integrating skills for effective counseling molly kellogg, rd, lcsw

Integrating Skills for Effective Counseling

Molly Kellogg, RD, LCSW

THE CHANGE PROCESS

• Engaging

• Focusing

• Evoking

• Planning


Our Outline

• How to both engage AND focus

• Caring for ourselves to avoid burnout



Fundamental Counseling Skills

• Open questions

• Affirm Efforts and Strengths

• Reflect

• Summarize

Engagement skills

• Introduce yourself with eye contact

• Client-centered small talk

• Reflect

• Use your body language

• Discuss the goals and ask for input

• Open with open questions

• Roll with resistance


When to move on to focus and planning

• “You get me.”

• Attend to body language including eye contact

• Has the client shared some of what matters and/or asked questions?


Focusing

• Reflect any possible topics you hear and ask permission to discuss

• Looking back, what steps did it take?

• What might you work on in the next few weeks?

• If there were something you would do for your child’s health, what would it be?


When it too much has been evoked

• Affirm something

• Empathize and contain

• Offer choice

• Offer focused support



Affirming

• Thanks for coming in today.• That’s a great suggestion.• You clearly want to do as much as you

can for your health.• You can be very persistent when you set

your mind to something.• I would find that difficult to deal with too.

Empathize and contain

• you’re really upset about your daughter’s father, and it’s making it hard to focus on her nutrition.

• You’re worried about your home situation. What part might we be able to problem-solve about today?


Offer choice and support

• Menu of topics

• Suggest brief discussion

• Include not addressing nutrition as an option

• Offer support

• Offer referrals


Definition of burnout

Trying to change someone else’s life and being attached to

the results.


Making sessions easier on you

• Watch the “righting reflex”• Rolling with Resistance

• Use Elicit/Provide/Elicit when giving advice


Roll with Resistance

• Express empathy

• Affirm something

• Reflect ambivalence

• Acknowledge resistance

• Support choice



When it’s time to provide advice

• Elicit What client already knows and wants to know

• Provide information in neutral manner

• Elicit client’s response to, interpretation of the information

Take care of yourself

• Remind yourself you are doing your best

• Find ways to vent (without disrespect)

• Ask for support from colleagues

• Take breaks, breathe

• Leave work at work

• Self-care at home


integrating skills for effective counseling molly kellogg, rd, lcsw

Documents

lcsw slide

resistance molly kellogg

information slide

home molly kellogg

burnout molly kellogg

advice molly kellogg

focused support molly

evoking planning molly