Homework: Simple and Complex Reflective Listening Statements- Interview Journal

You had an opportunity practice using reflective listening with a service user in the case study you were assigned. For this Homework, you will have another opportunity to practice using reflective listening. This time, you will create reflections in response to a series of statements from service users. The first set of statements comes from the Helpful Responses Questionnaire, which was initially developed by researchers to assess one`s ability to generate empathic responses.

To Prepare

A. Read the article, "The Helpful Responses Questionnaire: A Procedure for Measuring Therapeutic Empathy." Consider the relationship between accurate empathy and reflective listening. Also, pay particular attention to how responses to the Helpful Responses Questionnaire are rated.

B. Review the remaining Learning Resources on reflective listening. Think about the differences between simple and complex reflections.

C. Read the statements in Table 1 of the article, "The Helpful Responses Questionnaire: A Procedure for Measuring Therapeutic Empathy." Consider how you might accurately reflect what the service user is saying each statement to be helpful.

D. Read the statements in the Reflection Worksheet. Think about how you would use simple and complex reflections to respond to each statement.

Task

Submit a 2 to 3 pages paper that addresses the following:

A. Write a 1 to 2 sentence reflection to each statement in Table 1 of the article, "The Helpful Responses Questionnaire: A Procedure for Measuring Therapeutic Empathy." Your response should represent the next thing you might say if you wanted to be helpful.

B. Write one simple reflection and one complex reflection in response to the statements in the Reflection Worksheet.

Reflection Worksheet

For each of the statements below, write a simple reflection and a complex reflection.

A. I drank too much wine at the party. So what? I was celebrating my new job. Aren`t I allowed to celebrate? My husband is making a bigger deal of this than is necessary.

B. I have been trying for 6 months to find a job but have not received one response. It`s hopeless. I will never find a job.

C. My son is totally out of control. He stays out all hours of the night. I know he is doing drugs. I can`t control him.

D. I know my anger issues cost me my job. I just can`t help it. I get angry, and I see red.

E. It`s not that I am against taking medicine. I know I need it for my heart. I just forget. I go about my day, and the next thing you know it`s the end of the day, and I forgot to take it again.

F. I know it is wrong for my boyfriend to hit me. But he says he loves me, and he promises that he will never do it again.