COUNSELING SKILLS:Microskills, Body Language & Movement, Paralinguistics

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Theory and Practice of Counseling - PSY632

Lesson 11

COUNSELING SKILLS

The counseling relationship is defined as the quality and strength of the human connection that counselors

and clients share. Listening and showing understanding skills are central to building quality relationships

with clients. All counseling relationships consist of two relationships: the counselor's relationship with the

client and the client's relationship with the counselor.

All systems of counseling / therapy employ various patterns of skills, known as microskills.

Microskills are observable actions of counselors & therapists that appear to effect positive change

in the session in which active listening involves both receiver and sender.

Complex interaction is broken down into manageable & learnable dimensions. Once you learn

these skills they can be fitted in a wide variety of theoretical orientation. When you learn new

methods of therapy, you can build them on these skills and frame them into a variety of techniques.

Microskills

Different microskills are described in the following:

Attending skills

Listening skills: "Basic listening sequence"

Focus and selective attention

Influencing skills

Confrontation & challenging

Attending skills

Attending skills is a simple phrase for a complex collection of behaviors and abilities.

Attending skills are comprised of a series of complex proficiencies that cut across the verbal and

nonverbal domains of communication. It is rare that people receive the full attention of their

communication partner(s). When it does happen, they are keenly aware and appreciative of this

fact. It is rare that people place full attention on themselves; hence, it is not surprising that most

clients, and perhaps too many clinicians, are unaware of, or inattentive to, their own Meta

communications. Clients are frequently unaware of communications that go beyond the verbal, and

clinicians may forget to attend to these nonverbals.

Attending refers to the focused attention that is placed on the other person in an interchange

between two (or more) people.

Without attending skills, the establishment of therapeutic rapport is most likely difficult,

if not impossible.

Attending skills: Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication is important from two perspectives:

· Nonverbal communication expressed by the client and picked up by the clinician.

· Nonverbal communication used by the clinician for therapeutic goals.

Attending nonverbal communication is an excellent means of gaining a clearer understanding of clients as it.

It opens up a major area of meta-communication:

· Body language & movement

· Paralinguistic

· Physical space

· Timing

Theory and Practice of Counseling - PSY632

Body Language & Movement

· Kinesics can emerge from any body part. Some of the most important body features observed

involve head, face, eyes, mouth, shoulders, arms, hands, legs, feet, and torso.

· Motor movement observations about all body parts are important as they can provide a great deal

of information.

· Motor movement overall is often further defined as agitated, fidgety, unusual, normal, or as

including tics, tremors, or motor abnormalities.

· Autonomic responses are also often included, drawing attention to physiological reactions such as

rate of breathing, blushing versus paling, or pupil dilation.

· All motor and facial expressions can be assessed in terms of their congruence with verbal content

of conversation as well as the level of activity or agitation they may suggest.

Table 1

Sample of Possible Interpretations of Common Kinesics: Eyes

Nonverbal Expression

Possible Meaning

Direct eye contact

Attentiveness

Lack of contact

Withdrawal

Looking down/ away

Avoidance, preoccupation

Fixed staring

Uptightness, psychosis

Eye blinking

Anxiety, excitement

Squinting or wrinkled brow

Annoyance, concern, thoughtfulness

Dilated pupils

Alarm, interest

Kinesics derives additional importance from the reality that they are commonly used as substitutes to verbal

communication. In other words, quite frequently clients use their body to respond to a clinician's question.

Table 2

Sample of Possible Interpretations of Common Kinesics: Mouth

Nonverbal Expression

Possible Meaning

Smiling

Greeting, Positive mood, denial

Tight lips

Stress, Anger/ hostility, Concentration

Quivering lips

Sadness, Anger, Anxiety

Biting/ Chewing of

Anxiety, Bad habit

lips

Surprise, Boredom/ fatigue/ yawning

Open mouth

Theory and Practice of Counseling - PSY632

Table 3

Sample of Possible Interpretations of Common Kinesics: Facial Expressions

Nonverbal Expression

Possible Meaning

Flushed face

Embarrassment, Anxiety

Eyes open wide

Surprise, Sudden insight

& mouth opening

Furrowed brow with

Deep thought/ concentration

tight mouth

Irritation/ annoyance, Rejection of

a therapist response

Table 4

Sample of Possible Interpretations of Common Kinesics: Shoulders and Arms

Nonverbal Expression

Possible Meaning

Shrugging shoulders

Uncertainty or ambivalence,

indifference

Slouched shoulders

Sadness, withdrawal/ shyness

Bad posture, Self-protection

Folded arms

Closed to contact, emotional distance

Open gesturing

Openness to disclosure

Stiff and/or unmoving

Anger, Anxiety

Table 5

Sample of Possible Interpretations of Common Kinesics: Legs and Feet

Nonverbal Expression

Possible Meaning

Crossing & uncrossing

Anxiety/ nervousness, Depression

Self-protection

Foot tapping

Anxiety, Impatience

Stiff and/or Controlled

movements

Closed to contact, Repressed

attitude, Sore muscles

Theory and Practice of Counseling - PSY632

Table 6

Sample of Possible Interpretations of Common Kinesics: Body Movement

Nonverbal Expression

Possible Meaning

Leaning forward

Attentiveness, interest

Leaning away or back

Withdrawal, Rejection

Relaxation or comfort

Turned to the side

Avoidance, Fear of rejection

Rocking or repetitive motion

Anxiety, nervousness,

Bad habit, Developmental disorder

Habitual movement (e.g.,

Focused attention,

tapping, hair twirling)

Impatience, Bad habit

Paralinguistics

The therapist attends to how high or low the client's volume is when speaking of various contents, and

whether volume or inflection changes depending on topic. Very high volume may relate to anger, whereas

very low volume may indicate sadness.

Nonverbal or metacommnnication aspects related to voice and speech have great communication value. A

high-pitched voice may suggest anxiety; changes in inflection may direct attention to particularly emotional

topics.

Counselors direct their attention to several aspects of speech, including voice volume, articulation, pitch,

emphasis, and rate (VAPER). Speech fluency is explored with regard to the intrusion of stuttering or similar

speech errors, as well as jerky speech that changes in clarity and fluency across topics. For example, sudden

hesitations in speech may indicate anxiety about a topic or second thoughts about self-disclosure. Speech

errors, such as wrong word choice or inability to think of the right word, may suggest anxiety or resistance.

Rate of speech refers to the speed with which the client communicates. It could theoretically be evaluated

by looking at the number of words spoken per minute. Most concretely, rate ranges from slow to fast.

Slower speech rate helps you appear less nervous, and also provides more time to think of what to say.

Effect of Gender and Culture

Rate of speech varies greatly across cultural groups.

Use of Pauses and Silence

· Use of pauses and silence enhances your capacity to be a rewarding listener.

· The counselor can pause each time they stop speaking before responding to see if they wish to

continue;

· Good use of silence also gives clients more psychological space to think things through before

speaking. Some counselors and clients find silence threatening; they have to work on tendencies to

interrupt too soon.

Theory and Practice of Counseling - PSY632

Skill Development Activity 1

· From now on, while engaging in conversations with others begin to focus on their nonverbal

expressions of emotions.

· 'Note facial features, body posture, gestures, and other bodily cues about the person you are

interacting.

· Do not allow the verbal content to get in the way of your nonverbal listening.

· Pay careful attention to body language, even if it appears inconsistent with what is being said.

· Begin to notice if different people have different ways of expressing the same message.

Skill Development Activity 2

· From now on, when you are in a public place with extra time on your hands, become a people

watcher.

· Without hearing their conversations, pay attention to how people express themselves.

· Try to guess what emotions they are expressing by how they hold their bodies, faces, hands, and so

forth.

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