Listening Skills
I am often asked by practitioners and other non therapy bods what is required to be a good therapist. One of the key components for me is that a therapist needs to have astute listening skills. I outline these as:
Paraphrasing
Demonstrates attention and understanding
Lets the client know he/she has been heard
Aids clarity for counsellor and client
Keeps the encounter focused
Reassures by validation
Keeps the flow going
Gives the client a chance to correct, a feedback for accuracy
Allows insight and shift of perspective
Allows for greater self-awareness for the client
Aids awareness of client’s perspective for the counsellor
Gives space and pace
Allows counsellor to unburden self of client’s problems
Enables the client to adjust, expand and find what’s important
Reflecting Feelings
Brings hidden emotion to the surface
Gives client ‘permission’ to have and express feelings
Acceptance of feelings allows client to accept them too
Helps the client and counsellor explore what is really there
Takes the session to a deeper level
Aids the formation of the therapeutic relationship
Clarifies, checks and allows correction
Keeps flow going
Demonstrates empathy
NOT FOR passing comment
making judgment
adding in something of your own
Summarising
Underlines the important points, (not all, so acts as a filter.)
Helps counsellor and client remember what has been said
Emphasises value of client, acts as further reassurance
Another chance for the client to correct
Puts the essence of the session into an acceptable form
Underlines and reinforces paraphrasing
Gives the session a structure
Gives the client a ‘package’ to take away
Acts as a transition, helping the client to recover
Takes the client from the emotional to the cognitive
Brings the client back into the world
Helps to end the session
A good hypnotherapist or psychotherapist will be able to embody these skills in order to help their clients to achieve their goals in the therapeutic session.
