ACTIVE LISTENING

Active listening from the therapist is crucial within any mode of therapy. Just think about any interactions you’ve had with someone. We judge how much we can trust someone, how close we feel & whether we want to open up to a person based on our interactions with them.

A big component of that will be the power of listening. There is nothing better than sitting down with friends, family or a stranger & feeling heard & understood on a deeper level. Being able to express how you honestly feel without someone interrupting or judging you…It’s freeing.

Therapists know this through their training & numerous studies that highlight the importance of listening. Our ultimate aim is for you (the client) to express the deeper thoughts & feelings so we can help…But that can be scary for you, as it puts you in a vulnerable position.

This is why as therapist; we need to employ active listening skills to help communicate to you that we are a safe base that can be trusted.

1 – We need to BE PRESENT & fully engaged with the client by giving all our attention & interest in them.

2 – NON-VERBAL cues are important such as eye contact, open body language & soft facial expressions to help convey you are attentive to their needs in a NON-JUDGEMENTAL way.

3 – We need to be comfortable with SILENCES to give the client space to think/talk. We need to avoid INTERRUPTIONS to show they are in control & can take the conversation where it needs to go.

4 – Keeping QUESTIONS OPEN allows the client to express their feelings without any suggestive assumptions on the therapist’s part. E.g. “how did that situation make you feel?” Rather than “Did that situation make you upset?”.

5 – The use of PARAPHASING & SUMMARISING can help to show to the client you have been listening & retaining the information, whilst checking we have understood the statement correctly from the client’s perspective.

6 – The therapist should ACKNOWLEDGE the FEELINGS you express to help VALIDATE & give EMPATHY to the problem the client faces.