Module 9: Noting and Reflecting Feelings

Learning Outcomes

Awareness and Knowledge

  • Recognize the impact of creating a safe space for a person to tell their story. Discover the importance of noting and reflecting feelings.

Skills and Actions

  • Assist persons to sort out and organize their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. 

Introduction

This week’s reading emphasizes the importance of labelling and reflecting feelings. Not everyone is interested in sharing feelings. A counsellor should always create a safe space so clients can share their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as they believe they are important for a counsellor to know.

Readings and Resources

The following assigned reading will help you to gain awareness and knowledge on this week’s topic:

  • Ivey, A. & Ivey, M. (2018). Chapter 7: reflecting feelings, the heart of empathic understanding. (pp. 154-177). In Intentional Interviewing and counseling: facilitating client development in a multicultural society. Belmont CA: Brooks/Cole. (Course text)
  • Microtraining Associates (Producer). (2017). Basic Attending Skills, 5th Ed., Reflection of Feelings [1:16:55 – 1:37:25].

The Microtraining Associates resource may require you to log in through the University of Waterloo library proxy system. (If you cannot directly view the entire resource, click on the "Watch Now" button and enter "The University of Waterloo" as your institution.) For more information on this, please consult the library's Get access from anywhere resource.

Perspectives from the Field

 Noting and Reflecting Feelings

I believe that creating a safe space in which a client feels okay to share their story (and talk about their feelings, or not) is my primary goal when counselling. This leads me to probably do more noting of feelings than labelling or reflecting. I do believe (as Ivey says), that a simple labelling and acknowledgement of a feeling, or asking how a client feels about some aspect of their story, is useful in the counselling process.

Activities and Assignments

Discussion Activities

Activity 1: Practice Noting and Reflecting Feelings

Note feelings of others in interactions this week. Ask how a person feels. Label what you think a person is feeling. Post your observations (brief; point form is acceptable). (1 mark).

Activity 2: Module 9 Reflection

What will you take away from this week’s topics? Post (brief; point form is acceptable). (1 mark).

You are also encouraged to comment on the posts of others. Be sure to communicate respectfully, whether you agree or disagree.