I often do soft and empathic confrontation. The first step involves the identification of mixed or incongruent messages (expressed through the client’s words or non-verbals). In conclusion, all types of counselling carry equal importance. Many thanks, Ellyn, for this video and your very succinct description of the types of confrontation. I found the descriptions of the six types of confrontations clarifying. Wonderful video and material. Are all the live sessions of this mini-workshop at 1 pm California time, & 1-hour long? It made be think of a couple with whom I was working today. Just the reframe of how beautifully effective confrontation can be increases my courage to enact more of it in session. Very clear explanation on confrontation and its types. If we are not confronting partners they will continue to repeat unhealthy patterns without knowing it or without any way to change it. In the comment section below, please tell me how knowing these six different types of confrontation might be helpful for you, or share your reactions to the video. The self-confrontation method is a specific evaluation and intervention tool guided by the theory which focuses on the special attention to the individual's feelings and motivation with self-exploration. Ivey, Ivey, & Zalaquett (2011) noted that confrontation need not be harsh, or intense.The researchers explained confrontation is “a gentle skill that involves listening” ( p. 161) in an empathetic way in order to help them sort out their situations in a focused way. The examples were most useful. It is helpful to be able to utilize the structure you provide, however. I was relieved to hear you say that over time these types of confrontation become internalized and flow within us as therapists more fluidly. Seems I do some of this already, but did not have a name for it. It is good to know what I am doing with the understanding of why I am doing it and for what purpose. When done carefully, confrontation leads to expanded awareness by the members and strengthens group cohesion. I liked it. I am currently working with a couple who seems constantly engaged in a negative cycle of anger and communication. The most therapeutic usage of scripture is a. personal, vibrant relationship with the Savior and regular devotional time in the Word, taking time to reflect devotionally on scripture. I think there were a few things that could help me stick with what I want to express. Confrontation skills did not come naturally to me. It is . I imagine this needs cultivating of skills to practice for best outcome. Thank you Ellyn (and everyone else who has commented) for the wonderful learning opportunity. This blog post is from a 5 day “mini-workshop” on confrontation. There is no shame in taking counselling sessions as it only helps in the growth of an individual. Ellyn is widely recognized as an expert in couples therapy, and since 2006 she has led innovative online training programs for therapists. You have added to my repertoire.. i am still believing that only when I feel the specific new current with the couple and them as individuals, then, is the opportunity for determining the specific strategy to be used. And we will answer participants questions so those will probably be different. When using confrontation, the counselor highlights incongruities between the client's verbal and nonverbal communication or within the client's verbal communication in order to facilitate the client's awareness of conflicts associated with specific issues of topics. I’m in Scotland and trying to work out which session would be best, and if I have to do both of them? Ellyn’s first book, "In Quest of the Mythical Mate," won the Clark Vincent Award by the California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists for its outstanding contribution to the field of marital therapy and is now in its 18th printing. I also like just this bite-size nugget to take in today. Wonder how I could evaluate how effective this is in my sessions (e.g., including in my client evaluations)? By framing it as a therapeutic intervention that we will use in many kinds of therapy, they can also see that it is done with consideration and meaning. This is always my first step, and when a client/couple know that you as a therapist both understand and accept them, then they become more open to looking at the aspects of their behaviour that challenge their self-concept, that they have to defend. The way in which a counselor confronts a client depends on the client's culture as well as the theory or theories the counselor is using. Thanks Ellen. Hope that helps you a little bit. When I was growing up, if I had issues with my sister or my mother, my father sent me to my room saying, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.”. to one of responsible action and control. The idea is to help the client explore their own conflict more deeply, with the goal being the formulation of a new idea or plan that will benefit the client. Join me now and watch this 9-minute video to discover: Click here to download your handout, The 6 Types of Confrontation. Thank you summarizing the 6 types of confrontation. thank you. Experience helps in learning to discern. Thank Ellen, that was very helpful. The levels of congregation is something I struggle with identifying, so this has been a helpful lesson to me. PS…. It really helps to be able to identify the different types. I love it and and find it so supportive, informative and validating. It makes sense that an empathic confrontation of naming some of the underlying feelings to the attack would be very helpful in deescalating the situation as well as in maintaining/strengthening the therapeutic connection. Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. Empathic Confrontation. h. 5 types of confrontation in counseling- They consist of: silence, pondering, questioning, direct censure and not confronting. discomfort associated with these types of exchanges that many people go to great lengths to avoid or put-off ... constructive confrontation is a deliberate attempt to ... received a Doctorate in Counseling from the University of Florida and is a licensed Mental Health Counselor and … Understanding and applying these types of confrontations for therapeutic effect, is essential to working with any couple. Confrontation For couples, possible counseling choices include Holistic Counseling, The Gottman Method, Reality Therapy, and Narrative Therapy—among others. Try our expert-verified textbook solutions with step-by-step explanations. Describe the dynamics of an effective therapeutic relationship in. Internal attibutional has to do, with a sense of condemnation and external attributional style has to do with the. The client should be able to self-examine themselves during counseling. I appreciate your support in helping us in our skills as therapists. I am doing the training so this is a very useful addition to my learning and I’m really pleased because the live call is at a time I can listen from Melbourne Australia! Could I just confirm, that the ‘Live’ session is the same on both dates? I especially enjoyed your description of the cycle – and how much thought must go in to making an effective confrontation. The confrontation that should happen here is within the client. I just watched your video on 6 types of confrontation. Also referred to as cognitive reframing, it's a strategy therapists often use to help clients look at situations from a slightly different perspective. Types of Counseling 7. There are three steps to confrontation in counselling. Luckily, therapeutic confrontation can be incorporated into counseling strategy to identify behaviors or trends, talk through an issue, and bring about a realistic solution. Ellyn, Thanks for sharing your expertise on this topic. Thanks again for your generosity in sharing your caring expertise, looking forward to the next steps!! Wonderful video and material. This preview shows page 2 - 4 out of 6 pages. A counselor might confront a client who is chronically late to session or who repeatedly violates the counselor's boundaries. Again thank you for providing this workshop. • Confrontation: We do not mean the client confronting the therapist, or vice versa. I’d also love a bit more discussion between you and Pete on the testing phase of the sessions. Click for Day 2: Confrontation Transcript: Indecision after Infidelity, Click for Day 3: Confrontation Video: Challenging Hypocrisy, Click for Day 4: Confrontation Options: Financial Irresponsibility, Click for Day 5: Confrontation Transcript: Disrupting Hidden Symbiosis An effective technique for peaceful confrontation is using "I" phrases to talk about the situation. I found your description and naming of these types of confrontation was immensely helpful. Looking forward to the rest of the series. They will be somewhere between 60 and 90 minutes depending on how many questions we get from participants. Cone, A Final Paper Multicultural Child Counseling, University of Phoenix • HUMAN SERV BSHS 325, Ohio Christian University • HUMAN SERV ps1000, Liberty University Online Academy • HUMAN SERVICES COUNSELING 502. work for multicultural counseling competency in Chapter 1, “A Conceptual Framework for Counseling Across Cultures.” In Chapter 2, “The Cross-Cultural Encounter: Meeting the Challenge of Culturally Competent Counseling,” Courtland C. Lee presents an analysis of encounters between counselors and clients from different cultural backgrounds. A four-step process is ordinarily used to implement a confrontation technique: (1) listen for discrepancies, (2) summarize and clarify, (3) confront empathically, and (4) observe and evaluate. Helpfull to be aware of different tecniques for skillful communication. Understanding and defining the types of equips me. Stages of Implementing the Confrontation Technique. Theresa. I found differentiating the types of confrontation very useful and especially the clear examples you gave. This helps you avoid placing blame on the offending person and making them go immediately on the defensive. For example clients may explicitly express concerns about not making progress or complain about the treatment approach. Ellyn Bader, Ph.D., and Peter Pearson, Ph.D. have been featured in: Please enter your name and email address to receive our free articles on working with couples. As always your concrete explanation is so very helpful. Checking out what time the sessions will be for UK time??? I always learn lots, and the role playing helps. There are always many forks in the road when making a decision about which confrontation to use. It is a good reminder that confrontation is not shooting from the hip in a reactive way, but is a well-planned, well executed intervention. Thank you Ellyn. Just a gentle suggestion – the background music is a distraction from the power of what you are saying, which needs no embellishment. The use of confrontational strategies in individual, group and family substance abuse counseling emerged through a confluence of cultural factors in He or she should consult the Holy Spirit or make. Excellent review of problem solving, solution seeking approach to confrontation at effective levels. In the early years, this particular model used techniques like humiliation to “convince” an addict to seek help. This is a big shift from the dread I usually feel at the mere mention of word ‘confrontation’. describes itself in this manner, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is, profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” 2, Timothy 3:16. I had to learn how to make incisive confrontations or watch couples repeat the same negative patterns over and over. h 5 types of confrontation in counseling They consist of silence pondering, 3 out of 3 people found this document helpful, questioning, direct censure and not confronting. As a therapist, it took concerted effort for me to learn how to be nice and make effective confrontations at the same time. "Caring confrontation" sides with the inner growing child-person, when needed, and tries to give this part of the client the help needed to come forward. Instead of saying, "You didn't do what I told you to do, and you made me upset," try, "I feel frustrated when my directions aren't well received." I really find it useful to think through confrontation in these categories and building categories and building on types of confrontations. It is so helpful and as you say, it is absolutely necessary to learn to do in order to an effective couples therapist. The confrontation that should happen here is within the client. Good luck. Thanks! Having tools to access what type of confrontation and when it would be most effective to utilize one of them gives me a frame so that I feel more of a sense of effacy. Just finished watching Video 1. is the internal and external of the way people explain good, and the lives of others. I no longer have to question if it is helpful to do so. I appreciate that. Thanks Ellyn for sharing on the different levels of confrontation and the positive motivation behind rather than proving someone wrong. Will first live session be available as a recording as I have missed it? William L. White, MA, and William R. Miller, PhD . Enjoyed the information. Thank you so much Ellyn for providing this great resource! Cathy Marakovits, LCSW, Marietta, GA, This blog post is from a 5 day “mini-workshop” on confrontation. Thank you Ellyn. There is prayer as direct, prayer as worship. Thank you for the examples on how to confront in a positively directional manner. Provides the challenge of being more intentional with the technique. I also loved the feedback you offered to Ellen – suggesting it can be helpful to open a confrontational dialogue with … “the reason I am doing this is …..”- it seems to give the possibility of presenting the ‘event’ with an uplifting purpose and proposing that there can/will be positive outcomes embedded in what looks like difficulties. Psychodynamic therapy relies less on exercises and activities than most other types of therapy, but there are some very important tools in the psychodynamic toolbox that allow the therapist to delve deep into the unconscious mind with their clients. I’m looking forward to attending your life session on Thursday. Thank you Ellyn. I have been perplexed in sessions when one partner verbally attacks the other and when I intervene, I have gotten accused of having no empathy for the attacking partner. The educational part will be the same. Although I am not a Couples Therapist, The way you described the different types of Confrontation and the Confrontation Cycle is very interesting and helpful. It gives ways to do this as a response to the existing situation and communications at the moment. Thanks so much Ellyn for this clear and succinct description of using confrontation. I hope this is right, I’ll tune in then! The core of confrontation in the mid-1990s was placing blame on the addict and focusing on punishing him until he changed his ways. Valuable information Ellyn – – thank you. Confrontation: This does not mean the client confronting the therapist, or vice versa. tomorrow I have a client until 1:30–so I shall join in then. Without fully understanding the nature of confrontation and ways of confrontation, the effectiveness of a therapist helping couples navigate difficult problems is greatly lessened. Also, as you suggest using the various types of confrontation systematically within a session (or sessions), I think the 6 types of confrontation are also an excellent way to learn and practice. Your style of teaching makes the topic clear. So, as we begin our mini-workshop on confrontation, let’s define confrontation. Thanks everyone-I love reading your reactions. On the other hand, if you use the Avoiding style of conflict management, issues may go unaddressed. It is fun to recognize what you are doing in a session and what are the options.