Session
6:
Using
Basic Counseling Skills in Rec. Therapy
Presented
by: Danny Pettry, M.Ed., LPC,NCC, CTRS
Friday,
October 28, 2015, at 2:30 p.m.
Danny
Pettry’s
Mental
Health Workshop for Recreational Therapists
at
River Park Hospital, in Huntington, WV
I could talk about this subject for a long time. I
have graduate degrees in Recreational Therapy and Counseling, from Indiana
University and Lindsey Wilson College, respectively. I have the Certified
Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) credential for Recreational Therapists
as well as (National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential. I work as a
therapist/ practitioner for three residential treatment programs designed for
children and adolescents. I’m currently working to complete training and
certification in providing trauma-focused CBT.
Goals of this session included:
·
Identify at least three concepts for
building a therapeutic relationship with patient/client
·
Identify at least three counseling
skills that Recreation Therapists can use in different phases of the Rec.
Therapy process including assessments, treatment planning, implementing the
intervention and for evaluations.
·
Identify at least three counseling
skills a Recreation Therapist can use in group settings.
Compassion fatigue/ burnout can happen to RTs
RTs need to do some self-care in order to be the
best RT they can be.
The Counseling for Dummies book suggested many
self-care activities that are “recreational” in nature.
Some of the tips included:
•
Social support/ positive contact with
families
•
Activities: walking, swimming sports,
gym, dancing, gardening
•
Sedentary activities: reading, watching
a movie, journaling, drawing, painting.
•
Spiritual activities
OF course, a healthy functioning individual can do
those activities.
A person in treatment (example in acute-care
psychiatric setting) is not at a point where they can independently choose
those activities. They need assistance from professionals.
Let’s get started:
What is Rec. Therapy? ATRA definition:
–
Recreational Therapy,
also known as Therapeutic Recreation, is a systematic process that utilizes
recreation and other activity-based interventions to address the assessed needs
of individuals with illness and/ or disabling conditions, as a means to psychological
and physical health, recovery, and well-being (2015).
Basic counseling skills
can be used in all four parts of the TR/RT process: assessment, planning,
implementation of the intervention, and evaluation.
What is counseling? ACA definition:
•
ACA Definition:
–
Counseling
is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and
groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals
(2010).
Note: both Rec Therapy and Counseling are
strength-based and wellness based human service professions. Skills in this
session will focus on that “professional relationship”
•
This session won’t train an individual
to become a counselor. That requires additional education, training, clinical
supervision, and a license.
•
This session will take some of the
counseling skills that can be used by other professionals, like Rec. Therapy or
direct care, or teaching.
Listening is an important skill. I suggested Dr.
David Austin’s video: Effective listening video:
Some character traits for listening:
•
Empathy: be in their shoes/ feel their
pain
•
Respect: value that individual
•
Integrity: honest/ doing right thing
•
Resilience: bounce back ability
•
Humility: we all have problems
•
Courage: break confidentiality for child
safety.
•
Assertiveness: speak plain and
direct
Factors Why Therapy Works:
•
Michael Lambert’s research:
–
40%: factors outside of therapy: family,
life situations, circumstances, biology,
–
30%: the helping relationship:
caring, warmth, empathy, acceptance, mutual affirmation and encouragement
–
15%: the actual technique we use in
therapy.
–
15%: placebo – just works.
How
to build a helping therapeutic relationship? Carl Rogers:
Carl Rogers was a
required reading for the Rec. Therapy graduate degree program.
His theory was also
studied in graduate school for counselors.
Rogers discusses that
concepts for building that helping/ healing/ professional relationship in his
humanistic/ person-centered therapy approach.
Three concepts:
•
Realness:
congruent and not hiding behind a professional mask.
•
Unconditional positive regard:
accepting, prizing, unbiased, listening. Even when they mess up.
•
Empathetic:
appreciates their perspective.
A side note on: empathy. Yawn effect. Sorry about
your yawn, but congratulations too!
Skills
Needed for Groups
–
Active Listening
–
Reflection
–
Clarification
–
Questioning
–
Summarizing
–
Encouraging
–
Supporting
–
Lecture/ Info. Giving (keep that brief)
–
Tone setting
–
Use of eyes
–
Use of voice
–
Use of leader’s energy
–
Self-disclosure (use this one rarely and
when it can benefit client)
–
Multicultural
–
Linking
Skills for Assessment:
•
Attending to the patient/ client
•
Listening: active/ fully/ non-distracted
•
Focusing: on the patient/ client
•
Observing: what do you see? Does what
they share match/ is congruent with body language?
Skills for Planning:
•
Goal-setting is a skill to have.
•
Work with the patient/ client so they
can be self-directed in their treatment goals.
Skills for Implementing the Intervention:
This is the “activities” part.
RTs can use several skills here:
Information giving: in
example: the benefits
Modeling skills:
showing/ demonstrating
Confronting behaviors:
hitting
Decision-making skills:
what is the best choice? Maturity of judgment
Challenging skills
Skills
for Evaluation:
•
Questioning: what did you gain from Rec.
Therapy sessions/ treatments?
–
Did you meet your goals?
•
Summarizing: the goals, the treatment,
the outcomes
• SuppoRTing: providing emotional support
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