Arianne Broadnax

CNS 737- Ivers

Assignment 7.1- Self Assessment Paper
February 28, 2015
Reviewing my second self-video recording, was a great opportunity to assess helping
skills gained over the intro to counseling skills and techniques course. I was clearly able to
note areas of strength, growth as well as areas of improvement. My selected participant
made this assignment even more exciting, in that she is a dear friend who has recently
completed graduate school for Marriage and Family counseling, therefore having some
knowledge of these skills (micro skills) that are employed within the profession of
counseling. I was able to notice variance between our casual conversations as friends and
our interaction for this assignment. It was very helpful to practice these skills on an
individual outside our cohort as well and to hear her reflections of my skills afterwards. She
even initiated comments of things she learned from me and provided some pointers for me
professionally.
The assignment of reflecting back on the self-recording and being able to inspect my
transcription, was very helpful with pointing out strengths and weaknesses. First focusing on
strengths I was able to note positives such as use of my non-verbal skills. I noted my overall
presence was calm and inviting. I observed my posture as leaning forward and turned
toward Kandice which demonstrated interest and creating an atmosphere where she was
comfortable sharing. I also observed how I maintained eye contact with Kandice with only
occasional breaks as well as evidence of mirroring her body language and presentation
through initiating occasional smiles and laughter along with her. I remained highly attentive
to what she was sharing throughout the session and non-judgmental in approach as well. I
perceived that I was able to achieve rapport with Kandice however I noticed, it was more
challenging for me initially to gather information. I had to initiate use of my skills more,
such as open questions compared to my previous practice partner during the video
recordings over the course of this class. I noted the differences in personality between

Kandice and my last partner, whereas with Kandice she was open but I had to work for it
initially. I did not face the issue of worrying about interrupting or attempting to get a word in
to use my skills. This was very helpful for me and added to my learning. I was able to
recognize this in hindsight after watching the video multiple time. I also noted strengths in
the area of using open questions to open doors as Kandice was very concise in her
responses and brief at the beginning of the session resulting in more use of skills in order to
get her to share deeper regarding the core issues.
Summarizing throughout the session and at the ending was also an area of strength
for me. I felt that I did a nice job utilizing this skill although I need to be more concise with
my wording, Kandice commented me afterwards on my ability to remember and highlight
important points without writing anything down. I perceived that I summarized attempting to
capture focal points, themes as well as signaling Kandice to segue into other areas
surrounding the topic. Although I have not totally nailed this skill, I do perceive it to be an
area of strength for me in being able to recall all the multiple areas her fears of failure were
manifesting.
Moving forward from assessing strengths, through this experience, I also noted areas
that I have grown in several areas. I recognized increased comfort with use of silence and
my timing in using this. I was pleased to see that I was able to utilize silence in the moment
after labeling Kandices stuck feeling, which I think was a pivotal moment in the session.
After several playbacks of this moment within the session, I was able to see how powerful
use of this skill really is. Another area of growth was notable in my use of open questions. I
was more strategic during this mock session in what I asked. I was better able to ask
questions that flowed with the context of what Kandice was sharing that also kept within the
theme or topic of discussion. I was better at framing my questions about deeper issues or
continuing to allow Kandice to reflect deeper on those multiple areas that she was sensing a
lack of motivation in. I felt that through those questions I was able to tie all of the
information together and better summarize which I mentioned previously as a strength.

Increased comfort in my ability to reflect feelings for Kandice using key words such as
stuck, paralyzed, to fully capture the her feeling. I noted growth from this in my ability to
convey empathy. This is an area, I am challenging myself in to be better able to empathize
with clients using words that metaphorically speak to them in order to understand their true
feelings. Last but not least, I also noted growth in attempts to employ multiple skills
interchangeably such as combining door openers in open ended questions, or reflecting
feelings in the midst of paraphrasing. This allows me to perceive that I am getting more
comfortable with using the skills over time and with ongoing practice, I believe that it will
only improve.
Further evaluation of my self-recording video also allowed recognition of ongoing
areas that I need to work on. I was able to make note of how it will be imperative for me to
become more succinct in my responses. My attempts to reflect the content, feelings and
summarize the information, and my ability to convey it all in a concise manner, was difficult
which was reflected in my responses. Another area I noticed was the limited range of
openings that I used to initiate questions. Often, I began my responses as, tell me more
about, versus using different openings for those questions or door openers. One reflection I
noted that would be important working with clients in the future is learning to utilize skills
independently and allowing for time to pass before employing another technique may also
be helpful giving clients more processing time.
Another area that I pondered in reviewing the video self-recording was the possibility
of overusing questions during the session. Young (2013) cautions the overuse of questions,
mentioning allowing nonverbal skills and other encouragers to be the workhorses of your
helping conversation, (p.95). Young (2013) also reflects on the potential abuse of questions
in his remarks that, we learn most by patiently living with our questions until the answers
come of themselves, (p.92). Although I perceived that due to the nature of the questions
that I asked didnt take away from or sidetrack from Kandices emerging story, they could

have been more infrequent. Research states that decreased questioning emerges with
increased experience (Ornston, Cichetti, Levine, & Freeman, 1968, p. 240-244).
My anticipation of being able to employ these skills in a more consistent manner with
approaching practicum/internship opportunities is immense. I have pondered plans for
retention and ways that I could improve my skills. I plan to take full advantage of the
opportunities that are forthcoming. I have considered several options such as creating a
cliff notes using some of the figures in the book to prompt me to employ the use of the
skills i.e. figure 7.3. Having these handy during sessions would prove beneficial ensuring my
use of these skills in session keeping them fresh in my mind in the midst of a session.
Continued reviews of the material in the text from time to time when I question the use of a
skill or need clarification would also prove fruitful. I also would like to utilize the opportunity
for clinical supervision for further evaluation of my skills, taping sessions and asking
feedback from my site supervisors and peers in peer supervision. I was able to truly note
the benefit in audiotaping the session although used as a backup, I was able to hear the
session and analyze without video to truly evaluate my responses before having to decipher
the visuals accessible in the video. Considering this, I plan to continue to use audio
recordings in sessions in the future to help in skill retention and evaluation.
Overall the experiences gained during this course were tremendously valuable, in
that I have been able to recognize my growth through this course from the beginning to end.
I will admit transparently, that I initially felt uncertain in how these skills would be used
considering my desire to work with really young children considering approaches with young
children are different and do not involve as much verbal interaction. I definitely sense how
this will benefit me in working with adolescents, and family members of the clients I plan to
serve seeking counseling. I am eager to learn more and build on my skills and through this
course have not totally ruled out working with adults. I now feel more empowered with tools
that I can use to engage and sustain a therapeutic relationship with any client that I will
have the pleasure to serve!

References
Ornston, P. S., Cichetti, D. V., Levine, J., & Freeman, L.B. (1968). Some parameters of verbal
behavior
that reliably differentiate novice from experienced therapist. Journal of Abnormal
Psychology, 73, 240-244.
Young, M.E. (2013). Learning the art of helping: Building blocks and techniques (5th ed).
Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson. 978-0132627504. p.92 & 95.