Mental Health Counseling Strategies

This document discusses effective counseling strategies for mental health, including exceptional questioning, scaling questions, and coping questions. It explores the benefits of solution-focused therapy and provides suggestions for improving empathetic skills. The scenarios presented in the document highlight the importance of communication, empathy, and problem-solving skills in counseling sessions.

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Scenario two:
Question 1:
As a counselor, during direct interaction with the client for 15 to 20minutes, I structured
my interview in questioning format. I used exceptional questions, scaling questions and coping
questions. Exceptional questioning assisted me to take extra initiatives to gain an understanding
of the situation where scaling questions helped me to gain an understanding to the degree of
severity of her situation. Coping questions was effective since to design the strategy to solve her
problem.
Question 2:
During interaction with the client, I was using my active listing skills and direct
questioning skills to gain an understanding of the feelings of the client and her problem
regarding her partner. Moreover, I was making eye contact with the client and asked her direct
questions during the counseling session. After listening to her concern I used future focus
therapy as a coping strategy to reduce her concern.
Question 3:
I felt that solution based therapy is an effective therapy model or approach that needed to
be incorporated in the role play. Rose and Mustafa (2018), suggested that solution focus therapy
is a solution building therapy which concentrated on finding solutions in present timed and
exploring client’s hope for the future to find the faster solution for the current situation. It is also
an effective approach because this is a collaborative psychotherapeutic approach which I had
used by direct questioning to the client and collected her responses (Roth, 2018). Therefore, this

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approach helped to develop and achieve the client’s vision solution and it would further help her
to resolve her issues with partner and anger issues of her partner that may affect her children.
Question 4:
During the role play, I have observed that I had excellent communication and empathetic
skills while interacting with the patients. I used the nonjudgmental approach while developing
the therapy for resolving the concern. I had used rational thinking and prioritizing the decision
making of the client’s to make her feel comfortable in the situation.
Question 5:
While I was communicating with the clients, although I was excellent with the client in
terms of communication, I have observed that while I was asking questions, direct questions
might affect her autonomy or dignity. Moreover, unlike in the third scenario, I was not able to
show deep emotions to empathize the patient. Therefore in order to achieve a goal as a
counselor, specific strategies are required.
Question 6:
In order to improve my empathetic skills, I would participate in the training session and
reflective practice to increases my empathetic skills so that I can provide accurate patient-centric
care to the patient. Moreover, I would seek the mentor’s advice to balance my emotions that I
can treat each patient with equal emotions for their sense of comfort. Moreover, I would use
indirect questions rather than direct questions which would help to restore the dignity and
autonomy of the client.

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Scenario 3:
Question 1:
During interaction with the patient, I structured my interview in a questioning format
which is identified as effective communication and counseling skills. I have used scaling
questions, coping question an exceptional question to interact with her. I felt that these
questioning formats were effective to gain an understanding of the emotion of the client.
Exceptional questioning assisted me to take the extra initiative to gain an understanding of the
feelings of the patient (Henden, 2017). Scaling questioning assisted me to obtain the information
of her misery in scale 5/10 whereas coping question was effective since it helped to design the
strategy according to her problem.
Question 2:
During the interaction, I was excellent while communicating with the client and I felt
diverse emotions because of her loss. During the communication, I was using my active listing,
sympathy skills in response to her loss. In scaling question, the rating was 5/10 which meant she
was not ready to face the world. Therefore, after feeling deep sympathy for her loss, I had
incorporated solution based therapy as an effective model of counseling in the role play.
Question 3:
I felt that solution based therapy is an effective model or approach that needed to be
incorporated in the role play. Franklin, (2015), suggested that solution focus therapy is a future
focused therapy which focused on finding solutions in presents timed and exploring client’s hope
for the future to find a faster solution for the current situation. It is also an effective model
because this is a collaborative psychotherapeutic approach that was conducted through a direct

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observation client’s response by asking preciously constructed questions (Liu et al., 2015).
Therefore, this approach would help her overcome her lack of motivation and isolation and help
her to engage in the community to liberate her feeling of loneliness.
Question 4:
In the role play, I have observed that I had excellent empathy skills for the loss of a
partner. Moreover, I have observed that I had excellent verbal communication and interpersonal
skills since I was asking her about her loss. Moreover, while I was directly communicating with
the patient, I had a nonjudgmental approach while developing the therapy for her wellbeing so
that she can cope with the current situation. I had problem-solving skills to resolve the concern
while she was expressing her concern that she was feeling demotivated and isolated.
Question 5:
Since I was emotional about her loss due to the death of her partner, I become
emotionally bias to her which influenced my dictions making during implementing an effective
approach for the patient. Moreover, since I was emotional I lost my sense of self-awareness
while attending client which is one of the weakness.
Question 6:
In order to improve my weakness such as emotional biases, I would meditate on a daily
basis to reduce my emotions in a professional area. Moreover, I will focus on my rational
thinking while communicating with the patient and designing an effective solution for the
patient. I will attend and training session and workshop to reshape my self-awareness while
handling client who was suffering from misery.

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References:
Franklin, C. (2015). An update on strengths-based, solution-focused brief therapy. Health &
social work, 40(2), 73-76.
Henden, J. (2017). Preventing suicide: The solution focused approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Liu, X., Zhang, Y. P., Franklin, C., Qu, Y., Chen, H., & Kim, J. S. (2015). The practice of
solution-focused brief therapy in Mainland China. Health & social work, 40(2), 84-90.
Rose, N. N., & Mustafa, M. Y. (2018). Stress Among Working Women: Counselling Services
Using the Lazarus Stress Theory and the Practice of Solution-Focused Therapy. Asian
Social Work Journal, 3(1), 28-34.
Roth, S. (2018). Heal the world. A solution-focused systems therapy approach to environmental
problems. Journal of Cleaner Production.
Bibliography:
Archuleta, K. L., Grable, J. E., & Burr, E. (2015). Solution-focused financial therapy.
In Financial Therapy (pp. 121-141). Springer, Cham.
Davarniya, R., Nazari, A. M., & Zahrakar, K. (2015). The effect of brief solution-focused couple
therapy (BSFCT) approach on reducing couple burnout dimensions in women. The
Journal of Urmia Nursing and Midwifery Faculty, 1(1), 34-46.
Liang, M., Xiaomin, L. I., Yufeng, D. U., Zeng, C., & Gao, J. (2017). Effects of solution-focused
brief therapy on self-perceived burden and quality of life in patients with stroke. Chinese
Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain Science, 26(6), 507-512.

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