Alternatively, under the same circumstances Carol could have taken the session in a different direction:<\/p>\n
Carol:<\/strong> Jane, from your write-up, I see that you really feel like this client is making progress.<\/p>\n Jane:<\/strong> I really do (excitedly)<\/p>\n Carol:<\/strong> Could you tell me how you think you are facilitating this progress?<\/p>\n Jane:<\/strong> I have been helping him explore the context of his depression.<\/p>\n Carol:<\/strong> Yes, you ask him a lot of questions about his depression.<\/p>\n Jane:<\/strong> Yeah, it really seems to help him think through things better.<\/p>\n Carol:<\/strong> And how do you see yourself utilizing other skills along with questions?<\/p>\n Jane:<\/strong> Well, I mostly just ask questions, I guess, but that seems to be helping him. Carol:<\/strong> Jane, I get the sense you are caught in a bit of a dance with this client, one where you are asking lots of questions, working really hard to elicit information, and the client isn\u2019t saying much.<\/p>\n Jane:<\/strong> I agree. It feels like he doesn\u2019t really want to be there.<\/p>\n Carol:<\/strong> So, here you are, working really hard, probably harder than he is. I think it\u2019s really difficult when you get in this pattern of asking questions, getting short answers, and then trying to figure out what to do next.<\/p>\n Jane:<\/strong> Yes, that\u2019s right.<\/p>\n Carol:<\/strong> I wonder if we can focus on your client for just a bit.<\/p>\n Jane:<\/strong> Sure.<\/p>\n Carol:<\/strong> I find myself wondering what you know about him that might help you understand his hesitancy to engage more fully in the counseling process?<\/p>\n Jane:<\/strong> (long pause). Well, I know there is a lot of abuse in his past, so it\u2019s probably hard for him to trust other people. Hmm, I\u2019ve never really thought about that. Maybe I haven\u2019t earned his trust.<\/p>\n Carol:<\/strong> So, if that\u2019s true, I wonder how he might hear the questions that you are asking him?<\/p>\n Jane:<\/strong> Oh gosh, I haven\u2019t thought about that. I probably sound like I\u2019m interrogating him, peppering him with all those questions. Maybe that\u2019s why he doesn\u2019t give me more in his answers.<\/p>\n Carol:<\/strong> Well, I don\u2019t know for sure, but that seems plausible. Do you have any sense what pulled you into this pattern with him?<\/p>\n Jane:<\/strong> Well, now that I think of it, I really want to help this guy, I mean, I feel for him with all that he\u2019s been through. In a way, he reminds me of my brother who has really struggled, so maybe that\u2019s why I\u2019m trying too hard.<\/p>\n Carol:<\/strong> That\u2019s interesting, Jane. Sounds like you care so much and feel so deeply over what he has been through, and he also reminds you of your brother in some ways, you think you may be trying too hard with him.<\/p>\n
\nOr, Carol could have structured the supervision session in a different way:<\/p>\n