Skills Assignments 1

Name: Karen Mumford

1) Identify the name of each skill (2 pts.) you use, and then provide client demographics such as approximate
age, gender, race, etc., as well as the setting in which you are seeing client. Specify whether this is your first
visit or the approximate number of prior visits you have had with client. (4 points)

Skills #1 Process Questions and Self-Involving Statements

1a. Process questions that foster collaboration/empathy
1c. Self-involving statements

The client is a 47-year-old white female. She is a mother to four children (16, 16, 16, 9). She has been a stay-at-
home wife for the past 20-years but recently has gotten a divorce after discovering multiple affairs and a
gambling addiction. She is struggling both emotionally and financially with the stress of raising four children as
a single parent and having been absent from the job force since she lost her part-time job 10 years ago due to a
personality conflict with her supervisor. She has recently experienced one severe panic attack and several more
manageable attacks.

She has received an offer for full-time employment but is still under the probation period. She has already been
reprimanded by her supervisor for late documentation. The client shares lack of focus, feelings as if her “brain
is broken,” inability to form new relationships and increased fatigue.

All 4 of the children have recently enrolled in public school. their teachers have voiced concern to both client
and ex-husband about the children’s multiple morning tardies and that their grades have documented decline
since last year. They seem withdrawn during class and missing homework assignments. This is her first session
with the therapist.

2) For each skill, describe briefly the client situation and describe what you did and said to the client. Put your
words in “bold” so that it is easy to identify what you said to the client (4 pts.).

I received a referral from a former client and made telephone contact with the mother. Our first session was
scheduled to be held in my office. The mother arrived on time, dressed appropriately but appeared anxious. I
offered her a bottle of water and she accepted as she sat in the far corner of the sofa that is placed in my office. I
turned on a sound machine that is placed by the door and centered my office chair sofa, facing client but with a
bit of distance between us. She immediately placed a throw pillow across her chest and sat stiffly.

Therapist: Hi, Stacy! Good afternoon, how are you today?

Client: Good afternoon. I’m so very tired and stressed these past few months.
Therapist: Oh, what’s stressing you out? And why are you tired?
Client: I have been through a lot of changes over the past few years. I have gotten a divorce, I’m in grad school,
had a major housefire where we lost 3 pets, went back to work full-time and have 4 children in the home who
are all active with school, friends and sports. I feel so disorganized and always running behind. I’m exhausted
from all of it.
Therapist: That is an awful lot of major changes to manage, especially being newly single. Just one of
these events would certainly have an emotional and physical impact on someone. Hearing your story even
makes me feel overwhelmed! I can only imagine how difficult it all has been.

3) Then describe the immediate response from the client or the immediate impact that the skill had (or didn’t
have) on the client. The bottom line is: What happened when you did this? Teyber & Teyber have a lot to say
about the importance of observing clients closely in order to determine the impact of the intervention on the
client (4 pts.).
At this point, the client began to cry, and without saying a word, I handed her a box of tissues. After allowing
her a quiet and safe space to release these emotions (2-3 minutes), she regained her composure and began
sharing again.

Client: I’m stressed with so many responsibilities that I don’t feel like I am doing anything right. I can’t sleep
because I’m constantly worried about the things that I didn’t finish that day and how everyone will be
disappointed or angry with me. I barely have time to stop and eat anything throughout the day, so I end up
eating junk food at night. I just don’t feel good or healthy.
Therapist: So based, in your story, you feel that everyone has high expectations for you to do your best
and that each subject requires your full attention? You are able to recognize your limits and that it is just
too much to accomplish within one day? But you don’t want to disappoint any specific group, so you try
to do everything even if it’s difficult and affecting your mental health?

The client then looked up at me and put the pillow to her side. She began to openly share how alone she had felt
without having a husband to share the heavy burdens she felt. She eventually began to speak about discovering an
unknown strength that makes her feel good and that having every other weekend off while the children stay with their
dad has been a good opportunity for rest and self-care. Her body language was open, and her anxiety seemed to
become more manageable as her perspective shifted.

4) What did you find found to be most useful (or not useful) and then explain why you think that it was helpful
(or not helpful). This refers to your personal and/or professional experience in trying out the skill (6 pts.).

Using this skill showed the client my interest in her plight and that it evoked a real emotion inside of me as I
heard of her recent challenges. Once she believed that I was truly invested in hearing her without judgement or
pity, she was able to share her story and how hard it’s been. Eventually, she was able to shift her negative
thoughts about how cruel the outside world currently felt to recognizing how powerful she must be to navigate
such major life events on her own.

Process questions that foster collaboration/empathy allowed me to use her “agenda” verses mine; it allows her
to freely explore feelings without being influenced by my experiences. I couldn’t remove or solve these issues
for her, but I could assist her in opening up new areas for discussion and pinpointing an issue (either positive or
negative) that they might be experiencing. Questions that assist a client in recalling information can help aid
their journey into self-exploration.

The use of self-involving statements provides an honest reality-based reaction during therapy and was
strategically used in the context of careful listening. It often strengthens a therapist/client alliance while
enhancing the client’s motivation. Disclosing a positive reaction can reinforce client progress while returning
the focus back to the client.