Following your response, she says, “One of the biggest problems has to do with my parents. My mom is fit
to be tied, and my dad is even worse. He’s ready to kill Dale, and he doesn’t even know him. I’m afraid they won’t
come to the wedding. That would really hurt.” List the words you would say in reflecting the feelings and meaning
contained in her message.
What will be an ideal response?
ANS: Students' answers will vary. Reflecting feelings and meaning (Carkhuff & Anthony, 1979) is probably the
most complete form of active listening. It is certainly the most complex. By reflecting both emotional and
informational or ideational elements of a message, you convey a great deal of empathy.
Reflecting feelings and meaning mirrors clients' emotions along with the facts or beliefs associated with
them. As with other reflections, your response should represent an accurate and equivalent form of the client's
message. Do not speculate or interpret. Rather, paraphrase or mirror the feelings and meaning as expressed. Even
when you personally believe that clients' views about the causes of feelings they experience are incomplete or
inaccurate, reflect their perspectives anyway. Often the meanings that clients convey suggest external or situational
causes for their feelings (for example, "My mother makes me feel guilty"). At other times, clients refer to aspects of
themselves (for example, attitudes, habits, traits, psychological patterns, fears, or physiological conditions) as the
reason for their feelings (for example, "I'm basically a lazy person"). Whether the meaning associated with the
feelings is externalized or internalized, try to remain congruent with the client's expressed experience when you
reflect feelings and meaning. Resist the temptation to modify the meaning. As with other empathic reflections,
accuracy is fundamental. Your response should be essentially equivalent to the message communicated by the client.
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Answer the following statement(s) true (T) or false (F)
Behaviorism, in its pure form, rejected the impact of cognitive activity on human behavior.
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a) Assess service delivery and program effectiveness. b) Clearly define the target population or populations of a policy. c) Assess which legislators and committees would be most likely to support a particular policy d) Identify funding possibilities for a policy or policy change.
Managing the detoxification process for a patient is a form of ___________________ because it reduces the individual’s discomfort of withdrawal.
a. Palliative care b. Hospice care c. Boundary spanning d. Adjustment-to-illness counseling