sarahgraysahe.weebly.com€¦ · Web viewMissouri State University. As a growing Student Affairs professional,

Final Self-Assessment 1

Running head: FINAL SELF-ASSESSMENT

COU 711 Final Self-Assessment

Sarah Gray

Missouri State University


As a growing Student Affairs professional, I realize that forming relationships with other

around me will be a very important aspect of my profession, but it was not until I took The

Helping Relationship course that I realize just how important and impactful these relationships

can be if I use the right skill and tool that I have gained over the past semester. This class has

helped me to take a step back and look at the important aspects of truly listening to others, as we

as many counseling skills that I was unaware of prior to this semester. I have found both the

lecture and lab aspects of The Helping Relationship to be extremely beneficial, but I believe that

most of my growth has taken place during the fifteen sessions that I have taken part in at the City

Center Lab. To assess my personal growth I will make a baseline assessment of my first

counseling session that took place January, 17th 2012, and a final assessment on a counseling

session that happened after my midterm evaluation. To get a deeper understanding of my overall

development, I will also perform a growth and skills assessment, triplet response assessment,

look at further development that needs to take place in the future, and well as make an overall

final self-assessment to create a holist view of my progression through The Helping Relationship

course.

Baseline Assessment

My baseline counseling session took place on January 17th, 2012. During the 7 minute

counseling session, 30 statements were made, 14 by the client and another 16 by me. During the

session my body language was less than desirable with my hands clinched together, due to the

nerves of being videotaped for the first time, and my legs were crossed. I walked into the room

being more concerned about what time I need to end the session than what mind set I needed to

be in to truly focus on the client. My opening statement was, “Okay…so what do you want to

talk about?” with a tone that sounded more like I was starting a conversation at a slumber party


than a counseling session. During the session I managed to flood the client with minimal

encouragers, including 21 “mhmmms”. I also found myself laughing during the session. I believe

that this was due to nerves and the fact that I was trying to emphasize with the client in the irony

of the situation, but after watching the session many times I now realize just how awkward and

inappropriate those moments of laughter were. I also felt the need to fill any moments of silence

with, “Wow…that’s a big deal.” Many of my statements were merely to keep up the

conversation and showed no sign of helping the client unpack or dive deeper into the issue.

At times I found myself asking the client questions about the situation, not with their best

interest in mind, but because I was curious of the answer. I asked four questions in all including,

“So do you think sending the letter will be a more positive way of talking about this?” During the

time, I did not pay much attention to this statement, but I now realize that this question was

pressuring the client into thinking about the implications of his actions, sparking new emotions

in which he might not have been ready for.

It was clear that I was following the client intently and trying to look like I was listening,

but now that I watch the tape I realize that there is a huge difference between looking like I’m

listening and actually listening to what the client is saying. With further examination on the tape,

it is obvious that the client was wondering around talking about many different issues that they

were dealing with at that point and time and I was trying with all my might to relate everything

he said back to the letter that my client sent to his father. It is obvious to me now that I missed

many valuable moments due to my tunnel vision of the importance of the letter that the client

initially started talking about.

Even though my first session was definitely not the best counseling session to ever take

place, there were a few positive moments during the seven minutes. I believe that from the


beginning of the session I had the right amount of eye contact (enough for the client to know that

I was following and interested, but not so much that they client felt uncomfortable). I also leaned

into the client a point, showing my interest in the clients story. On top of demonstrating a

welcoming environment with my body language, I also used different helping skills at points

throughout the session. At one point I used a reflection of content and feeling mixed with a

metaphor by saying, “So I can see in your face, telling me you mailed it seems like a big relief.

Almost like it’s a huge weight lifted off of your shoulders.” I believe I was also using the leading

edge at this point, because the client then lead into talking about how he did in fact feel relieved

and was afraid that such a feeling might be selfish. Other skills such as a statement of implied

feeling, a reflection of content were used during my baseline session as well.

I used a statement of implied feeling when the client was talking about how the issues

and concerns with his father were not based just off of one simple thing. I responded with, “It

sounds like it weighs a lot on your in different ways.” This helped the client open up the

discussion to the other aspects of this relationship with his father and family in general that were

weighing on him. Throughout the rest of the session, I made sure to use reflections of content to

show that I was successfully following the client and a few check-out statements to make sure

that I was understanding the client along each wind of the road.

After sitting down and thoroughly reviewing my first session, I realize that I had my

work cut out for me over the next 12 weeks! Even though it was a little painful watching my first

session, I believe that it will help me to truly appreciate just how much I have grown throughout

the semester and pin point the skills that I need to improve on. After my initial session, I believe

that I needed to focus on improving my use of minimal encouragers, knowing when NOT to

speak, focusing on actually listening to the client, and not asking questions merely out of


curiosity. It is might hope that when I watch my final session, I will see a vast improvement in

these skills and many more. If I have used my counseling lab experience correctly, I believe that

these experiences will not only help me be a better “counselor”, but also a better student affairs

professional.

Final Summary Assessment

The session that I chose to do my final assessment on was the last session that I took part

in. This session took place in the new City Center on April, 17th, 2012. During my last session,

my client was someone that I had never had the opportunity to work with before, but luckily had

a comfortable report with the client so no time was wasted with getting comfortable with one

another. From the second we sat down for the session, I could tell that the client was bursting

with joy and really wanted to talk. The session lasted about seventeen minutes and consisted of

126 statements. (When a client is so excited, it is easy to get 126 statements in, in seventeen

minutes). Of the 126 statements, 65 were made my the client and 61 by myself. Throughout the

session I used many empathetic response skills taught in the class and was even able to ask a few

meaningful questions that lead to a deeper conversation.

This session was a little different than the previous session that I had taken place in

because usually the client is very calm and slow the speak. This client was anything but calm and

had a lot to say. Luckily I am a fast talker myself, so I was able to keep up with the conversation,

but it was still very challenging. It was hard to keep up with the conversation, while trying to

make sense of everything that was being said. A few times when I would get lost, I would use a

check-in statement like, “Wait, they are from around here?” These helped me keep up with the

content of the session.


I believe that every session with every client is different, and it is very important to

realize that difference and let the session that on whatever form the client wants it to take on. I

realized in this session that the main need of my client was to just be able to tell someone her big

news of expecting a baby. Until this point, she had only been able to tell a few people and none

of them were really who she wanted to tell. I was proud of myself for being fully in the moment

and allowing myself to be a little more energetic and laid back with the client, because that was

the demeanor that she was expressing to me. After watching the tape several times I realized I

might have made too many statements, but I believe for the most part, my statements helped

show that I understood and was in the moment with her. My lack of vocabulary was show when I

said, “it was just not the moment” at least three separate times. Looking at the video now, I

realize that I could have used other words to express the same meaning, but I believe that I was

truly just trying to stay with the client.

Skills used during this session included reflection of content and feeling, a check

out statement, a reflection of implied meaning, metaphor, and immediacy questioning. I was also

extremely happy to see just how much I have improved on knowing when to use minimal

encouragers. Unlike the first session that was flooded with mhmm’s and okays, I was able to

show that I was following the client in a number of different ways. I was also very happy with

my body language and non verbal’s. I felt very comfortable during the session and didn’t feel

like anything was forced or awkward. I also wrapped the session up in a much easier manner. All

in all, I think that my final session was a great statement to just how much I have learned in the

class over the past semester.

Growth and Skills Assessment

From my initial counseling session to now, I believe that I have grown and improved in

my helping skills in many ways. These improvements can be observed in the following ways:


1) A decrease in the need to talk during long pauses.2) A decrease in the number of minimal encouragers.3) An increase in the amount of helping skills I used in each session.4) An increase in overall listening and attentive skills. 5) An increase in the number of reflective statements.6) A decrease in questions asked out of pure curiosity.7) An increase in questions asked to deepen the session.8) A decrease in the wasted wordiness, frequency, and length of my responses.9) An increase in being on the leading edge with my client.10) A decrease of using flattening statements.11) An decrease in awkward summaries and wrap-ups to sessions.

This list is proof of my improvements over the past fifteen sessions. I believe that many

of these improvements were due to the knowledge that I gained during the lecture component of

this course, and the way in which I applied that knowledge. After watching the progression of

my sessions, it is obvious that throughout my 15 sessions I stopped becoming so aware of the

video and started being in the moment. This is a skill that we talked about many times during our

lecture. I believe that this is a skill that can only be improved upon with experience and I am

very thankful for the opportunity to have the lab time to explore such skills.

In general, I observed that I was in the moment with my client during most of my

sessions, staying focused on the issue at hand and using the leading edge. I made sure that the

client was empowered and lead the session, and not vice versa. After the midterm, I struggled

asking questions at first, sometimes asking too many, but by the final sessions, I believe that I

found the appropriate times to ask meaningful questions that helped lead the discussion deeper. I

also vastly improved on my use of minimal encouragers, using them at appropriate times to show

that I was following along and engaged, but not to fill in pauses. Over all, I believe that I have

mastered the use of leading edge, metaphors, and being in the moment with my client. I believe

that these skills will be very helpful in my future student affairs experiences.


Feedback from Others

I believe that receiving feedback from my fellow students, as well as Hannah and Dr. Jeff

truly helped me progress in a positive manner over the 15 labs I had the opportunity to take part

in. After reviewing the feedback that I have received, I think several themes emerged. One piece

of feedback that I received numerous times was that I made the counseling experience seem very

natural, almost conversational. On one specific feedback sheet I was told that I was “very

conversational yet professional.” I was also told by observers that I have a great balance of being

energetic and engaged while creating a relaxed environment at the same time.

I have also received many positive pieces of feedback concerning my non verbal

communication. I started to comfortably incorporate skills such as matching the body language

of the client, leaning into the client to show I was engaged, and comfortably moving around in a

natural manner that did not involve fidgeting. This is a huge improvement from my first few

sessions. I also improved on my conversational pace. In the beginning, I was told that at points I

talked to fast, to the point that it was hard for the client to understand me. I believe that this was

mainly due to the fact that I was nervous during the initial session, but over the semester I found

a comfortable pace that helped me keep up with the client, but also be understood. Overall, the

feedback from my sessions were a very positive aspect of this class and helped me to pinpoint to

issues that I needed to focus on.

Triplet Response Assessment

Reflection of ContentSession 2CL: 20 minutes might not mean a lot to anyone else, but it means a lot to me.CO: So it sounds like time with your husband is precious and you realize that getting your masters is taking away some of that precious time. CL: Exactly! (Maintaining)


Session 4CL: The other day I extended my hours…CL: So you were there a little longer, worked a little harder.CL: Yeah Then I kept the completed job on her desk!(Maintaining)

Reflection of Content and Feeling

Session 3CL: And then I’m look at as the bully cuz I don’t have the compassion that people think I should and that’s frustrating.CO: So it sounds like your frustration is centered around her health issues and it comes from people thinking you don’t have the compassion but you obviously do.CL: Yea! I’m mean hearing it from you, I guess I do have compassion…(Deepening)

Session 3CL: I’m worried that I’m going to be the daughter that doesn’t cry at her own mother funeral… CO: You’re throwing out all of these emotions of fear, ultimately the fear of losing her which is leading to the frustration that separated you now.CL: Yea! Fear!(Deepening)

Key Encourager

Session 3CL: She makes me ANGRY!CO: Angry.CL: And I’m angry that my mom’s a diabetic!(Deepening)

CL: I have some students that are just really an issue.CO: An issue.CL: Yea…really immature behavior.(Maintaining)

SummarizationSession 4CL: My mind and my physical stress is just straining.CO: Will it sounds like you know what you want and what you are needing…so I think this is a good place to end tonight.CL: Thank you! I feel better talking about it…I hope my voice will me heard.(Flattening)


Session 5CL:I feel frustrated with myself like I’m not handling it well…CO: It sounds to me like you have a lot of emotions going on. You’re frustrated at them…the power you letter them have.CL: Yea! Exactly! Absolutely. I feel like they’re taking the power away from me!(Deepening)

Reflection of Implied or Sensed Experience or FeelingSession 4CL: What can I do?CO: Helpless almost!CL: Yes! I’ve worked here many days now!(Deepening)

Session 4CL: It’s bothering me even in class…CO:I can feel this frustration brewing inside you…the lack of communication.CL: That’s key…that word…communication.(Deepening)

Question

Session 14CL: Cuz I don’t think I can convince people.CO: Have you convinced yourself that you’re a good counselor?CL: No, I don’t think that way right now.(Deepening)

Session 12CL: I want to say no, but I don’t know how to!CO: How do you feel about this?CL: A little surprised…if she’s happy I will support her.(Deepening)

Confrontation

Session 5CL: I mean…it was okay?CO: But at the same time if was like they were taking a personal jab at you?CL: Yea! Yea! Exactly…but in a way that they were being disrespectful to the speak as well, which also looks bad on me.(Deepening)


MetaphorSession 2CL: I know I won’t lose my husband, but I feel guilty for going out on a girls night…I can’t be away from him!CO: It sounds like it’s a balancing act almost…and still maintain the relationship.CL: Yea…and in a way, I feel like I’m going to lose those relationships.(Deepening)

Minimal EncouragersI used numerous minimal encouragers throughout my sessions to show that I was following the client. I used minimal encouragers such as mhmmm and okay most often.

Future Development

Even though in the previous pages I have listed ways in which I have improved as a

counselor over the past semester, I am well aware that my journey to mastering many of the

Helping Relationship skills is far from over. Once skill that I believe I need to focus on is the

appropriate use of minimal encouragers. After reviewing my sessions, I realize that by using too

many minimal encourages I can come off as sounding fake and disinterested, when in actuality I

am trying to portray the exact opposite. I think that by being mindful of this situation, I will be

able to monitor myself in the future and hopefully keep my minimal encouragers to a

minimum…just like the tile says!

I also need to continue working on effectively wrapping up counseling sessions without it

being forced or awkward. During the first few sessions, I spent so much time worrying about

ending the session at the appropriate time that I missed quality moments that I could have taken

the session to a deeper level. I would be so worried about how to wrap up the session, that I

would miss huge chunks of the session that were extremely important. I think that skill will also

improve with time and experience. Once again, by identifying this as an area of improvement, I

will be able to focus on being in the moment during the session and let the sessions wrap up

themselves in a nature manner. I believe that I can also aide in the process by practicing


wrapping up a session outside of lab and thinking, “How would I wrap up this session if it was a

normal conversation?” Hopefully, being mindful of my discrepancies will help me further

develop these Helping Relationship skills.

Student Affairs Application

When I initially leaned that a counseling course was a component of the Student Affairs

in Higher Education Masters degree I very surprised. I truthfully looked at the class as a “filler”

in our schedule and thought nothing more of it. It wasn’t until I had participated in my first

counseling session that I realized just how applicable this class and the skills that I have learned

in lab are to my future career path as a student affairs professional.

I not only see how the skills that I have acquired during The Helping Relationship will be

beneficial to have in my future, but have already had numerous experiences that I have had to

opportunity to put these skills to use. I am the graduate assistant for the SAHE Program and a

major component of my position is recruiting for the program. Throughout the past two

semesters I have communicated with over 100 students that are interested in possibly attending

MSU and being a part of the SAHE community. Throughout those interactions, some face to

face, some via e-mail, and even some over the phone, I have been able to help create a sense of

understanding by using the concept of empathy. I have learned the importance of listening, and

now realize that by putting myself in their shoes and appreciating their own perspective I can

create a “helping relationship” that can make each students experience a little more meaningful. I

believe that this has largely contributed to the reason why our numbers for next year’s Cohort are

at a all time high.

As of now, I am still not certain what path I will take in student affairs but I am very

interested in the field of Academic Advising. I believe that to be an effective academic advisor, I


would have to use many of the skills that I have learned this semester on a daily basis, such as

being in the moment, being understanding and empathic, and truly listening. Without these skills,

academic advising could certainly be done, but at a very superficial level. I want to be a part of

the Student Affair profession to make a difference in students lives, and I believe whole

heartedly that the skills I have gained in this class will help me do just that.

Counselor-Trainee Progress Assessment

Helping Relationship, Jeff Cornelius-White (Sp ’12)

Student Name: Sarah Gray Rating Date: April 20 th , 2012

Pass Criteria for Helping Relationships

*Student must receive rating of 3 or more on Interaction items 1, 2, 5, 6, & 8.

*Client Interaction: no more than 2 items at 1, 1 additional rating at 2 for a total

of 3 at 1 or 2

*Learning & Professional: no more than 1 rating at 1, 2 additional ratings at 2,

for a total of 3 at 1 or 2

*If an item receives N/A it is not counted in these minimums. There are no pass

criteria related to play therapy, child advocacy, or Guidance standards for this class.

Please read and follow instructions thoroughly. This form has been recently changed.

Avoid responding to all items in the same way. Be mindful of positive and negative biases.

Avoid using one aspect of the student’s learning or performance to assess all areas.

Treat each item separately. Every student should have a variety of scores except in the most

extraordinary of situations. When items ask for more than one area, circle specific area rated if


progress is not uniform. Write in N/A if entire item or section is not applicable or you have no

basis for rating. In most settings, several items will be N/A.

Rate your student (or self if student) using the following scale for each item:

1 = cannot do, does not demonstrate; substandard and needing remediation

2 = can do/demonstrate, with prompting, but lacks effectiveness; fair

3 = can do/demonstrate, unprompted, and is effective to some degree; meets expectations

4 = can do/demonstrate, appropriate timing, delivery; works above expected level

5 = can do/demonstrate, natural part of style, well-timed, delivered, effective; excellent

Client Interaction Skills

1. Accuracy of paraphrasing and reflection. 1 2 3 4 5

2. Use of feeling words (accuracy, variety, and depth). 1 2 3 4 5

3. Poignancy of responses; responses specifically tailored to clients’ implied meanings. 1 2 3 4

5

4. Brevity, tolerance of silence and/or timing of responses. 1 2 3 4 5

5. Responses on “leading edge” of client message. 1 2 3 4 5

6. Questions, if asked, are appropriate, open-ended, and used sparingly. 1 2 3 4 5

7. Maintains appropriate boundaries (not overly responsible or disengaged) 1 2 3 4 5

8. Appropriateness of nonverbal behaviors and affect displayed. 1 2 3 4 5

9. Recognizes and utilizes countertransference. 1 2 3 4 5

10. Immediacy and process responses. 1 2 3 4 5

11. Interpretations, hypotheticals, and/or directives, if used, are appropriate. 1 2 3 4 5

12. Forms quick, solid working alliances with children and adults. 1 2 3 4 5


COMMENT on Interaction Skills, especially strengths and areas for growth:

Rate your student (or self if student) using the following scale for each item:

1 = cannot do, does not demonstrate; substandard and needing remediation

2 = can do/demonstrate with prompting, but lacks effectiveness; fair

3 = can do/demonstrate unprompted, and is effective to some degree; meets expectations

4 = can do/demonstrate with appropriate timing & delivery; works above expected level

5 = can do/demonstrate naturally with well-timed, effective delivery; truly excellent

Learning and Professional Skills

13. Critical and/or creative thinking skills. 1 2 3 4 5

14. Relationships with staff, peers and professionals. 1 2 3 4 5

15. Conceptualizes cases, human problems and strengths. 1 2 3 4 5

16. Responsiveness to supervision; motivation to learn. 1 2 3 4 5

17. Ethical conduct and a working knowledge of ethical codes. 1 2 3 4 5

18. Awareness of privilege and one’s own multicultural biases. 1 2 3 4 5

19. Assumes complexity to understand diverse clients’ worldviews. 1 2 3 4 5

20. Contributions based upon understanding of school or site culture.1 2 3 4 5

21. Use of micro-skills and tape review. 1 2 3 4 5

22. Initiative, self-care, meta-cognitive, and personal process skills. 1 2 3 4 5

23. Use of emotional reactivity in relationships. 1 2 3 4 5

24. Other: ___________________________________________________________. 1 2 3 4 5

COMMENT on Learning and Professional Skills, especially strengths & areas for growth:


Have you noticed any deficiencies that would hinder the student’s successful progress through

the counselor training program or impede his or her professional development?

Yes No

If yes, please describe.

Student Response:

Rater Signature: _______________Student Signature:_________________Date:____

By signing as a student, you agree that you have received a copy of this evaluation.

Thank you for your time and investment in counselor development!

Documents

sarahgraysahe.weebly.com€¦ · Web viewMissouri State University. As a growing Student Affairs professional,