Counselors sometimes have a “gut feeling” that a session with a client went really well or the therapeutic relationship is clicking. But the client doesn’t always feel the same way.
Tag: therapeutic alliance
The promise of the therapeutic relationship is at the center of client change, but it also provides a North Star to counseling interns and other beginning counselors who are still trying to find their way.
The therapeutic relationship helps provide a healthy model and counterpoint to the disconnection and uncertainty survivors experienced when they were trafficked.
Counselors are always looking for creative and inviting ways to better connect with clients, explore emotions, encourage new insights and reflections, and spur personal growth and development.
“An ethical ‘oopsie’ that violates trust might never be known to anyone else. But then again, it might. Even the slightest breach might damage a client’s trust to the point that they will never seek counseling again. And that, my dear colleagues, is unforgivable.”
“… avoiding burnout is not enough. We need to set the bar higher to competently render care. Make no mistake, this is an ethical issue.”
A conversation between two counselors of different backgrounds opens up a dialogue about race, systemic issues, client care and possible steps for moving the profession forward.
The issue of counselor self-disclosure is always tricky, but it can be especially so for clinicians who must determine how — or whether — to come out to clients.
By using practical, attachment-informed approaches, counselors can build effective therapeutic alliances with youth frequently dismissed as being ‘resistant.’
To truly be effective at connecting with and helping clients, counselors must find a way to artfully blend the scientific and evidence-based with the interpersonal.