Contents

List of Figures and Tables

Introduction

1 The Microskills Approach
SKILL: The Skill of Learning New Skills
SKILL: Identifying Targeted Skill Areas

2 The Person of the Counselor
SKILL: Self-as-instrument

Target 1: Establishing Relationship and Exploring

3 What Do You Notice?
SKILL: Perceiving

4 Your Presence in the Room
SKILL: Attending

5 Identifying the Pieces of the Story
SKILL: Reflecting Content

6 Validating Emotion
SKILL: Reflecting Feelin
7. Connecting empathically

SKILL: Empathic Reflection

Targets 2 and 3: Deepening and Growing

8 Zeroing In
SKILL: Clarifying

9 Connecting Deeply
SKILL: Intuitive Empathy

10 Expanding Therapeutic Options
SKILL: Using Metaphors

11 Reflecting Apparent Discrepancies
SKILL: Confronting

12 Using the Here and Now
SKILL: Authenticity, Self-disclosure and Immediacy

13 Strategies for Growth
SKILL: Implementing Change

14 Expanding the Counseling System
SKILL: Thinking Systemically and Using the Relational System

15 Appreciating the Sacred

Target 4: Consolidating and Ending

16 Endings and New Beginnings
SKILL: Consolidating and Ending

Postscript

Appendix A: Answers to Chapter Exercises

Appendix B: Additional Learning Activities

Appendix C: Small Group Role-Play Exercises and Transcript Analysis Assignment

Appendix D: The Relationship Between Psychology and Religion

References

Author and Subject Index

Scripture Index

Praise for Skills for Effective Counseling

About the Authors

CAPS International

Anyone in a helping profession―including professional counselors, spiritual directors, pastoral counselors, chaplains and others―needs to develop effective communication skills. But learning these skills is like learning a new language: it takes time and practice to communicate effectively, and lack of practice can lead to the loss of one's ability to use this new language.
Suitable for both beginning students and seasoned practitioners, Skills for Effective Counseling provides a biblically integrated approach to foundational counseling skills that trains the reader to use specific microskills. These skills include perceiving, attending, validating emotion and empathic connection.
Chapters include textbook features such as sample session dialogues, role plays and a variety of both in-class and out-of-class exercises and reflection activities that will engage various learning styles. Strategically interwoven throughout the chapters are special topics related to:

multicultural counseling
biblical/theological applications
current and seminal research related to microskills
diagnostic and theoretical implications
clinical tips for using skills in "real world" counseling settings
the relevance of specific microskills to interpersonal relationships and broader ministry settings