Elements of a Successful Therapeutic Relationship

Elements of a Successful Therapeutic Relationship

Introduction

According to Olivera, Challú, Gómez Penedo & Roussos (2017), a therapeutic relationship is a link that progressively develops between a therapist and client as they interact over time. As the client recuperates, this rapport ensures that the entire course becomes fruitful. When under medication, a client needs to be aware that a therapist is looking after them.

Further, a client heals quickly when he or she can find cosiness in the existence of the therapist and has the confidence that he or she will give the client nothing but the excellent care ever. When there is a warm therapeutic relationship, the client is always free to share with the counsellor how she or she thinks and feels short of the fear of being misunderstood and judged. Thus, a warm therapeutic relationship is an essential instrument in the recovery process, and minus it, a therapy process may not turn out successful.

My role as the therapist in the counselling process

A competent counsellor is an individual with the ability to empathize with his or her customers. But, this is not the entire thing because a skilled counsellor is genuine and links with clients without looking at their culture or race. Further, a successful counsellor does not tolerate any interference from outside to hinder with him or her to help clients. Perhaps, if an effective counsellor allows his/her difficulties to obstruct a session that he or she is having with clients, then he or she is doing the job to the best of his or he capability. Thus, as a successful counsellor, I ought to not ever judge a client, but have the potential to be open and commiserate with them.

As a counsellor, my responsibility is to offer guidance to families, individuals, groups, and couples that are fraught with problems affecting their wellbeing and general lives. I am anticipated to form an atmosphere that tolerates the clients to share and be ready to discuss their experiences and emotions in such a way that they will have a sense of direction in the end. In this way, I will be working with them to define their goals, create an action plan, get insight, establish the correct therapeutic processes, evaluate various issues and connect them with the connect psychologists and healthcare providers for the necessary help. According to Cleary & Thomas (2016), some of the most common issues that people are struggling within the contemporary society are an addiction, depression, issues to do with ageing, suicide tendencies, careers, relationships, stress and bullying among others. Through sharing their feelings with a therapist, people or groups can understand how to make helpful and informed decisions regarding the direction that they need to take to solve the issues at hand(Cleary & Thomas, 2016).

The Counselor Dispositions to incorporate in the counselling relationship

According to Thacker & Blueford (2018), dispositions involve commitments, characteristics, behaviours, values, and beliefs that define the professional development of a counsellor and allow a constructive collaboration between the counsellor and the clients and other experts. The dispositions to integrate into the counselling relationship include flexibility, self-awareness, and acceptance. Osborn, West & Nance (2017), state that one of the essential qualities that a counsellor should have is to be ready to accept the emotions, feelings and experiences of the clients even if they go against the personal beliefs of the counsellor. By allowing the clients to give feedback and giving them a space to talk, the counsellor shall have demonstrated that they have accepted the person as they are and that respect their opinions and beliefs even if they may not be appealing to them.

Flexibility is another imperative disposition, and a counsellor needs are one who can make changes at any point of the counselling session to accommodate the arising needs of the client (Osborn, West & Nance, 2017). Doing so will help establish a strong therapeutic relationship between the counsellor and the client, which will serve to enhance the treatment process. Lastly, self-awareness is an essential predisposition for counsellors because they are expected to be aware of their values, assumptions and beliefs as they serve the generally culturally diverse and possibly religiously different clients. By being self-aware, I will be in a position to recognize my point of departure from my clients in terms of their beliefs and values hence creating a comfortable environment for them devoid of misjudgments and misinterpretations.

Counselling skills I plan to practice for building rapport with clients

According to Whitfield, Venable & Broussard (2009), fa warm relationship between the counsellor and the client is usually the initial stage of a positive counselling session. The rapport ensures that the clients content around the counsellor and that they will come to trust the counsellor with their experiences that they may not have been comfortable sharing with any other person. Some of the most effective ways of establishing rapport with the client include always using the same body language. Another way is friendly tone when interacting with the client, actively listening to them and showing them that they are cared for, being keen to understand what they like and what to do not like and ensuring that they are always handled with no utmost respect (Whitfield, Venable & Broussard, 2009).

On my part, I will establish this rapport by keenly listening to my clients and never passing judgments on them and showing empathy and respect to them. Handling diverse clients may be a bit of a challenge because many of them may have varying values and beliefs. Still, I believe most of them would feel comfortable around people who show a keen interest in listening to what they have to say without making judgments and those that teach them compassion and respect for who they are. It would be challenging to listen to a client without passing assessments especially if they are from culturally different backgrounds from that of the counsellor, but on my part, I have become self-aware, and I have the sense of acceptability which I believe will help me accommodate all clients irrespective of their cultures and religious beliefs. I also view that showing compassion will help me earn their trust and get to understand how they feel going by their current situations. Generally, I believe that without rapport, it would be difficult to achieve the counselling objectives. As such, this will be my priority whenever I want to undertake a counselling session.

Strategies to advocate for persons with mental health issues

According to Arciniega (2017), supporting patients with mental health disorders can be carried out using different approaches. One of the strategies that have proven to be suitable in the long-term is being resilient in society. Through undertaking a mental health screening, one will not only get to learn about their mental health status but also gain the insight to understand and be in a position to help other people who may be having this problem. Addressing issues about mental health within the local church or school is also an essential way of advocating for this problem within society. By undergoing mental health first aid training, a person gets to learn the various ways in which they can help people who are struggling with mental health issues and be able to support them where necessary. Lastly, depending on one’s position in society, one can influence the authorities to establish an advocacy centre and to draft legislation that will help protect and care for people with mental health issues.

Conclusion

For a counselling course to be fruitful, there must be a warm therapeutic rapport. How a counsellor interrelates with the client’s impacts how they get along to enhance the process. Therefore, as a counsellor, I will significantly rely on dispositions such as flexibility, self-awareness, and acceptance to offer the best counselling services to clients. In general, being resilient in society is among the most operative approaches that may assist in support for people with mental health challenges.

References

Arciniega, L. (2017). Advocating Professionalism or Muting Mental Health Problems?. Anthropology News, 58(6), e222-e225. doi: 10.1111/an.702

Cleary, M., & Thomas, S. (2016). Addiction and Mental Health Across the Lifespan: An Overview of Some Contemporary Issues. Issues In Mental Health Nursing, 38(1), 2-8. doi: 10.1080/01612840.2016.1259336

Olivera, J., Challú, L., Gómez Penedo, J., & Roussos, A. (2017). Client–therapist agreement in the termination process and its association with the therapeutic relationship. Psychotherapy, 54(1), 88-101. doi: 10.1037/pst0000099

Osborn, C., West, E., & Nance, W. (2017). Experiences of Counselors-as-Clients in Counselor Education. Counselor Education And Supervision, 56(2), 112-129. doi: 10.1002/ceas.12066

Thacker, N., & Blueford, J. (2018). Resolving Value Conflicts With Physician-Assisted Death: A Systemic Application of the Counselor Values-Based Conflict Model. The Professional Counselor, 8(3), 249-261. doi: 10.15241/net.8.3.249

Whitfield, H., Venable, R., & Broussard, S. (2009). Are Client—Counselor Ethnic/Racial Matches Associated With Successful Rehabilitation Outcomes?. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 53(2), 96-105. doi: 10.1177/0034355209338526