[humanser] verbal techniques and reading affect

Mon Sep 26 00:07:55 UTC 2016

Hi Ericka and Rebecca,

That probably would make them nervous or distract them.  The room we
are working in unfortunately doesn't have a lot of extra space, so in
order to walk around I'd have to walk around the inside of the circle
of chairs (they're lined up pretty much against the walls), and we
often move drums and other equipment to the center of the circle when
we're not using us in order to give us some physical space.  We
prepare and pass out lyric sheets when we plan for a particular song
to be discussed, but when the clients request songs to communicate a
part of their story to the group we don't even have words for them to
focus on.  I have been able to do this in other group settings,
though; I had a rolling stool I used when working with older adults so
I could play and see their faces when close at eye level, and I found
that helpful.

Rebecca, I like your idea of throwing emotions out there.  Perhaps I
already am doing a version of this by repeating a particular line from
the song and asking the clients what they interpreted it to mean.  I
sometimes say what I think of it first and then see how their
responses might be similar or different from mine.  With prepared
songs this is even easier as I put the lyric sheet on my BrailleSense
and can follow along with the clients as the music plays.  I also now
have a general idea of how some of the clients react to different
types of song material, but I am also careful not to assume anything
hard and fast about their reactions as that isn't fair to them, and I
also am mindful of all the other things going on in their treatment.
The only bummer is that we don't have many sessions with them as
they're only in a 28 day program, and we only have practicum twice a
week.

On 9/25/16, Ericka via HumanSer <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Is it permissible to walk about the room together more not a verbal
> information or would that make the people nervous while the music is
> playing?
>
> Ericka Short
> 1750 Fordem Ave. #508
> Madison. WI. 53704
> 608-665-3170
>
>  from my iPhone 6s
>
>> On Sep 25, 2016, at 12:15 AM, Kaiti Shelton via HumanSer
>> <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> This semester my practicum is in a substance abuse treatment facility.
>> I'm working with a partner and my supervisor on a women's unit and
>> have found that in spite of previous assumptions I had about the work
>> that I love it.
>>
>> One skill that is addressed in this particular practicum is the use of
>> verbal techniques and counseling skills.  It is different from my
>> previous practicum experiences. My first experience with older adults
>> on a dementia unit of a nursing home was all about just getting
>> comfortable using the music with clients, engaging them, and learning
>> to consider their various strengths and areas of growth in the various
>> domains of functioning.  The next two practicums with a teenager and
>> young children in a special needs classroom were about working in an
>> experience-oriented way rather than an outcome-oriented way, and using
>> music to work on global group needs that contributed to academic
>> learning, such as behavior and social skills as many of the children
>> had Autism Spectrum Disorders respectively. This is my first
>> experience working with cognitively typical adults, who are processing
>> complex emotions and life situations including various forms of
>> trauma.
>>
>> My supervisor definitely thrives while working with this population
>> and has a history of working in psych, particularly with juvenile
>> offenders.  Sometimes she can get carried away with the group and
>> doesn't leave much room for students to practice leadership, but she
>> recognizes this and has told us to not be afraid of asking/reminding
>> her to step back if she seems overbearing to us.  Right now as we've
>> only just begun co-leading (my partner and I), we often appreciate her
>> stepping in when she does.  The issue for me is that often times when
>> the group starts processing song material the clients often have
>> physical responses to the music, lyrics, or both that I can't see.
>> With the amount of vision I do have I can sometimes notice if a client
>> is hunched over in their seat to form a closed position, but I often
>> can't tell if they're silently crying or have a sad expression on
>> their faces.  My supervisor uses this information a lot as she
>> facilitates processing and will say thinggs like, "Client X, I noticed
>> you had some tears.  Can you share about that?"  I noticed my
>> supervisor also often just asks other members of the group, "Client Y,
>> what about you?  Can you share what you thought of in that
>> experience?"
>>
>> While I suppose I could always use the latter example as a means of
>> engaging the clients, I'm wondering how I could pick up on some of the
>> physical expressions I'm missing.  This wasn't so much of an issue
>> with the older adults or children I worked with as they were more
>> likely to verbally express their affect.  My supervisor says I'm doing
>> a good job of inserting my voice in the processing even though she
>> doesn't always leave a lot of room for that, and also understands that
>> right now I'm using her facilitation to gather information about the
>> clients that informs my use of verbal techniques when I do speak.
>> This has led me to use a lot of paraphrasing and reflection of feeling
>> and my supervisor understands why that is happening, but I'd like to
>> be able to lead processing experiences with a greater repertoire of
>> verbal techniques if at all possible.  I know how to use a lot more of
>> them than just paraphrasing and reflection, I'm just not sure how to
>> best gain information that will inform my facilitation when the
>> clients aren't verbal or don't give auditory indications of their
>> affect, E.G sniffling or grabbing a tissue from the box in the center
>> of the circle.  I acknowledge that it is okay to rely on information I
>> get from my partner and supervisor as a co-therapist in this setting,
>> but I would like to be able to also perform as well as I can when
>> facilitating on my own.
>>
>> --
>> Kaiti Shelton
>>
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-- 
Kaiti Shelton