Reflective Workbook
Session 1
Thoughts about today’s session
During this first session I felt that start of the session went well, I managed to talk about confidentiality with the client and answer questions on confidentiality though it could have went better in that I wasn’t entirely sure what the limitations of confidentiality are and when certain information may have to be passed on. I gave the client the opportunity to disclose and the client began to tell me why they were there, at some points during the session though I wasn’t sure what exactly to say to the client when they finished speaking which made parts of the session feel awkward and there were some lengthy silences, hopefully this could be improved upon in future weeks.

Feelings about today’s session
At the start of the session I felt quite nervous which I think the client could tell which in turn made them more nervous. Once I began talking about confidentiality with the client I think the session became more at ease and helped the client feel more relaxed and able to be open with me. Once the client began speaking to me about their problems I started to become anxious about what I was going to say to them and when I didn’t immediately reply when they finished speaking I became worried that they would think I wasn’t interested in listening to them or hadn’t been listening properly. However as the session went on I became more at ease with how to respond and I think this made the session more positive towards the end.

Session 2
Thoughts about today’s session
I think the start of this session went well, I found it easier to begin talking to the client and explain my role as a counsellor and explain confidentiality. This week I asked the client did they have any questions they would like to ask me about confidentiality which I think improved this part of the session as it made the client be more open with me about their concerns. During this session I tried to sit with a square open posture and maintain good eye contact to show the client I was listening and interested in what they had to say, I think this went well at most parts of the session, however during some parts of the session I think I used too much eye contact which made the client feel uncomfortable. At the end of this session I asked the client how they were feeling having had the session which I think was useful as it allowed me to understand how the client felt the session went.

Feelings about today’s session
Going into the start of this session I felt more relaxed than the previous week which I feel also made the client more relaxed. This week it was easier to start the session with the client as I already knew how to start the session, I explained my role as their counsellor and we talked about confidentiality and I gave the client the opportunity to disclose which I felt much more comfortable this week. During the middle of the session though I started to become worried that I wouldn’t know what to say when the client stopped talking, this stopped me from listening entirely to everything that the client was saying and I became anxious that the client would be able to tell that I hadn’t been listening entirely and think I was insensitive or uninterested in them. Closing the session I started to become more relaxed knowing that the session was almost over though I had a hard time knowing exactly how to wrap the session up and I think this impacted negatively on the session.

Session 3
Thoughts about today’s session
In today’s session I started as if it were the middle of a session, I didn’t talk about confidentiality or explain my role as a counsellor. I think this was useful as it allowed me more time to practice summarising what the client was saying to me. In this session I tried to use the SOLER model, I sat squarely facing the client with an open posture, leaning forward at some points when the client was talking, using good eye contact and trying to stay relaxed. I think this went well as it showed the client I was open to and interested in what they had to say. At the end of this session I tried to summarise what had been said throughout the session and check in with the client on how they were feeling, I feel this went less well as my summary of the session wasn’t very in depth which might have made the client feel like I wasn’t paying full attention to them.

Feelings about today’s session
I felt more confident going into this session as I had had session previous to it in which to practice and had been learning more counselling skills in class. I think my feeling more confident and relaxed may have also helped the client feel more relaxed and able to open up to me. When talking to the client I sometimes felt uneasy about how I was sitting, using the SOLER model as I was worried it would come across unnatural and awkward but once the session got underway I felt more comfortable with it as the client seemed receptive. When closing the session I worried I was coming across too nonchalant and like I hadn’t been interested in what the client had to say but once I checked in with them on how they were feeling at the end of the session I felt more reassured that this wasn’t the case.

Session 4
Thoughts about today’s session
This session was longer than the previous sessions which was useful as it allowed more time to practice my counselling skills. I began the session by asking the client what they knew about counselling and confidentiality and offering to answer any questions they might have which I think went well as it allowed us to ease into the session and felt very relaxed. During the session this week I tried to nod and agree with my client as they were speaking which I also think went well and reassured the client I was paying full attention and was interested in them and I feel this encouraged them to open up more. The end of this session could have gone better as I failed to let the client know we were coming up to the end of our time which resulted in me ending the session without checking in with the client on how they were feeling or summarising everything we talked about in the session.

Feelings about today’s session
Going into this session I felt more capable and optimistic than other weeks, though I was slightly nervous that this session was to be longer than previous sessions as I was worried I wouldn’t be able to think of things to say for that length of time which would result in long silences throughout the session. However as the session got underway I began to feel less nervous and worried as the session seemed to run smoothly. I think once I became more relaxed in the session the client became more relaxed too which made it easier for us to talk to each other and for the client to be open with me. Overall I feel this is the best session I have had to date as I felt more comfortable in my counselling role and more secure in my ability to be able to see the session through to the end.

Session 5
Thoughts about today’s session
I think that the opening to this session went well, talking about confidentiality and my role as a counsellor seemed to go well and be an effective way of starting the session and allowing the client to open up to me. Once the client started to disclose I tried to reflect back to them what they were saying which I think was going well in the beginning, however as the session went on I think it started to go less well as the client wasn’t speaking as much and it left long silences in the session. I think this may have been due to me asking the client too many questions which then made the client reliant on me to ask questions for them to speak. Coming up to the end of the session I told the clients we only had a few minutes left which I think worked well as it allowed the client to know I was going to wrap up the session. I checked in with the client on how they were feeling now at the end of the session which I also think went well as it allowed me to see how the session went from the clients perspective.

Feelings about today’s session
Going into this session I was feeling nervous as it was a 15 minute session which is the longest I have done, I was unsure as to how I was going to fill the time. However once me and the client began discussing confidentiality and the client was asking questions I became more comfortable as I realised I would be able to fill the time. During the session I felt more able to talk to the client effectively as well as feeling more positive on how to reflect back to the client what they were saying. At some points during the session I found it hard to reflect back what the client was saying, as it was a longer session the client was telling me more information than usual and I found it difficult to remember everything that was being said and provide an accurate summary to reflect back to the client, this could probably be improved as my listening skills improve. The end of the session I feel went well as the client seemed happy with the session when I asked how it went for them. Providing a summary of everything we covered in the session also seemed to work well as it showed I was interested and paying attention to the client.

Conclusion
Overall I feel I have greatly improved my counselling skills throughout the unit. When first starting counselling I was nervous and tense going into the role play sessions which in turn I feel made it harder for my client to be open and feel comfortable during the sessions. Throughout the unit though, as I learned more counselling skills and counselling theory, as well as having opportunities to put my skills into practice, I became more confident when entering into the role play sessions. I felt more capable of using my counselling skills and more confident and comfortable throughout the sessions as the weeks went on which I think made for better sessions as my client was able to open up to me more as I was more positive and relaxed about the sessions.
During the unit we learned about different counselling theories and how they were founded, this was helpful when trying to put the theories to practice. I used a person centred approach to counselling which worked best in the role play situations. This meant having to learn how to encourage the client to talk while I actively listen, as well as this I had to be mindful to not ask many questions during the session in case it closed the client down and left them waiting on me asking questions before they would speak. At the start I found it difficult having to refrain from asking questions as well as having to keep sitting with an open posture and maintain good eye contact. However as the weeks went on I could see my skills improve and things such as eye contact and keeping an open posture became easier to do and I felt more at ease with the sessions because of it.
From the observers notes I was able to gain an outside perspective on the role play and see my strengths and weaknesses in counselling skills which helped me target which areas to improve on. As my counselling skills improved and I was getting more positive feedback from the observer I became more confident in my abilities which also helped the sessions run more smoothly.
Towards the end of the unit I was able to establish and maintain a counselling relationship with the client must easier than I was able to at the start. Having learned the necessary skills throughout the weeks and practicing them it became much easier to interact with the client.
At the end of the unit I was still slightly anxious going into the sessions and still struggled with things such as remembering everything the client said and picking up on key emotions or feelings the client may be having. However I feel I have definitely improved at these skills from the start of the unit.
Overall I feel I have learned a lot from this unit and was able to practice my counselling skills and saw much improvement in them as the weeks went on.