Confidently demonstrate microskills for counselling relationship initiation, maintenance, & evaluation
Overview
A common assessment piece for counselling students, is a recording of demonstrated counselling microskills.
No pressure! As an undergraduate, I was nervous and had a clumsy delivery imo, yet completed the task well overall.
Like any language, that of microskills for counselling therapy, is comprised of units and blends of these … that overlap a lot when first taking notice of them. Differentiating between minimal gestures (a set of individual behaviours) and open body language; or between paraphrasing and summarising, can be an initial challenge.
Pic: A Deformed Couple Facing Each Other, Leonardo da Vinci  (1452–1519)/           Wenceslaus Hollar (1607–1677), Etching; second state of two, Pubic Domain
This post presents a practical list for microskill development, in the domain of counselling. Many of the demonstrations have worked examples with real-world context. Ultimately, the vids and materials could encourage you as an emergent therapist, to cultivate a sense of curiousness.
Pic: Curious mug, 2024, Savvy Psychology Studymate Shop
Microskills Praxis List
1. Counselling Microskills and Techniques (Playlist 5+ h)
https://tinyurl.com/microskills1
A collection of short videos, most under 10 mins. One microskill focus per video. Each video demonstrates the correct way to enact the communication skill.
I like especially, that the host requests ‘you the viewer’ to name the microskill, before the answer reveal.
The mock role play provides a model of how to be natural on camera. 2. Open Questioning (36 mins) https://tinyurl.com/microskills2 A practical class session shared on ytube. There is a focus on the person-centred approach (rather than therapist-led). The video encourages the learner to use open questions to draw out the story of the client. Open questioning is modeled on the fly by a student with their lecturer (tough!). The video is very helpful. For example, the lecturer reminds students to not aim for a solution to the client’s presentation. Rather, by present. Give the client room to express themselves.
Open questioning as short, straightforward, and non-directive queries, is exemplified with When, Where, What, Who, How, When, and even (with timing of) Why questions.
The class video share normalises how difficult it can be at the start, to draw on counselling microskills with another person.
3. Paraphrasing, Reflection of Feeling, & Summarising (36 mins)
https://tinyurl.com/micorskills3
A small class practical. Definitions are reviewed. De-marking the boundaries between 3 types of microskills in counselling. There is also a link to theory.
Each of the microskills presented has a worked examples, that is corrected in the moment by the lecturer. A great way to learn how microskills can help bring to light a client’s pattern of experiencing life. Although, it is also noted in the vid that it is crucial to not read into the client’s share, rather, out of it. An evidence-based approach.
Also, helpful tips as to how and when to wind up a session are provided.
4. Paraphrasing, Summarizing, Probing, Using Silence & Pacing (36 mins)
https://tinyurl.com/microskills4
A practical session with worked examples by a small class using scripts on the screen. Quirky metaphors help with understanding the process of linking together what the client has shared, for a rich summary.
What to do when you do not know what to say? Dr Moon emphasises the value of saying less, more often. As well as reminding us that silence can indeed be golden. I find this takes the pressure off the therapist focusing on their 'next correct question/statement'. Again~ be curious ...
5. Basic Counseling Skills: Kim Lampson, PhD (32 mins)
https://tinyurl.com/microskills5Â
Begins with a demonstration of what not to do with a client! Covers attending, open and closed questioning, reflection of feeling, confrontation, and more.
Timestamps help you to skip through to demonstrations you think are the most useful. Each demo has a flawed and correct version.
6. Basic Attending Skills (8 mins) https://tinyurl.com/microskills6Â Pay attention.
7. Summarising in Counseling (17 mins)
https://tinyurl.com/microskills7Â
A podcast format hosted by two professional counsellors from CounsellingTutor (on ytube). The channel hosts several microskill discussions, in their playlist, Counselling Foundations. Most videos have a handout that can be downloaded with notes about the microskill discussed and demonstrated.
8. Going Deeper (Reflections of Feeling and Meaning) (4.5 mins)
https://tinyurl.com/microskills8Â
Props.
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9. Some Thoughts On Use of Silence in Counseling Sessions (6 mins)
https://tinyurl.com/microskill9Â
Dr Nina Spadraro has a conversational style and often uses props to demonstrate the microskill. Highly effective. Although the channel does not have a dedicated microskill playlist, there are several video shares about communication in counselling.
Also, she has published a book targeting microskill training for counsellors.
10. Paraphrase, Reflection of Feeling, and Summarization (7.5 mins)
https://tinyurl.com/microskill10Â
A gently speaking couple of counsellors, helping to differentiate between these three microskills
11. The Use of Silence in the Therapy Room The use of silence in the therapy room (34 mins)
https://tinyurl.com/microskiling11
Two counsellors from the Therapy Room (on ytube) discus the importance of silence as a microskills.
They share their experiences using silence with clients, as well as posing hypotheticals to each other to elaborate on the way to use silence. Reminding listeners that often people do not have the opportunity to just talk, without another trying to 'fill in the gaps.
12. Basic Communication Skills (1 h)
https://tinyurl.com/microskill12
You can complement this video modeling, by downloading the Self Evaluation Form below.
Form via Kent Uni
Use the form to rate your practice videos (although, rubric takes priority for an assessment). As well as evaluating your practice role-play recordings. I encourage you too, to evaluate characters on movies and TV shows, whether they are counseling focused or not, to develop attention to detail for each microskill.
The vid is a brief webinar about the counselling textbook of Allan and Mary Ivey (2008). The focus of the video are listening skills. There is also an interesting mix of of the history of counselling, and links of microskills to neuroscience research. There is a flash overview of their Microskills Hierarchy figure (below). Also, they emphasise the usefulness of students video-recording themselves to assess skill development.
A 5-step learning plan for skill development is also outlined. The video ends with a Q&A from students attending the webinar.
Conclusion
Hope you find these resources helpful in prepping for your counselling assignment. While 5 minutes may feel like a long time when you're 'on camera', practice curiosity and your micros-skills will pull you through. Light & Life~ Charmayne Buy me a coffee ...
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