Practice Exercise 3: Expressing Understanding, Warmth and Empathy
Exercise Objectives- To practice expressing your understanding of what your client is communicating by reflecting feelings, reflecting content, reflecting feelings and content, summarizing, and exploring meanings.
- To practice expressing warmth and empathy in appropriate and effective ways.
Step 1: Preparation
Form groups of three people. Each person will have the opportunity to play the roles of client, practitioner, and peer supervisor. Each meeting will last about 10 minutes.
Client Role
- Think about a problem that you encountered in the past.These exercises will be much more authentic if you talk from your own experience.
Practitioner Role
- Think about important things to observe in the client and to use in the interview.
- Review the behaviors introduced in this chapter: using responses that reflect the client’s feelings, content, feelings and content; summarize; and explore meanings.
- Review the behaviors introduced in this chapter. (See evaluation form.).
- Prepare to record verbal and nonverbal responses of the practitioner and to keep track of the time.
Step 2: The Client Meeting
Client Role
- If the experience you plan to discuss happened more than a year ago, give the practitioner the necessary basic information, e.g., “This happened when I was a junior in high school.”
- Talk for a brief period pausing to give the practitioner a chance to respond during the telling of your story.
- Use the skills of reflecting the client’s feelings, content, feelings and content, meaning, or summarizing several things the client has said.
- Observe the client’s nonverbal communication.
- Watch the practitioner’s behavior and check each attending behavior consistently used by the practitioner and notice the client’s behavior.
- Keep track of the time and alert the practitioner and client when 9 minutes have passed so the practitioner has time to close the meeting.
- Check off the items for opening and closing the meeting.
- Write down each of the practitioner’s statements. Writing out each practitioner statement is very difficult but critical in order to accurately identify statements, to give solid feedback, and to effectively evaluate the practitioner’s work. You may abbreviate, use a form of shorthand, or just write the first group of words in the statement, or you can tape record the interview and transcribe or listen to the tape.
Step 3: Feedback
Client Role
- Share how you experienced the practitioner reflecting, summarizing, and exploring meanings.
- Evaluate your use of reflecting, summarizing, and exploring meanings
- Ask the practitioner to describe what s/he observed in the client and summarize what s/he heard the client say.
- Give the practitioner a check mark for each area that s/he was able to describe.
- Based on your notes, give feedback to the practitioner on the use of reflecting the client’s feelings, content, feelings and content, exploring meanings, and summarizing several things the client has said. Give the practitioner a check mark for each skill used.
- Give feedback on inappropriate responses. One point is deducted for each inappropriate response.
- Discuss with the practitioner the appropriate score for warmth and empathy.
- Record the feedback in the practitioner’s textbook for future reference.
- Identify any inappropriate response made by the practitioner. See list on the evaluation form.
Evaluation Form: Expressing Understanding
Name of Practitioner ______
Name of Peer Supervisor ______
Directions: Under each category (in italics) is a list of behaviors or skills. Give one check mark worth one point for each skill used by the practitioner.
Building Relationships
Attending
Give one point for each behavior used by the practitioner.
1.Open and accessible body posture
2.Congruent facial expression
3.Slightly inclined toward the client
4. Regular eye contact unless inappropriate
5. No distracting behavior
6. Minimal encouragement
Observing
Give one point for each item accurately described by the practitioner.
1.Facial expression
2.Eye movement and eye contact
3. Body position and movement
4. Breathing patterns
5. Muscle tone___
6. Gestures
7. Skin tone changes___
Active Listening Skills Content and Process
Using the listening scale in Appendix A, evaluate the accuracy and completeness of the practitioner’s ability to summarize what the client said and describe the client’s way of speaking including such things as speaking style, vocal tone and volume, and speed of delivery. On the following line write the score, from 1 to 5, for listening. _____
Beginning Skills
Give one point for each topic covered by the practitioner.
1.Introduce yourself and your role.
2. Seek introductions.
3. Identify where meeting will be held.
4. Identify how long meeting will last.
5. Describe the initial purpose of the meeting.
6. Explain some of the things you will do.
7. Outline the client’s role.___
8. Discuss ethical and agency policies.___
9. Seek feedback from the client.
Closing Skills (for a meeting)
Give one point for each skill used by the practitioner.
1.Practitioner identifies that the meeting is about to end.___
2.Practitioner provides a summary of the meeting. ___
3.Practitioner reviews any tasks that the client agreed to complete.___
4.Practitioner discusses plans for future meetings. ___
5.Practitioner invites client feedback about the work.___
6.Practitioner ask client about any final questions. ___
Skills that Express Understanding
Give one point for each skill used by the practitioner.
1. Reflecting feelings
2. Reflecting content
3.Reflecting feelings and content___
4. Summarizing
5.Exploring meanings___
Common mistakes or inappropriate responses (subtract 1 point for each)____
(Giving Advice, Reassuring, Offering Excuses, Dominating, Leading Questions, Labeling, Interrogating).
Core Interpersonal Quality
Using the scales, evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of the practitioner’s expressions of empathy, warmth, and respect. On the following lines write the scores, from 1 to 5, for warmth and empathy.
Score for warmth_____
Score for empathy_____
Empathy Evaluation Scales
Level 1: Once during the meeting the practitioner communicated an understanding
of the client’s experience and feelings with enough clarity that the client
indicated agreement.
Level 3:Three times during the meeting the practitioner communicated an understanding of the client’s experience with enough clarity that the client indicated agreement.
Level 5: Five times during the meeting the practitioner communicated an understanding of the client’s experience with enough clarity that the client indicated agreement.
Warmth Evaluation Scale
Level l:The practitioner communicated little or no concern for the client and appeared cold, detached, and/or mechanical.
Level 3:At least half the time, the practitioner communicated verbal and nonverbal expressions of concern and compassion that were appropriately suited to the unique needs of the client.
Level 5: The practitioner consistently communicated verbal and nonverbal expressions of concern and compassion that were appropriately suited to the unique needs of the client.