Reflective Journal: Analyzing Applied Counseling Psychology Concepts

This reflective journal provides an in-depth analysis of applied counseling psychology, covering key concepts and techniques discussed over several weeks. The journal begins with an introduction to counseling psychology, emphasizing its role in addressing behavioral, workplace, educational, and health issues. It then delves into specific weeks, exploring topics such as tentativeness in the therapeutic process, the importance of active listening, the use of open and closed-ended questions, metaphors, tracking in therapeutic conversations, normalizing client experiences, challenging clients, and the concept of congruence. Each week's reflection offers personal insights and understanding of the concepts, including the building of trust, effective communication, and the application of various counseling skills. The journal underscores the importance of empathy, genuine connection, and the ethical considerations within the counseling process, including confidentiality and reporting.

Assessment 3: Reflective Journal
0

Introduction
The entire paper is about discussing applied counseling psychology. This is considered the
capability and the study that is being utilized to resolve various issues including the behavior
of people. The behavior of people can include workplace problems, educational problems, or
even health issues. This aspect of psychology is referred to as the usage of psychological
techniques and findings of scientific psychology. Counseling psychology is referred to as
generalist HSP (health service specialty) within professional psychology which uses a huge
range of practices that are culturally sensitive and culturally informed in order to increase the
ability to function better to help people enhance their well-being, alleviate and prevent
distress as well as maladjustment (Barkham et al., 2017). It mainly pays attention particularly
but not exclusively to the normative life-span establishment, with specific emphasis on
education and prevention and amelioration, addressing the individuals and the context or
system within which they generally function. Within this context, the psychologists have an
understanding of as well as the ability to engage in evidence-based and interventions that are
informed culturally, prevention, research practices, assessment, and training. They mainly
focus on health strengths and aspects of their clients and contextual or environmental
influences which shape the concerns an experience of people, role of work and career in lives
of people and the issues which are related to identity. The paper includes a short introduction.
Then the paper discusses all of the weeks from week 2 to week 11. Lastly, the learning of all
the weeks has been summarised briefly.
Main Body
Week 2
I totally agree with your view towards tentativeness and the benefits it provides to an
individual so that the counseling procedure does not get violated and people are able to
understand one another's point of view. Further, I wanted to add more about the concept of
tentativeness within the therapeutic process. I find a kind of tentative interpretation would be
making the availability of the interpretation to the client for an extended time period,
continuously at his or her command as well as letting the client assess its application’s
timing. In this counseling procedure, the most vital component is establishing a strong
trusting relationship. The client, as well as the counselor, will be able to build trust, a
1

powerful rapport, genuineness, and empathy by having a good conversation. In addition,
therapists will get a good chance for directing their clients and communicating with them in a
manner that would facilitate healing effectively (Chapman, 2018). Further, tentative
interpretation can be correctly done when the therapist gets the availability of the client's
specific knowledge piece and in an appropriate situation accepted by the client along with
assimilating it purposefully into his or her psychology. But the variation of content can be
broadly noticed in this kind of knowledge.
Week 3
This week mainly discusses listening to the client. It has been found this week that listening
is much more effective for the counseling season. The question of this week states that
listening is the most effortless job that can be done by counselors. It can be said that when a
client thinks that he is not being listened to by the counselor or the therapist, he will feel that
he is not valued at all. Hence, it is much important for the counselors or the therapist to listen
to the problem and stories of the client so that they feel valued and it also encourages them to
speak up freely (Broglia et al., 2017). This in turn enhances the entire process of counseling
by making the counselor understand the condition of the client. I feel that quality listening
skills within counseling develop trust, it also helps the client to open up and it also helps to
disclose their thoughts. It has been found to motivate people to share their emotions. Various
studies have suggested that listening facilitates the gathering of the valuable information
regarding the client. This also helps to engage in the conversation in a positive manner.
Week 4
I think you are fully correct in your point of view regarding the expression of feelings and
thoughts through active listening. There can be subjective purposes to emotions and feelings
and this is found to be very unique between individuals. The examples provided by you were
also very apt with regards to having different kinds of emotions. I find active listening as a
potential framework for minimizing a situation's emotions while receiving counseling
therapy. When an emotion is correctly labeled by the counselor every time, there can be
dissipation of the intensity such as bursting an emotion. In this way, I think the speaker will
feel understood and heard. Further, once there is a reduction in the emotional level, reasoning
capabilities shall take a vital part in functioning more efficiently. In addition, I can opine that
active listening to clients can convey respect for establishing trust and self-knowledge. To
2

make therapeutic communication potentially, the counselor needs to acknowledge the
thoughts and perceptions of clients by understanding and listening to them along with
involving them deeply by having a thorough conversation (Allen, 2020). In fact, I can say
general leads are required to be offered by the counselor for directing the conversation as
well as propelling it forward.
Week 5
I have completely understood your point of view and understanding regarding the application
of closed and open-ended questions along with using metaphors in certain circumstances. I
can relate that the effective utilization of visuals of clients can be useful to know each other
and have a good conversation throughout. I have even known the concept of metaphors as it
has a direct connection to feelings of different emotions like sadness, grief, or happiness.
Counselors can get the ability by using metaphors for owning a feeling or meaning that
previously they lacked for taking into consideration in a specific scenario. By applying a
metaphor, the meaning of a particular sentence can be altered by the client through exploring
the same deeply with the counseling therapist. I think through this kind of exploration, the
metaphor can be transformed by them, and thereby applying feelings to it can alter it. Also, I
feel by asking open-ended questions, would provide allowance to the counselor for
understanding the attitudes and actual feelings of the respondent in a better manner in relation
to the vital topic that is being raised (Basic counseling skills, 2022). On the other hand, close-
ended questions because of their limitations left no choice given to respondents to truly
deliver their opinions.
Week 6
I have attained much knowledge and understanding regarding the concerns of clients while
engaging them in a true therapeutic conversation. Tracking can be considered a family
therapy for counselors for obtaining a great understanding relation to interactive patterns
utilized to get embedded into the current situation. This process can help in developing
solutions to potential issues of clients. Having a better therapeutic relationship can also be
useful in developing a strong emotional bond in relation to respect, caring, and trust, agreeing
on the therapy's objectives, and collaborating on the tasks provided in relation to the
treatment. But I can also relate to counseling's various limitations or risks when there is the
absence of non-verbal and verbal clues as well as while maintaining security and
3

confidentiality. I also feel empathy can create a strong connection between the client and the
counselor. Cooperation and social order can be effectively maintained through the strong
force of empathy. The mechanism of empathy would provide allowance to individuals for
relating to and understanding other people. I feel this would be an important precursor to
belonging, trust, and intimacy (Identity group, 2022). The conversation can be carried
forward further by applying common communication skills such as formulating their
thoughts as well as enhancing the emotions and expressions of clients.
Week 7
This week tells about normalizing within the counseling process. It has been told this week
that normalizing is a helpful tool within the process of counseling. I feel that normalizing has
the ability to lower the secondary emotional responses like being anxious regarding
depression or anxiety. Secondary behaviors that perpetuate the main symptom are also
lowered which are safety behavior and social withdrawal. It refers to an activity within which
something in communication is made through labeling it commonplace or normal or by
interpreting it in a simple manner (Broglia et al., 2017). When the counselor tries to
normalize the feelings of the client, they reassure them and build openness, self-respect and
trust. It refers to the social process by which the actions and ideas come to be seen as normal
and it becomes natural or taken for granted in daily life. This procedure can be carried out by
the therapist offering the client the reading material. Personal discourse is also considered
potent within the normalizing process. Normalization can also appear as an active component
in group CBT as an individual can relate to each other in the group and see that other
individuals experience the same issues.
Week 8
Challenging within counseling is considered the skill of highlighting the conflicts and
incongruence within the process of the client. Therapists gently challenge or confront the
client; it has the ability to open opportunities for therapeutic exploration. It has been found
this week that a client has used CBT therapy for her counseling in order to challenge her
behavior, thoughts and emotion (Chen et al., 2021). It states that CBT helps people to adapt
and alter their behavior and mindset through reassessing their distorted thought patterns.
Various situations are there when a client might get benefit from a gentle challenge. Multiple
skills ate there from which the counselors have the ability to choose while challenging the
4

client. It has been found that challenges always should be done with proper empathy; hence
counselors are being motivated in order to avoid challenges so that they can meet their
requirements rather than the requirement of the clients. There are various ways using which a
client can be challenged. These are breathing, pause and scheduling a meeting, researching
the situation of the client, making the research about the client and developing credibility
(Dudley et al., 2022). I found that challenging the client helps the client in a positive manner.
Week 9
This week, we have read about congruence. I have found that congruence is referred to as the
condition within the therapeutic relationship which refers to the accurate matching of the
experience of individuals with awareness. I found that within person-centered counseling, the
congruence of the counselor is believed as among the significant and helpful aspects which
facilitate the growth of the client in counseling. Congruence is considered the most
significant attribute in accordance with Rogers. This mainly implies that therapists are
genuine or real, open, authentic and integrated while communicating with the client. By being
congruent, these two states generally match and hence therapists are authentic (Kolden et al.,
2017). No facade is there for presented to the client. This basically permits the building of
trust within relationships while serving as the model for the client. In being authentic,
therapists show that they are trustworthy that generally help in building good therapeutic
relationships with client. Congruence communication is mainly conceptualized as the
relationship of similarity or identity between nonverbal and verbal modes. Within the context
of counseling, congruence basically means that the feelings, behaviors and thoughts of a
person perform together in order to achieve the goal of a person. Congruent communication
permits people to deliver the message effectively and it dramatically lowers the likelihood it
will be misunderstood.
Week 10
This week tells about a report of the client. When proper reports of the clients are made
within the context of counseling improves the entire process, accelerates the progress and
expands the availability of the service. Moreover, it has been found that reporting offers
protection to both the client and counselors (Papadopoulos et al., 2018). I also found that
documentation and reporting are considered a great tool in safeguarding against complaints
and lawsuits. Reporting also ensures expectations and consent. It also helps to tell a narrative
5

for the decision made and the way an individual or the client reacts to various situations.
While discussing reporting, self-reports can also be discussed here. I found that there are
various benefits within the context of counseling. The benefits of self-report are it is
inexpensive, confidential, time-sensitive and accessible. With the help of reposting, it is much
easier to obtain and also the outcomes are accessible immediately to therapists. Self-reports
are not expensive and hence can be scored and administered easily (Softas-Nall & Hanna,
2021). Information from the reposts can generally be obtained during a single session with
the client and they also can be accomplished in privacy which might motivate the clients to
be more truthful.
Summary
From these few weekly journals, I learned about some vital concepts and their effective
application in counseling sessions. Each and every potential subject matter presented in
different weeks gained my deep knowledge and understanding in relation to communicating
with clients when they are in adverse emotional situations. I found out that in the counseling
procedure, having effective listening skills would be important in helping clients open up,
and motivating them in sharing their emotions and disclosing their thoughts. I feel this would
further be helpful to facilitate valuable information collection with regards to the client and
thereafter aid the procedure of counseling. I can relate listening would be a key to productive
communication and without gaining the capability for listening effectively can make
messages easily misunderstood. I find demonstrating empathy would be beneficial for
enhancing the smooth flow of empathetic communication. For enabling this, communication
has to be both non-verbal and verbal forms along with comprising the capability for
connecting with as well as well-knowing emotions and the mindset of the individual. I also
got to know about challenges faced by clients during counseling and the procedure of
normalizing. I understood that secondary emotional reactions of clients can be effectively
handled through normalizing like being depressed or anxious with regards to being depressed
(Rivier Edu, 2022). Besides all of these, I find documentation of reports would be a vital part
of the procedure of counseling as this can also improve the treatment technique, expand
services viability, and accelerate progress along with providing protection to both clients and
counselors.
6

References
Allen, L. (2020). The power of metaphor in counselling. Counselling-directory.org.uk.
Retrieved 10 August 2022, from
https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/memberarticles/the-power-of-metaphor-in-
counselling#:~:text=It%20can%20enable%20them%20to,applied%20to%20it%20can
%20change.
Barkham, M., Moller, N., & Pybis, J. (2017). How should we evaluate research on
counselling and the treatment of depression? A case study on how the National Institute
for Health and Care Excellence's draft 2018 guideline for depression considered what
counts as best evidence. Counselling And Psychotherapy Research, 17(4), 253-268.
https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12141
Basic counseling skills. (2022). Asking Questions. Basic Counseling Skills. Retrieved 10
August 2022, from https://www.basic-counseling-skills.com/asking-
questions.html#:~:text=An%20open%20question%20is%20one,word%20or%20a
%20short%20phrase.
Broglia, E., Millings, A., & Barkham, M. (2017). Challenges to addressing student mental
health in embedded counselling services: a survey of UK higher and further education
institutions. British Journal Of Guidance &Amp; Counselling, 46(4), 441-455.
https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2017.1370695
Chapman, A. (2018). The Tentative Interpretation in Psychotherapy. American Journal Of
Psychotherapy, 6(4), 677-682. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1952.6.4.677
Chen, R., Bar-Kalifa, E., Sade, A., & Ziv-Beiman, S. (2021). Client-therapist congruence in
session-helpfulness ratings and its association with therapy outcomes. Psychotherapy
Research, 32(4), 484-496. https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2021.1974598
Dudley, R., Turkington, D., Bryant, C., Kingdon, D., Siddle, R., & Hammond, K.
(2022). Techniques in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Using Normalising in
Schizophrenia. Tidsskrift for Norsk psykologforening. Retrieved 10 August 2022, from
https://psykologtidsskriftet.no/2007/05/techniques-cognitive-behavioural-therapy-using-
normalising-schizophrenia#:~:text=Normalising%20can%20help%20reduce
%20secondary,safety%20behaviours%20and%20social%20withdrawal.
7

Identity group. (2022). The Importance of Great Communication In Client Relationships -
Identity. Identity. Retrieved 10 August 2022, from https://identitygroup.co.uk/the-
importance-of-great-communication-in-client-relationships/.
Kolden, G., Klein, M., Wang, C., & Austin, S. (2017).
Congruence/genuineness. Psychotherapy, 48(1), 65-71. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022064
Papadopoulos, L., Cross, M., & Bor, R. (2018). Reporting in Counselling and Psychotherapy.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203380383
Rivier Edu. (2022). 17 Therapeutic Communication Techniques - Rivier Academics. Rivier
Academics. Retrieved 10 August 2022, from https://www.rivier.edu/academics/blog-
posts/17-therapeutic-communication-techniques/.
Softas-Nall, L., & Hanna, F. (2021). Counseling and Psychotherapy With Difficult
Clients/Family Members. The Family Journal, 21(1), 117-121.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1066480712456830
8