Career Counseling

Maiyhurri a/p Gunasekaran

MPP181031
OBSERVATION SKILL
DR.Jamaludin Ramli
Definition:

According to dictionary.reference.com, observation is defined in many ways amongst

which include; ‘an act or instance of noticing or perceiving’, ‘an act or instance of
regarding attentively or watching’, ‘the faculty or habit of observing or noticing’, ‘an act
or instance of viewing or noting a fact or occurrence for some scientific or other special
purpose e.g. the observation of blood pressure in a patient’.

Observation is a skill that is utilized throughout the entire counseling interview.

Observation skills are when you observe your own behavior and clients’ behavior,
anticipate individual and multicultural differences in nonverbal and verbal behavior
(Allen E. Ivey, Mary Bradford Ivey and Carlos P Zalaquett, 2010). Counselors do
observe attending patterns of client behavior, nonverbal behavior, verbal behavior,
conflict, incongruence’s and discrepancy, and individual and multicultural issues in
nonverbal behavior, counselor also need to encourage the client, paraphrase what the
clients is saying and summarize.

In simple, observing skill is categorized under non-verbal communication skills where

the counsellor observe body language, tone of voice and facial expressions of a client.
By accurately observing non-verbal behavior, a counsellor can gauge the affect her/his
words and actions have upon the client. For example, when a client enters into the
office of the counsellor, the counsellor can gain some indication of how the client is
feeling about the session (are they reticent, comfortable, awkward?) by the way the
client walks in, takes their seat, and greets the counsellor. If a client is resentful about
the counselling session taking place, they may keep their eyes lowered, seem
dismissive of the counsellor and sit in a closed position, not encouraging
communication. A counsellor can also gauge the effectiveness of their words by
carefully observing the facial expression and eye contact of a client. If a counsellor asks
a question that the client may find embarrassing to answer, the client may lower their
eyes, or their head, or look away. This will tell the counsellor that the client might be
uncomfortable with that statement or question.

Importance:

Counselling helps to clean the mind of individual from thoughts and actions which
if not well catered for would leave the mind dull, anxious and confused. A counsellor’s
ability to observe the client critically would help in reducing the chances of ill fate. When
a patient is put under close observation by a counsellor, this will enable the counsellor
to have an in depth knowledge of the problems the patient/client is facing. Therefore,
the need to maintain a follow up even after discharge of the patient/client from the
counselling unit.

Subjecting a client under close observation would help the diagnosis and
analysis of problems that are affecting the individual. Observation play a key role here
as it allow the counsellor one on one interaction with the client and also enable the
individual to open up most times.

Most of the events of life are brought to understanding after they must have been
seen by the eyes. Observation enables the counsellor to have a defined schedule of
solutions to administer to various people with different problems as they approach the
unit.

It enhances communication. Counsellors would gain a better chance with the

client as it is going to assist them to communicate even better with other people. This is
because they would be capable of assessing the feelings of other people towards
certain subjects and altering opinions consequently. It also provides an improved
understanding of rivals and friends. It also helps the counsellor to identify material
issues in the life of the individual.

Observation help improve skills of decision making. Counsellors get more

understanding of their clients or members of staff when there is an opportunity to place
a close look on them. This would lead to better chances on knowing how to tackle or
advise the individual involve.
Reference:

Retrieved October 22, 2018, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/observation

Ivey, A. E., Ivey, M. B., & Zalaquett, C. P. (2010). Intentional interviewing and
counseling: Facilitating client development in a multicultural society (7th ed.). Belmont,
Calif.: Brooks/Cole.

MITCHELL, K. (2010). What are Observation skills. What Are Observation Skills.
Retrieved October 24, 2018, from
http://papercolorado.com/pdf/observation/Whatareobservationskills.pdf

Ivey, A., & Ivey M. (2003). Intentional interviewing and counselling: Facilitating client
development in a multicultural society. California, USA: Brooks/Cole – Thomson
Learning.

Essays, UK. (November 2013). Knowledge of observation in becoming a good

counsellor. Retrieved October 23, 2018 from
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/psychology/knowledge-of-observation-in-becoming-
a-good-counsellor-psychology-essay.php?vref=1