Compare and contrast possible homework assignments that you will assign to your clients. Why may homework be crucial in the client-change process?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

a. Many times the experiments and skills training that are done during a counseling session will be aided by the client continuing to work on this material at home.
b. Homework typically grows out of work done during the session, and it is meant to tie counseling work to a client’s real life and relationships with others.
c. This homework might involve writing, as in keeping a journal or making focused reflections on specific topics. It might involve trying out certain things practiced in the office on people on the outside, as in a role-played job interview.
d. A counselor might role play with the client, followed by another role play with a friendly person at home, extending the possibilities for practice and confidence building before the actual job interview transpires.
e. The homework might involve any reasonable extension of counseling work. It should always be relevant and related to the client’s goals, and it should be reasonable for the client to accomplish.
f. The key to the effective management of homework assignments, as in all other counseling activities, is to keep focused on the client and the potential for new learning attached to whatever happens in the context of the relationship.