Firstly , Attending skills , Attending refers to the ways in which helpers can be with their clients , both physically and psychologically. Example of attending skills , paying attention to the client refers to the ways counsellor convey that they are available , ready to listen and willing to focus on someone else's experience. It is professional kill that requires practice to avoid looking fake. This is communicated through non-verbal gestures, body language as well as through dialogue with clients. It is also 'visibly tuning in' to the client. 'Tuning in' to the client implies being on the same 'wavelength' and forming a harmonious connection. This happens when we greet the client in a friendly and relaxed manner and put the client at ease. The purpose of attending skills is to demonstrate 'connection' and empathy , helping client tell their story by drawing out appropriate background and contextual information , communicating understanding , facilating deeper level of exploration, providing emotional support to the client and demonstrating engagement in the counselling process. Attending skills serve a variety of purposes. Empathic Attending not only demonstrates 'connection' and empathy, it helps clients tell their story by drawing out appropriate background and contextual …show more content…
This is a natural flow of their empathic concern. The empathic response serves to share and confirm the counsellor’s understanding and therefore aids in clarifying and summarizing the issues that have been discusses. An empathic response helps the process of probing and provides clarity. This ‘therapeutic dialogue’ facilitates clients to challenge themselves.
Fourth , Summarising skills , Summarising skills help clarify client’s focus as well as challenge the client to move forward(Egan, 2014). Summaries serve many functions. Firstly , it demonstrates attending and active listening as well as empathic concern. Clients can add or modify to this , thus serving as a check of understanding client’s issues. It is especially useful when the discussion is fragmented as it serves to link diverse elements and give a sense of focus or direction. This may lead to deeper exploration thus moving forward towards problem resolution ( Nelson-Jones ,