Reflective listening

Last updated

Reflective listening is a communication strategy used to better understand a speaker's idea by offering your understanding of their idea back to the speaker in order to confirm that the idea has been understood correctly. [1] It is a more specific strategy than general methods of active listening.

Contents

Form of empathy

Reflective listening arose from Carl Rogers's school of client-centered therapy in counseling theory. [1]

It is a practice of expressing genuine understanding in response to a speaker as opposed to word-for-word regurgitation. [1] Reflective listening takes practice. [2] Reflective listening is one of the skills of motivational interviewing, a style of communication that works collaboratively to encourage change. [3] Failure to understand the needs of the person speaking can result in errors in work, such as problems being unresolved, or decisions not being quickly made. [4]

Additional application

Reflective listening has been found to be effective in a therapeutic setting. [5] [6] Subjects receiving reflective listening from a counsellor reported better therapeutic relationships and more disclosure of feelings. [5] There is also an increased chance of recovery. [7]

A qualitative study of students using song lyrics to practice their reflective listening skills suggested that, according to participants, this allowed for a deeper understanding of the emotional content of the practice experience. [8]

Reflective listening in open-ended dialogue

Skilled communicators frequently echo and restate their conversation partner's words, particularly when reacting to emotional narratives or when they are uncertain of the answer. Researchers Justin Dieter, Tian Wang, Arun Tejasvi Chaganty, Gabor Angeli, and Angel X. Chang have presented a new challenge and accompanying dataset designed to enable chatbots to replicate this behavior by echoing and rephrasing user inquiries to convey empathy or acknowledge ignorance. [9] The authors examine the characteristics of effective rephrasing based on qualitative criteria and assess three different response generation models: a rule-based system that is sensitive to syntax, a neural model using a sequence-to-sequence LSTM with attention (S2SA), and an enhanced version of this neural model with a copy mechanism (S2SA+C). Human assessments indicate that both the S2SA+C and rule-based models produce responses that are similar in quality to those generated by humans. Furthermore, the deployment of S2SA+C in a live customer service environment suggests that this task of generating responses is a valuable addition to the capabilities of real-world conversational agents. [9]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Rogers</span> American psychologist (1902–1987)

Carl Ransom Rogers was an American psychologist who was one of the founders of humanistic psychology and was known especially for his person-centered psychotherapy. Rogers is widely considered one of the founding fathers of psychotherapy research and was honored for his pioneering research with the Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions by the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1956.

Group psychotherapy or group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group. The term can legitimately refer to any form of psychotherapy when delivered in a group format, including art therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy or interpersonal therapy, but it is usually applied to psychodynamic group therapy where the group context and group process is explicitly utilized as a mechanism of change by developing, exploring and examining interpersonal relationships within the group.

Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development. Central to its practice are psychological assessment, clinical formulation, and psychotherapy, although clinical psychologists also engage in research, teaching, consultation, forensic testimony, and program development and administration. In many countries, clinical psychology is a regulated mental health profession.

Counseling psychology is a psychological specialty that began with a focus on vocational counseling, but later moved its emphasis to adjustment counseling, and then expanded to cover all normal psychology and psychotherapy. There are many subcategories for counseling psychology, such as marriage and family counseling, rehabilitation counseling, clinical mental health counseling, educational counseling, etc. In each setting, they are all required to follow the same guidelines.

Person-centered therapy, also known as person-centered psychotherapy, person-centered counseling, client-centered therapy and Rogerian psychotherapy, is a form of psychotherapy developed by psychologist Carl Rogers and colleagues beginning in the 1940s and extending into the 1980s. Person-centered therapy seeks to facilitate a client's actualizing tendency, "an inbuilt proclivity toward growth and fulfillment", via acceptance, therapist congruence (genuineness), and empathic understanding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four stages of competence</span> Psychological states when gaining a skill

In psychology, the four stages of competence, or the "conscious competence" learning model, relates to the psychological states involved in the process of progressing from incompetence to competence in a skill. People may have several skills, some unrelated to each other, and each skill will typically be at one of the stages at a given time. Many skills require practice to remain at a high level of competence.

Couples therapy attempts to improve romantic relationships and resolve interpersonal conflicts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Active listening</span> Technique of both listening to what is said and replying with an accurate summary

Active listening is the practice of preparing to listen, observing what verbal and non-verbal messages are being sent, and then providing appropriate feedback for the sake of showing attentiveness to the message being presented.

Online counseling or online therapy is a form of professional mental health counseling that is generally performed through the internet. Computer aided technologies are used by the trained professional counselors and individuals seeking counseling services to communicate rather than conventional face-to-face interactions. Online counseling is also referred to as teletherapy, e-therapy, cyber therapy, or web counseling. Services are typically offered via email, real-time chat, and video conferencing. Some clients use online counseling in conjunction with traditional psychotherapy, or nutritional counseling. An increasing number of clients are using online counseling as a replacement for office visits.

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a counseling approach developed in part by clinical psychologists William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick. It is a directive, client-centered counseling style for eliciting behavior change by helping clients to explore and resolve ambivalence. Compared with non-directive counseling, it is more focused and goal-directed, and departs from traditional Rogerian client-centered therapy through this use of direction, in which therapists attempt to influence clients to consider making changes, rather than engaging in non-directive therapeutic exploration. The examination and resolution of ambivalence is a central purpose, and the counselor is intentionally directive in pursuing this goal. MI is most centrally defined not by technique but by its spirit as a facilitative style for interpersonal relationship.

Clean language is a technique primarily used in counseling, psychotherapy and coaching but now also used in education, business, organisational change and health. It has been applied as a research interview technique called clean language interviewing.

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is a brief, attachment-focused psychotherapy that centers on resolving interpersonal problems and symptomatic recovery. It is an empirically supported treatment (EST) that follows a highly structured and time-limited approach and is intended to be completed within 12–16 weeks. IPT is based on the principle that relationships and life events impact mood and that the reverse is also true. It was developed by Gerald Klerman and Myrna Weissman for major depression in the 1970s and has since been adapted for other mental disorders. IPT is an empirically validated intervention for depressive disorders, and is more effective when used in combination with psychiatric medications. Along with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), IPT is recommended in treatment guidelines as a psychosocial treatment of choice for depression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of psychotherapy</span>

Although modern, scientific psychology is often dated from the 1879 opening of the first psychological clinic by Wilhelm Wundt, attempts to create methods for assessing and treating mental distress existed long before. The earliest recorded approaches were a combination of religious, magical and/or medical perspectives. Early examples of such psychological thinkers included Patañjali, Padmasambhava, Rhazes, Avicenna and Rumi.

Psychological mindedness refers to a person's capacity for self-examination, self-reflection, introspection and personal insight. It includes an ability to recognize meanings that underlie overt words and actions, to appreciate emotional nuance and complexity, to recognize the links between past and present, and insight into one's own and others' motives and intentions. Psychologically minded people have above average insight into mental life.

Emotionally focused therapy and emotion-focused therapy (EFT) are related humanistic approaches to psychotherapy that aim to resolve emotional and relationship issues with individuals, couples, and families. These therapies combine experiential therapy techniques, including person-centered and Gestalt therapies, with systemic therapy and attachment theory. The central premise is that emotions influence cognition, motivate behavior, and are strongly linked to needs. The goals of treatment include transforming maladaptive behaviors, such as emotional avoidance, and developing awareness, acceptance, expression, and regulation of emotion and understanding of relationships. EFT is usually a short-term treatment.

Supportive psychotherapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that integrates various therapeutic schools such as psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral, as well as interpersonal conceptual models and techniques.

The mainstay of management of borderline personality disorder is various forms of psychotherapy with medications being found to be of little use.

Family therapy is a branch of psychotherapy focused on families and couples in intimate relationships to nurture change and development. It tends to view change in terms of the systems of interaction between family members.

Trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence-based psychotherapy or counselling that aims at addressing the needs of children and adolescents with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other difficulties related to traumatic life events. This treatment was developed and proposed by Drs. Anthony Mannarino, Judith Cohen, and Esther Deblinger in 2006. The goal of TF-CBT is to provide psychoeducation to both the child and non-offending caregivers, then help them identify, cope, and re-regulate maladaptive emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Research has shown TF-CBT to be effective in treating childhood PTSD and with children who have experienced or witnessed traumatic events, including but not limited to physical or sexual victimization, child maltreatment, domestic violence, community violence, accidents, natural disasters, and war. More recently, TF-CBT has been applied to and found effective in treating complex posttraumatic stress disorder.

Natalie Rogers (1928–2015) was an early contributor to the field of humanistic psychology, person centered psychology, expressive arts therapy, and the founder of Person-Centered Expressive Arts. This combination of the arts with psychotherapy is sometimes referred to by Rogers as The Creative Connection. The daughter of Carl Rogers, one of the founders of humanistic psychology, she established her own center, the Person-Centered Expressive Therapy Institute. Her writings, teachings, and practice introduced many to the power of creative arts for healing both within and outside the therapeutic setting.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Braillon, Alain; Taiebi, Françoise (2020-09-01). "Practicing "Reflective listening" is a mandatory prerequisite for empathy". Patient Education and Counseling. 103 (9): 1866–1867. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2020.03.024 . ISSN   0738-3991. PMID   32487470. S2CID   216209760.
  2. Rogers, Carl R.; Farson, Richard E. (1987). "Active Listening" (PDF).
  3. Miller, Barbara; Seabury, Robin (2001). "When is it motivational interviewing?" (PDF).
  4. Rautalinko, Erik; Lisper, Hans-Olof (Spring 2004). "Effects of Training Reflective Listening in a Corporate Setting". Journal of Business and Psychology. 18 (3): 281–299. doi:10.1023/B:JOBU.0000016712.36043.4f. S2CID   144777406.
  5. 1 2 Rautalinko, E; Lisper, HO; Ekehammar, B (2007). "Reflective listening in counseling: Effects of training time and evaluator social skills". American Journal of Psychotherapy. 61 (2): 191–209. doi: 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2007.61.2.191 . PMID   17760322.
  6. Burke, P. and Hohman, M. (2014). Encouraging Self-Reflection in the Reflective Listening Process. In Clinical Supervision Activities for Increasing Competence and Self-Awareness (eds R.A. Bean, S.D. Davis and M.P. Davey). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394259335.ch6
  7. Rautalinko, Erik; Lisper, Hans-Olof; Ekehammar, Bo (April 2007). "Reflective Listening in Counseling: Effects of Training Time and Evaluator Social Skills". American Journal of Psychotherapy. 61 (2): 191–209. doi: 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2007.61.2.191 . ISSN   0002-9564. PMID   17760322.
  8. Davis, Eric; Pereira, Jennifer (2016). "Using Song Lyrics to Enhance Counselor Trainee Perceptions of their Reflective Listening Skills. Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision". Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision. 8.
  9. 1 2 Dieter, Justin; Wang, Tian; Gabor, Angeli; Chang, Angel X.; Tejasvi Chaganty, Arun (June 30, 2024). "Mimic and Rephrase: Reflective Listening in Open-Ended Dialogue". Association for Computational Linguistics (published November 3–4, 2019): 393–403. doi:10.18653/v1/K19-1037.

Further reading