Page 20 - Part A
P. 20
Counselling Skills
8. Summarising
A summary is a collection of paraphrases that condenses the content and messages
expressed in the session. Its purpose is to:
• Identify a common theme that may have been explored in the session
• Draw out key points and pull them together
• Give the client a building block on which to prepare for the next session
• Bring the session to a close.
9. Challenging
Challenging is a skill that you should be aware of, although you should not use it at
this level, and not without undergoing a sufficient amount of supervised practice by a
qualified counsellor. Challenging would normally come before summarising and is one
of the hardest skills to learn. It has to be used carefully and sensitively because it can
be interpreted as confrontational and can provoke responses that both the client and
counsellor find upsetting.
Q. What is challenging used for?
A. Challenging is used to identify discrepancies in the client’s ‘story’.
18
