Counselling Reflective Essay

Counselling Reflective Essay

Patients experience emotions and behaviors during their first day in counseling and therapy sessions. Different patients have results and needs that they experience consciously and unconsciously, which need to be addressed (Kuntze et al, 2009.176). The counselor or therapist must demonstrate passion and compassion to make the patients comfortable, open up, and feel understood. The radiographer determines how the patient reacts, is vulnerable, and how they cope during the entire session. As a professional counselor, good communication skills, empathy, and making sure the patient is heard are my top priorities in any session. In this reflective essay, I will discuss the importance of r, ethics, good communication, and professional boundaries during a role-play scenario with my client using Gibbs's reflective cycle. 

Description 

As a professional counselor, receiving calls of "I feel depressed," "I cannot take it anymore," and "I feel like a loser" are the most common words that my patients utter. To unbox the paradox behind their feelings and behavior, I must empathize with my clients for them to open up. A good example is during a scenario with my client who feels depressed because of losing her job and struggling to get one. As a result of not being able to take care of her children's needs since she is a single parent of four children, she resorts to drinking alcohol four times a week to take away the stress and sleep better. During the scenario, the client notes that she has gotten food relief from a banker who will ask for about four weeks. She does not have an alcoholism problem, but she has been on Antidepressants before, which helped her. As a result, I recommended antidepressants for four weeks to help her sleep instead of resorting to alcohol. Moreover, I suggested she stop alcohol and refer her to family services in case she needs other services and finds it difficult to quit alcohol. 

Feelings 

During the session with the patient, I felt the client feeling helpless and a failure as a parent. Failing to pay the bills is okay, but fear of failing to give your children basic needs can be depressing. Emotions change one's experiences, facial expressions, and behaviors to adapt to the challenges, thus explaining why my client resorted to drinking alcohol (Gilbert,2020.14). Practicing empathy in counseling sessions has helped me understand my clients' feelings (Moudatsoet et al., 2020). Losing a job is heartbreaking, but the thought of being evicted due to rent areas is scarier, even when you have children who depend on you. Looking back, I felt relieved she could get food from the food bank for four weeks. 

Evaluation 

In this specific situation, I was happy that the client was self-aware of the cause of depression; thus, I could help her even during our first interaction (Martin& Hodgson, 2006. 161). Telling my client, "I see," was an indication of being empathetic and feeling her. Many individuals take alcohol and drugs when undergoing depression. Hence, it was easy to predict the use of alcohol or any other substance abuse. Having a frank discussion about what is happening with the client, who is self-aware about herself, promoted a deeper conversation and further cooperation with her (Kuntze et al.2019). What worked well was that the client agreed to be on the antidepressants for four weeks and even called family services in case of other needs that may arise.   

Analysis 

During periods of economic recession, most individuals have mental illness, depression, and suicide (Peláez-Fernández et al.2019.5). Moreover, cases of self-harm, alcohol, and substance misuse increase alarmingly. I think the reason why I was able to diagnose and predict my client's use of alcohol is that I am enlightened about alcohol abuse that occurs after job loss. I had handled such clients before and discovered most people use alcohol in larger doses to escape reality. 

What I loved most about my client was the strength to seek help. Seeking help is the first step towards admitting I am not okay and I need help; hence, one is bound to get the help they need. Requesting the client to stop alcohol use was a necessary action to make her regain personal control and values. Moreover, she could make poor decisions while on alcohol use, such as becoming violent or committing suicide, leading to losing custody of her children. 

Identifying my client with a number and not by name provided room for confidentiality and safe space (Varkey,2020.12). Not discussing her family members and the whereabouts of her husband provided a space for the client not to be judged or look for family help but rather a professional one. I was impressed by the fact that she had been looking for a job and how self-aware she was. 

Conclusion 

Reflecting on my response to check on my client after six weeks was insensitive. The antidepressant medicine was to be taken for four weeks by the client, the food from the food bank was to be four weeks, and the remaining two weeks would be challenging for my client if she lacked food and shelter. Thus, I would check on my client at least twice per week to make sure she has bought the medicine and has reduced alcohol consumption. Moreover, I could have told her how to contact me in case she reached a crisis point during the sessions (Good Therapy,2019). Nevertheless, the client noted that she had once used antidepressants; hence, I would have tried to know the root cause. I think digging up the past issues or patterns among my clients will help diagnose them better, provide practical solutions, and prevent future behavior reoccurrences. 

Action plan 

When talking to a client who has lost their job and feels like giving up next time, I will speak to them about how they should be proud of themselves for seeking help. I will talk to them about their strengths of being a single mother and raising the children singlehandedly. The fact that she did not mention how her family, friends, or the father of her kids did not help her showed she is not entitled to anyone's help, and she is doing anything to remain sobber to face the challenges.     

Work Cited 

Gilbert, P., 2020. Compassion: From its evolution to a psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, p.3123. file:///C:/Users/Admin/Videos/movies/fpsyg-11-586161.pdf 

Good Therapy (2019). Tips for Navigating Intake Sessions. https://www.goodtherapy.org/for-professionals/business-management/private-practices/article/tips-for-navigating-intake-sessions

 Kuntze, J., van der Molen, H.T. and Born, M.P., 2009. Increase in counselling communication skills after basic and advanced micro skills training. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 79(1), pp.175-188. https://sci-hub.hkvisa.net/10.1348/000709908x313758 

Kuntze, J., van der Molen, H.T. and Born, M.P., 2009. Increase in counselling communication skills after basic and advanced microskills training. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 79(1), pp.175-188. https://sci-hub.hkvisa.net/10.1348/000709908x313758 

Martin, K.L. and Hodgson, D., 2006. The role of counselling and communication skills: how can they enhance a patient's 'first day 'experience?. Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice, 5(3), pp.157-164. 

Moudatsou, M., Stavropoulou, A., Philalithis, A. and Koukouli, S., 2020, January. The role of empathy in health and social care professionals. In Healthcare (Vol. 8, No. 1, p. 26). MDPI. 

Peláez-Fernández, M.A., Rey, L. and Extremera, N., 2019. Psychological distress among the unemployed: Do core self-evaluations and emotional intelligence help to minimize the psychological costs of unemployment?. Journal of affective disorders, 256, pp.627-632. https://sci-hub.hkvisa.net/10.1016/j.jad.2019.06.042 

Varkey, B., 2021. Principles of clinical ethics and their application to practice. Medical Principles and Practice, 30(1), pp.17-28. https://sci-hub.hkvisa.net/10.1159/000509119