What Therapists Say and Why They Say It: Effective Therapeutic Responses and Techniques

201 Pages·2015·1.296 MB·English

by  Bill McHenry, Jim McHenry

What Therapists Say
and Why They Say It
What Therapists Say and Why They Say It, 2nd edition, is one of the most practical and flexible textbooks
available to counseling students. The new edition includes more than one hundred techniques and more
than a thousand specific therapeutic responses that elucidate, in the most concrete possible way, not just
why but h ow to practice good therapy. Transcripts show students how to integrate and develop content
during sessions, and practice exercises help learners develop, discuss, combine, and customize various
approaches to working with clients.
The second edition is designed specifically for use as a main textbook, and it includes more detailed expla-
nations of both different counseling modalities and the interaction between techniques and the counseling
process—for example, the use of Socratic and circular questions within the art therapy process. W hat
Therapists Say and Why They Say It, 2nd edition, is also designed to help students make clear connections
between the skills they learn in prepracticum and practicum with other courses in the curriculum—
especially the 8 core CACREP areas.
Bill McHenry, PhD, is the dean of graduate studies and research at Texas A&M University-Texarkana.
Prior to accepting an administrative position, he served as a counselor educator for 10 years.
Jim McHenry , EdD, was a professor at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania for 32 years and is now a
semi-retired professor emeritus.
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What Therapists Say
and Why They Say It
Effective Therapeutic Responses
and Techniques
SECOND EDITION
Bill McHenry and Jim McHenry
Second edition published 2015
b y Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
27 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FA
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2015 Bill McHenry & Jim McHenry
The right of Bill McHenry and Jim McHenry to be identified as authors of this work
has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. The purchase of this copyright material confers the right on
the purchasing institution to photocopy pages which bear the photocopy icon
and copyright line at the bottom of the page. No other parts of this book may be
reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to
infringe.
Chapter opening cartoons: Lisa K. Walker
First edition published by Pearson Education, Inc. 2007
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McHenry, Bill, 1971–
What therapists say and why they say it : effective therapeutic responses and
techniques / by Bill McHenry and Jim McHenry.—Second edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Psychotherapy. 2. Psychotherapists. I. McHenry, Jim, 1937– II. Title.
RC480.M394 2015
616.89’14—dc23
2014031499
ISBN: 978-1-138-79063-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-79064-3 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-76408-5 (ebk)
Typeset in Perpetua and Bell Gothic
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Contents
Preface x
Acknowledgments xi
1 Welcome 1
Purpose of the Book 2
What Is Not Here 3
What Is Here 4
Layout of the Book 4
Enhancing Skill Development—Theory into Practice 6
2 Pragmatic Therapy 12
Organization of the Chapters and Skills 12
Story of Pat 13
3 The Reflecting Pool 19
Minimal Encourager 21
Paraphrase 22
Reflection of Feeling 23
Reflection of Meaning 24
Downward Arrow 25
Summary 26
Child’s Content of Play 27
Child’s Feelings 28
Accent 29
Empathy 30
Prompts 31
Reflection of Mood 32
Staying with the Feeling 33
Partial Transcript of Reflecting Pool Skills 34
Practice Exercises 36
v
CONTENTS
4 The Questioning Tree 37
Closed Question 39
Open Question 40
Checkout 41
Asking the Question 42
Cognitive Disputation 43
Circular Questioning 44
Externalizing the Problem 45
Miracle Question 46
Probe 47
Forced Choice Question 48
The Terrible Question 49
Triadic Questioning 50
Scaling Question 51
Collaborative Empiricism 52
Communication Clarification 53
Partial Transcript of Questioning Tree Skills and Techniques 54
Practice Exercises 57
5 The Framework 58
Structuring 59
Here and Now 60
Process Illumination 61
Technical Expert 62
Model-Setting Participant 63
Blocking 64
Changing Questions to Statements 65
Capping 66
Clarifying the Purpose 67
Defining the Problem/Issue 68
Defining Goals/Objectives/Outcomes 69
Practice Exercises 70
6 Looking for Clear Skies 71
Reframe 72
Exploring Alternatives 73
Identifying/Building Strengths 74
Linking 75
Compliment 76
Exploration 77
Focus on Exceptions 78
Interpretation 79
Metaphor 80
Redefining 81
Practice Exercises 82
vi
CONTENTS
7 Chasing Down Mirages 83
Confrontation 84
Observation 85
Confirmation 86
Cutting Off 87
Spitting in the Client’s Soup 88
Practice Exercises 90
8 The Supply Line 91
Affirmation 92
Providing Feedback 93
Immediacy 94
Providing Information 95
Self-Disclosure 96
Therapist’s Feelings 97
Therapist’s Content of Play 98
Practice Exercises 100
9 Therapist’s Actions 101
Holding the Focus 102
Drawing Out 103
Joining 104
Protection 105
Unbalancing 106
Shifting the Focus 107
Practice Exercises 109
10 Pure Imagination 110
Camera Check 111
Creative Imagery 112
Early Recollections 113
Focused Imagery 114
Logical Consequences 115
Progressive Relaxation 116
Imaginal Treatment 117
Practice Exercises 118
11 Waves in Motion 119
In the Session 120
Challenges 120
Conjoint Family Drawing 121
Empty Chair Technique 122
Icebreaker 123
Group Observing Group (Fishbowl Procedure) 124
Pat on the Back 125
Pretend Technique 126
vii
CONTENTS
Role Playing 127
Role Reversal 128
Sculpting 129
Serial Art Therapy 130
Wheel of Influence 131
Experimentation 132
Psychodrama 133
At Home 134
Acting “As If” 134
Directive 135
Door-in-the-Face Technique 136
Foot-in-the-Door Technique 137
Paradox 138
Self-Monitoring 139
Shame Attack 140
Stop and Monitor 141
Ordeals 142
Bibliotherapy 143
Sociogram 144
Homework 145
12 Abandoned Mine Shaft 146
Advice Giving 147
Band-Aiding 148
Condemning Questions 149
Dis-identification 150
Minimization 151
Over-identification 152
Double Questions 153
13 Comprehensive Transcript 154
14 Intertwined Interventions 166
Paraphrase and Closed Question 166
Paraphrase, Reflection of Feeling, and Reflection of Meaning 167
Providing Feedback and Paraphrase 167
Reframe and Logical Consequences 167
Reflection of Feeling and Reframe 167
Reflection of Meaning and Focus on Exceptions 167
Process Illumination and Forced Choice Question 168
Closed Question and Paraphrase 168
Self-Disclosure, Structuring, and Prompt 168
Reflection of Feeling, Reflection of Meaning, Reframe, and Metaphor 168
15 Practice Exercises 169
Practice Exercise 1 170
Practice Exercise 2 171
Practice Exercise 3 172
viii
CONTENTS
Practice Exercise 4 174
Practice Exercise 5 175
Practice Exercise 6 176
Practice Exercise 7 177
Practice Exercise 8 178
Practice Exercise 9 179
Annotated References 180
Index 184
ix