredith Carman. You can just make up the rest from here…

There are no set pages required as long as the requirements are covered.

I used to have an artistic painting business (painting murals and different home paint finishes so have a lot of experience working w people and art). It’s a fun way to get to know a person and bc of my background it’s easy for me to get a feel for a person through art – even the different colors they prefer.

Discussion: A Multisensory Closing

In order to encourage clients’ retention of their therapeutic learning, counselors need to engage the client’s attention in a powerful way. The optimal closing of a session encourages clients to develop deeper self-awareness. A closing is not just a “Well, see you again next time!” statement. It takes time, as the process invites the client to recall the meaningful highlights of what has just transpired in the session and to find the words to name them. The mechanism of using the client’s voice more than that of the counselor allows the client to anchor their experience.

The human brain enjoys and remembers novelty. Many counselors have been amazed at the power of a physical metaphor to touch the heart and mind of a client. Long after words have faded the memory of the experience lingers. Including a multisensory reminder of what has occurred in a counseling session increases client insight. This also makes that material more memorable, increasing the odds that the client will put these insights into practice between sessions. Think about how to close a counseling session so the client has a crystal-clear idea of what was gained and how to put it into action.

This Discussion involves a counseling skills experiment in which the topics and ideas generated during the counseling experience are visually reinforced by the use of a large pad of paper, a flip chart, or a whiteboard placed in full view of the client during the session. Using writing in the session in this way is one of many forms of multisensory techniques that can increase the impact of counseling. The counselor (or the client) may make lists, diagrams, or comments suggested by the content of the session throughout the session. This use of multisensory anchoring can aid both the client and the counselor to recall key points and add exponentially to the total impact of the counseling.

This activity will prepare you to demonstrate the closing of a counseling session in the Week 10 recorded mock counseling video.

To prepare:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources. Consider how you will incorporate using a multisensory approach to closing a counseling session.
• For this Discussion activity, you will need an adult mock client volunteer for a face-to-face or Blackboard Collaborate Live Meeting practice. It does not have to be the same mock client you have been working with on your video demonstrations, since this session is not recorded.
• Arrange a time to meet with your volunteer. Do not record the session.
• If you are meeting in person, have a pad of paper or a whiteboard placed where both you and your mock client can clearly see it, with appropriate writing or drawing implements. If you are meeting virtually, you may use a Word document, Blackboard Collaborate whiteboard, or other tool to share on screen, however, make sure your face is still visible somewhere onscreen.
• This unrecorded mock counseling practice will include a multisensory technique of writing or drawing as in the media program in the Learning Resources. Use the whiteboard or pad of paper (or document/tool using screenshare) in full view of the client to draw or list relevant concepts that the mock client talks about as you conduct the mock counseling session.
• Practice closing the session by using the Client Reflection microskill. Leave enough time to process the mock client’s response(s).
• Then, use the Self-Generated Homework microskill to collaboratively create a follow-up activity for the client after the session.
• After this experience has been completed, check back with the mock client (text, phone, e-mail, or in person) and ask what they remembered from the session. Make note of the responses to include in your main Discussion Post.

Post a description of what happened during the session:

• Include your observations of the responses (behavior, thoughts, feelings, or physiology) of the volunteer.
• Share your personal insights of how including writing or drawing affected the mock client during the session.
• Share reflections of your experience of closing the session with the microskill of Client Reflection and having the client self-generate ideas for their own homework.
• From checking back with the volunteer, report whether the session made a long-lasting impression on the client. Report if there was any indication that the use of any of the three techniques made the content of the session memorable.