Читать книгу Counseling the Contemporary Woman - Suzanne Degges-White - Страница 90

Emerging and young adulthood can present women with challenging transitions that may shift their inner selves and external relationships. Women in this developmental stage are fully mature, independent, and at the peak of their physical development. However, they often seek counseling to help them better manage the transitions that occur during this potent period. Here are some suggestions for best meeting the needs of these clients:

1 Be familiar with the characteristics of a client’s developmental stage; be cognizant of the typical progression of physical, cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial development.

2 Allow space for variation and uniqueness in every developmental theory. Theory is there to guide, not to prescribe. Some clients won’t easily fit into the proposed stages or challenges but might present with unique “out-of-synch” struggles. It is necessary to be attentive to the client’s presentation and their perceptions of the dilemma they are facing.

3 Be familiar with relational-cultural theory. Its tenets and practices are closely aligned with women’s experiences and closely relate to women’s ways of life, in which relationship and connection are key issues.

4 Listen carefully to your client’s descriptions of her presenting problems and concerns. Encourage her to share her story in the way that she is experiencing it. Validate her feelings and her experiences.

5 Through active listening, paraphrasing, validating, and holding a nonjudgmental attitude, focus on building, promoting, and maintaining a safe space in which a client can feel comfortable expressing difficult experiences and feelings.

6 Explore further about her experiences, perceptions, thoughts, and feelings. Listen with a tentative ear, and paraphrase content and feelings to ensure you fully understand where she is coming from.

7 Pay attention to her personality and way of thinking. Not every woman prefers an emotionally focused approach to counseling. Strike a balance between a cognitive focus and a focus on feelings, as appropriate or necessary.

8 If you are a woman, do not assume that your client’s experiences or needs are the same as yours; if you are a man, do not assume that you are not prepared to meet the counseling needs of women.

9 Avoid jumping into conclusion and or interpretations. Ask for possible explanations and possible solutions first before you share your own. Through this approach, your client might feel more empowered as she is finding her own ways to handle challenges she is facing.

10 Always consider the multiple layers of identity of each client, such as gender, culture, ethnicity, race, education, religion, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. Acknowledge the complexity and uniqueness of intersectionality with your client.

11 Help your client establish or maintain connections to social outlets, supports, and resources; social support is consistently related to mental and physical well-being.

12 Use role-play in sessions to help your client develop confidence in her ability to hold difficult conversations or to express parts of herself that she tends to suppress.

13 Use creative counseling interventions that allow your client to explore parts of herself that she may seldom have the time and space to uncover.

14 Provide her with tools and resources to fall back on in case of a need.