Active Listening - Paper

Active listening is an essential component to effective communication. It is an interpersonal communication technique that is used throughout an array of occupations, particularly in Child Counseling. This essay will outline the definition of Active Listening, as well as explore the different techniques and purposes of the communication skill. The role of a Child Counselor and the importance of effective communication within the job will also be investigated and discussed throughout this essay. Finally, a personal reflection on previous communication experience, as well as my ability to be an effective communicator will be included. It is suggested throughout this essay that Active Listening is a fundamental skill required for effective communication within Child Counseling.

Developed by psychologist, Carl Rogers, Active listening is defined as listening to someone attentively in order to effectively receive the message that the speaker is trying to convey (Robertson, 2005). The foremost goal of Active Listening is to assist clients in telling their story, as well as to develop a trusting and open relationship in which clients can confide in. This objective is reached most effectively by applying a common theory (Comer and Drollinger 1999; Gearhart and Bodie 2011) that suggests active listening is a multi-dimensional process involving the stages of sensing, processing, and responding. The ‘sensing stage’ is demonstrated through attentive body language and appropriate eye contact, and is successfully achieved when the listener receives both the verbal and non-verbal messages. After that, suitably evaluating and processing the information that the listener receives, helps to effectively achieve the ‘processing stage’. By doing this, the listener is generating potential to correctly respond to the clients needs, presuming they have correctly evaluated the situation. The final step to successfully applying active listening is the ‘responding stage’. This is