Interventions Used in Counseling
The very first intervention I used with David was establishing rapport and building on the therapeutic alliance (Beck, 2005). David was my first client with PTSD that was not actively on any mind altering substances at the start of our sessions. In order for our sessions to end well they had to begin well. I actively collaborated with David from the beginning, empathized with him, adapted my therapeutic style so we both would feel comfortable in the room, and to alleviate any distress. Within the first two sessions, David opened up to me and has taken therapy and coping tools to heart. In order to maintain my therapeutic alliance, I assessed my own skill set by asking the client at the end of most sessions how he felt in the room and if there were anything I could have done better (Beck, 2005).
To lay the groundwork, David and I have begun psychoeducation about Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and how his depression, anxiety and stated “paranoia” have played a role. As he has been in the system prior, he reported he knew a little about the PTSD but found my explanations to be more “understandable.” David had questions about PTSD that I could answer in laymen’s terms. I explained how his nightmares and night terrors, as well as his previous Schizophrenia diagnosis may all be explained by the symptoms of PTSD …show more content…
I encouraged David to use deep breathing whenever he started to feel an anxiety attack or “paranoia.” The client explained that he recalled using deep breathing “a few times” but it “didn’t seem to work.” I had him demonstrate the way he practiced his deep breathing and then showed him my technique, gently suggesting minor improvements to his form. By our fourth session, David reported that deep breathing, “especially at burger king” helped keep him “calm when a lot was
The very first intervention I used with David was establishing rapport and building on the therapeutic alliance (Beck, 2005). David was my first client with PTSD that was not actively on any mind altering substances at the start of our sessions. In order for our sessions to end well they had to begin well. I actively collaborated with David from the beginning, empathized with him, adapted my therapeutic style so we both would feel comfortable in the room, and to alleviate any distress. Within the first two sessions, David opened up to me and has taken therapy and coping tools to heart. In order to maintain my therapeutic alliance, I assessed my own skill set by asking the client at the end of most sessions how he felt in the room and if there were anything I could have done better (Beck, 2005).
To lay the groundwork, David and I have begun psychoeducation about Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and how his depression, anxiety and stated “paranoia” have played a role. As he has been in the system prior, he reported he knew a little about the PTSD but found my explanations to be more “understandable.” David had questions about PTSD that I could answer in laymen’s terms. I explained how his nightmares and night terrors, as well as his previous Schizophrenia diagnosis may all be explained by the symptoms of PTSD …show more content…
I encouraged David to use deep breathing whenever he started to feel an anxiety attack or “paranoia.” The client explained that he recalled using deep breathing “a few times” but it “didn’t seem to work.” I had him demonstrate the way he practiced his deep breathing and then showed him my technique, gently suggesting minor improvements to his form. By our fourth session, David reported that deep breathing, “especially at burger king” helped keep him “calm when a lot was