Analyzing My Counselling Session

In this essay I will analyse my own counselling session in which my counsellor, Lys, and I established a cause for the anxiety I was feeling. As part of this analysis, I will identify key skills used to establish an effective counselling relationship. Reflecting upon my experience of the counselling process and integrating it to current theory will enable me to use this experience to develop my own skills as a counsellor.

To facilitate my analysis, it is necessary for me to not only define what an effective interaction is, but also to detail what counselling means to me. Counselling is a relationship process where the client is safe and free to become themselves (Rogers, 1961), it is a movement towards an ultimate conclusion, that conclusion being the resolution of whatever precipitated the need for help (Hackney & Cormier, 2009). To me, this means that counselling is a relationship that facilitates the resolution of a problem or situation. Because this process is a relationship, it is necessary to establish a connection between counsellor and client. In
I did not feel as if I gained much from attending the counselling session in a resolution context, that is, I felt like my anxiety issues were unresolved despite being given tasks to minimise the anxious feelings. As I believe that counselling is a relationship that resolves a problem or issue, this indicates that I should revisit the counsellor to continue to work through my anxiety. However, I do feel as if attending a counselling session has allowed me to grow. The interactions I had with Lys enabled me to identify what interactions and skills were more and less effective, highlighting the importance of practicing those skills, in particular the skills associated with countertransference and transference, as well as empathy and the core