LCDC Domain 3 Counseling questions well answered 2023
counseling, definition
a set of methods designed to help clients progress toward mutually determined goals for
recovery; includes individuals, groups, couples, and families
individual counseling, goals
work with our client to establish realistic and achievable goals; promote our client's
knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward positive change, including the maintenance of
health and prevention of infectious diseases (e.g. HIV/AIDS, tb, STDs, Hep-C, etc.);
work appropriately with our client to recognize and discourage all behaviors inconsistent
with the progress in recovery; know when, how, and why to involve the client's
significant others; facilitate the development of basic life and social skills; make
constructive therapeutic responses when the client's behavior is inconsistent with the
agreed recovery goals
group counseling, definition
the client is the group as a whole, just as in couples counseling the client is the couple
and not the individual members
consider individual differences in (group)
group type, purpose of the group, group size, member selection criteria, group goals,
behavioral ground rules for participating, outcomes, criteria and methods for termination
or graduation from the group
group counseling, goals
help clients achieve objectives; document measurable progress toward group and
individual goals; summarize client's behavior within group to help us identify the client's
progress as well as issues and needs that may require a modification in the treatment
plan; understand when and how to use power, and types of power and authority in
group counseling
family counseling, definition
family members contribute in different ways to the substance use behavior; each
member of a family plays a specific role in a family's problem; understanding family
dynamics helps us understand why addiction is called a family disease; counselor
should be aware of laws and resources regarding violence within the family
family survival roles
hero, scapegoat, lost child, mascot, enabler
family counseling, goals
help families and significant others understand the effect of their interactions on
substance abuse; assist them in identifying and stopping harmful patterns of interaction;
help them learn healthy strategies and behaviors that maintain recovery and promote
healthy relationships; assist them with referral to appropriate supportive services
SOAP note taking
acronym for subjective, objective, assessment, and plan
subjective, SOAP
how does the client describe their problem?; this is usually a quote or statement from
the client describing their subjective description of the problem
objective, SOAP
what did you observe about this client?; these are written as factual notations
, assessment, SOAP
what is your impression about/of this client?
qualities of effective helpers
have a healthy self-concept, hold positive beliefs about people, are aware and
respectful of cultural differences, have the ability to listen and understand, and possess
empathy, congruence, warmth, compassion, genuineness, and positive regard
plan, SOAP
what is your plan with this client?
active listening
attending skills and reflective listening; through utilizing active listening skills, the
counselor will be able to connect with the client and be able to reflect the client's
emotions, thoughts, and attitudes; attending to verbal/nonverbal aspects of
communication without judging or evaluating; this encourages trust and client self-
disclosure
empathy
the ability to perceive another person's experience and communicate that perception
back to the person
concreteness
the process by which the counselor relates the vague aspects of the client in direct
expression of feelings and experiences in specific, concrete terms to assist the client to
develop more functional coping skills
paraphrasing
a counselor's verbal response that rephrases the essence of the client's message;
allows the client to hear what s/he has just said, either in parroted form or with added
clarity; the interactive process can increase trust and can reduce resistance; includes
therapeutic qualities of empathy and warmth
reflecting
occurs when the counselor restates content that had generated emotion from the client;
reflection of feeling captures and expresses to the client the core of what s/he is feeling;
allows the client to be aware of his/her own expressed emotions and and how the
counselor understood his/her emotional message; counselors should be careful to not
interpret clients' feelings; counselor remains neutral and nonjudgmental by not offering
opinions, judgments, or advice; can also reflect content (not just reflection of feeling)
restating
paraphrasing what was said to clarify; do not repeat word-for-word what what the client
is saying
clarifying
grasping the essence of a message at both the feeling and thinking levels; helps clients
sort out conflicting and confused feelings and thoughts
simplifying
involves the reflection and restatement of what the client said; removes confusion,
avoids intellectualizations and convoluted explanations; can help client stay focused on
concerns, feelings, and problems in the here and now
summarizing
trying together of the main points, themes, and issues presented by clients during part
or all of a session
counseling, definition
a set of methods designed to help clients progress toward mutually determined goals for
recovery; includes individuals, groups, couples, and families
individual counseling, goals
work with our client to establish realistic and achievable goals; promote our client's
knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward positive change, including the maintenance of
health and prevention of infectious diseases (e.g. HIV/AIDS, tb, STDs, Hep-C, etc.);
work appropriately with our client to recognize and discourage all behaviors inconsistent
with the progress in recovery; know when, how, and why to involve the client's
significant others; facilitate the development of basic life and social skills; make
constructive therapeutic responses when the client's behavior is inconsistent with the
agreed recovery goals
group counseling, definition
the client is the group as a whole, just as in couples counseling the client is the couple
and not the individual members
consider individual differences in (group)
group type, purpose of the group, group size, member selection criteria, group goals,
behavioral ground rules for participating, outcomes, criteria and methods for termination
or graduation from the group
group counseling, goals
help clients achieve objectives; document measurable progress toward group and
individual goals; summarize client's behavior within group to help us identify the client's
progress as well as issues and needs that may require a modification in the treatment
plan; understand when and how to use power, and types of power and authority in
group counseling
family counseling, definition
family members contribute in different ways to the substance use behavior; each
member of a family plays a specific role in a family's problem; understanding family
dynamics helps us understand why addiction is called a family disease; counselor
should be aware of laws and resources regarding violence within the family
family survival roles
hero, scapegoat, lost child, mascot, enabler
family counseling, goals
help families and significant others understand the effect of their interactions on
substance abuse; assist them in identifying and stopping harmful patterns of interaction;
help them learn healthy strategies and behaviors that maintain recovery and promote
healthy relationships; assist them with referral to appropriate supportive services
SOAP note taking
acronym for subjective, objective, assessment, and plan
subjective, SOAP
how does the client describe their problem?; this is usually a quote or statement from
the client describing their subjective description of the problem
objective, SOAP
what did you observe about this client?; these are written as factual notations
, assessment, SOAP
what is your impression about/of this client?
qualities of effective helpers
have a healthy self-concept, hold positive beliefs about people, are aware and
respectful of cultural differences, have the ability to listen and understand, and possess
empathy, congruence, warmth, compassion, genuineness, and positive regard
plan, SOAP
what is your plan with this client?
active listening
attending skills and reflective listening; through utilizing active listening skills, the
counselor will be able to connect with the client and be able to reflect the client's
emotions, thoughts, and attitudes; attending to verbal/nonverbal aspects of
communication without judging or evaluating; this encourages trust and client self-
disclosure
empathy
the ability to perceive another person's experience and communicate that perception
back to the person
concreteness
the process by which the counselor relates the vague aspects of the client in direct
expression of feelings and experiences in specific, concrete terms to assist the client to
develop more functional coping skills
paraphrasing
a counselor's verbal response that rephrases the essence of the client's message;
allows the client to hear what s/he has just said, either in parroted form or with added
clarity; the interactive process can increase trust and can reduce resistance; includes
therapeutic qualities of empathy and warmth
reflecting
occurs when the counselor restates content that had generated emotion from the client;
reflection of feeling captures and expresses to the client the core of what s/he is feeling;
allows the client to be aware of his/her own expressed emotions and and how the
counselor understood his/her emotional message; counselors should be careful to not
interpret clients' feelings; counselor remains neutral and nonjudgmental by not offering
opinions, judgments, or advice; can also reflect content (not just reflection of feeling)
restating
paraphrasing what was said to clarify; do not repeat word-for-word what what the client
is saying
clarifying
grasping the essence of a message at both the feeling and thinking levels; helps clients
sort out conflicting and confused feelings and thoughts
simplifying
involves the reflection and restatement of what the client said; removes confusion,
avoids intellectualizations and convoluted explanations; can help client stay focused on
concerns, feelings, and problems in the here and now
summarizing
trying together of the main points, themes, and issues presented by clients during part
or all of a session
