IngentaConnect The client as expert: Researching hindering experiences in counse...

Authors: Henkelman, Julie¹; Paulson, Barbara¹

Source: Counselling Psychology Quarterly, Volume 19, Number 2, June 2006 , pp. 139-150(12)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract:

This paper identifies the importance of valuing clients' experiences when seeking to understand hindering experiences in counselling. Since the research literature reports that client perceptions of counselling are better predictors of outcome than counsellor ratings, client viewpoints are critical to furthering understanding of hindering experiences. Clients are generally reluctant to share negative experiences and a discussion regarding the difficulty in soliciting these experiences is presented. Examples of the process of conducting a client-oriented investigation into hindering experiences convey some of these difficulties. Several implications for counselling practice are addressed: (1) the need for counsellors to notice and repair hindering experiences, (2) the value of attending to the quality of the relationship, (3) the need for counsellors to cultivate flexibility and responsiveness, and (4) the use of methods to encourage clients to share their unspoken experiences.

Keywords: Client as expert; hindering experiences; counselling

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/09515070600788303

Affiliations: 1: Department of Educational Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

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The client as expert: Researching hindering experiences in counselling