If my client just arrived into my
office and told me that their dog was hit by a car and automatically started to
cry, I would let him/her cry for a bit and listen to what they have to say. I
would try to gain my clients attention by eye contact and will try to repeat
their name with what I have to say, so that they know that I am paying
attention and perhaps gain their attention so that I can help them further. I
would also show a lot of empathy toward my client and try to get more
information on when did this accident occur. I would know that I would have to
try and help this individual in the healing process. No healing process is
easy, especially if one is grieving for a loved one. I definitely would try to
put my feet in that persons shoe because I do know what it is like to lose a
family pet that is very much like a family member.
I
would treat this conversation with a few tentative and open ended questions at
first and see how it goes from there. I would like to see if my clients is
willing to open up about the topic as starting up this personal conversation
may not want to talk about the topic completely. This process may take a few
sessions in order to get to the root of the problem. This could be the reason
why my client is coming to therapy or not it may be something completely way
off the reason why they are coming to therapy. Maybe this topic of conversation
was bound to come out from our previous sessions, perhaps this may help mu
client move further in life and close many doors from the past. My job is to
try to see where my client is and try to get s/he were they need to be.
Tiffany, I totally agree with you. If the client shows up and begins to cry because he lost his puppy, I would let him cry because it is obvious that he needs to let all of that out his chest. Even though I don't know what it feels like to lose a family pet, I would try to be empathic towards his feelings and pay close attention to what the client is saying.
ReplyDeleteTo calm him down, I would probaly use a session of Guided Imagery. This will allow him to use his imagination along with breathing exercises to help him reach a state of deep relaxation. You can him/her achieve a relaxed state by guiding them to a detailed comfortable place where they can feel safe, such as a beach or a garden or you can ask him to imagine his own favorite place.
Greetings! Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteNicely done.... A therapy I would recommend for you to use with a grieving client, such as the client that came in to your office, is the Guided Imagery; the Guided Imagery therapy, is a therapy in which you can use to help your client relax before, during, and after a difficult situation. For example, if a person is anxious, you can ask him/her to close their eyes, and take a deep breath in through their nose, and exhale out through their mouth, and as he/she is doing this, you can play some soft soothing music in the background, and explain to him/her what you will be doing. Your main goal is help that person relax as they imagine to be in their own favorite place, doing what they love to do, in a safe environment, forgetting all worries and problems....