What is confrontation in counseling?
C
onfrontation is when the counsellor raises the awareness of the
client to include information that the client is overlooking, or
failing to identify. This technique must be used carefully, as it
can lead to a complete disintegration of the client-counsellor
relationship. On the other hand, good confrontation can be seen as
respectful to the client, as it shows that the counsellor is
sincerely listening, and cares for the client. There are a number
of situations where confrontation is appropriate. These include: *
The client is avoiding a basic issue that appears to be troubling
them
* The client is failing to recognise their own self-destructive
or self-defeating behaviour
* The client is failing to recognise possible serious
consequences of their behaviour
* The client is making self-contradictory statements
* The client is excessively and inappropriately locked into
talking about the past or the future and is unable to focus on the
present
* The client is going around in circles by repeating the same
story over and over
* The client's non-verbal behaviour does not match their verbal
behaviour
* Attention needs to be given to what is going on in the
relationship between the client and counsellor; for example, where
dependency is occurring, or where a client withdraws or shows anger
or some other emotion towards the counsellor.
As shown above, it is obvious that there are a range of
situations that confrontation can be used effectively. However, it
should be noted that if other non-confrontational skills and
techniques are properly used, it is said that the counsellor will
generally not have to use confrontation as a method of gaining
information from the client (Geldard & Geldard, 2009). Good
confrontation often includes a summary, followed by a statement of
the counsellor's feelings and a concrete statement given without
interpretation. Good confrontation leaves the client feeling OK and
not attacked.