HOW TO MANAGE RESISTANCE?

These are some of the suggestions on dealing with resistance by the counselor.

1. Use active listening skills
Do not blame the client for lack of cooperation and progress. Resistance can be a normal part of the early stage. By using good active listening skill, counselor can do much to build trust needed to lower the resistance. Some clients' resistance manifests itself in aggression. Counselor's approach in handling such aggression is to reflect it back, locating the feelings clearly in the client, but indicating clear that you have picked up the anger. Counselor, by just showing clients that you understand their internal frames of reference, can diminish resistance.

2. Join with clients
Sometime counselors can lower clients' resistance by helping them to feel that they have a friend around. For example, counselor can initially listen and offer support to children expressing resentment about parents. Where the client to continue to complain about his parents, after an appropriate period of time, counselor might have build up enough trust and goodwill either for the client to focus on his own behavior or for the counselor to assist the client to make his switch.

3. Give permission to discuss reluctance and fears
If counselor receive overt messages from clients that they have reservations about being seen, that can be discussed in the open and given clients permission to elaborate. Where appropriate, counselor can also give clients permission to discuss differences in their characteristics, such as culture and race, that might make it harder for clients to participate.

4. Invite cooperation
Establishing good collaborative working relationships with client may prevents and also overcomes much resistance. Counselors can make statements at the early stage of the session that aim to create trust and partnership with client which it is to assist the client to deal with their problems.

5. Enlist client self-interest
Counselors may assist clients to identify reasons for them of participating in counseling session. Questions that challenge client with the adequacy of their own behavior may enlist self-interest. Such questions include "How is that behavior helping you?" and "Where is your current behavior getting you?". Questions that encourage client to think about goals are also useful. Such questions are: "What are your goal in this situation?" and "Wouldn't you like to be more in control of your self?".

6. Reward silent clients for talking
There are clients who are difficult to talk; especially in front of strangers like you. Counselors may respond more frequently and more obviously, such as using more small rewards when clients talk. You can offer encouragement by reflecting and making the most of what clients say.