Microskills

Microskills

Microskills represent techniques used within counselling or a conversation which serve to aid or support the process of change in that individual.

Reframing

Reframing is altering ones perspective about their experience. It aims to expand the view of a situation so more positive ideas around it are brought into place. If someone states that they are depressed, reframing provides emphasis towards the value to be happy. Instead of delving into the negative attribute someone identifies with, reframing acts to promote additional or alternative values which can shed a different light on the client’s circumstances. With a realisation towards hopes of happiness, happiness can be measured and achieved, whilst if one only has identified depression, it can be worked to be reduced but no obtainable goal towards a positive resolve will be recognised, therefore only decreasing depression rather than achieving happiness.

Identifying Incongruencies

Identifying incongruencies is to recognize aspects of the conversation which are not entirely matching up. If someone states they’re happy but their body language says they’re sad, or if a story told describes thoughts or events that do not entirely correlate with each other, then it is okay to thoughtfully bring these things into perspective for the other individual. An individual may state something like, “I can’t do anything right.” Identifying incongruencies would be to reflect on a prior conversation where the individual did acknowledge doing the right thing. This helps prevent the stigma around their current negative belief, as their own past doing provides evidence that the statement they are making is not entirely true and right can be done. This method of pointing out incongruencies should be done relative to the relationship you hold with the client or person and remember to always offer this input thoughtfully, not to confront, or you may risk upsetting the person whom you are attempting to help.

Self-Disclosure

Self-disclosure is to inform the client about something you have experienced and what you took away from that experience. Usually based on the premise of giving perspective from your own point of view and using descriptions you, yourself found useful. Self-disclosure is a microskill that should be used quite rarely. Given it is based on something you as an individual have experienced, discussing it with a client may take emphasis away from the client and their situation. It is also based on personal experience and due to that can have bias in how it has been perceived. Make sure when using self-disclosure maintain a professional relationship and only used when absolutely relevant to the conversation you are having and as a means of helping, not sharing a story for the sake of it.

Exploring Options

Exploring options is to invite the client to think about possibilities the client has going forward. Identify the problem then support the client to navigate options which move beyond the pre-emptive conclusion. Discussing a problem with a client is to expand on the situation they are facing through conversation. Once the problem has been discussed thoroughly, the new understanding of it opens thoughts for change. This is where the conversation will lead to next. When exploring options remember it is exploring, not demanding that this is the action we take. Use prior conversation to navigate towards values the client holds. Sometimes while discussing the issue the client is facing, the client themselves will briefly mention a what they would prefer out of the situation, target these points, work with the client in finding solutions towards achieving the outcome they wish to achieve. It is providing possible resolutions then allowing the client to put thought to those possibilities and decide themselves whether to discuss that resolution further or move onto the next.

Normalising

Normalising involves examining a fault or problem a client may be having then evaluating it to be a normal thing that occurs to many different people. Normalising allows a client to feel less inclined into believing something is wrong within themselves, as emphasis is placed towards the problem being something which has been experienced and dealt with by others. When anxiety is seen as a normal part of our human psyche that has been confronted by many people and in a variety of different ways it is a lot less confronting then hearing that the anxiety we have is because we are wired differently and not like anybody else. One perspective see that anxiety is a curable problem that has occurred many times before whilst the other perspective states that the individual has the problem and doesn’t provide any high hopes for success, placing blame on the individual, engraining that person in that self-belief.

Externalising

Externalising invites the clients to be in relationship with the problem, placing whatever they are experiencing as an external problem to oneself. Many people identify with their problems, stating, “I just can’t focus on my assignments for more than 10 minutes,” or, “I have anxiety.” This identification with the problems they are facing only works to reinforce it. It becomes part of their beliefs and concept of self rather than something they are facing and can overcome. Externalising focuses on looking at problems as outside of oneself, the problems are the problems and people are not problems. When anxiety or procrastination are placed on a couch beside us rather than within, it reduces the power a problem holds. It is unravelling a concept which can be viewed rather than one hidden and internal.

Orientating Questions

Orientating questions are the initial enquiry around the problems the client is facing and why they have come to seek help. These questions set the foundation for discussion and understanding of the topic the client is here to face. Questions such as, “what brings you here today?” or, “can you tell me what you are most worried about?” Act as an initial assessment to get an idea of what is happening. Orientating questions are mostly used at the beginning of conversation to get an overall representation of the client and the issue they are facing. Broad range of questions targeting the event, issue and underlying thoughts of the client so a clear understanding can be formed is the purpose of these questions.

Influencing Questions

Influencing questions are questions used to invite change in client’s perception and understanding of their situation. Influencing questions help to bring about the values and goals of the client. Questions like, “what would you like to achieve?” or, “how could we push past this problem?” are the dynamic of influencing questions. The goal is to influence the client towards positive change through questions which allow them to guide their own change. Clients know themselves best, this technique is designed to bring out the knowledge they hold close and dear to themselves, and the aspiration they wish to live up to.