[humanser] verbal techniques and reading affect

Mon Sep 26 01:52:15 UTC 2016

Sounds like you're doing all you can in the small room you have. If you really enjoy this setting, maybe you'll be lucky enough to work in a place with more space next time.

Ericka Short
1750 Fordem Ave. #508
Madison. WI. 53704
608-665-3170

 from my iPhone 6s

> On Sep 25, 2016, at 7:07 PM, Kaiti Shelton via HumanSer <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> 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
> 
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