Intentional Interviewing and
Counseling:
Facilitating Client Development in a
Multicultural Society
7th Edition
Allen E. Ivey
University of Massachusetts
Mary Bradford Ivey
Microtraining Associates
Carlos P. Zalaquett
University of South Florida
Copyright © 2009
Chapter 12
Influencing Skills:
Five Strategies for Change
Blessed is the influence of one true,
loving human soul on another.
George Eliot
Chapter goals
▲ Introduce five influencing skills:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
self-disclosure
feedback
logical consequences
information/psychoeducation
directives
▲ These skills have specific strategies to
facilitate restorying, generalization, and action.
Competency objectives
▲ Master five influencing skills to:
 Share your story, thoughts, or experiences briefly with clients
(self-disclosure)
 Provide accurate data so that clients can learn how their actions
are seen by others and/or the interviewer (feedback)
 Help clients look at the possible results of alternative actions.
(logical consequences)
 Present new information and ideas to clients in a timely and
appropriate fashion—for example, career information, teaching
about sexuality, and results of test scores
(information/psychoeducation)
 Provide clients with specifics for action (directives)
The Case of Alisia
The client, Alisia, comes in with the complaint that she
can’t express herself. Feels helpless and believes
that everybody “runs all over” her. She feels
powerless and wants to talk about her difficulties to
get people’s attention. She says that she has tried to
communicate with her partner, her employer, and
many others but they don’t seem to care. She is
frustrated and angry.
The Case of Alisia
Reflection Questions
▲ What do you think about Alisia’s situation?
▲ How might you help Alisia?
(hint, remember the five stages of the interview!!)
INTRODUCTION: THE RELATIONSHIP OF
LISTENING AND INFLUENCING SKILLS
▲ Influencing is part of all interviewing and counseling.
▲ Confrontation, focusing, reflection of meaning, and
interpretation/reframing are skills of interpersonal
influence.
▲ This additional five skills introduce here work to directly
change the way clients think or act.
Interpersonal Influence: Listening Skills,
and Influencing Strategies
You cannot not influence what
happens in the interview
Interpersonal Influence: Listening Skills,
and Influencing Strategies
▲ Mastery of the:
 Microcounseling skills and strategies
 Five-stage interview plan
 Relationship--story and strengths—goals—restory—action
model
▲ Enables you to connect with theory and broaden your
possibilities for culturally intentional counseling and
interviewing.
INFLUENCING SKILLS
▲ Listening skills are integral to effective influencing skills.
▲ Listening skills set the stage for the use of influencing
skills.
▲ Influencing skills seek to promote change.
▲ Structure the interview and disclose the process to the
client.
INFLUENCING SKILLS
▲ Ethical practice demands respect for the client and
awareness of the power relationship inherent in the
interview.
▲ As you move to direct action with the influencing skills,
do not forget the foundation of listening and empathic
understanding.
▲ Remember that counseling and interviewing are for the
client, not for you.
▲ Use influencing skills with full client participation.
Disclosure
▲ Disclosure of what is going to happen in the session is
an important part of maintaining a relationship and
working alliance.
▲ Disclosure builds comfort and trust.
▲ The general rule is to avoid surprises.
Using influencing skills:
Listen, then act
▲The 1 - 2 - 3 Strategic Model
1
Listen and
Assess
2
Select a
Relevant
Strategy
3
Observe
and
Respond
1. Listen
▲ Determine clients view through attending, observing and
listening
▲ Find how the client see, hears, and feels the world with
“I” statements
▲ Identify:
 Content with paraphrasing
 Feelings with reflection of feeling
 Meaning with encouragers and reflection
2. Assess and Influence
▲ Use influence AFTER you understand the client’s view.
▲ Influencing skills provide a new frame of reference from
which the client may act.
3. Check Out and Observe
▲ Check out and observe AFTER use of an influencing
skill.
▲ Observation becomes critical during influencing.
▲ Examine the impact of your intervention using the fivelevel of the CIS.
▲ Return to listening if you sense or observe:
 Verbal or nonverbal discrepancies
 Increasing distance from the client
Five Influencing Skills
1.
2.
3.
4.
Self-disclosure
Feedback
Logical consequences
Information/psychoeducation/opinion/
instructions/suggestions
5. Directives
Client Change Scale (CCS)
The Creation of the New
Denial
1
Full
Examination Decides to
Live With
But No
Partial
Incongruity
Change
Examination
2
Denies or
Discusses
fails to hear part, but not
incongruity.
all of
incongruity.
3
Discusses
incongruity
completely,
but will not
change.
4
Discusses
and is fully
aware of
decision
impact.
Decides to
Change From
Incongruity
5
Discusses
and alters
choices
when faced
with
incongruity.
Low
The
Moderate
Triad
Moderate
Confrontation
Directive
Logical consequences
Interpretation / reframe
Feedback
Self-Disclosure
Information / psychoeducaqtion.
Focusing
Closed questions
Open questions
Reflection of meaning
Reflection of feelings
Paraphrasing
Encouraging / restating
The Interpersonal Influence Continuum
High
Example Interview: The Case of Alisia--How
listening skills can influence clients
Reflection Questions
▲ What was Alisia’s main complaint(s)?
▲ What do you think the counselor did well?
▲ Which skills were used more frequently?
▲ Was Alisia helped?
▲ Did the counselor spent time on Alisia’s strengths and
wellness assets?
▲ What would you have done differently?
▲ How can you use the CCS to rate Alisia’s progress.
INSTRUCTIONAL READING 1 AND
EXERCISES: SELF-DISCLOSURE
If you use self-disclosure skills as described below, you can predict how clients respond.
Self-Disclosure: As the
interviewer, share your own
related past personal life
experience, here and now
observations or feelings
toward the client, or opinions
about the future. Selfdisclosure often starts with
an “I” statement. Here and
now feelings toward the
client can be powerful and
should be used carefully.
Predicted result: The client
is encouraged to selfdisclose in more depth and
may develop a more
egalitarian interviewing
relationship with the
interviewer. The client may
feel more comfortable in the
relationship and find a new
solution relating to the
counselor’s self-disclosure.
Self-Disclosure
Should you share your own personal observations,
experiences, and ideas with the client?
▲ Controversial topics need care.
▲ Many theorists argue against it and suggest a more
distant persona.
▲ Humanistic and feminist counselors value appropriate
self-disclosure.
▲ Multicultural theory supports self-disclosure early in the
interview to build trust with clients from a different
background.
▲ Research reveals that clients of counselors who selfdisclose report lower levels of symptom distress and like
counselor more (Barrett & Berman, 2001).
Self-Disclosure
▲ What about situations in which you have NOT
experienced the client’s issues.
▲ Clients often feel that no one can really understand if you
have not experienced their issues.
▲ Open discussion, some self-disclosure on your part, and
exploration of differences may be essential.
▲ Self-disclosure of who you really are can be helpful in
those situations in which you have not “been there.”
Self-Disclosure
Strategies of Interpersonal Influence
▲ Encourages client talk.
▲ Creates trust between counselor and client.
▲ Establish a more equal relationship.
▲ Counselor shares thoughts, feelings, and experiences
with clients,




Genuinely
In a timely manner
With appropriate tense
Being careful not to monopolize client’s time.
Self-Disclosure
Effective self-disclosure
1.
2.
3.
4.
Listen – use the 1-2-3 strategic model.
Use “I” statements and self-reference.
Briefly share or describe your thoughts, feelings, or
behaviors.
Use appropriate immediacy and tense, making selfdisclosure relevant.
Genuineness
Making Self-Disclosure Relevant
▲In relation to self - counselor must truly and honestly
have had the experience or idea.
“I had a similar issue. This is what it meant to me . . .” BE
BRIEF.
▲In relation to client - experience must be in synchrony
with client feelings and experience and they are ready.
“My experience at this moment is that I almost feel your
hurt myself right here in my heart.”
Tense
Making Self-Disclosure Relevant
▲ Present tense here and now is often the most powerful
self-disclosure.
▲ Tense variations can also strengthen or soften the power
of self-disclosure.
Be careful when clients say, “What would if you do
if you were in my place?”
▲ Self-disclosure is not necessarily the first tool for use in
this situation.
▲ Help the client make her or his own decision.
▲ The right solution for you may not be the right solution
for the client.
▲ Involving yourself too early may foster dependency.
“Well, I’m not you, but it does seem to me that you are close to deciding
to move to the new job. I’d be torn myself just as you are.”
Later very carefully, if appropriate-- “Nonetheless, if I were you, I think
I’d be tempted to take this opportunity.”
Timeliness
Making Self-Disclosure Relevant
▲ If a client seems to want to talk about a topic but is
having trouble, a slight, leading self-disclosure by the
counselor may be helpful.
▲ Too deep and involved a self-disclosure may frighten or
distance the client, or may monopolize the session.
Individual Practice in Self-Disclosure
▲ Structure of self-disclosure consists of “I”
statements with 3 dimensions:
1. the personal pronoun I in some form;
2. a verb such as feel, think, have experienced;
3. a sentence objectively describing what you think or
what happened.
Individual Practice in Self-Disclosure
Exercise: Writing Self-Disclosure Statements
1. How would you self-disclose to Alisia after hearing her
story?
2. For each situation, below, write one effective and one
ineffective self-disclosure.


3.
“My family is totally dysfunctional. You’ve heard my story.
What do you think?”
“I find myself afraid and insecure in large groups. It just doesn’t
feel right. What should I do?”
Share one of your own stories briefly, provide a selfdisclosure and a check-out.
INSTRUCTIONAL READING 2 AND
EXERCISES: FEEDBACK
If you use feedback as structured below, you can predict how clients respond.
Feedback: Present the
client with clear
information on how the
interviewer believes the
client is thinking, feeling,
or behaving and how
significant others may
view them or their
performance.
Predicted result: The
client may improve or
change their thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors
based on the
interviewers feedback.
FEEDBACK
Knowing how others see us is a powerful and impactful
dimension in human change.
To see ourselves as others see us,
To hear how others hear us,
And to be touched as we touch others . . .
These are the goals of effective feedback.
Feedback is most helpful when solicited.
Feedback Guidelines
1. The client receiving feedback should be in charge.
2. Feedback should focus on strengths and/or something
the client can do something about.
3. Feedback should be concrete and specific.
4. Feedback should be relatively nonjudgmental and
interactive.
5. Feedback should be lean and precise.
6. Check-out how your feedback was received.
Positive Feedback
▲ “The Breakfast of Champions”
▲ Helps the client restory his or her concerns.
▲ Look for “right” things about the client.
▲ Help clients discover their wellness strengths, positive
assets, and useful resources.
Corrective Feedback
▲ Delicate balance between negative feedback and
positive suggestions for the future.
▲ Focus on behaviors that may be hurting the client or
hindering growth.
▲ Stick to the feedback guidelines.
▲ Praise and supportive statements convey your positive
thoughts.
Feedback and the client who avoids
certain topics.
▲ Some clients switch topics, gives brief vague responses,
or avoid sensitive issues.
▲ If issue needs to be faced, meet the client and use
confrontation skills as part of the feedback.
▲ Examples:
 On one hand, I hear you wanting to resolve this issue, but on the other
hand, you avoid expressing what you feel about it and what you want.
 On one hand, you really do seem to want to become more assertive, but
then when we start to talk seriously about how you might actually
change, you change topics.
 Just now, I saw it again. We were starting to deal with your concern but
you switched to another issue. What’s going on?
Individual Practice With Feedback
Exercise 1: Your Experience with Feedback
We have all experienced positive or negative feedback
on our performance.
▲ Recall a positive and a negative experience with
feedback.
▲ What do you notice about effective and ineffective
feedback?
Individual Practice With Feedback
Exercise 2: Writing Feedback Statements
Imagine that Alisia has just said, “I’m totally lost right
now. I thought I had made progress on this issue, but
this last week, I totally blew it again. I’m so
discouraged with myself.”
▲ Write a positive feedback statement.
▲ Write a negative feedback statement.
▲ Write a corrective feedback in a positive way to Alisia.
Individual Practice With Feedback
Exercise 2: Writing Feedback Statements



“My partner is simply impossible. So much is demanded of me.
I just feel myself disappearing in the relationship. I need
space.”
“What do you think of me? I’ve done as much as I can with
working through issues around my sexuality, yet others keep
looking at me and talking behind my back.”
“I have real difficulty with exams, no matter how hard I study.
In the last test I worked really hard, read all the assignments,
and thought I knew the material cold. But I still ended up with a
weak C.”
Individual Practice With Feedback
▲ Write feedback for:
 “My partner is simply impossible. So much is demanded of me. I
just feel myself disappearing in the relationship. I need space.”
 “What do you think of me? I’ve done as much as I can with
working through issues around my sexuality, yet others keep
looking at me and talking behind my back.”
 “I have real difficulty with exams, no matter how hard I study. In
the last test I worked really hard, read all the assignments, and
thought I knew the material cold. But I still ended up with a weak
C.”
Individual Practice With Feedback
Exercise 3: Writing Feedback Statements
▲ Review your feedback statements using the guidelines
provided before.
▲ How many did you meet in each of your feedbacks?
INSTRUCTIONAL READING 3 AND EXERCISES:
LOGICAL CONSEQUENCES
If you use logical consequences as suggested below, you can predict how clients respond.
Logical Consequences:
Explore specific alternatives
and the logical positive and
negative concrete
consequence of each
possibility with the client. “If
you do this . . . , then . . . .”
Predicted result: Clients may
change thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors through better
anticipation of the
consequences of their actions.
Through exploring the
positives and negatives of
each possibility, the client is
more involved in the process
of decision-making.
Logical Consequences
▲ Presents the probable negative or positive results of
other’s action.
▲ Warning or anticipation of punishment predicts negative
results from action.
▲ Encouragement or anticipation of rewards predicts
positive results from action.
▲ Help clients sort through issues more completely.
▲ Used to rank alternatives when a complex decision must
be made.
Logical Consequences
Steps
Actions
Listen
Be sure you understand how your client sees
the situation.
Question
Help client think about positive and negative
impacts from actions.
Disclose
Provide data, or likely positive or negative
results of proposed actions.
Summarize
Provide both positive and negative
consequences in a nonjudgmental manner.
Counseling
Encourage client decision making where
possible.
Logical Consequences
▲ “If…then” language helps clarify key decisions.
▲ Use “+” or “-” values to rate alternatives.
▲ Even negative consequences create learning
opportunities.
The Decisional Balance Sheet
▲ With clients who have important decisions with several
possibilities, it helps to write down the alternatives and
the pluses and minuses of each.
▲ For example in choosing a college or a job change, the
several possibilities can be listed and what the client
likes and dislikes about each one can be seen visually.
▲ If there is one especially important issue, mark it with two
“+” or “-“signs (Mann, 2001).
The Decisional Balance Sheet
A 68 year old female client deciding to use a cane:
P
L
U
S
M
I
N
U
S
++Increase mobility.
++Feel more secure.
Socialize more.
++Visit family.
++Play with grandchildren.
- -My husband will tease me.
- -Look old.
Seem vulnerable.
Cost of canes.
Individual Practice in Logical
Consequences
Exercise 4: Writing Logical Consequences Statements
▲ Briefly indicate to Alisia, what the logical consequences will be for
her if she continues with her lack of assertiveness.
▲ Summarize Alisia’s problem in your own words using “if . . . , then . .
.” terms.
▲ Ask Alisia specific questions about the positive and negative
consequences of continuing her behavior.
▲ Provide Alisia with feedback on the probable consequences of
continuing her behavior. Use “if . . . , then . . .” language.
▲ Summarize the differences between the feedback just given and
Alisia’s view when she says she doesn’t want to change (this implies
the use of confrontation).
▲ Encourage Alisia to make her own decision.
Develop an imaginary balance sheet as she might fill it out.
Individual Practice in Logical
Consequences
Exercise 5. Logical Consequences Using Listening Skills
For each client and situation, write logical consequences statements
that help the client understand the situation more fully. Include
questioning skills.
▲ A student who is contemplating taking drugs for the first time.
▲ A young woman contemplating an abortion.
▲ A student considering taking out a loan for college.
▲ An executive in danger of being fired because of poor interpersonal
relationships.
▲ A client who is consistently late in meeting you and who is often
uncooperative.
INSTRUCTIONAL READING 4 AND EXERCISES:
INFORMATION AND PSYCHOEDUCATION
▲ Giving clients information, offering psychoeducation, or
making suggestions can be an important part of
interviewing and counseling.
▲ Unless the advice is actively sought, it is very difficult to
be heard.
INSTRUCTIONAL READING 4 AND EXERCISES:
INFORMATION AND PSYCHOEDUCATION
If you use information and psychoeducation as shown below,
you can predict how clients respond.
Information and Psychoeducation:
Share specific information with the
client—e.g., career information, choice of
major, where to go for community
assistance and services. Offer advice or
opinions on how to resolve issues and
provide useful suggestions for personal
change. Teach the client specifics that
may be useful—helping them develop a
wellness plan, teaching them how to use
microskills in interpersonal relationships,
educating them on multicultural issues
and discrimination.
Predicted result: If given sparingly and
effectively, the client will use
information and ideas to act in new,
more positive ways. Psychoeducation
that is provided in a timely way and
involves the client in the process can be
a powerful motivator for change.
INSTRUCTIONAL READING 4 AND EXERCISES:
INFORMATION AND PSYCHOEDUCATION
▲ Presents information, advice, instruction, opinions,
and/or suggestions to the other person.
▲ Beware: excessive emphasis in this area may lead you
to forget listening.
INSTRUCTIONAL READING 4 AND EXERCISES:
INFORMATION AND PSYCHOEDUCATION
▲ Attend and be sure the client is ready to hear your
information / advice, etc.
▲ Be clear, specific, concrete, and timely in your
instructional procedures.
▲ Check with the client to see if your ideas have been
understood.
Psychoeducation
▲ Psychoeducation is a more formal and systematic set of
strategies.
▲ Strategies include meditation, relaxation training,
assertiveness training, dating skills, multicultural
awareness, etc.
▲ Often taught in groups but equally effective if taught to
clients during the session.
▲ Social skills training—e.g., teaching the microskills to
clients—is a major part of most counseling and therapy.
Individual Practice in Information and
Psychoeducation
Exercise 6: Your Experience with Information and Advice
What is your own experience with information or advice
given to you before you were ready?
▲ How do you personally respond when someone gives
you advice or tells you what to do?
▲ Summarize both negative and positive thoughts you
have about this area.
Individual Practice in Information and
Psychoeducation
Exercise 7: Your Experience with Psychoeducation
▲ You have been in a variety of workshops. Learning
microskills themselves is a type of psychoeducation.
Individual counseling may have focused on teaching you
some skills.
▲ What has been your experience with psychoeducation
and what part might it play in your practice?
Individual Practice in Information and
Psychoeducation
Exercise 2: Writing Statements
▲ Imagine that Alisia has just said, “I’m totally lost right
now. I thought I had made progress on this issue, but
this last week I totally blew it again. I’m so discouraged
with myself.”
▲ Write how you might use information or use
psychoeducation to involve Alisia fully in the process so
that you do not foster dependency?
Individual Practice in Information and
Psychoeducation
Exercise 2: Writing Statements (cont.)
▲ Write statements and plans for educating these clients.
 “My partner is simply impossible. So much is demanded of me. I
just feel myself disappearing in the relationship. I need space.”
 “What do you think of me? I’ve done as much as I can with
working through issues around my sexuality, yet others keep
looking at me and talking behind my back.”
 “I feel so stressed. What can I do about it?”
Individual Practice in Information and
Psychoeducation
Exercise 2: Writing Statements
 “I have real difficulty with exams, no matter how hard I study. In
the last test I worked really hard, read all the assignments, and
thought I knew the material cold. But I still ended up with a weak
C.”
 “I don’t know how to speak up in class. I just sit there and part of
the grade is dependent on class participation.”
 “How would you go about establishing an exercise plan?”
INSTRUCTIONAL READING 5 AND
EXERCISES: DIRECTIVES
▲ Directives are especially effective in the restory and
action part of the interview.
▲ Help client move to behavioral action.
▲ Outline specific behaviors and actions.
INSTRUCTIONAL READING 5 AND
EXERCISES: DIRECTIVES
If you use directive skills as structured below, you can predict how clients respond.
Directives:
Direct clients to follow specific
actions. Directives are
important in broader strategies
such as assertiveness or social
skills training or specific
exercises such imagery,
thought stopping, journaling, or
relaxation training. They are
often important when assigning
homework for the client.
Predicted result:
The client will make positive
progress when they listen to
and follow the directives and
engage in new, more positive
thinking, feeling, or behaving.
DIRECTIVES
▲ Provide a sequence of events designed to produce a
likely result.
▲ Directives are critical in training.
▲ Homework produces results.
▲ Directive strategies drawn from various counseling
theories.
Expanded 1-2-3 Pattern
1. Involve your client as co-participant in the directive
strategy.

Be sure you have heard the story and inform client what you
are going to do.
2. Check out whether your directive was heard and
understood.


Just because you think you are clear doesn’t mean the client
understood what you said. Check to make sure your directive
was understood, specially when complex directives has been
given.
The Client Change Scale can be used to determine whether
the client actually changed as a result of your directive.
Expanded 1-2-3 Pattern
3. Be clear and concrete in your verbal expression and
time the directive to meet client needs.
 Directives need to be authoritative and clear, and in
tune with the needs of the client.
4. Be clear and concrete in your verbal expression and
time the directive to meet client needs.
 Directives need to be authoritative and clear, and in
tune with the needs of the client.
Example Directive Strategies
Specific suggestions/instructions for action
▲ “I suggest you try…”
▲ May be too elementary for some clients.
▲ Most effective with client’s who don’t have skills and
need firm guidance.
Homework
▲ Homework: generalizing goals and action beyond the session.
▲ Homework is concerned with action— generalizing thoughts,
feelings, and behaviors to the “real world.”
▲ Work with client to do something different or new after the session.
▲ Homework assignments include:
 Thought stopping, using positive imaging or meditation daily, playing
basketball with friends, starting a program of walking or running, or
keeping a diary of foods eaten, or act .assertively.
▲ Keep a record.
Now considered an important and basic part of helping the client
take learning from the interview home.
The Relaxation Response
Relaxation
▲ Goal: to equip the client with an immediately accessible
response (relaxation) when they encounter tense
situations.
 When we face serious challenges, our heart rates go up, we
breathe faster, our bodies tense, adrenaline and cortisol flow in,
and we become “ready” to deal with whatever we face.
 This immediate tense reaction can become habitual and damage
your body and brain.
▲ The relaxation response enable clients to deal more
effectively and healthfully with life challenges.
Relaxation
▲ Demonstration. Tighten your forearm, very tight, now let
it go.”
▲ Usually start with feet and move upward in full teaching
of relaxation.
▲ Relaxation response can be as simple as “think of a
positive image when you feel tense.” Available instantly
to the client in stressful situations.
▲ Can be taught as a sensorimotor environmentalstructuring intervention.
▲ Relaxation and control of the body helps the client to
better cope with daily stresses.
Relaxation training
Relaxation training
▲ Forms the basis for the response.
▲ Edmund Jacobson (1934) pioneered the scientific study
of relaxation with his book You Must Relax.
 He used a sophisticated approach, oriented to treatment of both
regular tension and severe psychological distress.
 He considered relaxation training a necessary part of any
therapeutic situation.
▲ Herbert Benson who popularized the use of relaxation
techniques in medicine (Benson & Klipper, 2000).
 His mind-body research focuses on the role of relaxation in
reducing stress responses and improving health.
Mindfulness Meditation and
Mindfulness
▲ Jon Kabat-Zinn (2005) mindfulness meditation is derived
primarily from Buddhist thought and practice. There is no
“goal” except perhaps to live as much as possible in the
immediate here and now. BE HERE NOW!
▲ Kabat-Zinn (1990) has worked closely with the Dali
Lama and has participated in basic research showing
that the brain does change with the positive open
approach of mindfulness.
▲ Training CD’s available (key Kabat-Zinn). Basic method
is to focus on breathing in the here and now. Becoming
the most popular form of meditation.
Positive Imagery
▲ Often the most powerful directive and must be used with
care.
▲ Most effective in helping clients experience the
sensorimotor orientation.
▲ Children and young people like the freedom and
creativity allowed in this type of directive.
Guided imagery focusing on a relaxing
scene
▲ Often the most powerful directive.
▲ Helps clients relax and reduce tension.
▲ Positive images represent positive strengths.
▲ Children and young people like the freedom and
creativity from this strategy.
Example Imagery
▲ “Close your eyes.”
▲ “Allow a picture of your most favorite place, an ideal day,
or a future partner to come to your mind.”
▲ What are you seeing? Hearing? Feeling?
Be sure you pace the client and are fully in touch with
where they are through careful observation.
Positive images of strength
▲ Give courage to meet difficult issues.
▲ Community genogram is a good source of people who
represent positive strengths and resources.
▲ Provide model for present and future action.
▲ Connect with physical sensation.
▲ Focus on positive images.
Encourage physical exercise and
nutrition
▲ Encourage physical exercise and nutrition.
▲ Sound body, sound mind.
▲ Exercise improves blood pressure and reduce stress and
depression.
▲ Proper eating habits, stretching, and meditation improve
life.
▲ Teach clients how to nourish their bodies.
Thought-stopping
▲ Almost everybody engages in negative self-talk.
▲ Thought-stopping: ending negative self-talk.
▲ Effective intervention, increases self-esteem and
personal effectiveness.
▲ Applicable to a wide range of difficulties.
 E.g., perfectionism, excessive culture-based guilt or shame,
shyness, mild depression.
Thought-stopping
▲ “I’d like to explore some of your negative thinking and
self-talk.”
▲ Sometimes internal self-talk becomes negative
judgments.
▲ Suggest methods to interrupt negative self-talk.
▲ At times, start by giving homework where client actually
counts and lists the negative self-talk during the week.
Thought-stopping
How to learn and use thought stopping?
▲ Step 1. Learn the basic process.
 Relax, close your eyes and imagine a situation where you make
the negative self-statement. Take time and let the situation
evolve. When the thought comes, observe what happens and
how you feel. Then tell yourself silently “STOP.” If you are alone,
say it loudly and firmly.
Thought-stopping
How to learn and use thought stopping?
▲ Step 2. Transfer thought stopping to your daily life.
 Place a rubber band around your wrist and every time during the
day that you find yourself thinking negatively, snap the rubber
band and say “STOP!”
Thought-stopping
How to learn and use thought stopping?
▲ Step 3. Add positive imaging.
 Once you have developed some understanding of how often you
use negative thinking, after you say “STOP,” substitute a more
positive statement. You may use positive imagery or think about
an example where you had a positive experience or a brief,
broader statement emphasizing general strengths.
 “I can do lots of things right.”
 “I am loveable and capable.”
 “I sometimes mess up—no one’s perfect.”
 “I did the best I could.”
 RUBBER BAND SEEN BY SOME AS NEGATIVE, BUT IT DOES
DRAW ATTENTION MORE FULLY IN THE HERE AND NOW
WHEN YOU BEGIN!
Thought-stopping
How to learn and use thought stopping?
▲ Step 4. Make positive images and thoughts a habit.
 Remove the rubber band and use positive images and positive
self-talk as a basis for building permanent self-esteem.
 Consider positive internal self-talk about other people who
disturb or “bug” you. It can help.
Helpful to combine this with relaxation response!
Role-Play Enactment
▲ “Let’s role-play it again, only change the one behavior
we agreed to.”
▲ Effective concrete orientation technique.
▲ Basic technique used in assertiveness training.
“I’ve heard your problem with Adrian. Now could we role-play it here
and now. I’ll be Adrian and I’ll try to behave as he did.”
Role play is evaluated for behavioral specifics.
“Now let’s do it again. I’d like to see you more assertive. We’ve agreed-More eye contact and a firmer vocal tone.
Further role-plays until client can engage in new behavior.
Enactment via the Gestalt empty chair
Gestalt empty-chair nonverbal techniques
▲ “Talk to your parent, as if. . .”
▲ “One hand is a fist, the other is open. Have one hand
talk to the other.”
▲ Similar to a role-play, but the client plays both people or
both parts.
▲ Makes the issue concrete.
▲ Acting / movement connects the client to sensorimotor
emotions.
Enactment via language change
Language Choice
▲ “Change ‘can’t’ to ‘won’t.’”
▲ Forces clients to be in charge of their own behavior.
▲ Particularly effective with self-directed formal-operational
clients, who may need help changing their thinking and
behavior.
Free association
Free association
▲ Originating in the psychoanalytic movement, this
strategy enables clients to reflect back from the here and
now to times in the past when they might have had
similar thoughts and feelings to what you are observing
now.
▲ This often provides a critical link that helps both you and
the client understand the historical basis of the present
issue.
“I hear you. Could you just let your mind go freely now and
tell me the first thing that comes to your mind?”
Free association
Free association
▲ “Stay with that feeling, magnify it. What flashed into your
mind?”
▲ Most effective with full formal-operational clients who are
self-directed.
▲ Works best if sensorimotor modalities of emotion brought
into play.
Other Directive Strategies
Paradoxical Instruction
▲ “Do the problem behavior / thinking / action at least three
times.”
▲ May be effective with client’s who refuse to follow
directions.
▲ Useful in developing awareness and in promoting
change.
“During the coming week, I want you to deliberately engage
in that problematic behavior. But also note what you are
feeling inside and what happens in relation to others.”
Other Directive Strategies
Systematic desensitization
▲ More complex strategy effective for deep-seated anxiety
problems associated with specific issues.
 Deep muscle relaxation
 Construction of an anxiety hierarchy
 Matching objects of anxiety with relaxation
▲ Several carefully planned sessions may be needed to
practice relaxation under stress.
Other Directive Strategies
Meditation
▲ “Be still. Focus on one point. Relax. Let all thoughts slip
from your mind.”
▲ Some clients may prefer meditation as a mode of
relaxation.
▲ More characteristic of client-directed, formal-operational
approach.
Other Directive Strategies
Family therapy communications
▲ “Don’t talk to me. . . Talk to him now.”
▲ Most directives can be adapted to family and group
counseling.
COMPETENCY PRACTICE
EXERCISES
Take one or two of the most interesting and potentially
useful exercises suggested here and try it/them out.
1. Try the directive strategy on yourself. Most can be done
alone if you take time to really do it and study the
process. What happens? What occurs for you? What did
you learn? Would you like to continue and practice that
method further Most directives can be adapted to family
and group counseling.
COMPETENCY PRACTICE
EXERCISES
2. Find a classmate or friend, get the person’s permission,
and the two of you try the strategy on each other. What
happens? What occurs for you? What did you learn?
Would you like to continue and practice that method
further?
SUMMARY
▲ Self-disclosure, feedback, consequences, information
and psychoeducation, and, directives all aim at client
change.
▲ Relationship and client story and strengths remain
important.
▲ Consult with your clients and let them know when you
are using an influential skill
▲ Use the Client Change Scale to assess the effectiveness
of your interventions.
▲ Do the evaluation with the client to facilitate planning and
change.
Key Points
1-2-3 pattern
▲ In any interaction with a client, first attend to and
determine the client’s frame of reference, then assess
her or his reaction before using your influencing skills.
Finally, check out the client reaction to your use of the
skill.
Key Points
Interpersonal influence continuum
▲ The influencing and attending skill may be classified
from low to high degrees of influence. Encouragers and
paraphrasing are considered relatively low in influence,
whereas confrontation and directives are considered
more influential
Key Points
Moderate triad
▲ The “swing skills” of the interpersonal influence
continuum are focusing and open and closed questions.
They provide a framework for determining the topic of
conversation while keeping a balance between
influencing and attending skills.
Key Points
Self-disclosure
▲ Indicating your thoughts and feelings to a client
constitutes self-disclosure, which necessitates the
following:
1. Use personal pronouns (“I” statements).
2. Use a verb for content or feeling (“I feel . . . ,” “I think . . .”).
3. Use an object coupled with adverb and adjective descriptors (“I
feel happy about your being able to assert yourself . . .”).
4. Express your feelings appropriately.
▲ Self-disclosure tends to be most effective if it is genuine,
timely, brief, and phrased in the present tense.
Key Points
Feedback
Feed back accurate data on how you or others view the
client. Remember the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The client should be in charge.
Focus on strengths.
Be concrete and specific.
Be nonjudgmental.
As appropriate, provide here-and-now feedback.
Keep feedback lean and precise.
Check out how your feedback was received.
Key Points
Logical consequences
▲ This skill predicts the probable results of a
client’s action, in five steps:
1. Listen to make sure you understand the situation
and how it is understood by the client.
2. Encourage the client to think about positive and
negative consequences of a decision.
3. Provide your data on the positive and negative
consequences of a decision in a nonjudgmental
manner.
4. Summarize the positives and negatives.
5. Let the client decide what action to take.
Key Points
Information and psychoeducation
▲ Many times clients need the counselor’s knowledge and
expertise around key life issues. The counselor knows
the community and resources available. He or she also
knows the likely pattern and key issues of a divorce, the
death of a family member, or other life issue.
▲ Psychoeducation is a more systematic way to teach
clients of new life possibilities; this may range from
training in communication skills to developing a
successful wellness plan.
Key Points
Directives
▲ Involve your client with the choice of directives, even to
the point of telling her or him what is to happen and what
to expect as a result. Appropriately assertive body
language, vocal tone, and eye contact are important, as
are clear, concrete verbal expressions and checking out
the degree of client participation.
Key Points
What else?
▲ Most of the influencing skills require you to be concrete
and specific, although the ability to work abstractly is
particularly important in interpretation/reframing.
▲ Remember to involve your client as a co-participant as
you utilize influencing skills.
COMPETENCY PRACTICE EXERCISE AND
SELF-ASSESSMENT
Chapter 12
Individual Practice
Group practice
Self-assessment
Group Practice
Exercise 9: Practicing the influential skills
IIC
Directives, Logical consequences, Self-disclosure, Feedback,
Information and psychoeducation.
Follow the complete process for each of the 5
influencing strategies.
 Separate into groups of four.
 Select a group leader.
 Assign roles for the first practice session.
 Interviewer
 Client
 Observer 1
 Observer 2
Group Practice
Exercise 9: Practicing the influential skills
IIC
Directives, Logical consequences, Self-disclosure, Feedback,
Information and psychoeducation.

Select and plan a topic.
 A relationship problem
 RESPECTFUL model
 Discrimination
 A decision with several alternatives
 Provide concrete information
 Select a specific directive strategy
Group Practice
Exercise 9: Practicing the influential skills
IIC
Directives, Logical consequences, Self-disclosure, Feedback,
Information and psychoeducation.

Conduct a practice session with focus on:
 Self-disclosure
 Feedback
 Logical Consequences
 Information/Psychoeducational
 Directives
Group Practice
Exercise 9: Practicing the influential skills
IIC
Directives, Logical consequences, Self-disclosure, Feedback,
Information and psychoeducation.

Review the Session
 Observers use the appropriate Feedback Form for each
specific influencing strategy.
 Observer 1 pinpoint client focus statements.
 Observer 2 pinpoint interviewer focus statements.
 Client uses Client Feedback Form. (Ch. 1)

Rotate roles and repeat for each participant and
each influencing strategy.
CLIENT FEEDBACK
FORM
IIC
(from Ch. 1)
In practice sessions, it
is very helpful to get
immediate feedback.
As you practice the
microskills, use the
Client Feedback Form.
FORM
IIC
Influentencing Skills Feedback Form (in this Ch.)
In practice sessions, it is
very helpful to get immediate
feedback. As you practice
the microskills, we
encourage you to use the
feedback forms provided.
We provide feedback forms
for each specific skill.
Group Practice
Exercise 9: Practicing the influential skills
IIC
Directives, Logical consequences, Self-disclosure, Feedback,
Information and psychoeducation.
Discussion Questions

 How does the interviewer draw out the client’s decisional issues




with the BLS?
How did the interviewer help the client consider the alternative
positive and negative consequences?
How did the client respond to the interviewer comments? Use the
CCS to rate client response.
What did the interviewer do next when his/her skills were not
immediately successful?
What did you observe nonverbally about this session?
Group Practice
Exercise 9: Practicing the influential skills
IIC
Directives, Logical consequences, Self-disclosure, Feedback,
Information and psychoeducation.

Discussion Questions
 How does the interviewer draw out the client’s story with the BLS?
 Note the interviewer’s exact words, if possible.
 Did the interviewer include a check-out so the advice could be
discussed in an egalitarian manner?
 How did the client respond to the interviewer comments? Use the
CCS to rate client response.
 What did the interviewer do next when his/her skills were not
immediately successful?
 What did you observe nonverbally about this session?
Group Practice
Exercise 9: Practicing the influential skills
IIC
Directives, Logical consequences, Self-disclosure, Feedback,
Information and psychoeducation.
Discussion Questions

 How does the interviewer draw out the client’s story with the BLS?
 Describe as clearly as possible the directive strategy used by the




interviewer.
How did the client respond to the interviewer comments? Use the
CCS to rate client response.
What did the interviewer do next when his/her skills were not
immediately successful?
What did you observe nonverbally about this session?
Was the interviewer able to bring “here and now” feeling and
content into the session?
Client Change Scale (CCS)
The Creation of the New
Denial
1
Full
Examination Decides to
Live With
But No
Partial
Incongruity
Change
Examination
2
Denies or
Discusses
fails to hear part, but not
incongruity.
all of
incongruity.
3
Discusses
incongruity
completely,
but will not
change.
4
Discusses
and is fully
aware of
decision
impact.
Decides to
Change From
Incongruity
5
Discusses
and alters
choices
when faced
with
incongruity.
PORTFOLIO OF COMPETENCE
What Is Your Level of Mastery of this Skill?
IIC
 Influential skills are core competencies of intentional
interviewing and counseling.
 Use the following as a checklist to evaluate your present
level of mastery.
 Check those dimensions that you currently are able to
do. Those that remain unchecked can serve as future
goals.
PORTFOLIO OF COMPETENCE
IIC
SELF-ASSESSMENT
 This chapter is about interpersonal influence, and it covers
considerable material. You cannot be expected to master all
these skills until you have a fair amount of practice and
experience.
 Use the following to guide your self-assessment:
 What are your thoughts about the major ideas presented in this
chapter?
 Where do you stand regarding the influencing skills currently?
 Where would you like to go in terms of next steps?
SELF-ASSESSMENT
Self-Evaluation of Influential Skills
IIC
Go to Chapter 12 for a full description of these levels
 Level 1: Identification and classification.
 Level 2: Basic competence.
 Level 3: Intentional competence.
 Level 4: Psychoeducational teaching competence.
SELF-ASSESSMENT
Self-Evaluation of Influential Skills
IIC
Five skill areas are identified in this chapter. They are listed here with the
levels of competence. Check off those areas for which you have competence
so far. Be patient with yourself, as mastery of these skills will take time.
DETERMINING YOUR OWN
STYLE AND THEORY:
CRITICAL SELF-REFLECTION
ON INFLUENCING SKILLS
CRITICAL SELF-REFLECTION
ON INFLUENTIAL SKILLS
You were introduced to five influential skills.








With which of these skills do you feel most comfortable?
Which might you seek to use?
Which might you avoid?
How do you feel about the idea of consciously influencing the
direction of the interview?
What single idea stood out for you among all those presented in
this chapter, in class, or through informal learning?
What are your thoughts on multicultural issues and the use of
this skill?
What other points in this chapter struck you as important?
How might you use ideas in this chapter to begin the process of
establishing your own style and theory?
Write your ideas in your journal.