232 – Managing Vicarious Trauma
The REBT Model of Counselling - What to Do When a Client Asks You a Question
In Episode 232 of the Counselling Tutor Podcast, your hosts Rory Lees-Oakes and Ken Kelly are back with this week’s three topics:
- In ‘Counselling Foundations’ we look at Albert Ellis’ REBT model.
- Then in ‘Focus on Self’ we think about what to do when a client asks us a question.
- And finally in ‘Practice Matters’, Rory speaks with Erene Hadjiioannou on the impact and ways of managing vicarious trauma.
Albert Ellis’ REBT Model [starts at 02:13 mins]
Counselling Foundations is sponsored by
Counselling Skills Academy
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In this section, Rory and Ken discuss Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy (REBT).
The key points of this section include:
- REBT is all about challenging irrational belief.
- How we think effects how we feel, how we feel effects how behave, then how we behave effects how we live our lives.
- If you can change your thoughts, you can change the consequences.
- It’s not what happens that effects our emotions, it’s how we react.
- ABCDE model – Action, Belief, Consequence, Dispute, Effect.
- Puts thinking at the top of the chain – rational over irrational.
- Have a think about the difference between thinking and feeling.
A handout on Albert Ellis 1: Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy is available for download in the green button above.
What to Do When a Client Asks You a Question [starts at 24:33 mins]
Knowing what to do when a client asks you a question can be difficult, and in this section, Rory and Ken discuss how they might navigate this.
The main points of this section are as follows:
- Putting the question back to the client is an option, but this isn’t always appropriate.
- Be careful and think whether the client is looking to you to solve their problem for them.
- Alternatively, your client may simply be looking for more information – in this case, your answer is likely to benefit them.
- Whether or not you choose to answer personal questions is dependent on your own boundaries and self-disclosure – consider whether answering these questions will help or hinder the therapeutic relationship.
Managing Vicarious Trauma [starts at 40:25 mins]
The National Counselling Society is proud to sponsor Practice Matters.
NCS are really excited to have launched their Children and Young People Therapist Register for counsellors working with the younger age group.
In this week’s ‘Practice Matters’, Rory speaks with Erene Hadjiioannou about the impacts of vicarious trauma and ways of managing it.
The key points of this discussion include:
- Repeatedly hearing clients’ accounts of trauma may eventually have an impact on your own wellbeing, or trigger your own past trauma.
- Some impacts of vicarious trauma might be:
- Trouble regulating your moods.
- Feeling over-stimulated, agitated, irritated, panicked and/or anxious.
- Dissociation
- Depression
- However, there are ways of managing vicarious trauma:
- Make sure you aren’t seeing trauma patient after trauma patient – schedule them appropriately and don’t take on too many.
- Make sure you have respite.
- Be conscious of your own condition – recognise when it’s becoming too much.