PRACTICE: TAKING ON THE ROLE OF CLIENT & COUNSELLOR

With a fellow trusted classmate, friend, family member, etc., you will take on the role of a client and then as a counsellor. In both roles, you are to share your life experiences in relation to the following questions:

1. What have been some of your most difficult challenging/traumatic experiences in life?

1. Share a specific experience that was the most challenging or traumatic for you? How has this life experience contributed towards your strengths as a person?

1. Share another specific experience that was the most challenging or traumatic for you? How has this life experience contributed towards your weaknesses as a person?

Further Instructions:

• While one person is sharing their experiences, they will take on the role of the "client".

• The person who is listening will play the role of a "counsellor" and it is strongly suggested that the counsellor use their skills and knowledge to prompt and help the "client" to share their life experiences and help them realize their strengths and weaknesses.

• If you are unable to share certain experiences, then you do not have to.

• The student playing the role of the counsellor has to take notes - pick up verbal and non-verbal cues, observe the behavior of your client and take notes of anything else that might be of importance.

• Remember, the goal of this exercise is for the "client" to become more self-aware, so you cannot get all the answers in just this one session.

• The questions above (1 - 3) are part of the client-counsellor exercise - your responses to the above do not have to be shared on the forum discussion. The questions under Class Discussion (under the red label on the next page) have to be shared under T3: Class Discussion Forum.

• Lastly, ethical issues will have to be considered and taken very seriously. Whatever your client has shared must remain confidential at all times.

1. Did this exercise help you in any way?
2. What were some of the challenges you faced when you took up the role of a client and then as a counsellor?
3. When you played the role of a counsellor, what are some of the things you think you did well? What does your client feel about this?
4. As a client, how easy or difficult was it for you to share your things with your counsellor? How comfortable were you? What do you think could have been done better by your counsellor?
5. When you took on the role of the counsellor, what specific life experience of your client did you find the most interesting?