Reflection of feelings: an essential counseling skill; Skill can be particularly difficult for recovering counselors

The article is written by Ed Phillipson about reflection of feelings. He is mentioned about recovering the problem of counseling with using the reflection of feelings. When individuals discover success in managing life, it empowers to have successful treatment outcomes. Many people are using drugs to hide their uncomfortable emotions, and also there have limitation for expression their feelings in verbal ways. For the recovery in reflecting difficulty feelings, he represents four methods that are useful for the client. First, Step into the client’s shoes. This approach includes the counselor to step inside for reality of relationship of clients. Second, Use emotional recall. It is about past experiences of the clients. Third, interpret the client’s vocal intonation and body language. Communicating non-verbal way can affected as verbal ways of feeling. Forth, use a synonym for a feeling the client has identified. Clients describe their feeling with their internal reality. The language of feeling helps the training with using reflection of feeling. For reflection of feeling, the client will or will not accept the reflection. The feeling word is limited, but they can keep emotion themselves to express feeing, even they have not developed many vocabulary words. Reconnecting client’s feeling and developing the ability to express emotion in healthy ways are the skills of treatment. Reconnection is the recovery process that can help client understanding the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It will empower the process of positive and lifelong change.
In the counseling, it will be challenge to lead the clients to reflect their emotions. Many people are avoiding their uncomfortable feelings and emotions, but the recovery process will help the client understand the relationships.