Exploring Non-Verbal Communication and its Significance in Counselling

This essay delves into the critical role of non-verbal communication within counselling practices. It begins by highlighting the significance of non-verbal cues in understanding a client's psychological state, emphasizing the importance of observing gestural patterns and body language. The essay then explores various types of non-verbal communication used by counsellors, including facial expressions, kinesics (body movements), eye contact, proxemics (personal space), body posture, and physiological changes. Each type is examined for its contribution to understanding the client's emotional and psychological condition, such as anxiety or low self-confidence. The essay concludes by emphasizing the advantages of incorporating non-verbal communication, such as facilitating a deeper understanding of the client's needs and improving the effectiveness of the counselling process. The essay underscores how non-verbal cues provide valuable insights into a person's psychological standpoint, enabling counsellors to tailor their approach and techniques for optimal therapeutic outcomes.

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1NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION IN COUNSELLING PRACTICES
Introduction
Communication among people is extremely important in every sphere of life. The
communication within the counselling practices help in the overall development helps in the
understanding as well as the resolution of the various psychological issues that are faced by the
person (Booysen & Staniforth, 2017). The following paper attempts a discussion on the
importance of non-verbal communication practiced in counselling. The paper opens with a
discussion on the non-verbal communication within the counselling activities. The paper then
discusses the various types of non-verbal communication as have been used by the counsellors.
The paper finally reaches an end with the discussion on the advantages of the implementation of
the non-verbal cues within the counselling processes.
Nonverbal communication in counselling
The non-verbal mode of communication helps in the overall development of the modes of
communication that majorly involves the various gestural patterns and a higher use of the body
language on the part of the participants of the communication. The nonverbal communication
within the communicators helps in providing an insight into the psychology of the person
involved in the communication processes. The use of the non-verbal communication within the
given parties involved within the communication helps in the overall understanding of the
psychological standpoint of the concerned person (Bullemore & Barton, 2018). One of the major
factors in the activities related to counselling refers to the proper understanding of the non-verbal
cues by the counsellor. The proper understanding of the psychological activities of the person
being counselled helps the concerned counsellor in implementing the necessary techniques that
are needed for the overall development of the concerned psyche of the person in discussion
(Harper & Maher, 2017). The implementation of the non-verbal communicational skills within

2NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION IN COUNSELLING PRACTICES
the realm of counselling helps in gauging the conditions that might arise in dealing with the
people who might be suffering from anxiety, low self-confidence and other such psychological
issues.
Types of nonverbal communication in counselling
The counsellors tend to implement various types of non-verbal communication in dealing
with the people who have been in need of the counselling. The major types of nonverbal
communication that are highlighted by Penn and Watermeyer (2018) deal with the factors that
are related to the facial expression of the concerned person, the kinesics as are demonstrated by
the person, the length of eye contact as are maintained by the person, the proxemics as are
maintained by the concerned person, the maintenance of the body posture on the part of the
respondent and the changes that are observed in the physiological factors as are observed in the
respondent.
The facial expressions that are highlighted by the people involved in the communication
are known to be one of the major non-verbal skills that are maintained by the communicators.
The facial expressions as are demonstrated by the concerned respondents helps in the
understanding of the psychological factors that are maintained by the concerned respondents
(Martin et al., 2016). The proper facial expressions as demonstrated by the respondents helps the
counsellors to have a proper understanding of the psyche of the respondent as well.
The kinesics as have been demonstrated by the communicators further help in the overall
development of the issues that would help in the overall development of the understanding of the
psyche of the person. The incorporation of the body movements within the given counselling
sessions helps in developing a clear judgement of the psychological state of the person

3NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION IN COUNSELLING PRACTICES
concerned. The kinesics of the concerned person helps in the proper understanding of the anxiety
as have been highlighted to the concerned counsellor as well (Porter, 2016). The counsellor
attempts an understanding of the issues that are faced by the concerned organization in terms of
the psychological well-being of the concerned person.
The eye-contact as have been maintained by the concerned person in need for the
counselling reveals a huge amount of information regarding the mental state of the person. The
maintenance of the eye contact on the part of the concerned person helps in the overall
development of the proper communication with the concerned patient (Myers, 2018). The
maintenance of the proper eye contact among the concerned respondents tend to deal in
psychological issues that are faced by the person.
Proxemics refer to the closeness that the speaker maintains during communication with
the concerned counsellor. The maintenance of the close distance by the concerned person reveals
a greater amount of psychological issues that are generally faced by the person. The majority of
the issues that are highlighted through proxemics refer to the various trust issues that are being
faced by people seeking counselling (Sudulaguntla et al., 2018). The counsellors state that the
proxemics as demonstrated by the person reveals huge lot of about the trust issues that are
maintained by the concerned patient.
The body posture of the respondent is also one of the major factors that are highlighted
in the non-verbal communication that are generally undertaken by the concerned counsellors.
The body posture that has been maintained by the person helps in the understanding of the issues
in the confidence that is exuded by the concerned person (Adigwe & Okoro, 2016). The
maintenance of the closed posture by the concerned person exudes the conditions of hostility

4NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION IN COUNSELLING PRACTICES
within the person. The open posture, however, highlights the positivity and the jovial nature of
the person.
The physiological changes within the concerned person further affects that
communication with the concerned counsellor as well. the physiological changes that are
maintained by the concerned person. The physiological changes as demonstrated by the
concerned person demonstrates the anxiety within the concerned person as well as highlights the
huge amount of discomfort that is felt by the person in communicating the issues as well (Harris
& Birnbaum, 2015). The counsellor might be advised to deal in the matters that are related to the
exhibition of the discomfort through the physiological changes as have been highlighted by the
person.
Advantages of nonverbal communication in counselling
The non-verbal communication within the realm of counselling is observed to be highly
advantageous for the overall treatment of the person concerned. The non-verbal communication
in the practice of counselling is helpful in the proper understanding of the psychology of the
people concerned as well as the various factors that are generally highlighted through the
expressions and the body language of the person concerned (Myers, 2018). The use of the non-
verbal communication within the given parties involved within the communication helps in the
overall understanding of the psychological standpoint of the concerned person. The proper
understanding of the psychological activities of the person being counselled helps the concerned
counsellor in implementing the necessary techniques that are needed for the overall development
of the concerned psyche of the person who portrays a need for the counselling (Sudulaguntla et
al., 2018). The non-verbal communicational skills are helpful in gauging the conditions that

5NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION IN COUNSELLING PRACTICES
might arise in dealing with the people who might be suffering from anxiety, low self-confidence
and other such psychological issues.
Conclusion
In conclusion it might be stated that the non-verbal communication is helpful in the
matters that are related to the counselling activities as are undertaken by the various counsellors.
The incorporation of non-verbal communication within the given counselling sessions helps in
developing a clear judgement of the psychological state of the person concerned. The non-verbal
communication helps in the proper understanding of the anxiety as have been highlighted by the
counselled person. The nonverbal communication within the communicators helps in providing
an insight into the psychology of the person involved in the communication processes. The
counsellor attempts an understanding of the issues that are faced by the concerned organization
in terms of the psychological well-being of the concerned person.

6NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION IN COUNSELLING PRACTICES
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