What?
As a part of our year 4 curriculum, we had the opportunity to assess and counsel a client in the same session. This was done over Skype. My client had two main nutrition-related issues:
1. Constipation (from medications due to Charcot Marie Tooth)
2. Plant-based protein sources for a vegetarian/vegan diet

Many other health concerns arose during our session and we worked together to sort through what was relevant and what I, as a student, felt comfortable and capable addressing.
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So What?
This was a step forward from our 2 part counselling session in year 3 – and more representative of what a session would look like moving into the work place.

Some Learning Points:

• Skype: It was a different dynamic compared to a face to face interaction. There would be moments of silence and it’s difficult to read their body language to see if they’re going to continue talking so there were moments of unintended interruptions. At one point my laptop froze and I had the re-start it. On the other hand, it’s a wonderful way to reach people living in rural portions of BC, so I understand the pros and cons of video conferencing with clients.
• Silence: I learned that I need to become comfortable with silence. There were moments where I would ask a question and when I wouldn’t get an immediate response, I would continue talking in an attempt to clarify or give examples and it did more harm than good because they would speak less or end up agreeing with my examples as opposed to thinking of their own ideas organically. It’s a small detail, but becoming comfortable with silence can enhance the counselling session and give the client a solid opportunity to think and speak.
• Note-taking: I was so caught up in trying to write every little thing the person was saying on my notepad that it affected my ability to listen and I wasn’t making as much eye contact or 100% listening (and I believe my client noticed). I didn’t even end up coming back to the majority of these notes anyways.
• Differences in Opinions: Client began to speak badly about other health professionals:
  “my doctor doesn’t know anything,” “I was wrongfully given a drug that left me unable to work,” “I’ve been misdiagnosed.” I didn’t know how to react because on the one hand I wanted to be empathetic and understanding but also I didn’t want to completely (and untruthfully) agree with him for the sake of building trust. I found that using sentences such as “I’m sorry you feel that way” were better than something such as “I’m sorry that happened to you” or “That sounds awful.”
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  Now What?After this counselling experience and our following debriefing session, I believe I’ve enhanced my skill set to be able to counsel more clients moving forward with confidence. I feel better equipped to navigate around tricky situations or unknown territories when it comes to counselling. As it’s been mentioned several times before, this is something we will get better at the more we do it.

• Year 4