1

MOCK COUNSELING SESSION

Mock counseling Session

Kara Shaw

University of Central Florida

 2
MOCK COUNSELING SESSION
Abstract

Throughout the course, we have learned various methods of counseling and what kind of

attributes a counselor should have to be successful. The initial interview with a client is about

getting to know them and building a rapport that will last throughout sessions. This rapport can

be built through verbal and non-verbal cues as well as the environment the session is taking place

in. The interviewer must be void of any biases or discriminations to be able to fully connect with

the client and avoid giving any false diagnosis'. A mock counseling session was completed to

practice these skills and assess why the client has come in. The mock client presented ongoing

abandonment and commitment issues related to his parent's divorce when he was a teenager.

Through active listening and summarizing the mock client's emotions and ideas were understood

clearly. The strengths of the client were also acknowledged to empathize and give positive

feedback. Many techniques were used throughout the mock counseling session to ensure the

client's full emotions were understood.

 3
MOCK COUNSELING SESSION
Even in this progressive century counseling can be a bit taboo. It has the stigma of only

being for “crazy” people and associated with mental health issues such as schizophrenia or

psychopathy. These disorders have the reputation of being bad despite them being manageable,

which means therapy is for bad people. However, this is not the case at all, and therapy can be

beneficial to everyday people with everyday issues. There are several types of therapy and each

cater to that specific population such as family therapy, marriage counseling, crisis intervention,

Domestic violence, child therapy, and much more. Therapy can be many things and, “To some, it

has provided modes of describing personal experience that have created fundamentally new ways

of conceiving of the self, or, indeed, of being. For others still, it is merely a form of religious

practice camouflaged by the language of medical science.” (Marks, 2017, p.4)

Just as there are several types of therapy there are different theories as well. The most

common and widely used approach is cognitive therapy which focuses on improving logical

thinking, rational emotions, and managing behavior. This differs from previous methods because

therapists used to focus on unconscious reasons for any issues the client may be having instead

of the new problem focused solution. A popular example would be Sigmund Freud, who is well

known for his theories about the unconscious mind and how it controls people’s behaviors more

than they realize. This way of thinking during therapy is not popular anymore and cognitive

therapy has scientifically proved its effectiveness with patient progress.

Despite which approach the counseler is going to take the initial interview with a client is

particularly important because this is where the relationship between client and counselor begin

the develop. According to Jones (2010), “The initial interview is the most fundamental area of

counselor training; it is the beginning of every counseling relationship and the cornerstone of

assessment.” (p.220) A strong therapeutic relationship can improve chances of success on the
 4
MOCK COUNSELING SESSION
client’s part just as a weak relationship can slow down their progress because they don’t feel as

comfortable, understood, or safe as they should. In a successful working alliance, the client

should feel as though the counselor is side by side with them working towards the common goal

of improving their mental health. As noted in Module 1.2, at this initial session it is the

counselor’s goal to explain how the process works and the conditions that will be met, gather

information about the client, build rapport, and determine their goals.

To build that strong relationship with a client a counselor must have a few core

conditions that are the foundation of all successful therapist. Module 1.3 lists out the conditions

required which are, empathic understanding, respect and positive regard, genuineness and

congruence, concreteness, warmth, and immediacy. It is important to empathize with the client’s

emotions and understand it from their point of view. While understanding the client’s feelings

the counselor must always be respectful towards them, present honest emotions, display genuine

care for them, and be able to guide the clients to an answer when they are confused. Strategies

from Module 1.4 that help while conversing with the client is to be attentive and engaged. This

can be done through the counselor’s posture, facial expressions, eye contact, and responses to

ensure the client feels heard. When something a client says need to be clarified or emphasized

the counselor can restate or rephrase the client’s own words to ensure they understood their

thoughts and emotions. This was tested in an experiment and it was founded that restating and

reflections improved counseling and made the counselor seem more interested and supportive

toward their clients rather than detached and dominant. (Rautalinko, 2013)

The goal of the mock counseling session was to practice skills learned throughout the

course and exercise them on a real person to gauge which skills need to be improved or tweaked.

A guideline of questions to ask during the interview were provided but not required to follow
 5
MOCK COUNSELING SESSION
strictly so I reviewed the questions and prepared myself with open-ended questions if the answer

the client provided didn’t indulge enough details. Open-ended questions are important because

they provoke longer answers that hold more information relevant to the topic being discussed.

(AbuSabha, 2013) Gathering information is part of the goal but close ended questions can be just

as helpful in a session as well. Although they don’t gather as must information they can help

converge and limit a topic to ensure the session stays on track (Rollnick, Miller, & Butler, 2008)

Another thing to pay attention to would be the client’s strengths. Their strengths are just as

important as their weaknesses and a client hearing them can be encouraging. According to Hass

(2018), looking for strengths within a client and finding them can emphasize how they positively

contribute to their lives and how those same strengths can be a part of their solution to other

issues.

To prepare for this mock counseling session I made sure the session took place in a

comfortable environment that was clean, void of distracting noises, had ample lighting, and had

stable furniture that would provide comfort throughout the session. Another key factor of

furniture would placement to ensure that the client and I are able to see each other the entire time

without anything obstructing our view. Mentally I had to be sure I did not have any gender,

sexual orientation, or cultural biases to ensure they did not seep into the session which could

affect how I speak to the client. First impressions are important so when the client walked in, I

ensured I had welcoming body language and did not appear closed off like with my arms

crossed, not looking at them, or leaning away from the door.

As the initial counseling session began, I explained to the client that it was an in-take and

history interview and that this session would be about getting to know them and obtaining

information regarding the issue(s) they’re facing. Once that was understood I also explained
 6
MOCK COUNSELING SESSION
confidentiality and that nothing in the session would be disclosed elsewhere unless it violated

certain ethical standards such as planned self-harm or harm to others. Letting a client know the

boundaries between the two of you are important because it allows them to feel safe and

comfortable disclosing information knowing it won’t follow them outside the session. I began

the interview with getting to know the client and who they were as a person, who is important in

their life, and what brought them in. While the client was responding to these questions, I made

sure to remind myself to actively listen and be attentive through eye contact and reassuring head

nods that I was listening. The client explained themselves in a positive light and felt as though

they had satisfactory friendships but lacked in the romantic relationships. I delved into their

childhood and asked how their relationship with their parents were.

The client did not mention his current status with his parents right away, instead he began

to explain how his parents got divorced when he was a teenager in high school and that it was

very rough for him to go through that change. This told me that this divorce had a significant

impact on him growing up and he may have some unresolved emotions about it because even as

an adult it is the first thing he thinks of when asked of his parents despite having a loving

relationship with them presently. During this portion of the session I empathized with the client

saying how that must have been an exceedingly difficult and confusing time for them, to ensure

the client knows I am understanding them. That statement was also a way to clarify that I

understood the client’s emotions correctly. At this point, I have a sense that his parent’s divorce

could be correlated to why his present romantic relationships are not working. However, it is too

early to confront the client with that theory and may deter them from speaking more. I deviated

from the parents and began to ask how the divorce changed his social life at that point to which

he explained it went down hill very quickly for him. At that point in his life while dealing with
 7
MOCK COUNSELING SESSION
his parents divorcing, he began to abuse alcohol and drugs on a daily basis in high school. This

reaction can be quite common among teens in this situation. Substance abuse can be used as

coping mechanism to deal with parental marital changes. (Arkes, 2013)

Learning about this drug and alcohol abuse I moved towards present day and questioned

if that pattern was still going on and what, if any, difficulties that has arisen for them. The client

responded that they were able to overcome the need for substance abuse and only drink alcohol

socially now. Upon hearing the word socially, I made sure to probe and ask them to clarify what

they consider socially, how often that may be. It was established that they go out drinking two or

three times per month only on a weekend to ensure it doesn’t interfere with work.

Moving onto the reason they came in, I asked about their current and past romantic

relationships. The client mentioned that they had previous romantic relationships but was no

longer interested in having a girlfriend because all relationships end anyway. This really stood

out to me and I encouraged the client to elaborate on why they believe “all relationships end,”

being sure to use the client’s exact words, and in what manner they end. He stated in every

relationship there will always be one person who leaves and no longer loves the other one and

then they will break up or divorce their spouse. This perspective isn’t entirely shocking because

it has been said that young adults with divorced parents have a more favorable attitude toward

people getting divorced than those without divorced parents (Hayashi, 1998) I inquired if this

situation occurred with him in the past and he stated that only a few times he had been broken up

with, but it was mostly him who ended out of fear of it ending one day anway. Throughout the

interview we also discussed his work history, time in college, and general health. The client was

successful in work and had a clear idea of what he wanted to do career-wise. According to

Bernard (2004) personal strengths such as social competence, problem solving, autonomy, and
 8
MOCK COUNSELING SESSION
sense of purpose are important to establish within a client. I made sure to acknowledge the

client’s strengths and further strengthen our therapeutic relationship.

At the end of the mock counseling session I concluded that he has relationship anxiety

and commitment issues stemming from his parent’s divorce when he was at such an influential

age. He watched his parents separate from one another and it broke his idea of sustainable

relationships which could be a reason behind him ending his relationships prematurely. His goal

is to be in a long-term relationship without anxiety. I discussed with the client that this issue

could be relieved over the course of multiple sessions to help change his idea of relationships and

the fear connected with them.

In conclusion, the mock counseling session was extremely informative and showed me

the amount of work that goes into a session. It is imperative to be attentive and listen to the

client’s word choices, facial expressions, body language, and hand gestures. Everything they do

helps fill in the bigger picture of what is behind the issue they’re facing. It is a skill to steer a

session in a way that let’s the client express themselves but not go too far off topic and take over

the session. It is equally as important to pay attention the non-verbal cues I’m also sending off

because it can either help or hurt the session. I was able to utterly understand the important of

building a rapport with the client on the first session because it is the foundation of the next

sessions ahead.
 9
MOCK COUNSELING SESSION
References

AbuSabha, R. (2013). Interviewing Clients and Patients: Improving the Skill of Asking Open-

Ended Questions. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, 113(5), 624–633.

Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-

com.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sph&AN=87014984&site=eds-

live&scope=site

Arkes, J. (2013). The Temporal Effects of Parental Divorce on Youth Substance Use. Substance

Use & Misuse, 48(3), 290–297. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-

com.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sph&AN=85749918&site=eds-

live&scope=site

Benard, B. (2004). Resiliency: What we have learned. San Francisco, CA: WestEd

Hass, M. R. (2018). Interviewing to Understand Strengths. International Electronic Journal of

Elementary Education, 10(3), 315–321. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-

com.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1172278&site=eds-

live&scope=site

Hayashi, G. M., & Strickland, B. R. (1998). Long-term effects of parental divorce on love

relationships: divorce as attachment disruption. Journal of Social & Personal

Relationships, 15(1), 23. https://doi-org.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/10.1177/0265407598151002

Jones, K. D. (2010). The Unstructured Clinical Interview. Journal of Counseling &

Development, 88(2), 220–226. Retrieved from https://search-ebscohost-

 10
MOCK COUNSELING SESSION
com.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=508156498&site=eds-

live&scope=site

Marks, S. (2017). Psychotherapy in historical perspective. History of the Human Sciences, 30(2),

3–16. https://doi-org.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/10.1177/0952695117703243

Rautalinko, E. (2013). Reflective listening and open-ended questions in counselling: Preferences

moderated by social skills and cognitive ability. Counselling & Psychotherapy

Research, 13(1), 24–31. https://doi-

org.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/10.1080/14733145.2012.687387

Rollnick, S., Miller, W. R., & Butler, C. (2008). Motivational interviewing in health care:

helping patients change behavior. Guilford Press.

 11
MOCK COUNSELING SESSION
Appendix A, Transcript:

Client: I feel a sense of numbness sometimes

Therapist: Can you elaborate on what you mean by numbness?

Client: I mean, I still care about things ya know. I still love my friends and animals. I care about

that person. I just don’t have strong emotions towards them or keep my hopes up that it’ll work

out.

Therapist: I’m just trying to understand correctly, so this sense of numbness for you is when you

are lacking strong emotions towards another person but they’re not negative, is that right?

Client: Yeah, I’d say that sums it up.

Therapist: Do you feel this numbness in all your romantic relationships or only certain ones?

Client: So far I’ve felt this in all of them, they haven’t been too long only a few months. But

uhm... for a multitude of reasons. For one I just don’t believe in them (romantic relationships)

because I haven’t seen one that lasts. For two… well this kind of goes with number one. No

reason for me to get my hopes up about something that isn’t going to work so I just stay neutral.

All relationships end anyway.

Therapist: I see, and when you say all relationships end what way do they end?

Client: I’d say about 99% of relationships I can see their demise. Maybe there’s the 1% that will

make it but that’s only 1%. In the end there will always be someone who just stops loving the

other person or they hate each other by the end of it. They’re going to break up or divorce. Then
 12
MOCK COUNSELING SESSION
what, they’ve just wasted all that time and energy. No point in setting myself up for that if I can

just avoid it.

Therapist: Have you experienced this before in past relationships?

Client: Well no not really. I’ve been broken up with a few times but it’s usually an agreement at

that point. No strong emotions. I guess I break up with most of them because at some point I

know it is going to end so why wait till it hurts. I just end it early before I get any real feelings

and then we everyone get’s hurt.