PSYC 410 DB3

Chapter 3 discusses cultural considerations when developing a therapeutic relationship. You have the option to complete Homework 1 or Homework 2 at the end of the chapter.

Homework 1: Place yourself in a position where you are the minority by attending an event where your ethnic background is not highly presented. Maybe go to a church, play, cultural event. Write a brief reaction to the experience. (no less than 5 sentences)

Homework 2: Spend 30 minutes with someone you consider quite different from you. After your discussion, consider what it would be like to work with this person as a client. Would you be able to create an egalitarian relationship? What do you think would be challenging to accept about them? What do you think they would find difficult accepting about you? (no less than 5 sentences)

Learning the Art of Helping, 6th Edition
Mark E. Young

Chapter 3
Invitational Skills

By: Tracy
Hutchinson

Chapter Outline

� Nonverbal Communication

� Nonverbal Skills in the Helping Relationship

� Opening Skills: How to Invite

Active Listening
The need to communicate and be understood

is central to the helping relationship

Attend and encourage
without intruding on the client’s telling of the story

Fight the impulse to run in and fix…

Put your concerns, questions, theories on the back burner
and let the client tell the tale…

Nonverbal Communication
~ Body Language ~

Sends messages, regulates the interaction, enhances intimacy, is persuasive

Eye contact
Body position

Attentive Silence
Voice tone

Facial expressions and gestures
Physical distance

Touching and warmth

Two Categories

1) Nonverbal Skills

– skills that invite the client to talk

2) Opening Skills

-skills that encourage the client to share at a deeper level

-assures the client that you are following their story

Nonverbals

80% of communication is nonverbal

38% of emotions conveyed by the voice

55% of emotions conveyed by the face

Only 7% of emotions conveyed verbally

Nonverbals

More significant with strong emotion

Helpers use nonverbals to communicate, listen, attend,
encourage openness, safety

Monitor client’s nonverbals for incongruence

The Whys & How’s of Nonverbals

• Eye contact:
– Confidence and involvement
– Add potency to verbal communication
– Cultural differences and mirroring the client

• Body Position
– Relaxed alertness puts client at ease
– Lean slightly forward (attentiveness)
– Open posture (uncrossed arms, legs)

The Whys & How’s of Nonverbals

• Attentive Silence
– Allow client time for reflection
– Provides the helper time to process
– Encourages disclosure and opening up
– Encourages “staying with” deep emotions

• Voice Tone
– Emotional clues
– Clients respond to voice tone
– Helpers mirror client and for emphasis

The Whys & How’s of Nonverbals

• Facial expressions and Gestures
– Primary emotions: the same expressions across cultures

• Incongruence between expression and words?
– Nod, facial expressions of concern, encourage with hand

movements

• Physical Distance
– Cultural variations
– Five feet (e.g., knee-to-knee sitting) is optimal

The Whys & How’s of Nonverbals
• Touching and Warmth

– Communicate caring and concern

– Positively impacts the relationship; increases ability to

influence

– Ethical concerns: cultural taboos, sexual/transference

reactions

– First, know the client well

The Whys & How’s of Nonverbals

Guidelines for use of touch

§ Appropriate to the situation
§ Match intimacy level with what client can handle
§ Do not use with negative messages

What are your thoughts about touching a client?

Opening Skills

“Tell me more.”

Soft commands:

Encouragers and Questions

Encouragers
• Door Openers

– Non-coercive invitation to talk
– Signals availability
– Encourages exploration and discussion
– Positive nonjudgmental response
– Encourage client to expand, begin conversations, time for helper to

formulate response

– Examples:

“Can you tell me more?”
“What’s on your mind?”
“What would you like to talk about?”

Encouragers

• Minimal Encouragers

– Conveys attention and understanding
– Does not deter client from line of thought
– Often accompanied by a nod

– “I see.”
– “Right.”
– “I hear you.”

– Says: “I am present”
– Avoid frequent use

Questions

• Easily abused, distracting, can sidetrack the flow

• May appear as interrogation or evaluation

• Beginners tend to ask too many and the wrong kind

• Use to ask about facts when
– An important part of story is unclear
– To encourage further discussion

Why Questions

• Avoid “why” questions
– Often times people can’t answer the question why,

which ends in the response , “I don’t know”

– May lead to intellectualizations or rationalizations

– May lead to defensiveness

• Instead use attentive silence and encouragers

Leading Questions

• Avoid leading questions

– Subtle way of giving a client advice

– Push the helper’s agenda

– Tend to stop communication

Types of Questions

Closed Questions
(e.g., yes, no, short factual answers)

May dampen conversation
Generally lead to a short factual response

or encourage dependency in the relationship

Open Questions
Encourages the client to continue talking without asking for

specific information
Perceived as more helpful, less coercive,

elicits more information, enhances relationship, allows client
to refuse to answer

Open or Closed

• Do you have any health problems?

• Can you tell me a little about your physical health?

• Are you married?

• Can you tell me about the relationships you’ve had in the last 5 years?

• Do you have a job?

• Can you tell me about your work history in the last year?

Quick Tips: Invitational Skills

• Assume a facilitative position – and relax.

• “The ball is in the client’s court”: Invite the client to share

• Listen, minimal encouragers, nodding

• Silence can be helpful

• Use door openers – limit questions

• Use closed questions sparingly: Open questions tell you more
than closed

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