Choosing Elements

Choosing Elements: Selectively Reflecting

'''Time''': 15 – 20 minutes

'''Goals''':
• Increase awareness of directive use of reflective listening
• Distinguish between roles of small reflections and more complex reflections in directing conversation
• Discuss use of reflectively listening and change talk (DARN-C)
• Continues to build listening skills in a graduated manner

'''Discussion Points''':
• Differentiate between nondirective and directive listening
• Discuss the use of reflections to move towards or away from an area
• Highlight the use of MI to reinforce change talk

'''Exercise Structure''':
• Triads: One person serves as the speaker and other two as listeners. Rotate roles.

'''Exercise - Triads''':
• Ask participants to write down three common client statements they hear in their practice. I want each of you to generate at least three things you’ve heard clients say about change in your practice setting. Don’t select statements that are highly resistant in nature, but they could involve some resistance. Write those three things down. Do that now.
• Allow time for writing, then say: You’re going to take turns on each of these parts so listen carefully. Choose someone to begin. Say your first statement, then listener one generates a listening response. Then listener two you generate another listening response, one that focuses on another aspect of the statement or takes a different guess at the speaker’s meaning. Then listener one tries to generate a third response focusing on another element. Do that for all three of the speaker’s statements. Then switch to the next person and go through his or her three statements. Make sure you alternate who goes first, since that person gets the easier job. Understand?

'''Debrief'''

Contributed by: David B. Rosengren, Ph.D.