Communication Paper for Clinical Counseling
Introduction
Communication is a crucial aspect of life and is significant both at a personal and professional level. The world is diverse and comprises people with varying ideologies, ethnicities, races, religions, and cultural beliefs. Therefore, for everybody to coexist in this diverse society, there ought to be a unifying aspect, which I believe is communication. Effective communication aids in bridging the gaps that exist within the world communities. The ability to communicate effectively has been the platform for all the relationships I have fostered throughout my lifetime. Healthcare professional success and, in particular, clinical counseling largely depends on effective communication between the patient and the counselor. Failure to communicate effectively would result in a loss of the objective. Communication is referred to as the process via which message or information is transmitted from one individual (sender) to another (receiver) through a medium. Effective communication entails the incorporation of both verbal and non-verbal skills. These skills include listening, body language, flexibility, assertiveness, and expressing oneself effectively. Therefore, to enhance one’s communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal cues must be polished.
Effective Communication Features
Listening
Listening can be described as the sender’s ability to receive and interpret the receiver’s message accurately. Listening is often confused with hearing; although, the two have a significant difference. Listening entails paying attention to the message passed and how it is passed. Therefore, listening involves observing both verbal cues like tonal variation and non-verbal cues like body posture and gestures used (McKay et al., 2009). Therefore, listening is an active process, unlike passive hearing. Listening is crucial in effective communication since its absence would result in misunderstanding and communication breakdown. In the long run, the receiver ends up frustrated. Good listening is equally essential in the business and professional setting since it guarantees customer satisfaction and increased productivity (Barclay, 2012). Many successful businesses and leaders peg their success to effective listening skills, as is the case for Virgin as disclosed by Richard Branson in most of his quotes. Overall, a clinical counselor must embody good listening skills.
Growing up, my parents taught a culture that the audience must stop whatever they are doing and carefully listen whenever someone is communicating. This culture has significantly impacted my listening skills. I am always very cautious to observe an individual’s body language and verbal cues to understand their perception of the issues discussed. Clinical counseling will present me with a diverse patient population that will require that I exhibit at most due diligence, and listening is paramount. If I miss the client’s point of view, it will translate to misdiagnosis, which might end up ruining the patient’s life. However, my listening skills are top-notch, so I am fit for the field.
Self-disclosure
Self-disclosure is a scenario whereby a counselor shares some personal information about themselves to their patients (McKay et al., 2009). The key reason for doing so is often to help the client not to feel alone or weird. Many counselors have employed this strategy to help them build trust with their clients, which, in the long run, boosts the clients’ confidence and ability to communicate freely. Self-disclosure is, however, complex as it can be damaging if improperly executed. An example of improper application of the approach would be the therapist sharing their life hardships that are entirely unrelated to the topic under discussion. Overall, self-disclosure aids in improving communication between the client and the counselor.
Growing up, my mother would always convict us in sharing our secrets with her, particularly in instances where we made mistakes. She always employed the self-disclosure method, which made it easier for my siblings and me to open up and share our worries. This method helped her understand the challenges we faced, and in return, she could give the most useful advice. As a clinical counselor-client, I am likely to meet a series of challenges that most are unwilling to share since we are strangers. However, by employing the art of self-disclosure, I am better placed to ease the gap and make them open up to help me in selecting the best, most workable solution to their problems.
Message Expression
Effective communication also calls for an accurate expression of the message to send the intended information rather than a distorted one. For an individual to understand the message sent and give the relevant feedback, it is crucial that the messenger first acknowledges their needs, thoughts, feelings, and observations before sending the message. When there arises a mix up in the four aspects, the message is likely to be misunderstood, and communication breakdown occurs. This, therefore, means that for communication to be effective, both the sender and the receiver must express themselves effectively by issuing direct, immediate, clear, supportive, straight messages (McKay et al., 2009). By so doing, the communication process would be smooth.
Expressing myself is a trait that I have developed over time through my school time. In school, we take part in several group discussions and group works, which are often compulsory. Through these initiatives and participation in class, I have improved my expression skills. As a professional, I am pegged to ensure my clients comprehend the message I share. Therefore, this skill is vital in my profession as the clients I will encounter most have no medical background, so for effective communication to occur, I must be straight, clear, and direct.
Body Language
Body language is a non-verbal cue that is also very crucial in communication. It is the unspoken feature of communication that aids an individual to learn the other party’s true feelings and emotions. Examples of body language are gestures, posture, and facial expressions (McKay et al., 2009). One might assume that body language is the least important in the communication process. On the contrary, body language is critical in the communication process. Through reading one’s body language, their reactions to the sent messages can be detected.
Body language is essential to a counselor as they can use it to change their body language to a more positive one and get their patients’ reactions. As explained earlier, clients are often unwilling to open up; therefore, the counselor can adjust their execution-style to meet the patient’s needs through reading their body language. This is an area that I am not well equipped; however, I have been engaging in role plays with my group members, and by the end of the session, I will have improved.
Paralanguage and Meta messages
Paralanguage is the verbal cues such as pitch, tempo, articulation, rhythm, volume, and resonance. Metamessages, on the other hand, are the messages sent by the varying paralanguage cues in use. These two aspects are equally important in the communication process as they help the receiver understand the sender’s feelings. Effective communication requires that when one is communicating, their voice depicts what they intend to say. Hence, the voice and words used must be congruent to prevent miscommunication and distortion of the intended message (McKay et al., 2009). To ensure that the latter statement is achieved, there should be volume modulation, tempo articulation, and body-vocal stretch. In clinical counseling, paralanguage and metamessages are also crucial in achieving effective communication. When a counselor communicates with their clients, they must adhere to these guidelines to ensure the intended message is passed and not vice versa.
Assertiveness
Clinical counseling, just like any other profession, is often faced with conflicts. Conflict will often arise in instances where the patient and client have varying ideologies on particular matters. These conflicts will often arise during the communication process. Therefore, the counselor must be equipped with relevant conflict resolution skills to prevent communication breakdown. Effective communication, therefore, calls for assertiveness. The latter is a trait that requires that an individual should always stand for what they believe and feel is right, but in the process must ensure that they do not violate the rights of others (McKay et al., 2009). It should be noted that it should be done with caution to prevent the clients from feeling inferior and shying off the communication whenever practicing assertiveness.
Clinical counseling is a profession that requires more assertiveness than aggression or passiveness. The ultimate goal of the profession is to achieve a win/win situation. As the eldest child in my home, all my siblings look up to me whenever they fight or disagree on issues. Solving conflicts has been a practice I have engaged in for a long and, in the process, enhanced my assertiveness.
Negotiation and Conflict Management
Negotiation is a discussion that helps individuals or groups arrive at a fair agreement for all parties. On the other hand, conflict management is the process employed to identify the negative aspects of conflict and to work towards lowering them and replacing them with more positive ones (Chase & Shamo, 2013). Clinical counseling entails a negotiation between the counselor and the clients to help the two reach an amicable solution towards the problem at hand. The reason why negotiations happen is that there was a conflict that occurred. Whenever a conflict happens, for instance, on what for of therapy to employ, negotiations help the parties find a fair to all.
As explained earlier in the paper, I have engaged in a series of conflict resolution among my siblings. Most of these altercations involved the use of negotiation to reach an amicable solution. The primary reason for engaging in negotiations is to ensure that all the parties to the argument leave happy. Besides, through negotiations and conflict, solving the communication process is improved as the environment is conducive. For a client to cooperate with the counseling, they must be engaged in the communication process through negotiation to ensure the best outcomes are realized.
Prejudgement
Often, when we contact people or things for the first time, we already create perceptions about them based on our judgment; prejudgement (McKay et al., 2009). This often happens and cannot be prevented. The judgement made is crucial as it helps people to know how to handle different people and situations. However, prejudgements are often misleading and wrong. The aftermath of the wrong prejudgment is the distortion of the message passed and the communication breakdown. Prejudgment is highly likely to occur in the clinical counseling setting since the client and the counselor is strangers. The perception either party has on the other will influence the communication process’s outcome, depending on whether it is positive or negative.
One of my mottos is never to judge people before a personal encounter. I had a classmate who never participated in class or group work. She was always quiet, so my classmates and I concluded her silence was because she was not bright. She shocked us all when we did our first exams, and she emerged top in class. First impressions can be deceiving, and people should take caution to avoid being misled. This is applicable in the clinical counseling profession where the clients are diverse and with varying needs.
Digital Communication
This platform employs the electronic transmission of encoded digitally through electronic devices like computers and phones. Examples of digital communication are emails, cell phones, text messaging, and video conferencing. These platforms are the modern ways used by people to relay information. The healthcare industry has been at the forefront of embracing technological changes in its systems to achieve quality care for all. Through digital communication, patient follow-ups can be done from their homes; hence, reducing the number of hospital visits and infection rates (Finn & Bria, 2009). Effective communication via the digital platform requires that both parties be aware and knowledgeable about the platform in use.
Technology is inevitable in modern society. I am not a technology genius, but I am well informed and aware of the primary digital platforms in use today. As a counselor, I must formulate strategies like the use of digital platforms to serve my clients. Today the world has been held hostage by the COVID-19 pandemic, and thanks to the digital platform, people can still receive services. Although the digital platform does not distort the communication process, the platform used must be favorable for both parties.
Conclusion
Effective communication is paramount in every aspect of life. Succeeding in life and professionally requires that people employ practical communication skills. Top businesses, leaders, and entrepreneurs in the world today peg their success to effective communication. Professional skills are significant. However, exemplary communication skills crown it all. Effective communications call for a combination of both verbal and non-verbal cues. Effective communication skills are equally important in the healthcare industry. Patients are diverse with varying needs that can only be understood and diagnosed adequately through effective listening. Overall, a clinical counselor’s success is primarily dependent on their ability to communicate with their patients effectively.
References
Barclay, L. A. (2012). Learning to listen/listening to learn: Teaching listening skills to students
with visual impairments. New York: AFB Press.
Chase, R. S., & Shamo, W. (2013). Elements of effective communication. Washington, Utah:
Plain and Precious Publishing.
Finn, N. B., & Bria, W. F. (2009). Digital communication in medical practice. London: Springer.
McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages: The communication skills book. New
Harbinger Publications, Inc.