define paraphrasing in counselling

Reflecting and Paraphrasing

Part of the ‘art of listening’ is making sure that the client knows their story is being listened to.

This is achieved by the helper/counsellor repeating back to the client parts of their story. This known as paraphrasing .

Reflecting is showing the client that you have ‘heard’ not only what is being said, but also what feelings and emotions the client is experiencing when sharing their story with you .

This is sometimes known in counselling ‘speak ‘as the music behind the words .

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It is like holding up a mirror to the client; repeating what they have said shows the client they have your full attention. It also allows the client to make sure you fully understood them; if not, they can correct you.

Reflecting and paraphrasing should not only contain what is being said but what emotion or feeling the client is expressing.

Let’s look at an example:

Client (Mohammed): My ex-wife phoned me yesterday; she told me that our daughter Nafiza (who is only 9) is very ill after a car accident. I am feeling very scared for her. They live in France, so I am going to have to travel to see her, and now I have been made redundant, I don’t know how I can afford to go.

Counsellor: So, Mohammed, you have had some bad news about your little girl, who has been involved in an accident. You are frightened for her and also have worries over money now you have lost your job.

Client: Yes, yes ... that’s right.

Notice that the counsellor does not offer advice or start asking how long Mohammed and his wife have been separated, but reflects the emotion of what is said : ‘frightened' and 'worries'.

Reflecting and paraphrasing are the first skills we learn as helpers, and they remain the most useful.

To build a trusting relationship with a helper, the client needs not only to be ‘listened to' but also to be heard and valued as a person.

"Reflecting and paraphrasing should not only contain what is being said but what emotion or feeling the client is expressing."

Definition of Reflection in Counselling

Reflection in counselling is like holding up a mirror: repeating the client’s words back to them exactly as they said them.

You might reflect back the whole sentence, or you might select a few words – or even one single word – from what the client has brought.

I often refer to reflection as ‘the lost skill’ because when I watch counselling students doing simulated skill sessions, or listen to their recordings from placement (where clients have consented to this), I seldom see reflection being used as a skill. This is a pity, as reflection can be very powerful.

When we use the skill of reflection, we are looking to match the tone, the feeling of the words, and the client’s facial expression or body language as they spoke .

For example, they might have hunched their shoulders as they said, ‘I was so scared; I didn’t know what to do.’

We might reflect that back by hunching our own shoulders, mirroring their body language while also saying ‘I felt so scared; I didn’t know what to do.’

Using Reflection to Clarify Our Understanding

We can also use reflection to clarify our understanding, instead of using a question.

For example, suppose the client says:

‘My husband and my father are fighting. I’m really angry with him.’

For me to be in the client’s frame of reference, I need to know whether ‘him’ refers to the husband or the father. So I might reflect back the word ‘ him ’  with a quizzical look.

The client might then respond:

‘Yeah, my dad. He really gets to me when he is non-accepting.’

So you can get clarification in this way. You can adjust where you are to make sure that the empathic bond is strong and that you are truly within the client’s frame of reference.

"When we use the skill of reflection, we are looking to match the tone, the feeling of the words, and the client’s facial expression or body language as they spoke".

Definition of Paraphrasing in Counselling

Paraphrasing is repeating back your understanding of the material that has been brought by the client, using your own words.

A paraphrase reflects the essence of what has been said .

We all use paraphrasing in our everyday lives. If you look at your studies to become a counsellor or psychotherapist, you paraphrase in class.

Maybe your lecturer brings a body of work, and you listen and make notes: you’re paraphrasing as you distill this down to what you feel is important.

How Paraphrasing Builds Empathy

How does paraphrasing affect the client-counsellor relationship?

First of all, it helps the client to feel both heard and understood. The client brings their material, daring to share that with you.

And you show that you’re listening by giving them a little portion of that back – the part that feels the most important. You paraphrase it down.

And if you do that accurately and correctly, and it matches where the client is, the client is going to recognise that and to feel heard: ‘ Finally, somebody is there really listening, really understanding what it is that I am bringing.’

This keys right into empathy, because it’s about building that empathic relationship with the client. And empathy is not a one-way transaction .

..."Empathy [is] the ability to ‘perceive the internal frame of reference of another with accuracy and with the emotional components and meanings which pertain thereto as if one were the person, but without ever losing the 'as if' conditions." Carl Rogers (1959, pp. 210–211)

In other words, we walk in somebody’s shoes as if their reality is our reality – but of course it’s not our reality, and that’s where the ‘as if’ comes in.

I’ve heard this rather aptly described as ‘walking in the client’s shoes, but keeping our socks on’!

Empathy is a two-way transaction – that is, it’s not enough for us to be 100% in the client’s frame of reference , understanding their true feelings; the client must also perceive that we understand .

When the client feels at some level that they have been understood, then the empathy circle is complete.

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Paraphrasing

What is Paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is repeating back your understanding of the material that has been brought by the client in your own words. A paraphrase reflects the essence of what has been said.

We all use paraphrasing in our everyday lives. If you look at your studies to become a counsellor or psychotherapist, you paraphrase in class. Maybe your lecturer brings a body of work, and you list and make notes: you’re paraphrasing as you distil this down to what you feel is important.

The Power of Paraphrasing:

• The speaker feels heard.
• Helps the listener to adjust frame of reference.
• Highlights areas of high importance.
• Acts as an invite to explore deeper.
• Can indicate an end to the current discussion.

How Paraphrasing Builds Empathy

How does paraphrasing affect the client-counsellor relationship? First of all, it helps the client to feel both heard and understood. The client brings their material, daring to share that with you, and you show that you’re listening by giving them a little portion of that back – the part that feels the most important. You paraphrase it down. If you do that accurately and correctly, and it matches where the client is, the client is going to recognise that and feel heard: ‘Finally, somebody is really listening, really understanding what it is that I am bringing.’

This keys right into empathy, because it’s about building that empathic relationship with the client – and empathy is not a one-way transaction. Carl Rogers (1959, pp. 210-211) defines ‘empathy’ as the ability to ‘perceive the internal frame of reference of another with accuracy and with the emotional components and meanings which pertain thereto as if one were the person, but without ever losing the “as if” conditions’. In other words, we walk in somebody’s shoes as if their reality is our own – but of course it’s not our reality, and that’s where the ‘as if’ comes in. I’ve heard this rather aptly described as ‘walking in the client’s shoes, but keeping our socks on’!

Empathy is a two-way transaction – it’s not enough for us to be 100% in the client’s frame of reference and understanding their true feelings; the client must also perceive that we understand. When the client feels at some level that they have been understood, then the empathy circle is complete.

For example, if you watch a TV programme in which somebody achieves something that is really spectacular, you may find yourself moved for this person. You’re almost there with them on this journey, and as they’re receiving their award or their adulation, and the audience is clapping for what they’ve done, you may even be moved to tears. But the person on the TV cannot perceive your reaction – the empathy is empty, because it’s one-way.

So empathy is effective only if your client feels heard and understood – i.e. they sense that empathic connection. Using paraphrasing is a way of completing the empathy circle – a way of letting them know that we see and hear them.

Other Benefits of Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing also highlights issues by stating them more concisely. This is focusing down: it invites the client to go and delve deeper into part of what they have said. We can also use paraphrasing to check out the accuracy of our perception as a counsellor.

Below is an example of my use of paraphrasing to clarify my understanding of what was brought. This shows how paraphrasing affects the therapeutic relationship; because the paraphrase fits well for the client, she feels heard and understood. As this happens, the material deepens.

I really have a battle with doing things for the impression that others will have of me, or the approval that I will get from other people for what it is that I do. So much so that I will very often override myself, my family, so that I can gain the acceptance, I guess, of other people, whether friends, family or clients in a work situation. I will always favour what the action would be that would gain that acceptance, that would not bring up any sort of confrontation or maybe have a conflict situation arise from it.

So, I guess, I’m eager to please, wanting to make sure that all things are well and smooth – and that I’m liked and accepted with whatever the transaction or situation may be.

Counsellor:

As you’re saying that, it really feels like a lot of hard work. A lot of hard work, pre-empting whatever it is that they would have expected of you, and then ‘sacrificing’, I guess, is a word that came up for me – sacrificing your own wants/needs to be able to meet what you perceive is expected of you. Have I understood that correctly?

Yeah, the word ‘sacrifice’ really captures the feeling that comes up for me when I sort of reflect and look over that kind of situation. So often, I will sacrifice my own wants and my own desires…

In this example, the client really resonated with the word ‘sacrifice’, which the counsellor introduced as a paraphrase; she really felt understood. And it’s interesting to note that throughout the rest of this stimulated session, the word ‘sacrifice’ became almost a theme.

Another paraphrase in this example was ‘hard work’. Although the client hadn’t used this phrase herself, she was presenting visually as weighed down. Her shoulders looked heavy as she was bringing the material. So the counsellor was paraphrasing, not only the words of the narrative, but digging deeper, looking for the feelings and paraphrasing the whole presence of that client within that relationship.

Listening for ‘the Music behind the Words’

Here is another example of paraphrasing, from the same skills session. Try to see if you can hear, as Rogers would put it, ‘the music behind the words’, where the counsellor looks deeper than just the words the client is bringing, paraphrasing back their whole being.

Out of my own will or my own free choice, I would put that aside and favour what would be accepted – or what I think someone else would rather I do. And sometimes it’s hard. It leaves me with a situation of not knowing if they actually really realise what it is that I sacrificed, that I’ve given up, so that it can fall into what I think they would prefer in that situation.

It feels confusing to you in that situation of whether they even perceive what it is that you are sacrificing, what you’re giving up. That it almost feels like you’re giving up part of yourself to match what you think they may want or need from you. And I kind of got the feeling, as you were saying that you wonder if they even see that.

Yeah. As I was sort of verbalizing and talking through that, I actually realised that even within that sacrifice, it’s all my perception of what I think they might want me to do. And just saying that is actually a bit ridiculous. Because how am I to know what it is that they want or need to do? So here I am – disregarding my own desires, for lack of a better word – to do something I assume someone else would want me to do instead.

I thought it was really interesting that this client started off in what felt to me like an external locus of evaluation. She was confused, and wondering whether the people she refers to understood what she was giving up to meet their perceived expectations. Immediately after the counsellor’s paraphrase, this client experienced a moment of movement from an external to an internal locus of evaluation, where she realised it was all about her own perceptions and responsibility. In this way, she went from being powerless to having the power to change this situation.

Next Steps in Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is so much more than just repeating the client’s words back to them using your own words. Although it might feel very simplistic – and there’s often a tendency to paraphrase the narrative/story that the client brings, rather than their feelings/process – there’s so much more to it than that and so much deeper that we can go. There’s real power in paraphrasing.

I suggest that you:

• Practice active listening and paraphrasing in your day-to-day life.
• Practice paraphrasing in your own stimulated skills sessions.
• Try to look for the full person when paraphrasing, e.g. not just the client’s words, but also their body language, facial expressions, and way of being within the counselling relationship.
• Record these sessions (with your peer’s consent) and listen back to them.
• Speak to your peers about paraphrasing.
• Evaluate each other’s skills and explore how you might paraphrase more effectively.
• Look whether you’re getting empathic connection within your paraphrasing.
• Search out moments of movement when you paraphrase.
• Ask how paraphrasing affects both the client and you, as a counsellor.

Paraphrasing is definitely something that should be debated. I hope that this chapter will encourage you to go out there with a new passion for – and a new way of looking at – paraphrasing!

Alternatives to Questions

What else can we use when we’re not sure what exactly a client means? For example, if a client was speaking about his brother and father, he might say: ‘I really struggle with my brother and my father. They don’t get on, and at times he makes me so angry.’ Who does the client mean by ‘he’: the brother or the father? Not knowing who makes him angry means I cannot be fully within the client’s frame of reference.

I could ask: ‘Sorry, just so I can understand, who it is that you’re angry at – your father or your brother?’ This risks ripping the client out of that emotion (the anger). Instead, we could use reflection: ‘He makes you so angry.’ This invites the client to expand on what he has said. He might say: ‘Yes, ever since I was a young boy, my dad was always…’ In this case, I didn’t need to ask a question – we’re still in the feelings, and I’ve got what I needed in order to be fully in the client’s frame of reference.

Of course, the client might not reveal the information I need in his answer – for example, if he responded to my reflection: ‘He does. He makes me really angry – in fact, so angry that I don’t know what to do about it anymore.’ In that case, I would still need to put in a question: ‘Is this your dad or your brother that you’re referring to?’

Rogers, C, 1959. ‘A Theory of Therapy, Personallity, and Interpersonal Relations, as Developed in the Client-Centered Framework’, in S Koch (ed.),  Psychology: A Study of a Science  (Vol.3), New York: McGraw-Hill, 184-256.

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Paraphrasing in Counselling

Table of Contents

In essence, paraphrasing is a micro skill that allows counselors to create an authentic bond with their clients  Together with encouraging and summarizing, paraphrasing plays a crucial role in therapeutic communication, making the client feel understood and listened to.  In other words, paraphrasing in counseling is what makes the client say, “ Finally, someone who understands what I’m going through.” Without this essential ingredient, counseling sessions would be nothing more than dull and impersonal exchanges of ideas.

What is the difference between reflecting and paraphrasing in Counseling?

Paraphrasing and reflecting are close synonyms for most people, both playing a crucial role in any form of communication.

Although paraphrasing and reflecting are fundamental counseling communication skills [1], these two processes can have slightly different connotations in a therapeutic context.

In essence, reflecting is like putting a mirror in front of your clients, helping them gain a better sense of the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors they experienced in a situation that has meaning for them.

Of course, this does not mean you have to parrot their message; simply highlight the link between different ideas and emotions and how one influences the other.

When reflecting, it is vital to match the client’s tone and even body language so that he/she knows that you’ve received the message and the feelings that accompany his/her story.

On the other hand, paraphrasing is about capturing the essence of their story with a brief statement that emphasizes the underlying emotional vibe.

This technique is particularly useful when clients know how ideas and emotions can merge to create a subjective experience, but you want them to feel understood and listened to.

In a way, we could argue that paraphrasing is a brief version of reflecting.

Let’s look at a brief example of paraphrasing in counseling:

Client: I had a huge fight with Andrew last night. At some point, he stormed out and didn’t come back ‘til morning. I tried calling him all night, but his phone was switched off. I was worried sick and thought he did something stupid. This whole thing was like a nightmare that I could not wake up from.

Therapist : It seems this unpleasant event has put you through a lot of fear and anxiety.

Now let’s take a look at reflecting:

Therapist : I can only imagine how terrifying it must have felt to see your partner storm out after a huge fight without telling you where he is going or when he’ll be back.

As you can see, both processes require active listening. But while paraphrasing is a short statement that highlights the emotional tone of the situation, a reflective response captures “the vibe” of the story, along with other essential details.

How do you paraphrase?

Start by listening.

Whether the purpose is to paraphrase or reflect, listening is always the first step.

Through active listening, counselors gain a better sense of what their clients have experienced in a particular situation. Active listening means looking beyond the surface and trying to connect with the client on an emotional level.

To achieve this level of emotional depth, counselors listen with both their ears and their hearts. That means putting themselves in their clients’ shoes and zeroing in on the emotional aspect of the experience.

Focus on feelings and thoughts rather than circumstances

When we listen to another person’s story, the most visible aspects are related to the actual events that he or she has gone through.

But details like names, dates, locations, or other circumstantial issues are less relevant than how the person interpreted and consequently felt in a particular situation.

When it comes to paraphrasing, counselors are trained to look beyond circumstances and identify why a client has chosen to talk about a particular event.

In almost every case, the reason is a set of emotional experiences.

Capture the essence of the message

Although people can experience a wide range of emotions in a given situation or context, there’s always an underlying feeling that defines how they react.

That underlying emotional vibe is the “golden nugget” that counselors are looking to capture and express through paraphrasing.

If done right, paraphrasing in counseling creates an emotional bridge that sets the foundation for authentic and meaningful interactions. This will encourage clients to open up and share their struggles.

Offer a brief version of what has been said

The last step is providing a concise version that highlights the emotional tone of the story.

Once this message reaches the client, it creates a sense of understanding that builds trust and authentic connection.

Long story short, paraphrasing is a valuable tool for cultivating empathy and facilitating therapeutic change.

How does paraphrasing help in communication?

Cultivating clarity (on both sides).

Any form of communication, whether it’s a therapeutic process, a negotiation, or a casual chat between friends, involves exchanging ideas.

And when people exchange ideas and opinions, there’s always the risk of confusion and misunderstanding.

By paraphrasing what the other person has shared, not only that you cultivate empathy, but you also let him/her know that the message has been received and understood correctly.

Research indicates that paraphrasing in counseling helps clients clarify their issues. [2] The more clients understand the inner-workings of their problems, the better they can adjust their coping strategies.

In a nutshell, paraphrasing eliminates ambiguity and paves the way for clarity.

Facilitating emotional regulation

One of the main functions of paraphrasing is to build empathy between two or more people engaged in conversation.

But the effects of paraphrasing on emotions extend way beyond empathy and understanding.

One study revealed that empathic paraphrasing facilitates extrinsic emotional regulation. [3] People who receive empathy through paraphrasing feel understood, and that prompts them to engage in a more intense emotional regulation process.

What starts as extrinsic emotional regulation slowly becomes intrinsic emotional regulation. This is the reason why someone who’s going through a rough patch can feel better by merely talking to a person who listens in an empathic manner and doesn’t necessarily hand out solutions or practical advice.

Paraphrasing can be a vital skill in heated arguments where two people have opposing views that result in emotional turmoil.

If one of them manages to exercise restraint over their intense emotional reactions and tries to paraphrase what the other shares, it could change the whole dynamic of the conversation.

What is the role of paraphrasing in listening?

As we discussed throughout this article, paraphrasing is one of the critical aspects of active listening.

It’s what turns a passive individual who listens only to have something to say when it’s his/her turn to speak into an active listener who understands and resonates on an emotional level.

Furthermore, paraphrasing is a means by which we provide valuable feedback on the topic of discussion, keeping the conversation alive.

It is also the tool that allows therapists to build safe spaces where clients feel comfortable enough to unburden their souls by sharing painful experiences and gaining clarity.

To sum up, paraphrasing in counseling is a vital micro skill that creates an authentic connection, providing clients with the opportunity to experience a sense of understanding.

Knowing there is someone who resonates with your emotional struggles makes your problems seem less burdensome.

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Effects of Empathic Paraphrasing – Extrinsic Emotion Regulation in Social Conflict

Maria seehausen.

1 Cluster of Excellence “Languages of Emotion,” Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany

2 Dahlem Institute for Neuroimaging of Emotion, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany

3 Department of Psychiatry, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany

Philipp Kazzer

Malek bajbouj, kristin prehn.

In the present study, we investigated the effects of empathic paraphrasing as an extrinsic emotion regulation technique in social conflict. We hypothesized that negative emotions elicited by social conflict can be regulated extrinsically in a conversation by a listener following the narrator’s perspective and verbally expressing cognitive empathy. Twenty participants were interviewed on an ongoing or recently self-experienced social conflict. The interviewer utilized 10 standardized open questions inviting participants to describe their perception of the conflict. After each of the 10 descriptions, the interviewer responded by either paraphrasing or taking notes (control condition). Valence ratings pertaining to the current emotional state were assessed during the interview along with psychophysiological and voice recordings. Participants reported feeling less negative after hearing the interviewer paraphrase what they had said. In addition, we found a lower sound intensity of participants’ voices when answering to questions following a paraphrase. At the physiological level, skin conductance response, as well as heart rate, were higher during paraphrasing than during taking notes, while blood volume pulse amplitude was lower during paraphrasing, indicating higher autonomic arousal. The results show that demonstrating cognitive empathy through paraphrasing can extrinsically regulate negative emotion on a short-term basis. Paraphrasing led to enhanced autonomic activation in recipients, while at the same time influencing emotional valence in the direction of feeling better. A possible explanation for these results is that being treated in an empathic manner may stimulate a more intense emotion processing helping to transform and resolve the conflict.

Introduction

Emotion regulation research to date has mainly focused on an individualistic point of view emphasizing control mechanisms in the individual, such as attention deployment, cognitive reappraisal, or the willful suppression of emotional expressions (Gross and Thompson, 2007 ; Butler and Gross, 2009 ; Rime, 2009 ). Compared to the abundance and sophistication of the research pertaining to classification schemes on such intrinsic regulation, systematic analysis of extrinsic emotion regulation and especially of controlled interpersonal affect regulation (i.e., the process of deliberately influencing the emotional state of another person, as opposed to non-conscious affect spreading) is still relatively sparse. Rime ( 2009 ), however, points out that an emotional experience is virtually indivisible of a social response, which in turn is bound to shape and modify the original emotion, so that emotion has to be regarded as a fundamentally interdependent process.

Niven et al. ( 2009 ) propose a classification system for controlled interpersonal affect regulation strategies, derived from Totterdell and Parkinson’s ( 1999 ) classification of strategies to deliberately improve one’s affect. Their final classification distinguishes between strategies used to improve versus strategies used to worsen others’ affect, and between strategies that engage the target in a situation or affective state versus relationship-oriented strategies. The technique of empathic paraphrasing, which is investigated in the present study, can be categorized as aiming at affect improvement and engagement within this classification framework. However, it also contains a relationship-oriented component, as empathic paraphrasing communicates interest and commitment in understanding the other’s perspective, thereby implying that their feelings are valid and worth listening to.

Empathy has been conceptualized in many different ways, usually involving a cognitive and an emotional component (Preston and de Waal, 2002 ; Lamm et al., 2007 ; Decety and Meyer, 2008 ). Cognitive empathy means the ability to take the perspective of another person and infer their mental state, while emotional empathy refers to the observer’s affective response to another person’s emotional state (Dziobek et al., 2008 ).

Paraphrasing or active listening (coined by Carl R. Rogers in Client-Centered-Therapy) is a form of responding empathically to the emotions of another person by repeating in other words what this person said while focusing on the essence of what they feel and what is important to them. In this way, the listener actively demonstrates that he or she can understand the speaker’s perspective (cognitive empathy). Rogers described empathy as the ability to sense the client’s private world as if it were one’s own, but without losing the “as if” quality (Rogers, 1951 ). Empathy is communicated through active listening, which in the Client-Centered approach aspires to evoke personal growth and transformation through providing a space of unconditional acceptance for the client. Rogers considered empathy, positive regard, and congruence both necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic change (Rogers, 1942 , 1951 ).

This early notion on the importance of empathy for facilitating therapeutic change has gained ample empirical support over the last decades of research. How empathic a therapist is perceived to be has been identified as a critical factor for positive therapy outcome for both psychodynamically oriented and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies (Bohart et al., 2002 ; Duan and Kivlighan, 2002 ; Orlinsky et al., 2004 ; Marci et al., 2007 ; Elliott et al., 2011 ; Norcross and Wampold, 2011 ). Based on a review of several studies Marci et al. ( 2007 ) describe a significant influence of perceived empathy on mood and general clinical improvement, even when controlling for other factors. Along this line, a meta-analysis conducted by Bohart et al. ( 2002 ) confirms a modest but consistent importance of empathy during psychotherapy. Zuroff et al. ( 2010 ) specifically examined the relationship between patient-reported measures of the three Rogerian conditions (positive regard, empathy, and genuineness) and therapeutic outcome, and found that patients whose therapists provided high average levels of the Rogerian conditions across all patients in their caseloads experienced more rapid reductions in both overall maladjustment and depressive vulnerability (self-critical perfectionism). Farber and Doolin ( 2011 ) conducted a meta-analysis on 18 studies also focusing on the effects of positive regard as defined by Rogers on treatment outcome, and found an aggregate effect size of 0.26, confirming a moderate influence of this factor.

The effectiveness of showing empathy on treatment success has also been assured within the field of medical care. Medical researchers have coined the term clinical empathy , which Mercer and Reynolds ( 2002 ) define as (1) understanding the patient’s situation, perspective and feelings (and their attached meanings), (2) communicating that understanding and checking its accuracy, and (3) acting on that understanding with the patient in a helpful (therapeutic) way. Hence, within the clinical setting empathy entails not only cognitive and affective components but also a behavioral component to communicate understanding to the patient, i.e., through active listening (Davis, 2009 ). Accordingly, the active demonstration of empathy has already been recognized as a crucial component of promoting cooperation in challenging situations within the field of clinical care. Halpern ( 2007 ) stresses that physicians who learn to empathize with patients during emotionally charged interactions can thereby increase their therapeutic impact. By the same token, a growing body of evidence demonstrates that empathic communication effectively helps patients through challenging and fearful situations, ranging from painful dental treatments over psychological problems to pandemic crisis (Cape, 2000 ; Reynolds and Quinn Crouse, 2008 ; Bernson et al., 2011 ). Neumann et al. ( 2009 ) reviewed prior empirical studies on clinical empathy and conclude that clinical empathy is a fundamental determinant of successful medical care, because “ it enables the clinician to fulfill key medical tasks more accurately, thereby achieving enhanced health outcomes ” (Neumann et al., 2009 , p. 344).

In sum, the effectiveness of empathic communication as an extrinsic emotion regulation technique has already gained solid empirical support from psychotherapy and medical research. For the present study, social conflict was chosen as the context to examine the effects of empathic paraphrasing on emotion, for two reasons. Firstly, social conflict is often accompanied by intense emotions such as anger and hurt, and therefore lends itself easily to the investigation of extrinsic emotion regulation, without requiring artificial emotion induction in the laboratory. The setting of real-life social conflict renders it possible to work with “real” emotion, while at the same time concentrating on a non-clinical population. Secondly, empathic paraphrasing is used with vast prevalence within the field of conflict resolution. Paraphrasing is generally applied as one of the most important constitutional elements across all domains of conflict mediation (business mediation, family mediation, community mediation, victim-offender mediation, etc.). Hence, it seems expedient to take a closer look at the emotional effects of a technique so widely used within the context of its most common application.

Social psychology research offers evidence for a connection between dispositional affective empathy as well as dispositional perspective taking and adaptive social conflict behavior (Steins, 2000 ; Gehlbach, 2004 ; de Wied et al., 2007 ). However, there is hardly any research on the effects of being treated in an empathic manner (as opposed to feeling empathy oneself) on conflict behavior. Moran and Diamond ( 2008 ) report positive effects of therapist empathy on parent’s negative attitudes toward their depressed adolescent children. Being treated in an empathic way seems to help parents to also empathize with their children going through a rough time. This is an interesting finding, which contains parallels to social conflict situations and stimulates the question which emotional effects are triggered by being treated empathically, and how these emotional processes aid own empathic reactions toward others.

An interesting train of evidence regarding the socio-cognitive effects of being treated empathically is provided by research on interpersonal mimicry and language matching in social interaction. Numerous studies confirm that non-verbal interpersonal mimicry increases affiliation and positive social judgment as well as pro-social behavior not only toward the mimicker but also toward people not involved in the mimicry situation, indicating that being mimicked not only leads to an increased liking toward the interaction partner, but to an increased pro-social orientation in general (van Baaren et al., 2004 ; Ashton–James et al., 2007 ; Fischer-Lokou et al., 2011 .; Guéguen et al., 2011 ; Stel and Harinck, 2011 ). This is true for the mimickee as well as the mimicker (Stel et al., 2008 ). Maddux et al. ( 2008 ) also report that strategic mimicry in negotiation abets more favorable negotiation outcomes, facilitating both individual and joint gains. This effect was mediated by higher levels of trust toward the mimicker. Ashton–James et al. ( 2007 ) tested several hypotheses on why mimicry promotes pro-social behavior and found that being mimicked during social interaction shifts self-construal toward becoming more interdependent and “other-oriented.” Additionally, mimicry strengthens one’s perception of interpersonal closeness with other people in general.

Correspondingly, language style matching, i.e., similarity in use of function words, has been found to predict relationship initiation and stability (Ireland et al., 2011 ). On a similar vein, according to the interactive-alignment account of dialog, the success of any given conversation depends on the extent of the conversation partners arriving at a common understanding of the relevant aspects of what they are talking about, i.e., a common situation model (Pickering and Garrod, 2004 ). Interlocutors tend to automatically align at different levels of linguistic representation, e.g., through repeating each other’s words and grammar (Garrod and Pickering, 2004 ). This alignment at low-level structure positively affects alignment of interlocutors’ situation models – the hallmark of successful communication – as people who describe a situation in the same way tend to think about it in the same way as well (Markman and Makin, 1998 ; Menenti et al., 2012 ). These findings strongly support the hypothesis that paraphrasing, which involves a certain degree of language matching and bears parallels to mimicry on a verbal level, administrates emotional and socio-cognitive effects on the person being paraphrased.

Regardless the impressive amount of research reviewed above, the specific dynamics of emotional response to empathic paraphrasing are yet largely unclear. Rime ( 2009 ) suggests that socio-affective responses such as comfort and empathy temporarily alleviate a narrator’s negative emotions and generate a deep feeling of relief. However, if no cognitive reframing and re-adjustment of goals, motives, models, and schemas occur, the alleviating effects of socio-affective responses can be expected to be only temporary, because the cognitive sources of the emotional unsettledness have not been transformed. Following this reasoning, the emotional effects of empathic paraphrasing should be expected to be short-lived. On the other hand, Rogers argued that receiving empathy and positive regard are necessary conditions for being able to revise overly rigid structures of the self and assimilate dissonant information and experiences (Rogers, 1942 , 1951 ). Hence, empathic paraphrasing may initiate a cognitive-emotional process progressing in several stages, with emotional alleviation and an increased mental openness and disposition for cognitive restructuring possibly being the first one. In this respect, the present research makes a valuable contribution by moving beyond correlational designs to presenting the first experimental study assessing in detail the emotional effects of empathic paraphrasing in the context of social conflict, hopefully providing a useful basis for further analysis in future studies.

To investigate whether and how empathic paraphrasing in the context of a real-life social conflict extrinsically regulates emotion, we invited participants to an interview in which they were asked to talk about an ongoing or recently self-experienced social conflict with a partner, friend, roommate, neighbor, or family member. The interviewer responded to participants’ descriptions by either paraphrasing (experimental condition following half of the interview questions) or taking notes (control condition). We assessed valence ratings pertaining to participants’ current emotional state as well as skin conductance response (SCR), blood volume pulse (BVP), blood volume pulse amplitude (BVPamp), and heart rate (HR) as indicators of autonomous nervous system (ANS) activity during the interviews. We also recorded the interviews for documentation and analysis.

Psychophysiological and voice parameters have been proven to be reliable indicators for emotional responses (Scherer, 2003 ; Kushki et al., 2011 ). HR is regulated by sympathetic (increase) as well as parasympathetic (decrease) pathways of the ANS (Li and Chen, 2006 ; Kushki et al., 2011 ), and reflects autonomic arousal (Critchley, 2002 ) as well as emotional valence (Palomba et al., 1997 ). BVP is a measure of changes in the volume of blood in vessels and has been associated with affective and cognitive processing (Kushki et al., 2011 ). BVP amplitude has been found to be lower during episodes of increased sympathetic activity (Shelley, 2007 ) and has also been shown to decrease when feeling fear or sadness in several studies (Kreibig et al., 2007 ). SCR depicts changes in the skin’s ability to conduct electricity and is considered a sensitive psychophysiological index of changes in autonomic sympathetic arousal that are integrated with emotional and cognitive states. In addition, SCR reflects vicarious emotional responses to another’s affective state (pain), and is therefore also connected to empathy (Hein et al., 2011 ).

Based on the literature reviewed above, we hypothesized that empathic paraphrasing would lead to a reduction of negative emotion in the situation of talking about the conflict. Specifically, we expected valence ratings to be more positive after paraphrasing. Furthermore, we hypothesized that empathic paraphrasing would lead to lower autonomic arousal, reflected in psychophysiological measures and voice analysis.

Materials and Methods

Participants.

Twenty healthy subjects [10 female; age: mean (M) = 27, standard deviation (SD) = 7.9] participated in this study. All participants were native German speakers, and had recently experienced a potentially ongoing social conflict with a partner, friend, roommate, neighbor, or family member. No conflicts involving physical or psychological violence were included in the study. Due to technical problems, SCR and voice data of four participants as well as BVP data of three participants were lost. Therefore, 20 participants entered the analysis of self-report data, 16 entered voice data analysis and analysis of SCR, and 17 entered analysis of HR and BVP.

The study was carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the ethical committee of the Charité University Medicine Berlin. All participants gave written informed consent prior to investigation and received payment for participation.

Interview design and procedure

Participants were told that the study investigates emotion in social conflict, especially how emotions develop while speaking about a social conflict. The interviewer further informed participants that she would try to understand their perspective, and sometimes summarize what she understood so far, while at other times take notes to help her memorize certain things and have them present over the course of the interview.

Interviews consisted of 10 standardized open questions (e.g., “What exactly bothers you about the other person’s behavior?”). After the participant answered each question, the interviewer either paraphrased what had been said, or silently took notes (control condition). Following these paraphrasing interventions or control conditions, respectively, participants were asked to rate their current emotional state. In order to avoid confounding effects resulting from the content of the questions, as well as distortions due to emotional processing over the course of the interview, interventions, and control condition were given alternately during the interview. Half of all participants received an intervention (empathic paraphrasing) after the first question, a control intervention after the second question, and so forth; the other half received a control intervention first. All interviews were conducted by the same female interviewer, who had previously received 190 h of training in conflict resolution and has worked on cases in community mediation, business mediation, and family mediation over several years, applying empathic paraphrasing as one of the core techniques of conflict resolution.

Paraphrasing in the present study was implemented in such a way that after each narration the interviewer briefly summarized the facts of the narration and described her understanding of how the narrator felt, and why, and what she understood was important to the narrator regarding the situation described. To confirm the accuracy of her paraphrasing, the interviewer asked if her understanding was correct at the end of each paraphrase. An example of a paraphrase is given in the Appendix.

All interviews were audiotaped. Interview length was 30.16 min on average (SD = 11.03), depending on how extensively participants answered to the questions. Figure ​ Figure1 1 depicts the interview questions as well as a schematic overview of the interview procedure and measurements.

Interview guideline and procedure .

Data acquisition and analyses

Participants were asked to indicate their current emotional state (valence rating) on an eight-point Likert scale ranging from −4 to 4 (“How positive or negative do you feel right now?”) 10 times during the interview, following the interventions and control condition, respectively. Ratings were analyzed with two-tailed t -tests for repeated measures in IBM SPSS Statistics 20.

Skin conductance response and BVP were recorded continuously with a sampling frequency of 40 Hz using a commercial sampling device ( Biofeedback 2000 X-pert , Schuhfried GmbH, Austria) during the entire interview. Both interviewer’s and participant’s voices were recorded using Audacity 1.2.6 with a highly directional microphone (Shure, WH20 Dynamic Headset Microphone, IL, USA).

Skin conductance data was analyzed in LedaLab V3.3.1. Time frame of analysis was 25 s after the onset of the intervention or control condition. Within this interval, SCR was decomposed by continuous decomposition analysis (CDA; Benedek and Kaernbach, 2010 ). For each participant and interval, the maximum phasic activity was computed (with a minimum amplitude of 0.001 μS) and averaged for each participant across all intervals of both conditions).

Blood volume pulse and BVPamp were analyzed for intervals of 23 s after the onset of intervention or control condition using Matlab 7.1 (The Math-Works, Inc., MA, USA). Data were smoothed using a six point Gaussian filter. BVP was further used for extracting HR data through computing the inverse of the distance between successive peaks of the BVP signal in intervals larger than 0.4 s (Kushki et al., 2011 ). Mean SCR between both conditions (paraphrasing interventions and control conditions), BVP, BVPamp (in%), and HR (in beats per minute) were also analyzed with two-tailed t -tests for repeated measures in IBM SPSS Statistics 20. In addition, we compared BVP, BVPamp, and HR during the paraphrasing intervention and the interview question directly following the paraphrase, with a standard time frame of 4 s for the question phase.

Analysis of voice recordings was done with seewave in R statistics (Sueur et al., 2008 ). Using Audacity 1.2.6., intervals of speech for voice analysis were selected manually by listening to the recorded interviews and cutting out participants’ responses to each question – following an intervention or control intervention, respectively.

Behavioral data

Valence ratings following paraphrasing revealed less negative feelings than ratings following the control condition [ t (19) = 3.395, p  = 0.003]. Effect size is d  = 0.76 (Cohen’s d for repeated measures, calculated with pooled means and standard deviations).

Differences in valence ratings over the conditions are shown in Figure ​ Figure2 2 .

Mean valence ratings (with standard error of the mean) after the empathic paraphrasing and control conditions .

Time series plots over the entire course of the interview show a U-shaped trend in valence ratings over time, which is mainly due to ratings following the control condition (see Figure ​ Figure3). 3 ). However, a repeated measures ANOVA including sequence of intervention over time as an additional factor demonstrates that the effect of the intervention remains untouched by sequence [main effect of sequence F (4, 72) = 1.768; p  = 0.145; main effect of intervention: F (1,18) = 11.400; p  = 0.003 interaction intervention × sequence F (4, 72) = 1.489; p  = 0.215].

Mean valence ratings over the course of the interview, averaged over both conditions (A) and split up into paraphrasing and control condition (B) . At each of the 10 trials, 10 subjects received an intervention and 10 received a control intervention.

Psychophysiological data

Two-tailed t -tests for repeated measures show that participants had a higher SCR during paraphrasing than during the control condition [ t (15) = 2.589; p  = 0.021]. Effect size is d  = 0.65 (Cohen’s d ). Complementary results were found in participants’ HR, which was also higher during paraphrasing than during the control condition [ t (16) = 6.491; p  = 0.000; effect size d  = 1.57]. No significant differences between the conditions for BVP were found [ t (16) = 0.22; p  = 0.812]. However, there was a strong trend for mean BVPamp [ t (16) = −2.119; p  = 0.050; effect size d  = 0.51], which was lower during paraphrasing than during taking notes. Comparing BVPamp during paraphrasing with the interview question directly following the paraphrase, we also found that BVPamp is lower during paraphrasing than during the following interview question [ t (13) = 2.381; p  = 0.033; effect size d  = 0.64]. For HR and BVP, no such difference between paraphrase and subsequent interview question was found. Figure ​ Figure4 4 illustrates differences in psychophysiological measures and voice intensity over the two conditions.

Measures of sympathetic activation (mean values with standard error of the mean) . (A) Skin conductance response (SCR; in μS), (B) Heart rate (in beats/minute), (C) Blood volume pulse amplitude (BVPamp in%), and (D) Voice volume (in dB) during empathic paraphrasing and control condition.

Voice analysis data

Mean intensity/volume of participants’ voices was lower when they replied to an interview question following a paraphrase [ t (15) = −2,466; p  = 0.026; effect size d  = 0.62]. There was no difference in mean fundamental voice frequency (F0) between the conditions [ t (15) = 0.583; p  = 0.568]. F0 range and F0 standard deviation did not differ between the conditions, either (see Table ​ Table1). 1 ). However, speech rate and articulation rate showed trends for slower speech following paraphrasing [speech rate t (15) = −1.86; p  = 0.082; articulation rate t (15) = −2.05; p  = 0.059]. Cohen’s d yielded effect sizes of d  = 0.47 for speech rate and d  = 0.51 for articulation rate.

Means (M), standard deviations (SD), t -, p -, and d -values of all parameters in intervention and control condition .

* and ** indicate significant findings .

Table ​ Table1 1 gives an overview of means and standard deviations of all psychophysiological, voice, and self-report parameters over the two conditions.

The aim of our study was to investigate the short-term emotional effects of empathic paraphrasing in social conflict. To achieve this, we conducted interviews on real-life social conflicts currently experienced by our participants. During the interview, paraphrasing was alternated with a control condition (taking notes). Emotional valence ratings were obtained after each intervention and control intervention and psychophysiological and voice recordings were executed continuously during the interviews. Our hypothesis was that paraphrasing would lead to more positive emotional valence and lower autonomic arousal. Viewing the results of our study as a whole suggests that empathic paraphrasing has a regulating effect on a narrator’s emotions, however, this effect seems to be more complex than originally expected. In sum, we found that participants felt better when the interviewer paraphrased their emotions and perceptions of the conflict. At the same time, and contrary to our expectations, SCR, HR, and BVP amplitude indicate higher autonomic activation during paraphrasing. Voice intensity as well as speech and articulation rate of participants on the other hand was lower when answering to a question following a paraphrase.

Effects of paraphrasing on valence

The self-report ratings demonstrate that participants felt better after the interviewer had paraphrased what they had said. Also, the relatively high effect size suggests that this effect is strong and practically relevant. The interview itself also induced valence effects over time, insofar that participants experienced a decline in emotional valence in the middle of the interview, which recuperated toward the end of the interview. However, due to the alternation of intervention and control intervention, which was again alternated in sequence over participants, this trend does not affect the intervention effect.

This self-reported valence effect is consistent with participants’ lower voice intensity after paraphrasing compared to the control condition. Banse and Scherer ( 1996 ) have linked high voice intensity with negative affects or aggressive speaker attitudes, thereby suggesting a conjunction between high voice intensity and negative emotional valence. Conversely, speech and articulation rate are also slightly lower following an intervention, even though these effects are not statistically significant. Speech rate is defined as the number of spoken units (e.g., words/syllables) per unit of time (minute/second). It is calculated across continuous speech segments, which may include pauses, disruptions, or dysfluency. Articulation rate is an analogical measure based only on fluent utterances, excluding pauses, and dysfluency (Howell et al., 1999 ). Speech rate has been demonstrated to increase when experiencing anger or fear compared to neutral emotional states (Scherer, 1995 ; Rochman et al., 2008 ). Hence, the lower speech and articulation rates following paraphrasing also suggest that participants experienced less negative emotion after paraphrasing.

By the same token, HR was higher during paraphrasing than during the control condition, which according to Palomba et al. ( 1997 ) can also be interpreted as a valence effect. HR deceleration has been associated with negative emotional valence during presentation of unpleasant visual stimuli. In social tasks, HR acceleration has been measured in accordance with intensity of emotion, and to a lesser degree, with emotional valence (Palomba et al., 1997 ). Palomba et al. ( 1997 ) found significant differences in HR deceleration between positive, negative, and neutral visual stimuli, with positive stimuli producing the highest and negative stimuli the lowest HR. Hence, self-report data, voice data, and HR analysis all support the conclusion that emotional valence was positively influenced by offering cognitive empathy through paraphrasing. This effect of paraphrasing on valence bolsters Rime’s ( 2009 ) supposition that being treated empathically while socially sharing negative emotion produces a short-term alleviation of these negative emotions.

Interestingly, the positive impact of mimicry on social judgment mentioned in the introduction (i.e., promoting liking toward the mimicker) suggests the generation of positive emotion as a result of mimicry. This was not the case for paraphrasing in our study: valence ratings in the intervention condition center around the neutral. Nevertheless, it is still possible that paraphrasing led to an increased liking toward the interviewer, while overall affect was neutral. Social judgment was not assessed in the present study, hence, no direct comparison with mimicry is possible. However, it would be interesting to compare the effects of mimicry and paraphrasing on emotion in future studies, as well as to study verbal mimicry or matching more extensively in the context of distressing conversations such as social conflict discussions.

Effects of paraphrasing on arousal

Skin conductance response, HR and BVP amplitude indicate a period of higher autonomic arousal while the interviewer paraphrased what participants had said, compared to taking notes on what they had said. Again, effects sizes of physiological measures suggest medium and in the case of HR, very strong, effects. This is surprising, as we presumed that the lower intensity of negative emotion induced by paraphrasing would be accompanied by lower arousal. Instead, paraphrasing apparently enhanced autonomic arousal. Quite conversely to psychophysiological data, the lower voice intensity following the intervention on the other hand suggests a calming effect of paraphrasing on autonomic arousal, as several studies on emotion and voice quality have associated high voice intensity with high sympathetic autonomic arousal emotions (Scherer, 2003 ). This apparent contradiction between voice data and psychophysiological data appears initially confusing, as vocal changes and changes in SCR both originate in mediated variation of HR, blood flow, and muscular tension caused by an arousing event (Duffy, 1932 ; Laver, 1968 ; Schirmer and Kotz, 2006 ).

However, this discrepancy can be explained by the fact that BVP and SCR were recorded while participants listened to the interviewer paraphrasing, whereas voice analysis was done on recordings of participants’ answers to the interviewer’s next question, following the paraphrase. Thus, the autonomic arousal induced by paraphrasing may already have subsided and passed into a calmer state at the time participants answered the next question. This possibility is difficult to double-check for SCR as this parameter is reactive to speech and will thus be higher while participants are talking, even though autonomic sympathetic arousal induced by the intervention might have diminished already. However, we reassessed this hypothesis using BVP, BVPamp, and HR data, comparing the paraphrasing phase with the subsequent question phase and found a confirming result for BVPamp, although not for the other two measures. Participant had a lower BVP amplitude while listening to the paraphrase compared to listening to the interview question asked in direct succession. This indicates a specific effect of paraphrasing on autonomic arousal, which is not induced by speech in general. It should also be noted that voice intensity following paraphrasing is significantly lower than voice intensity following the control condition. Hence, given the assumption made above is correct, participants’ autonomic arousal is first heightened by listening to the paraphrasing, and after a short period of time lowered to a level below the control state. This is a very interesting finding, for which two possible explanations should be considered.

Firstly, it is possible that empathic paraphrasing not only leads to a reduction of negative emotion in participants, but even induces positive emotions, such as happiness and relief about being listened to and validated. This would explain the initial higher autonomic arousal, which would in this case be due to a short-term experience of positive emotions, in accordance with Rime ( 2009 ) dissipating quickly. However, the behavioral data does not support this notion, as the valence ratings remain in the negative range of the scale even after paraphrasing, only approximating the neutral zero-point. Also, it should be noted that empathic paraphrasing is distinctly different from everyday forms of volunteering empathy or forms of social sharing of emotion as referred to by Rime. Paraphrasing does not offer sympathy or emotional empathy, but instead takes a purely cognitive road by demonstrating that the listener can understand the narrator’s perspective. It does not seem likely that this technique should have the same emotional effects as common social sharing responses such as offering sympathy.

Therefore, as an alternative explanation of our results, it is more conceivable that demonstrating cognitive empathy through paraphrasing temporarily leads to a heightened focus on and increased processing of negative emotion, which might eventually have a resolving effect on these emotions. This explanation seems probable considering the nature of paraphrasing, which entails repeating emotional narrations in a pointed way, thereby sharpening and clarifying the emotional experience. In a study on the relationship between therapist pre-session mood, therapist empathy, and session evaluation, Duan and Kivlighan ( 2002 ) found that intellectual empathy (demonstrating an understanding of the client’s perspective, i.e., empathic paraphrasing) was positively correlated with client-perceived session depth (power and value of the session), but not correlated with perceived session smoothness (comfort and pleasantness of the session). In a way, paraphrasing confronts people with what they are feeling, and thus can stimulate a deeper processing of negative emotion (depth), which temporarily involves higher autonomic arousal and may even be perceived as trying and hard work (smoothness), but eventually abets resolution of the emotional conflict. It however seems unlikely that this process advances automatically without fueling cognitive work such as reappraisal and re-adjustment of goals and schemas. Yet, the clarifying focus on one’s own emotion, accompanied by the non-judgmental stance of empathic paraphrasing might strongly push this process forward. This notion is in line with Rogers’ original claim to evoke personal growth and transformation in the client through empathic paraphrasing, thereby achieving therapeutic change (Rogers, 1942 , 1951 ).

Also, considering the findings from mimicry and language matching research, which have demonstrated that being treated empathically on basal levels such as facial expression and language style promotes attitude and behavior change, it seems plausible that empathic paraphrasing may foster socio-cognitive processes in a similar direction. As paraphrasing contains a deliberate effort to verbally align with the narrator, it may generate a shared situation model and in this way promote successful communication. It would be interesting to consider if empathic paraphrasing, as it bears a certain resemblance to mimicry on a verbal level, can also stimulate pro-social behavior in the person being paraphrased; for instance a greater willingness to open up for the other party’s perspective on the conflict. This would strongly support the idea of paraphrasing stimulating a clearance of negative emotion.

There seems to be wide consensus between psychotherapists of different disciplines that psychotherapy benefits from an optimal level of arousal in the client, similar to the Yerkes–Dodson law, which posits an inverse U-shaped correlation between arousal and performance in complex tasks (Bridges, 2006 ). Markowitz and Milrod ( 2011 ) argue that emotional arousal is central for engaging the client in psychotherapy and making the therapeutic experience meaningful. They claim that the therapist’s ability to understand and respond empathically to negative emotional arousal should be considered the most important one of the common factors of psychotherapy. The therapist provides support and at the same time acts as a model, teaching the client to tolerate, verbalize, and integrate their feelings. Thus, negative feelings diminish and lose toxicity. In a similar vein, the traditional concept of the “corrective emotional experience” by Alexander and French ( 1946 ) describes the transformation of painful emotional conflicts as re-experiencing the old, unsettled conflict but with a new ending. This notion, which has gained ample empirical support, holds that processing emotional conflicts within a safe and empathic environment is necessary for therapeutic change (Bridges, 2006 ).

A resembling road is also pursued by acceptance and mindfulness-based interventions. Research on acceptance-based and mindfulness-based therapy has shown that accepting and mindfully observing negative emotions (instead of trying to suppress them) leads to the dissolution of these emotions (Eifert and Heffner, 2003 ; Arch and Craske, 2006 ; Hayes-Skelton et al., 2011 ). Czech et al. ( 2011 ) cite several experimental studies which have demonstrated that acceptance of negative emotion decreases distress and increases willingness to engage in challenging tasks. Empathic paraphrasing may have similar effects, as it essentially applies the principles of mindfulness and acceptance from the outside – through a listener who takes on an accepting role, thereby prompting the narrator in the same direction. Offering cognitive empathy through paraphrasing draws attention to emotions, non-judgmentally describes and accepts them, and is thus very similar to acceptance-based and mindfulness-based therapy. The central difference might be the locus of initiation of these processes, which in the case of empathic paraphrasing comes from somebody else. Comparing the effects of mindfulness and empathic paraphrasing and investigating the potential consequences of this difference on emotion processing and emotion regulation could be an interesting research focus for future studies.

Limitations of the present study

A potential short-coming of the present study pertains to the nature of the control condition, which consisted of taking notes silently. It could be argued that, as only the experimental condition involved speech, the differences found might be due to a general effect of being spoken to, rather than to an isolated effect of empathic paraphrasing. However, it should be noted that within a social conflict situation, the content of a reply to emotional descriptions can never be perceived as completely neutral, and any control condition involving speech will induce emotional effects of its own, e.g., irritation or even anger caused by inapplicable verbal comments of the interviewer following participants’ emotional disclosure. The present control condition was deliberately chosen for providing a neutral baseline against which the effects of empathic paraphrasing can be tested before moving on to other modes of comparison.

An aligned point of concern might be that it cannot be ascertained how the control condition was perceived by participants. For instance, even though they were informed that the note-taking simply served the purpose of bolstering the interviewer’s memory during the conversation, some participants may still have worried about the notes containing subjective judgment. This would most likely induce stress and add an emotional bias to the control condition. In this case, however, one would expect an increase in autonomic responses during the control condition, which did not occur. Still, considering these shortcomings of the control condition, the results need to be reproduced with varying kinds of control conditions involving speech before they can be viewed as definite.

It should also be mentioned that this study focused exclusively on short-term emotional reactions to paraphrasing, in order to obtain a constitutional data base illustrating the regulatory effect of this communicational technique. Our results suggest that in addition to influencing immediate emotional valence, paraphrasing sets in motion an initially arousing process of coping with negative emotions associated with the social conflict, which eventually may lead to resolving these emotions. However, as we did not assess longitudinal measures pertaining to the emotions associated with the social conflicts in question, this conclusion has to remain speculative until backed up by further research.

Finally, the relatively small sample size of the study makes it prone to distortions from individual variations and gender differences, e.g., in emotion expression. Again, replication of the results based on larger groups of study participants is called for.

Conclusion and directions for future research

The present study provides first experimental evidence that offering cognitive empathy through paraphrasing extrinsically regulates emotion in social conflict. Paraphrasing led to less negative feelings in study participants, while at the same time inducing higher autonomic arousal, which subsided after a short period of time. A possible explanation for these findings is that empathic paraphrasing stimulates an increased and focused processing of negative emotion in social conflict, and thus may contribute to resolving these emotions.

Future studies investigating the emotional effects of demonstrating cognitive empathy may further scrutinize the short- and long-term effects empathic paraphrasing has on arousal, and test the hypothesis that paraphrasing induces a cognitive-emotional process which facilitates the resolution of negative emotion in social conflict. Also, it would be interesting to investigate the dynamics of this process more closely and identify factors necessary for its successful development. Presently, we are working on a neuroimaging paradigm designed to overcome some of the above mentioned shortcomings and further explore the effects of empathic paraphrasing on the disposition to consider other people’s perspective in social conflict.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the Cluster of Excellence “Languages of Emotion” at Freie Universität Berlin which is funded by the DFG (German Research Foundation), and by the Open-Access publication fund of the DFG and the Freie Universität Berlin.

Example of a paraphrasing sequence

Interviewer: “What is worst for you about this situation?”

Narrator: “The worst thing is not knowing what happens now, well, this uncertainty. I mean, there is a problem, I have to make sure the rent is being paid, because in the end I am responsible, because I am in the rental agreement…and then – not being able to deal with that situation, not being able to act, because I just don’t know what is going to happen. The worst…now I am not so sure anymore, what was worst about it – well, also interpersonally it was very disappointing, because after all I took care of everything, voluntarily, and…I mean, when she is acting this way now, that is also a lack of recognition for what I do, what I accomplish. For my whole courtesy. What aggravates things is that is was clear from the beginning that she does not do so well financially, but urgently needed an apartment, and I let her move in with me to help her. And that is something that is…not being trampled under her feet…but you notice that there is a lack of recognition. Well, I think this second issue is worse than the first one.”

Interviewer: “So it is a combination, is it? For one, this thing, that in some way your existence is on stake here, that you are saying, this uncertainty is hard to bear – that you do not know how the rent is going to come around in the future. And then also the interpersonal issue, that you are saying you are disappointed of her, because you helped her, and in return you get this now, right? Especially the lack of recognition, the interpersonal treatment is what is worst – did I understand that correctly?”

Narrator: “Yes.”

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Encouragers, Paraphrasing and Summarising

A counsellor can encourage a client to continue to talk, open up more freely and explore issues in greater depth by providing accurate responses through encouraging, paraphrasing and summarising. Responding in this way informs the client that the counsellor has accurately heard what they have been saying. Encouragers, paraphrases and summaries are basic to helping a client feel understood.

Encouragers, also known as intentional listening , involve fully attending to the client, thus allowing them to explore their feelings and thoughts more completely. Paraphrasing and summarising are more active ways of communicating to the client that they have been listened to. Summarising is particularly useful to help clients organise their thinking.

The diagram below shows how encouragers, paraphrases and summaries are on different points of a continuum, each building on more of the information provided by the client to accurately assess issues and events.

Encouragers – Encouragers are a variety of verbal and non-verbal ways of prompting clients to continue talking.

Types of encouragers include:

• Non-verbal minimal responses such as a nod of the head or positive facial expressions
• Verbal minimal responses such as “Uh-huh” and “I hear what you’re saying”
• Brief invitations to continue such as “Tell me more”

Encouragers simply encourage the client to keep talking. For a counsellor to have more influence on the direction of client progress they would need to make use of other techniques.

Paraphrases – To paraphrase, the counsellor chooses the most important details of what the client has just said and reflects them back to the client. Paraphrases can be just a few words or one or two brief sentences.

Paraphrasing is not a matter of simply repeating or parroting what the client has stated. Rather it is capturing the essence of what the client is saying, through rephrasing. When the counsellor has captured what the client is saying, often the client will say, “That’s right” or offer some other form of confirmation.

Example: I have just broken up with Jason. The way he was treating me was just too much to bear. Every time I tried to touch on the subject with him he would just clam up. I feel so much better now. Paraphrase: You feel much better after breaking up with Jason.

Summaries – Summaries are brief statements of longer excerpts from the counselling session. In summarising, the counsellor attends to verbal and non-verbal comments from the client over a period of time, and then pulls together key parts of the extended communication, restating them for the client as accurately as possible.

A check-out, phrased at the end of the summary, is an important component of the statement, enabling a check of the accuracy of the counsellor’s response. Summaries are similar to paraphrasing, except they are used less frequently and encompass more information.

• July 21, 2009
• Communication , Counselling Process , Encouraging , Microskills , Paraphrasing
• Counselling Theory & Process

Comments: 23

Yeah,must say i like the simple way these basic counselling skills are explained in this article. More of same would be most welcome as it helps give a better understanding of the counselling process and the methods and techniques used within the counselling arena

I really find this information helpful as a refresher in my studies and work. Please keep up the excellent work of ‘educating’ us on being a better counsellor. Thank you!

Wonderfully helpful posting. Many thanks!

Thankyou so much. I am doing a assignment at uni about scitzophrenia and needed to clarify what paraphrasing truly meant. Cheers

So helpful to me as a counselor.

Thankx so much for these post. I’m doing Counselling and Community Services and I need to clarify what summarising and paraphrasing really meant. Once again thank you, this information it’s really helpful

Hello Antoinette friend and doing guidance and counselling need uo help about this question With relevent examples explain the following concepts as used in communicating to clients. (I;listening to verbal messages and using encouraged minimal prompts. 2)making use of non verbal communication and exhibiting attending behaviours using Gerald Eganis macro skill SOLER/ROLES. 3.paraphrasing 4.identifying and reflecting feelings and emotions from the clients story 5.summarizing 6.confrotation 7.counsellor self disclosure 8.asking open and close open ended concept 9.answering questions 10.clarifying

thanks I am doing a counselling community services at careers Australia

Really love the explanations given to the active listening techniques it was really useful and helpful good work done.

Helpful. Thanks!

I really like hw u explain everything in to simple terms for my understanding.

Hai ,thanks for being here .Am a student social worker,i need help an an able to listen to get the implied massages from the client.and to bring questions to explore with them .I love to do this work .What shall I do.how do i train my self in listening.

really appreciate.

You explanation of these three basic intentional listening are very helpful. Thank you for remained us.

very helpful indeed in making the client more open and exploring the issues more deeply

Very important cues.thanks

the article was helpful .thank you for explaining it in more clear and simple words.appreciate it alot .

I need to write about what counselling words mean ie I understand summarising and paraphrasing any more would be useful as I’m near the end of my course

I have a role play exam tomorrow on counselling and find above explanation very useful. thanks for sharing.

This explanation is clear and precise. Very easy to understanding than the expensive textbook. Please keep posting as this helps a lot. Thanks and God bless.

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One of the simple and memorable descriptions of this I’ve read, thanks so much!

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Reflecting Skills

Ensuring that you understand your clients, and that your clients feel understood by you is foundational to the counseling relationship. The skills on this page are particularly useful for building the counseling relationship by helping your clients to know that you are hearing and understanding what they are saying.

Summarizing, Paraphrasing, & Reflecting

Summarizing, paraphrasing, and reflecting are probably the three most important & most commonly used microskills. These skills can be used by counselors to demonstrate their empathy to clients, make the counseling session go "deeper", & increase clients' awareness of their emotions, cognitions, & behaviors. All three methods involve repeating back, in your own words, what the client has said. Counselors often go beyond simple repetition and include their own interpretations of the client's emotions or existential meaning to increase the "depth" of the session. These techniques can often be used in place of questions, as, like questions, they prompt the client to reflect or talk more. However, these techniques often have additional benefits of questions as they also demonstrate that the counselor empathizes with and understands each client. Summaries, paraphrases, and reflections can be described as:

• Broadest of the three methods for repeating information.
• Useful at the end or beginning of session. For example, summarizing the session to the client or reorienting the client to the previous session.
• Summaries can include condensed paraphrases & reflections.
• Not as broad as a summary, yet more broad than a reflection.
• Useful for pacing counseling sessions and for demonstrating empathy to clients.
• Paraphrases can contain condensed reflections.
• There are three broad types of reflection: Reflections of content, reflections of feeling, & reflections of meaning.
• Counselors can strengthen their reflections by constructing a reflection that integrates content, process, affect, and meaning. For example, "While talking about the loss of your dog (content) I experience you as alternating between anger and sadness (affect). That makes a lot of sense to me (self-disclosure), since you told me that seeing your dog at the end of a stressful day kept you grounded (meaning)".

Types of Reflections

Counselors can reflect a wide range of information, but reflections typically include one or more of the following:

• Reflecting content involves repeating back to clients a version of what they just told you. Reflecting content shows the client you understand and are listening to them. Typically, reflecting content alone is not as powerful as reflecting content with emotions and/or meaning.
• Reflecting a client's emotions is often useful for heightening the client's awareness of and ability to label their own emotions. It is important that counselors have a wide emotional vocabulary, so they can tailor their word choice to match a level of emotional intensity that is congruent with a client's experience. Feeling word charts are useful for reviewing a wide range of feeling words.
• As existential theorists observe, humans are meaning making creatures. Reflecting a client's meaning can increase the client's self-awareness while encouraging emotional depth in the session.

Emotional Heightening

Counselors can intentionally use language to increase or decrease the emotional intensity of their reflections, thereby altering a client's emotional arousal. Using evocative language and metaphors (e.g., "walking on eggshells") encourages clients to go deeper into a particular experience or emotion, which can heighten awareness and understanding. Conversely, a counselor might support a client in containing their emotions toward the end of the session, so the client is prepared to leave the session.

It is important that counselors attempt to match their reflections to the emotional intensity of the client's experience. Thus, intentionality is important when counselors reflect more or less emotion than the client expresses, as doing so can result in the client feeling misunderstood and not listened to.

An example of emotional heightening is:

• Client: "My wife and I can't stop fighting with each other, and things are really escalating."
• Counselor: "Your fights are becoming more explosive and hostile."

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What is paraphrasing and Summarising in counselling?

Table of Contents

Difference between paraphrasing and summarising in counselling. Using summaries is different from using paraphrasing, as a summary usually covers a longer time period than a paraphrase. Thus, summarising may be used after some time: perhaps halfway through – or near the end of – a counselling session.

What are encouragers in counseling?

Encouragers – Encouragers are a variety of verbal and non-verbal ways of prompting clients to continue talking. Types of encouragers include: Non-verbal minimal responses such as a nod of the head or positive facial expressions. Verbal minimal responses such as “Uh-huh” and “I hear what you’re saying”

What is an example of summarizing in counseling?

Summarization is also used as a way to close a session. For example: Client: “I really feel guilty about marrying her in the first place. It wasn’t really for love.

How is Summarising used in counselling?

Summarizing lets the client know that the counsellor has heard and understood, and also enables the client to clarify thoughts, identifying what is most important. It is not sufficient just to notice what the client has said; it is also important to notice what is missing.

What is an example of paraphrasing in counseling?

The following are some examples of accurate paraphrasing: One moment she’s really friendly, and the next time 1 see her she’s totally cold.” Counselor: “You haven’t experienced her as being very consistent.” Client: “Every moment there is something new to do.

Why paraphrasing is important in counseling?

In essence, paraphrasing is a micro skill that allows counselors to create an authentic bond with their clients Together with encouraging and summarizing, paraphrasing plays a crucial role in therapeutic communication, making the client feel understood and listened to.

What is an encourager?

Encouragernoun. one who encourages, incites, or helps forward; a favorer.

How can counselling improve paraphrasing skills?

let the client know that you are listening and understand what they are saying, 2. clarify confusing content, 3. highlight issues by stating them more concisely, and 4. check out the accuracy of your perceptions as the counselor.

What is paraphrase in counseling?

Paraphrasing or active listening (coined by Carl R. Rogers in Client-Centered-Therapy) is a form of responding empathically to the emotions of another person by repeating in other words what this person said while focusing on the essence of what they feel and what is important to them.

How is paraphrasing used in counselling?

Why paraphrasing is important in counselling.

What is Summarising paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing means rephrasing text or speech in your own words, without changing its meaning. Summarizing means cutting it down to its bare essentials. You can use both techniques to clarify and simplify complex information or ideas. To paraphrase text: Read and make notes.

How would you explain summarizing and paraphrasing?

A paraphrase must also be attributed to the original source. Paraphrased material is usually shorter than the original passage, taking a somewhat broader segment of the source and condensing it slightly. Summarizing involves putting the main idea(s) into your own words, including only the main point(s).

What is the role of an encourager?

Encouragers see people as storehouses of untapped potential because they don’t see you where you are, but have a vision of where you can go. By looking at people as a work-in-progress they provide coaching, feedback and mentoring that enables the discovery and development of your unique gifts and talents.

What type of word is encourager?

verb (used with object), en·cour·aged, en·cour·ag·ing. to inspire with courage, spirit, or confidence: His coach encouraged him throughout the marathon race to keep on running.

Why is Summarising and paraphrasing important?

Summaries leave out detail or examples that may distract the reader from the most important information, and they simplify complex arguments, grammar and vocabulary. Used correctly, summarizing and paraphrasing can save time, increase understanding, and give authority and credibility to your work.

How do you teach paraphrasing and summarizing?

Key strategies for paraphrase

• Read the portion of text you want to paraphrase.
• Make sure you understand it.
• After you’ve read the text, make notes of what you read, without using the author’s words or structure.
• Using only your notes, write all of the important ideas of the text using own words.

What is the meaning of encourager?

1. To inspire with hope, courage, or confidence. 2. To give support to; foster: policies designed to encourage private investment. 3.

What makes a good encourager?

Encouragers actively listen with empathy. Meaningful encouragement is grounded in understanding—being able to accurately interpret what other people are saying. Great encouragers consistently seek to understand people. They are as comfortable with your fears and failures as they are with your hopes and dreams.

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Reflection (Therapeutic Behavior)

• Reference work entry
• First Online: 01 January 2020
• pp 4344–4346
• Cite this reference work entry

• Kathryn N. Schrantz 3 &
• Alicia Lyon-Limke McLean 4  

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Active listening techniques ; Affirmation statements ; Directive techniques ; Feelings interpretation ; Feelings validation ; Nondirective techniques ; Psychotherapy ; Reflective statements

Therapeutic reflections are statements used by psychotherapists to restate, paraphrase, or uncover therapy clients’ emotional reactions to situations, thoughts, behaviors, or interpersonal interactions.

Introduction

Verbal and nonverbal reflections are a major component of psychotherapy. Considered as an active listening technique, reflections serve as an important therapeutic tool. Often, reflections paraphrase or restate clients’ feelings and emotions. Therapists also use reflections to help clients examine previously undiscovered or misunderstood emotional reactions. There are various types of reflections that are used to elicit different reactions from clients. Reflections impact the therapeutic relationship and play a significant role in many therapeutic approaches.

Types of...

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Schrantz, K.N., McLean, A.LL. (2020). Reflection (Therapeutic Behavior). In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_841

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How Parroting Is Used in Therapy

An Effective Conversational Technique

Daniel B. Block, MD, is an award-winning, board-certified psychiatrist who operates a private practice in Pennsylvania.

Karen Cilli is a fact-checker for Verywell Mind. She has an extensive background in research, with 33 years of experience as a reference librarian and educator.

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How to Use Parroting

• Role in Talk Therapy

Goals of Therapy

What is parroting in therapy.

Parroting is a conversational technique used in therapy. The therapist loosely repeats, or "reflects," what the client has just said.

Parroting is an effective tool in therapy. Its goals are to ensure that the therapist has heard what was said correctly, to encourage the client to clarify their thoughts, and to help the client feel heard and validated.

When parroting, don't go too far. It is much better to repeat only the last few words than to attempt to repeat several sentences. Additionally, repetitive parroting can become annoying. It can also make the client feel nervous or edgy.

When used properly, parroting can help encourage the client to talk through all sides of an issue and come to their own logical conclusion.

Parroting's Role in Talk Therapy

Parroting is used in talk therapy, also known as psychotherapy. Talk therapy is based on the core idea that talking about the things that are bothering you can help clarify them and put them in perspective. Some talk therapists follow a specific school of thought, such as cognitive theory or behaviorism. Others use a more eclectic approach , drawing techniques, and principles from several different theories.

If you're seeking therapy , develop a few goals to have in mind. For example, if you're a phobia sufferer, your goal likely is to be freed of your irrational fears. Other goals of therapy are:

• Learn to deal with the disorder. The ultimate goal of any type of therapy is to help the client deal more successfully with a disorder or a situation.
• Make goals specific. The specific treatment goals depend on the individual client, the therapist’s theories, and the situation at hand. The goal may be concrete, such as quitting smoking, or more abstract, such as anger management.
• Overcome and manage fear. When talk therapy is used for phobia treatment, there are generally two goals. One is to help the client overcome fear. The second goal is to help the client learn to manage any remaining fear so that he or she is able to live a normal, functional life.
• Resolve underlying issues: Some forms of talk therapy have a third goal. In psychoanalysis and related therapies, the goal is to discover and resolve the underlying conflict that caused the phobia or other disorder. In interpersonal therapies, the goal is to resolve problems in interpersonal relationships that have resulted from or contributed to the phobia or other disorders.

A Word From Verywell Mind

Parroting is a way for a therapist to make sure they've heard and understood what the client has said, to encourage the client to share thoughts, and to help validate the client. It's also a helpful tool in personal relationships, helping the other person feel heard and cared for.

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Lord SP, Sheng E, Imel ZE, Baer J, Atkins DC. More than reflections: Empathy in motivational interviewing includes language style synchrony between therapist and client .  Behav Ther . 2015;46(3):296-303. doi:10.1016/j.beth.2014.11.002

American Psychological Association. Understanding psychotherapy and how it works .

By Lisa Fritscher Lisa Fritscher is a freelance writer and editor with a deep interest in phobias and other mental health topics.

Counseling Reviews

Basic skills for counselling (paraphrasing).

3 comments:

When you are rephrasing so you need to think like a paraphrase helper who is always there to help and creativity not for just checking purposes.

Hi, I just wanted some clarification on #4 of Why we paraphrase. I am a little confused with the sentence that states, "With this skill to emphasize content is also useful if attention to affect is premature or counter-productive."

Counselling skills are the tools that counsellors use to help clients. They can be divided into three main categories: communication skills, intervention skills, and assessment skills. Communication skills involve active listening, empathy, and rapport building. Intervention skills involve providing support, guidance, and encouragement. Assessment skills involve identifying client goals and objectives, assessing progress, and making referrals. Counselling skills are important because they provide a framework for helping people achieve their goals. When used effectively, counselling skills can help people overcome challenges, make progress, and improve their lives. Read another amazing blog: https://lead-academy.org/blog/what-is-counselling-skills/

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Home > Books > Counseling and Therapy

Counselling: What and How

Submitted: 12 June 2019 Reviewed: 02 October 2019 Published: 09 September 2020

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.90008

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This chapter describes the principles concept of counselling. It includes definition, characteristics, purposes, and counselling theories. Apart from that counselling process, counselling skills and the features of professional counsellor were also discussed. Generally, a counselling service is important in order to make a human being well-functioning. However, it is not an easy task because to make a meaningful and effective session, it must consider basic principles of a counselling service. Counselling theories are crucial to guide counsellor in a counselling session. Thus, the author’s effort to address a pool of counselling theories is significant to help counsellors especially for a junior one. While, counselling process and counselling skills will be a guide to implement the best practises of professional counselling service. Then, a sub-topic on the features of a professional counsellor is relevant in order to make it a model on how to be the best counsellor.

• concept of counselling
• theories of counselling
• counselling skills
• counselling process

Author Information

Mohd zarawi mat nor *.

• Department of Medical Education, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia

*Address all correspondence to: [email protected]

1. Introduction

Historically, counselling concept emerged during World War II when militaries were highly afflicted with emotional damages [ 1 ]. Nowadays, counselling service has become significant as more people suffer from anguishes at an the alarming stage whereby stress, depression and anxiety issues are among the psychological problems [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ] which are rising due to the rapid development that brings impact on the physical and mental well-being of the people [ 8 ].

This chapter discusses the counselling service in general for the general readers including students, public and anyone who is interested in the counselling discipline. It consisted of seven subtopics which are (i) definition of counselling concept by highlighting some scholars’ ideas from such field, (ii) characteristics of counselling, (iii) counselling theories by addressing 10 popular theories of the counselling profession. In this regard, a comparing among its philosophies and goals of the therapy have been done, (iv) purpose of the counselling theories by discussing the benefits and the role of these theories in counselling process, (v) counselling process by emphasising the phases of a counselling session, (vi) counselling skills. This sub-section focuses on seven counselling skills which are always being used in a counselling session. Before concluding the discussion, sub-topic of professional counsellor has also been discussed. This last sub-topic aim is to share with the readers how to be a good counsellor or what should a professional counsellor have. Unlike others discussion, the items (v) and (vi) were discussed based on two given scenarios. The first scenario is in an education setting and the second one is at the workplace. Both scenarios will act as a guide in exploring the topic of counselling especially in highlighting the process of counselling itself.

1.2 Scenario 1

Alex is a final year student in a higher education institution who is pursuing his study in health sciences. As a final year student, he was enveloped with numerous issues that affected him emotionally and psychically. It includes financial, personal and family matters. He tried to reduce the issues himself but failed. As a result, he suffered from depression, bad mood and currently it is affecting his academic performance. Recommended by his friends, he met a counsellor in student affair division.

1.3 Scenario 2

Sarah, a junior employee in a private company is facing many pain points in performing her job. Initially, she was able to conduct these difficulties well. However, stress issues have recently become more serious. It includes poor communication with her colleagues, bad mood, and ultimately, her job performance deteriorated. Finally, she was included as one of the workers who will be terminated. However, she was referred to the counsellor for a counselling session.

2. Definition of counselling

The efforts to define counselling concept have been addressed in numerous ways. The variety ensues due to the philosophy of the scholar and the angle of the definition highlighted. Some of them focus on how such session is conducted or its process and others emphasise the relationship between counsellors and counselees. Both angles were seemed as popular points to describe counselling terminology. For instance, The British Association for Counselling [ 9 ] had stated that the ‘counselling’ term covers work with individuals and with relationships which may be developmental, crisis support, psychotherapeutic, guiding or problem-solving. The task of counselling is to give the ‘client’ an opportunity to explore, discover and clarify ways of living more satisfyingly and resourcefully.

Counselling denotes a professional relationship between a trained counsellor and a client. This relationship is usually person-to-person, although it may sometimes involve more than two people. It is designed to help clients to understand and clarify their views of their life space, and to learn to reach their self-determined goals through meaningful, well-informed choices and through the resolution of problems of an emotional or interpersonal nature [ 10 ].

Counselling is also considered as a principled relationship characterised by the application of one or more psychological theories and a recognised set of communication skills, modified by experience, intuition and other interpersonal factors, to clients’ intimate concerns, problems or aspirations. Its predominant ethos is one of facilitation rather than of advice-giving or coercion. It may be of very brief or long duration, take place in an organisational or private practice setting and may or may not overlap with practical, medical and other matters of personal welfare. It is both a distinctive activity undertaken by people agreeing to occupy the roles of counsellor and client … and an emerging profession … It is a service sought by people in distress or in some degree of confusion who wish to discuss and resolve these in a relationship which is more disciplined and confidential than friendship, and perhaps less stigmatising than helping relationships offered in traditional medical or psychiatric settings [ 11 ].

It is an interaction process that facilitates a meaningful understanding of self and environment and results in the establishment and/or clarification of goals and values for the future [ 12 ].

Counselling is a dynamic and purposeful relationship between two people, who approach a mutually defined problem with mutual consideration of each other to the end that the troubled one or less mature is aided to a self-determined resolution of his problem [ 13 ]. It is a definitely structured permissive relationship which allows the client to gain an understanding of himself to a degree which enables him to take new positive steps in the light of his new orientation [ 14 ].

In another view, counselling is regarded as a person helping another to clarify his or her life condition and to adopt further lines of action [ 15 ]. Counselling is a professional process which occurs when a counsellor and a client meet voluntarily to enhance the psychological well-being of a client. It takes place when a counselee seeks for counselling and the counsellor, after a careful analysis, applies proper techniques in the counselling process. Consequently, some positive outcomes can be achieved [ 1 ]. Based on the definitions above counselling can be concluded as an interaction process tailored by a trained counsellor with a client or a group of clients utilising systematically psychological principles with its ultimate purpose is to support, instil and maintain human’s well-being.

3. Characteristics of counselling

In view of the different definitions, counselling can be delineated into three domains which are counsellor, client and professional relationships. Counsellor—here are some characteristics which relates to a professional counsellor; (i) a counsellor must be a trained one. In this regard having a minimum qualification of a counsellor is compulsory, (ii) counsellor’s professionalism must be recognised by a professional body (e.g., professional counsellor body which is responsible to award such qualification), (iii) counsellor’s competencies (e.g., clinical competence) must be frequently monitored by such professional body, (iv) counsellor is a facilitator, not an adviser during the counselling session, (v) counsellor should to be aware his/her professional ability to refer his/her client to other professionals should the cases referred are beyond his/her expertise, and (vi) counsellors should be aware of the existence of dual relationships or conflict of interest in counselling sessions.

Client—(i) clients must volunteer to see their counsellor. However, in certain cases, the client can be referred to the counsellor (e.g., an employee referred by his/her employer), (ii) clients must be normal persons, (iii) it is clients’ right to withdraw from the sessions without any penalty.

Professional relationship—(i) counselling sessions must be held in a comfortable or conducive environment, (ii) it occur based on the same objective, (iii) counsellor and client must show a mutual respect to each other, (iv) a counselling relationship occurred in a structured or systematic plan, (iv) a counselling session is conducted based on one or more counselling theories that suit with the clients’ issues(s), (v) the main objective of the counselling relationships is to empower clients’ behaviour as well as their physical and emotional health. And (vi) counselling session is conducted professionally and ethically based on psychology principles.

Objective counselling: Generally, a counselling interaction is purposely to accomplish the following targets; (i) to help clients understand their problem systematically so that they are able to put themselves correctly in the context of the faced issues, (ii) to physically and mentally empower clients in order to make them stronger in tackling their issues, (iii) to prove meaningful information regarding the issues faced by the clients, and (iv) to facilitate clients in solving the raised problems independently.

The benefit of counselling: Studies on the effects of a counselling session have shown that counselling has contributed to a positive impact in many features. In general, these impacts can be categorised into four domains which are psychical, emotion and behaviour as well. In detail, the impacts of a counselling session are as follows; feel healthier after joining the session, feel more comfortable, able to communicate with others in a proper way with your significant persons such as family members, spouses, friends and feel more useful at home and workplace. Apart from that, counselling sessions promote better psychological well beings such as it helps to reduce stress, anxiety, fear, worries, and sadness. Further, it is impacting the way one behaves in certain situation through a behaviour modification technique. These advantages of counselling session have contributed to a well functional human being.

4. Counselling theories

Counselling theory is regarded as a conceptual framework to guide counsellors in running a professional counselling session. It is used in a counselling session in accordance with the raised issues by the clients. Currently, there are many kinds of counselling theories offered. In this respect, a professional should understand the best theory for the problem.

There are many types of counselling and therapy theories that are currently popular in the counselling service. However, this assignment focuses on 10 familiar theories. These theories are psychoanalytic, Adlerian, existential, person centred, gestalt, reality, behaviour, cognitive behaviour, feminist and family system therapies [ 16 ]. We have summarise them in Table 1 .

The counselling theories, its philosophies and goals.

5. Purposes of counselling theories and therapies

In general, a counselling theory or therapy will be a mechanism to (i) ensure that a referred case is suitable to be discussed, (ii) seek a meaningful objective of counselling session, (iii) guide counselling sessions, create objectives and the move to achieve such goals, (iv) apply the best approach to tackle the issue, (v) determine the best intervention, and (vi) evaluate the success of the counselling session.

6. Counselling process

As a professional profession, a counselling session occurs in a systematic process. It starts with an introduction and ends with a conclusion. This process occurs in the duration of 35–45 min. However, for some cases it will take 1 h per session. In term of the number of sessions, it depends on the cases themselves; it might be one, two or sometimes 10 sessions. Importantly, it is not an advice meeting between a counsellor and client, yet a mutual relationship between them, where integrity, honesty and trust become a fundamental variable in the relationships. Here are the steps of a counselling session that a counsellor must consider; (1) rapport building, (2) identify issue (3) issue exploration, (4) discuss alternatives, (5) determination of measure to be taken, (6) decision making, and (7) termination.

6.1 Rapport building

An effective interaction starts with a good perception on how the session will be conducted. Thus, ensuring the session is professionally conducted is crucial to capture the clients’ trust. In the context of the counselling session, building a good rapport between both parties (counsellor and client) is a primary matter. Ideally, rapport building can be defined as an early effort taken by counsellors to ensure the session occurs properly. In others word, an effective session can be achieved only through an effective rapport building. The aim of addressing a respectable rapport is to advance quality off session output, seek mutual trust and respect, and stimulate a conducive an environment for a safe session. A good rapport is characterised by both verbal and non-verbal signals. The task of this part is to gain client’s trust and respect to counsellor. Counsellor should physically show interest to his/her client through, for instance, eye contact, posture and an ideal distance between client and counsellor. This stage, usually takes place in the first 3–5 min.

6.2 Identify issue

The second step started with giving the client a chance to express his/her problems or issues freely. Sometimes, at this stage a client indirectly shares numerous issues. For instance, a client (refer to scenario 1) highlights three simultaneous ly issues which are financial, personal and family matters. As such counsellor may ask client regarding the priority of the cases, for instance, “ based on your explanation, I conclude that you are facing three issues to be discussed which are financial, personal and family matters”, is this correct ?. After receiving client’s feedback, counsellor can ask the next question which is “Which one do you prefer to discuss first ? After receiving client’s respond, counsellor should be ready for the exploration step.

6.3 Issue exploration

Exploration issue is regarded as a detail client’s explanation regarding the identified issue in the second stage. If the issue is more than one, the counsellor professionally should be able to promote client to explain all the issues precisely. The exploration process should be based on the three aspects, which are cognitive, physical and effective domains. The clients need to be asked how the raised issue is effecting/effects such domains. To grasp this phase, acquiring skill of managing open-ended questions is recommended. For example (refer to scenario 1). Could you tell me how the issue that we have discussed contributed to stress?

6.4 Discuss alternative

The objective of the present stage is to address a pool of concrete measures to reduce the identified problems. At this stage client, together with the counsellor need to focus on the significant measures that possibly utilised to tackle the problems. It can be one or more actions that suit with the problems. For example, for scenario one, the measures taken should be the means to tackle the financial, personal and family issues. It probably includes; seeking a part time job. Counsellor may conclude “based on your statements, I see that/realized that you have actually, highlighted a few steps in order to overcome your problems, these measures are seeking a part time job…”, or “Now, you have three options to overcome financial issues. Let’s discuss the measures one by one …”.

6.5 Determination of measure

Usually, many alternatives will be discussed. The different alternatives should be listed down accordingly. The list enables the clients the best choice upon an extensive discussion. In this regard, the discussion should focus on the advantages and weaknesses of the selected measures; in this context, seeking a part time job. It is important for the counsellor to ensure the points discussed are initiated by the client’s perspective instead of the counsellor.

6.6 Decision making

Upon completing a huge discussion on the best step that clients should choose, a final decision must be made. This decision should be made based on strong evidences that are agreed by the clients. In this context, all information on seeking a part time job to solve the financial problem must be provided. It includes how, when and what kind of business that such client should get involve in.

6.7 Termination

In a normal session, a counselling session is completed in the duration of 45 min. However, it can extend to 1 h. At the termination stage client will be informed by counsellor that the session has ended and simultaneously counsellor can suggest the next meeting. Not all counselling session is terminated after one session it depends on the issue that has been discussed. If the client feel that he/she needs a further session, an appointment can be made. It is possible that the session is continued with other counsellor, it usually ensues due to clients’ demand.

7. Counselling skills

Some counsellor has shown a good performance during the training session but not in their practical session. One of the important skills for counsellor is knowledge applied in conducting a counselling process. Scholars in such field have addressed the skills as follows; (i) listening skill, (ii) reflection skill, (iii) question skill, (iv) conclusion skill, (v) paraphrase skill (vi) clarification skill, (vii) interpretation skill [ 18 ].

7.1 Listening skill

The listening skill is represented in two features; attending and observing. Attending positive posture to show that someone is focusing his/her attention to his/her partner. In doing this, client feels that he/she is given full attention by the counsellor. Observing seriously try to understand the verbal and non-verbal information expressed by that client. According Ivey & Ivey non-verbal language includes body language, facial expression and appearances and grooming [ 18 ].

7.2 Reflection skill

Reflection can be expressed in two ways; content and feelings: content is referred to the issues that the client addresses in the session. Meanwhile, feeling is regarded as a kind of feeling that the client shares. It includes fear, anger, anxiety or sadness. Both of the reflections can be done by replying back to the client using a suitable word or message to show that the counsellor is giving undivided attention to the clients. For instance, counsellor may respond “it looks like you feel…” or “you seem to be scared at that time…”.

7.3 Question skill

The approach of questioning will influence the effectiveness of a communication. The same thing transpires in the counselling session. The main purpose of questioning is to explore an issue deeper to enable counsellor to receive comprehensive information regarding the issues discussed. In this context, the counsellors’ abilities to address open-ended questions are very crucial. The counsellors are discouraged to use closed-ended questions during the exploration session because that kind of question will limit the clients’ explanation. Thus, effectiveness of the exploration session fails. Apart from that, counsellors must avoid asking many questions at one time. The best open-ended question should start with for examples, the terminologies of “How” , “In your opinion “, and “could you tell me….”. These kinds of questions will allow clients to talk freely rather than a closed-ended question.

7.4 Empathy skill

This skill refers to a counsellor’s capability to perceive client’s feeling as if his/her experience is exactly the same as his/her client. This skill is important for counsellor to show his honesty to the clients that his/her counsellor do understand what the client feels. Thus, counselling relationships will be at maximum benefit to both parties. Empathy can be shown via verbal and non-verbal language. The three forms of empathy that psychologists have are defined as: Cognitive, Emotional, and Compassionate. Empathy can be shown through listening, offering physical attention and speaking without judgmental.

7.5 Paraphrase skill

Paraphrasing can be defined as a repetition action by a counsellor using his/her own word after he/she understands the issues or client’s feeling. This skill is important to show clients that his/her counsellor has thoroughly understood the problems that the clients prefer to discuss. By using paraphrasing skill, the counsellors will be provided with better information by their clients. For example, based on the scenario 1, counsellor tries to explore the reason his/her client is enveloped in financial issue. The counsellor may say “you seem to indicate that your lecturer is not going to pay more attention at you” or “you seem to that your roommate is not going to take care of you”.

7.6 Clarification skill

The clarification skill objective is to ensure a counsellor receives an accurate information or data as provided by his/her clients. This will help the counsellor from sharing the wrong feedback on one issue in the counselling session. For instance, a counsellor may request client by saying “ Could you tell me what is the meaning of personal issue” . This skill needs the application of open-ended question skill as mentioned above.

7.7 Interpretation skill

Interpretation skills are referred to a counsellor’s statements that are purposively expressed in order to interpret an issue raised by clients. The objective of the interpretation is to provide clients with a new perspective of an issue so that the clients have other opinions on the same issues.

7.8 Confrontation skill

This skill is also important to a counsellor yet, it can be a big challenge for a junior counsellor. However, this skill can be garner/acquire through experiences. It is important to remind that this skill can be used only after few minutes of a session occurs. Confrontation skill is not suitable to practice as early as the session started. For example a counsellor can say “based on your explanation, I concluded that you are in a position of dislike towards your brother, however at the time you are saying it, your expression were contracted where, you smile and in a cool environment”.

8. Professional counsellor

Generally, there are two components that are used to assess the professionalism of a career; personal and professional attribute.

8.1 Personal attribute

Personal features are regarded as a set of personal characteristics that a counsellor should have. It is closely related with the internal characteristic of a counsellor.

8.1.1 High interest in helping profession

This is a very important component; if you do something because of internal motivation, the job will be better and more effective. Being a counsellor means you are willing to work in humanistic areas. You like helping others, and sometime you feel that others are important than yourself [ 16 ].

8.1.2 Show high confident level

Stimulating high confident in a counselling session is important. This spirit can be fostered via meaningful experiences. Experience will educate you in having high confident level. One of the ways to realise is through continual clinical supervision. Apart from that, attending a continual professional development programme also contributes to self-confident.

8.1.3 Positive attitude

As a counsellor you will see different various clients with different range of attitude. It includes cancelling appointment without a single word. Sometime clients have a negative perception towards the counsellor. All these are potential issue that a counsellor should be concern with. In this situation, practising a positive thinking among counsellor is necessary. In doing this, a counsellor will be able to control his/her self so that anger, stress and burnout at workplace can be well managed.

8.2 Professional attribute

Supplementing the personal attribute, professional features are regarded as a set of professionalism characteristics that a counsellor should have. It is closely related with the external characteristic of a counsellor.

8.2.1 Professional practices

A counsellor service represents the service of all counsellor world-wide. Thus, it is important for them to maintain counselling service. In this regard counsellors should be aware of on professional ethic during their service. Currently, many resources can be considered as a guide to ethically deliver the service. It includes the 2014 American Counselling Association Code of Ethics, and 580 acts Malaysian counsellor board (1998).

8.2.2 Life-long learner

Since a counsellor is a professional profession, the practitioner must from time to time to extend his/her knowledge and skill in helping profession. It can be realised through life-long learning concept. Nowadays, there are many chances provided for counsellors to enhance their knowledge and skills through high quality technology. Among the important aspects to be learned is clinical skills and theory development.

8.2.3 Take care of bias issue

A trained counsellor will not let personal values and thought disturb his/her professional works. It is crucial for a counsellor to let counselling session occurs in natural setting.

8.2.4 Understanding the multicultural counselling

The recent development shows that the client’s demographic is rapidly changing. There are various clients being referred for a counselling session. The variety can be seen in gender, value, cultural and religion as well. To tackle these, a counsellor should be competent in multicultural counselling. They need to specifically learn how to manage this issue properly. If not the counselling session will be an ineffective one.

9. Conclusion

This chapter highlights a fundamental concept of counselling and psychotherapy. It covers definition, principles, skills and theories. Although it had focused to the basic information regarding counselling area, it is sufficient enough to those who are interested to understand the counselling and psychotherapy fields. The readers are strongly recommended to explore other sources in effort to seek a comprehensive knowledge regarding such topic.

• 1. McLeod J. An Introduction to Counselling. UK: McGraw-Hill Education; 2013
• 2. Laidlaw A, McLellan J, Ozakinci G. Understanding undergraduate student perceptions of mental health, mental well-being and help-seeking behaviour. Studies in Higher Education. 2016; 41 (12):2156-2168
• 3. Fuad MDF et al. Prevalence and Risk Factors of Stress, Anxiety and Depression among Medical Students of a Private Medical University in Malaysia in 2015. Education in Medical Journal; 2015; 7 (2)
• 4. Mayer FB et al. Factors associated to depression and anxiety in medical students: A multicenter study. BMC Medical Education. 2016; 16 (1):282
• 5. Sohail N. Stress and academic performance among medical students. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons–Pakistan. 2013; 23 (1):67-71
• 6. Sood M et al. Poor correlation of stress levels and menstrual patterns among medical students. Journal of ASIAN Behavioural Studies. 2017; 2 (5):73-78
• 7. Wege N et al. Mental health among currently enrolled medical students in Germany. Public Health. 2016; 132 :92-100
• 8. Tuicomepee et al. Counseling in Thailand: Development from a Buddhist perspective. Journal of Counseling & Development. 2012; 90 (3):357-361
• 9. Robson D, Robson M. Ethical issues in internet counselling. Counselling Psychology Quarterly. 2000; 13 (3):249-257
• 10. Burks HM, Stefflre B. Theories of Counseling. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies; 1979
• 11. Feltham C, Dryden W. Dictionary of Counselling. London: Whurr Publishers; 1993: Xii, 216 P.;24CM
• 12. Shertzer B, Stone SC. The school counselor and his publics: A problem in role definition. The Personnel and Guidance Journal. 1963; 41 (8):687-693
• 13. Wren HB, Texada PJ, Krementz ET, Oscar C. Traumatic rupture of the diaphragm. Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. 1962; 2 (2):117-125
• 14. Rogers CR. Rogers, Kohut, and Erickson: A personal perspective on some similarities and differences. In: Evolution of Psychotherapy: The First Conference. New York, Hove East Sussex: Routledge; 1987
• 15. Burnard P. What is counselling? In: Counselling Skills for Health Professionals. First edition. US: Springer; 1994. pp. 3-32
• 16. Corey G. Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. 9th edition. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks Cole Publishing Company; 1996
• 17. Corey G, Theory and Practice of Group Counseling. 2011: Nelson Education. 9th Edition, Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole
• 18. Archeri D, Smithsoni R, Kennedyii I. Achieving influence through negotiation. Legal Pragmatics. 2018; 288 :181

© 2020 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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• Literary Terms
• Definition & Examples
• When & How to Use Paraphrase

I. What is a Paraphrase?

A paraphrase (pronounced par – uh -freyz) is a restatement or rewording of a paragraph  or text,  in order to borrow, clarify, or expand on information without plagiarizing. Paraphrasing is an important tool to use when writing research papers, essays , and pieces of journalism.

II. Examples of Paraphrasing

For examples of paraphrasing, consider these possible re-wordings of the same statement:

She angered me with her inappropriate comments, rumor-spreading, and disrespectfulness at the formal dinner table.

She made me angry when she was rude at dinner.

This paraphrase is an example of a rewording which shortens and simplifies while maintaining the same meaning.

Her impoliteness, gossiping, and general lack of respect at dinner infuriated me.

This rephrasing maintains the same meaning but is rearranged in a creative way.

I was mad when she started spreading rumors, making inappropriate comments, and disrespecting other guests at our dinner.

Another paraphrase, this rewording properly and interestingly rearranges the information provided in the original sentence.

III. Types of Paraphrasing

A. change of parts of speech.

Parts of speech ranging from verbs and nouns to adjectives and adverbs are replaced with new parts of speech in this type of paraphrasing. Here is an example:

Original Sentence:

The boy quickly ran across the finish line, seizing yet another victory.

Paraphrase:

The quick boy seized yet another victory when he ran across the finish line.

In this example, many parts of speech are changed: the adverb quickly becomes the adjective quick, and the verb phrase with the gerund seizing becomes the verb seized.

B.  Change of Structure

This type of paraphrasing involves changing the sentence’s structure, sometimes creating a passive voice from an active voice and vice versa. The change in structure can be used to reflect the writer’s interpretation of the original quote. Here is an example of change of structure paraphrasing:

Puppies were adopted by numerous kind souls at the puppy drive.

Many kind souls adopted puppies during the puppy drive.

In this example, the object of the sentence (kind souls) becomes the subject with an active voice (adopted) rather than a passive voice (were adopted).

C. Reduction of Clauses

Reduction of clauses paraphrases reduce the number of clauses in a sentence, which can be interruptive or confusing, by incorporating the phrases into the sentence. Here is an example of reduction of clauses paraphrasing:

While I understand where you’re coming from, and truly respect your opinion, I wish you would express yourself more clearly, like Clara does.

I understand where you’re coming from and respect your opinion, but I wish you would be more like Clara and express yourself more clearly.

D. Synonym Replacement

Synonym replacement paraphrasing is one of the simplest forms of paraphrasing: replacing words with similar words, or synonyms. Here is an example:

The older citizens were honored with a parade for those once in the military.

Senior citizens were honored with a march for veterans.

In this example, many synonyms are used: older citizens are senior citizens, a parade becomes a march, and those once in the military refers to veterans.

IV. The Importance of Using Paraphrase

Paraphrasing is a way of referencing a source without directly quoting it or of further explaining a selected quote. Correct paraphrasing is important in that poor paraphrasing can result in accusations of plagiarism, or copying from a source without correctly citing it. Paraphrasing allows writers to examine the meaning of others’ work, creatively rephrase their statements, and craft information to suit an essay or composition’s goal or focus.

V. Paraphrase in Literature

Paraphrasing can be found in a variety of journalistic sources from newspapers to film documentaries to literary journals. Here are a few examples of paraphrasing in literature:

Someone once wrote that musicians are touched on the shoulder by God, and I think it’s true. You can make other people happy with music, but you can make yourself happy too.

In John Berendt’s nonfiction novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil , a character references what someone has once written by paraphrasing their message.

I’m going to paraphrase Thoreau here… rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness… give me truth.

In this example from the nonfiction novel Into the Wild , Jon Krakauer paraphrases Thoreau’s larger message of transcendence.

So far, Laurance’s critiques of new road-building schemes have been well received, but he expects that to change.

In Michelle Nijhuis’ article “What Roads Have Wrought,” William Laurance is paraphrased rather than quoted to express his general viewpoint.

VI. Paraphrase in Pop Culture

Paraphrasing is often found in pop culture when attempting to translate the language of older plays, poems, and stories, such as Shakespeare’s works. Here are a few examples of paraphrasing in pop culture:

10 Things I Hate About You (1999):

Just a minor encounter with the shrew… the mewling, rampalian wretch herself.

In the modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew , many characters ’ lines paraphrase Shakespeare’s originals. Here is Shakespeare’s version:

A meacock wretch can make the curstest shrew.

A Different World: Romeo, Oh Romeo

First, the student reads Shakespeare’s original words:

Oh gentle Romeo. If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully. Or if thou thinkest I’m too quickly won, I’ll frown and be perverse and say thee nay, so thou wilt woo.

Then, she paraphrases to translate its meaning for modern ears:

It’s all about translation. Oh, sweet thang Romeo. If you think I’m all that, then step to me correctly. But if you think I’m a skeeze, I’ll be dissin’ and dismissin’, then you’ll be workin’ overtime getting’ me back.

VII. Related Terms

Like paraphrases, summaries are rewordings of original statements. Whereas paraphrases are precise and specific, summaries are brief and selective. Summaries report main points in a shortened version of the original, whereas paraphrases simply restate the original statement in a new way. Here is an example of summary versus paraphrase:

Original Statement:

At the party we had delicious red punch, a bunch of different appetizers, and a cookout. Since it was at the park, we played volleyball, went swimming, and sunbathed for fun.

At the party we enjoyed food and drink and various outdoor activities.

Here, the summary purposefully shortens the original statement while covering its major points.

At the party we drank some punch, ate a handful of appetizers, and had a cookout. The park allowed us to enjoy a number of enjoyable activities from volleyball to swimming to sunbathing.

As this example shows, the paraphrase rephrases the original statement and keeps more of its original content than the summary.

Translation

Although paraphrase sometimes translates difficult phrasing into more understandable phrasing, it is not literally considered translation. For something to be a translation, it must change writing in one language to another language. Here is an example of translation versus paraphrasing:

Original Phrase:

That’s life.

Translation into French:

C’est la vie.

That’s just how life goes sometimes.

Although we loosely may refer to paraphrase as translating ideas, technically it is not a tool of translation.

VIII. In Closing

Paraphrasing is an important tool for nonfiction writers, journalists, and essayists alike. It is a common proponent of news and reporting. Correct paraphrasing protects writers from plagiarism and allows them to creatively rephrase original works, incorporating them into their own compositions.

List of Terms

• Alliteration
• Amplification
• Anachronism
• Anthropomorphism
• Antonomasia
• APA Citation
• Aposiopesis
• Autobiography
• Bildungsroman
• Characterization
• Circumlocution
• Cliffhanger
• Comic Relief
• Connotation
• Deus ex machina
• Deuteragonist
• Doppelganger
• Double Entendre
• Dramatic irony
• Equivocation
• Extended Metaphor
• Figures of Speech
• Flash-forward
• Foreshadowing
• Intertextuality
• Juxtaposition
• Literary Device
• Malapropism
• Onomatopoeia
• Parallelism
• Pathetic Fallacy
• Personification
• Point of View
• Polysyndeton
• Protagonist
• Red Herring
• Rhetorical Device
• Rhetorical Question
• Science Fiction
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
• Synesthesia
• Turning Point
• Understatement
• Urban Legend
• Verisimilitude
• Essay Guide
• Cite This Website

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Week 5 - Counselling Skills Practice 1 - Paraphrasing

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Table of Contents

How to Use Summarizing in Counseling? (9+ Important Benefits)

As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.

The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter.  The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.

In this brief guide, we will be discussing the topic: summarising in counseling. We will be exploring the meaning of summarising, its difference from paraphrasing, the steps involved in summarising, the need, and the way to summarise the beginning and end of a session. By the end, we will also be answering some questions related to summarising and counseling skills. 

Summarising in counseling

Summarising is one of the skills in counseling used by the therapist to accommodate the feelings, emotions, and thoughts of the client in a nutshell. In other words, summarising is used when the therapist wants to condense, crystallize, the main points that the client conveyed through his words and body language. 

Summarising is almost like a recap of a lesson that is already taught. The therapist provides the client with a chance to reflect on their last session and the lessons they might want to take away front their previous sessions, before continuing with the following sessions. Summarising is carried out at the beginning and the end of a session, mostly. 

If one is to give an accurate definition for summarising, then it would be best to choose the one by Feltham and Dryden. According to Feltham and Dryden, “summarising is accurately and succinctly reflecting back to the client, from time to time, within and across sessions, the substance of what she has expressed. 

The importance of summarising

th e summarising skill used by the therapist in a counseling session helps both the therapist and client to move forward sans confusions and misunderstandings. It reveals the current standing position of the process of therapy and allows the client to explore the varied dimensions of their progress to the given point. 

In summarising, the therapist aims to “reflect” to the client, the important and desirable points of a session. It makes the client feel understood and encourages them to open up and talk about their issues comprehensively and with clarity to the therapist in the further sessions. Summaries of any kind are useful for anyone, to gain clarity and insight into the subject matter of concern. 

In counseling, summarising aids in the following ways:

• Accurate and efficient clarification of the emotions for both the counselor and the client. This helps both the parties to understand the underlying emotional state involved in each session and its influence on the progress of the session.
• A complete review of the work done so far, especially by the client himself/herself. The client is the core element of the process of counseling , who has to take a major effort in facing their issues at hand and coming to terms with them. Hence, summarising comes as a great aid for the clients for the required progress in each session.
• Summarising help in bringing each session to a closure, without leaving loose ends or unnecessary assumptions. It helps in drawing together the main threads of the discussions between the client and the therapist. 
• Summarising also helps in initiating a subsequent session, if the situation and timing are appropriate. 
• Usually, clients arrive in counseling with a series of scattered and vague thoughts and emotions. However, as the sessions proceed, the process of summarising helps the client in bringing about order and understanding of their vague emotions and thoughts which they could not comprehend in the beginning. It helps them to prioritize these thoughts and emotions and make their way through them, slowly.  
• Most importantly, summarising is the skill that enables the counseling process to move forward. It provides a wholesome meaning to the counseling relationship and the nature of each session. 
• It enables the client to open up to new perspectives. When the therapist summarises each session, it’s put forward in a slightly different manner, to allow the client to reflect on their words and emotions expressed in the session. 
• Summarising helps the therapists to provide a specific structure to the counseling process that is especially important for those clients who find it difficult to keep their focus on one topic or area of issue. 
• Summarising gives a good orientation towards the type of homework that needs to be given to the client and also an idea about the future sessions and what they will comprise. 

How to summarize

The following steps can be followed to summarize a session:

• Try to summarize at the end of a session
• Confirm the authenticity of the summary with the client and once that is done, decide the focus of the next session, and assign homework for the client for the next session
• Ask the client to give their version of the summary for the session to make them feel more involved and eager in the process of summarising.
• Jot down the points added by the client during the process of summarising. 

Summarising vs paraphrasing

Summarising and paraphrasing are not the same. They differ in their structure, purpose, and timing. A summary is provided for the client to reflect on their words and emotions and to let them take the lead. However, paraphrasing on the other hand is done to clarify and move forward in the session without any kind of assumptions, confusion, or misunderstandings.

A summary usually covers a longer time period than a paraphrase. Summarising is usually used at the end of a session, before winding up the session. paraphrasing , on the other hand, is usually used during the session to move the session forward smoothly. 

The end of a session

Summarising is the key process for winding up the session. It brings the session to a clear close, without any misconceptions. It is an opportunity provided to the client for clearing any confusion and to make sense of the happenings of the session. It also provides the counselor with an assurance for their efforts taken and to continue with the subsequent sessions.

The summary at the end of a session must match the material of the session and must help the client feel understood and at peace. It allows the client to deny something if they feel is not right or give a better modulation to the words used by the therapist in the summary, if the need arises. This leads to a complete realignment of the session and also shapes the future ones. 

Summarising should begin around five to ten minutes before the session comes to a close. The therapist should hint to the client that the allotted time is nearing a close and start with the process of summarising, once the client is ready to begin. Make sure to include the most relevant thoughts, emotions, and opinions expressed by the client and how they perceive them, int the summary. 

The beginning of a session

Summarising can also be used at the beginning of a session. It helps the counselor to gain clarity on the direction of the session and it enables the client to decide on the themes of discussion for the current session. The therapist can put forward a summary comprising the themes of previous sessions and how far have the duo come to manage them. 

Summarising at the beginning also allows the client to feel settled before the actual session starts. It gives them an idea of their current standing and what they could expect from the ongoing session. This enhances the strength and consolidation of the therapeutic relationship between the client and the therapist.

While summarising at the beginning of a session, the counselor/therapist must keep in mind to give the client complete freedom to take the lead for the session and decide the key theme of discussion. They should not feel evaluated or judged while the process of summarising is going on. This form of summarising is mostly used by person-centered counselors and therapists since it does not go against any of their core principles. 

The counselor can also jot down, in a notepad the points brought up by the client at the end of the summary, which can be used for the next session as well. 

In this article, we discussed the topic: summarising in counseling. We looked at the meaning, nature, importance, steps involved, and conduction of the process of summarising during the beginning and end of a session. We also examined the difference between paraphrasing and summarising. 

FAQs: summarising in counseling

Why is summarising an important skill.

Summarising is an important skill in the field of academic writing. It allows you to grasp the most relevant points from a source of the text and rewrite them, using your own words. It lets you create a brief version of the original content and for quick reference. A good summary also indicates your ability to evaluate your understanding of the source and to turn it around the way you want it. 

What are the five counseling skills?

The core counseling skills are as follows:

Attending( refers to completely attending to the client and their issues without getting lost in thoughts or being in dissonance). Silence(aids in providing control to the content, pace, and objectives of the sessions). Reflecting and paraphrasing (helps the counselor to keep away misunderstandings with the client and to help the client reflect on their words and feelings expressed during the sessions? Clarification and the use of questions (helps the counselor in asking open questions to clarify the feelings of the client) Building good rapport (helps in building a sense of connection with the client) Focusing (helps the client to decide the key theme to be discussed during a session. It helps to filter out the unnecessary or the less important issues) Summarising (provides a meaningful and clarified summary of what the says during the sesion) Immediacy. ( helps to focus on the immediate environment or in other words, the here and now relationship between the client and the therapist) Active listening (the client feels heard and understood by the therapist)

What are some counseling techniques?

Some of the most popularly used techniques are as follows:

Psychodynamic counseling: this is one of the most well-known approaches to counseling and is based on the Freudian theory of psychodynamics. It focuses on the development of strong therapist-client alliances. 

Interpersonal counseling: interpersonal counseling is mostly diagnosis based and the disorder of the client is considered as a medical condition that requires appropriate intervention. The focus of this technique is on the attachment of the mental health outcomes to the well-being of the client. It is a time-limited counseling approach that helps the clients to identify the environmental stressors that are causing their issues. 

Humanistic counseling: this approach was developed by Carl Rogers and works on the belief that humans have an innate ability and willingness to be self-actualized. It encourages curiosity, humility, intuition, and genuine acceptance. It is also called client-centered therapy, which helps the client realize their full potential.

https://counsellingtutor.com/basic-counselling-skills/summarising/

https://askinglot.com/what-is-summarizing-in-counseling

https://www.stepnotesinc.com/Blog/ArticleID/1/Counseling-Clients-Session-to-Session-Summarize-to-Strategize

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Definition of paraphrase

 (Entry 1 of 2)

Definition of paraphrase  (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

transitive verb

Did you know?

When we paraphrase, we provide a version that can exist beside the original (rather than replace it). We paraphrase all the time. When you tell a friend what someone else has said, you're almost always paraphrasing, since you're not repeating the exact words. If you go to hear a talk, you might paraphrase the speaker's main points afterward for your friends. And when writing a paper on a short story, you might start off your essay with a paraphrase of the plot. Paraphrasing is especially useful when dealing with poetry, since poetic language is often difficult and poems may have meanings that are hard to pin down.

• restatement
• translating
• translation

Examples of paraphrase in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paraphrase.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Noun and Verb

Middle French, from Latin paraphrasis , from Greek, from paraphrazein to paraphrase, from para- + phrazein to point out

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Articles Related to paraphrase

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Dictionary Entries Near paraphrase

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Cite this Entry

“Paraphrase.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paraphrase. Accessed 24 May. 2024.

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Kids definition of paraphrase.

Kids Definition of paraphrase  (Entry 2 of 2)

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Psychotherapy: Definition, Types, Techniques, & Efficacy

Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc

Associate Editor for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.

Learn about our Editorial Process

Saul Mcleod, PhD

Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester

Saul Mcleod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

On This Page:

Psychotherapy is the general term for treating psychological disorders and mental distress through verbal and psychological techniques.

Psychotherapy is also known as talk therapy, counseling, psychosocial therapy, or simply therapy. There are many types of psychotherapy, each with its approach and grounded in different psychological theories.

The right type of psychotherapy for someone will depend on the individual and their situation.

Although they differ in practice, almost all types of psychotherapy involve developing a therapeutic relationship, communicating, and working to overcome problematic thoughts or behaviors.

Trained professionals who can offer psychotherapy include clinical psychologists, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, counselors, social workers, and mental health counselors.

The trained therapist helps the client to tackle specific or general problems, such as a particular mental health disorder or a source of life stress.

Psychotherapy is a collaborative treatment based on the relationship between the individual and a therapist, grounded in dialogue and providing a supportive environment that allows the person to talk openly with someone non-judgemental.

Psychotherapy allows learning about one’s moods, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Individuals can learn skills to help take control of their life and respond to challenging situations with healthy coping strategies.

Through therapy, people can learn to live happier, healthier, and more productive lives, understand more about their condition, and be equipped to face new challenges in the present and the future.

To see positive results, a person will usually need to understand the need for change, be willing to follow the treatment plan as advised and find a suitable therapist they can trust.

Who can benefit?

Psychotherapy comes in many forms, but all are designed to help people to overcome challenges, develop coping strategies, and lead happier healthier lives.

If someone has been diagnosed with a mental health condition, their medical specialist may recommend psychotherapy in conjunction with medicative treatment.

Medication is often prescribed to lessen the symptoms of a mental health condition, while therapy can help to work through unhelpful or unwanted thoughts and behaviors.

Below is a list of mental health conditions that may require psychotherapeutic treatment:

Anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder ( OCD ), phobias, panic disorder , posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety disorder , or generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ).

Mood disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder.

Eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.

Addictions such as substance-use disorder or compulsive gambling.

Personality disorders such as borderline personality disorder or dependent personality disorder.

Schizophrenia or other disorders that cause detachment from reality (psychotic disorders).

Although psychotherapy is often thought of as being used to treat these conditions, people do not need to have a diagnosable mental health condition to consider therapy. Therapy can be useful for many life stresses and conflicts. It can help with the following:

Relieving stress or anxiety caused by work or any other situation.

Resolving conflicts with a partner, family member, or friend.

To cope with major life changes such as divorce, death of a loved one, or loss of a job.

Recovering from physical or sexual abuse or being a witness to violence.

Learning to manage unhealthy reactions such as aggressive behaviors.

Coping with an ongoing or serious physical health condition such as cancer or chronic pain.

Getting better sleep, e.g., insomnia.

Increasing low self-esteem .

Increasing low quality of life in any other way.

Below are some signs which may indicate that you could benefit from psychotherapy:

You feel an overwhelming, prolonged sense of helplessness and sadness.

You find it difficult to concentrate on work assignments or to carry out other everyday activities – the issues are interfering with daily life and functioning.

Your problems do not seem to get any better despite efforts and help from family and friends.

You worry excessively about many things, expect the worst, or are constantly on edge.

Your unhelpful coping strategies, such as drinking alcohol, using drugs, or being aggressive, are harming yourself or others.

Your family or friends have expressed their concerns about you.

You have difficulty facing everyday challenges.

You feel that your situation will never improve.

Some people attend psychotherapy after a doctor recommends it, but many seek help independently.

If you find yourself worrying about your mental well-being and think you may need psychotherapy, it is probably best to seek advice from a medical professional.

Types of psychotherapy

Psychotherapy can take different formats depending on the needs of the individual and the style of the therapist.

Individual therapy

This is the most popular form of psychotherapy, involving working one-on-one with the therapist in a safe, caring, and confidential environment.

Individual therapy allows the therapist and client to focus on each other, build a strong rapport, and work together to solve the client’s issues.

This type of psychotherapy encourages in-depth discussions, and full attention is given to the client.

Individual therapy may be best for people who do not like group environments and feel they can be more open and honest one-on-one.

Couples therapy

Couples therapy involves working with the therapist as a couple to improve how the couple function in a relationship.

With the therapist, couples can explore issues in their relationship, work on their communication, improve interactions, and resolve conflict.

While many people may seek couples therapy to address problems, it can be helpful at any relationship stage. People in happy, healthy relationships can still benefit from therapy that strengthens their communication and connection.

People may also seek to when they have unresolvable disagreements, trouble expressing feelings, or want a stronger relationship.

Family therapy

Family therapy centers on improving the dynamic within families and can include multiple individuals within a family unit.

The therapist may provide premarital counseling, child counseling, and separation and divorce counseling.

Family therapy can help clients develop new interpersonal communication skills, help family members understand each other better, change negative behaviors, resolve conflicts, and create a better-functioning home environment.

Family therapy can help with anger, anxiety, self-esteem problems, and grief.

Group therapy

Group therapy involves a small group of individuals who usually share a common goal. This allows members of the group to offer and receive support from others, as well as practice new skills and behaviors within a supportive group.

The group would usually meet for one to two hours a week, and individuals may also attend one-on-one therapy. People can benefit from interacting with the therapist but also by interacting with others who are experiencing similar challenges.

Although participating in a group may seem intimidating, it can help people realize that they are not alone with their problems.

Group therapy can also help people to develop communication skills, learn to express their issues, and accept criticism from others.

Behavior therapy

Behavior therapy is an umbrella term for many techniques based on behaviorist theories such as classical conditioning , operant conditioning , and social learning theory .

This therapy seeks to identify and help change potentially self-destructive or unhealthy behaviors, adjusting them to more helpful or positive ones.

Behavior therapy functions on the idea that all behaviors are learned, and thus unhealthy behaviors can be changed.

Exposure therapy is a type of behavior therapy that is used to help people overcome their fears of situations or objects. This therapy incorporates techniques that expose people to the source of their fears while practicing relaxation strategies.

Another type of behavior therapy, called systematic desensitization , involves learning ways to relax (e.g., through visualization or progressive muscle relaxation), then making a list of fears and ranking them based on intensity.

After this, the therapist encourages the individual to start exposing themselves to these fears in stages so that they get increasingly more comfortable dealing with them.

The people who commonly seek behavior therapy are those wanting to treat depression, anxiety, panic disorder, and anger issues.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

CBT is a very popular type of therapy known for producing effective results in a few required sessions.

CBT helps people to identify their unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors with the therapist, then work together to challenge and restructure these into more healthy and positive thoughts and behaviors.

In CBT, individuals can set goals that they want to work on, problem-solve, and practice new skills with the therapist.

Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) is a type of CBT that focuses on identifying negative or destructive thoughts and feelings. The individual can then actively challenge those thoughts and replace them with more rational, realistic ones.

Another type of CBT is mindfulness-based cognitive therapy which combines CBT with meditation. This type of therapy helps cultivate a non-judgemental, present-orientated attitude referred to as mindfulness.

People commonly seek CBT to help treat anxiety disorders and depression, but it can be helpful for other mental disorders or any mental distress.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

DBT is a type of CBT that was originally intended to treat borderline personality disorder but has since been adapted to treat other conditions.

This therapy is used to help people who have difficulty with emotional regulation or are exhibiting self-destructive behaviors such as eating disorders or substance-use disorders.

DBT helps to address thoughts and behaviors while incorporating strategies such as emotional regulation and mindfulness.

DBT aims to teach people how to develop healthy ways to cope with stress, regulate their emotions, and improve relationships with others.

DBT teaches core mindfulness, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. This therapy can help people who may lack useful coping skills and find that they move from one crisis to another.

Humanistic therapy

This approach to therapy emphasizes the importance of being your true self in order to lead the most fulfilling life. Humanistic therapy is based on the principle that everyone has their own unique way of looking at the world, and this view can impact choices and actions.

The core belief is that people are good at heart and can make the right choices for themselves. Likewise, the belief is that if people do not hold themselves in high regard, it’s harder to develop their full potential.

The humanist psychologist Carl Rogers developed an approach known as client-centered therapy , which is the main type of humanistic therapy.

This is based on the idea that absorbing criticism or disapproval from others can distort how someone sees themselves, blocking personal growth, which can lead to mental distress.

This therapy involves the therapist unconditionally accepting the client, even if they disagree, which helps to avoid the client holding back out of fear of disapproval.

The client is encouraged to guide the direction of the therapy while the therapist listens without judgment.

This approach focuses on helping people maximize their potential and stresses the importance of self-exploration, free will, and self-actualization.

Psychodynamic therapy

Based on Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis , this approach explores how the unconscious mind influences thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Psychoanalytic therapy examines how a person’s experiences, often from childhood, may be contributing to their current experiences and actions.

Freud believed that there were unconscious influences that could lead to psychological distress and disturbances, and therapy can help to uncover these unconscious thoughts, desires, and memories to heal.

Some techniques of psychoanalysts include:

Dream interpretation – believed to be the most important technique according to Freud, this provides insight into the workings of the unconscious mind.

Free association – this is an exercise during which the psychoanalyst encourages individuals to freely share their thoughts. This can lead to the emergence of unexpected connections and memories.

Transference – this occurs when the client projects their feelings about another person onto the psychoanalyst. The client can then communicate with the psychoanalyst as if they were that other person.

Psychoanalytic approaches to emotional distress have advanced a great deal since Freud’s time but still, use the main techniques. Psychoanalysis focuses on emotions, explores avoidance, identifies recurring themes, and explores interpersonal relationships.

It is also more free-flowing compared to other therapies, which can be more structured.

How effective is psychotherapy?

Each person’s experience with psychotherapy will be different, and the time it takes to see an improvement will vary.

Some people will notice a difference after around 6-12 sessions, while others may require ongoing treatment for longer, sometimes for years.

The effectiveness of psychotherapy can depend on some of the following factors:

The reason for seeking therapy, such as the mental health conditions or emotional distress being experienced.

The skill of the therapist.

The relationships between the therapist and the individual.

Any support the person may have outside the therapy sessions.

The person’s willingness to help themselves – they have to take accountability and not expect the therapist to fix everything for them.

Psychotherapy has been shown to be very helpful for a variety of different issues. Some of the notable benefits include:

Improved communication skills.

Healthier thinking patterns and a greater awareness of negative thoughts.

Improved ability to make healthier choices.

Greater insights into one’s own life.

Improved coping strategies to manage distress.

Stronger family bonds.

Providing someone to explore their problems within a confidential environment.

Enabling people to see things from a different perspective.

Helping people to move towards a solution.

Learning more about one’s goals and values.

Developing skills for facing challenges in the present and in the future.

Being able to overcome specific problems such as phobias.

Psychotherapy has been found to be effective in helping individuals with a variety of mental health conditions, specifically those who have depression (Munder et al., 2018).

Therapists can help depressed individuals build new ways of thinking and reacting, attempting to examine the causes and potential solutions to their concerns.

Psychotherapy has also been helpful for those with anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety and social anxiety, helping these individuals become less avoidant, understand their emotions, and progress toward their goals.

Research shows that most people who receive psychotherapy experience symptom relief and are better able to function in their lives. According to the American Psychological Association, about 75% of people who have psychotherapy show to benefit from it.

Numerous studies have identified brain changes in people with mental health disorders (including depression, panic disorder, PTSD, etc.) due to undergoing psychotherapy.

In most cases, the brain changes were similar to changes observed in those who take medication for their condition (Karlsson, 2011).

Specifically for CBT, meta-analyses have found this therapy to be strongly effective, especially in improving the symptoms in people with anxiety-related disorders, including OCD and PTSD, as well as in anger problems, drug abuse, and general stress (Hofmann et al., 2012; NIDA, 2018).

CBT has also been used in children and adolescents, with findings suggesting that this therapy can be effective in treating symptoms of depression and anxiety in these age groups (Oud et al., 2019).

A review of 86 studies investigating humanistic therapies found that this approach was effective at helping people make lasting changes over time, with people in this therapy showing more change than people who were not in therapy (Elliott, 2002).

A 2016 review of existing research suggested that client-centered approaches to therapy, as seen in humanistic therapy, can be helpful for trauma, relationship difficulties, psychosis, and coping with chronic health issues (Elliott, 2016).

Regarding psychoanalytic therapies, a review of the effectiveness of long-term psychoanalytic therapy found moderate to large success rates for reducing symptoms of a variety of psychopathologies (De Maat et al., 2009).

A 2021 review of studies found that short-term psychoanalytic therapy led to lasting improvements in somatic symptoms, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms (Abbass et al., 2021).

Overall, psychotherapies have a vast amount of support for their effectiveness. It is thought that people in all types of psychotherapy show some significant amount of positive change.

This suggests that it is more about finding a type of therapy that a person will enjoy and commit to, suited to their specific problem.

How to get the most out of psychotherapy

To obtain all the benefits of psychotherapy, a person will need to:

Find the right therapist – it’s important to ensure you feel comfortable with your therapist. If you feel as if you are not ‘clicking’ with your current therapist or you would like to try someone else’s approach, there is no shame in finding someone new.

Approach therapy as a partnership – the therapist is there to work with you, and it is helpful to build a strong interpersonal relationship for effective treatment.

Therapy is also more effective when you actively participate and share in decision-making . Ensure that both yourself and your therapist agree on the way that problems are solved and the decisions that are made. Together you can set goals and assess progress over time.

Be honest – the effectiveness of psychotherapy often depends on your ability to be open and honest with the therapist. You should be willing to share thoughts and feelings and consider new insights, ideas, and ways of doing things.

Being closed up and unwilling to change your thoughts may indicate that you are not ready for therapy. However, it is fine to have boundaries with the therapist .

If there are certain topics that you do not want to discuss as they are painful or embarrassing, then let the therapist know, so they know not to bring them up during sessions.

Attend all appointments – while it can be tempting to skip sessions if you are feeling down or lack motivation, feeling this way may indicate that you need the session that day more than usual.

A high proportion of people quit therapy before the sessions are over as it may get too hard for them, or they cannot commit to the sessions. Skipping or quitting therapy can disrupt the progress that has already been made.

Try to stick to the recommended treatment plan , and if something is not working for you, such as the times of the sessions, discuss this with the therapist, who may be able to come up with a solution.

It’s also useful to come to the therapy sessions with some ideas on what you want to discuss so there is a reason in mind for attending the session that day.

Don’t expect instant results – the number of sessions needed to see noticeable results can differ depending on the severity of your symptoms.

Working on emotional issues can be painful and require a lot of patience and hard work. Some people may feel somewhat better after one session, but others may require 6-12 sessions, while others may take longer.

The therapist will usually discuss your goals and progress regularly throughout therapy and assess whether you require more sessions.

Complete assignments between sessions – depending on the type of therapy, such as with CBT, you may be asked to complete some homework between sessions. This may involve using a journal or completing worksheets.

It may feel like a lot of effort, and you may feel unmotivated to do so, but try to follow through on these tasks set by the therapist.

If you find these assignments hard to complete or to fit into your schedule, discuss this with the therapist, as they may decide to make some adjustments or try a different approach with you.

How to get started

As therapy can be effective for a range of issues, you do not necessarily have to have a mental health disorder or have to wait until life becomes overwhelming to seek help. The sooner you reach out, the sooner you can get help.

It may be useful to consider the following steps when looking to get started on psychotherapy:

Consult with your primary physician – they might want to rule out any physical conditions in the first instance. If no conditions are found, the doctor may then refer you to a mental health professional who is qualified to diagnose and treat mental illnesses.

Look for a qualified individual to provide psychotherapy – people who provide therapy can hold many different titles or degrees.

Choose the right therapist – consider whether you feel comfortable divulging personal information to the therapist.

Don’t be afraid to seek a different therapist if the one you have does not quite suit your needs. When choosing a therapist, consider your deal breakers, important qualities, and any other characteristics you value.

Consider whether you need medication – if your treatment requires medication and psychotherapy, a psychiatrist may benefit you.

If you would benefit from some form of therapy without medication, you might be referred to a clinical psychologist or counselor.

Be prepared to fill out paperwork-when things get started, the therapist will likely collect health history and personal contact information. They may also need some consent forms signed by you.

When you are ready to select a therapist, think about the following:

What type of therapy do you want to do- individual therapy, group therapy, or another type?

What are your main goals for therapy?

Whether you can commit the time each week – what days and times are most convenient for you?

Below are some things you may want to ask the therapist:

What are your areas of expertise?

Whether they work with your demographic.

Whether they have experience helping people with symptoms like yours

What their approach to treatment is, and whether this has proved effective in the past.

What they expect from you during therapy.

Further Information

Wampold, B. E. (2013). The good, the bad, and the ugly: A 50-year perspective on the outcome problem.

Fonagy, P. (2015). The effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapies: An update. World Psychiatry, 14(2), 137-150.

American Psychiatric Association. What is Psychotherapy?.

Ansell Elfer, E. (n.d.). Understanding the Difference Between Social Anxiety Disorder and Autism. The Autism Site. Retrieved 2022, March 24 from:

Bank, S., Burgess, M., Sng, A., Summers, M., Campbell, B., & McEvoy, P. (2020). Stepping Out of Social Anxiety. Perth, Western Australia: Centre for Clinical Interventions.

Abbass, A., Lumley, M. A., Town, J., Holmes, H., Luyten, P., Cooper, A., Russell, L., Schubiner, H., De Meulemeester, C. & Kisely, S. (2021). Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for functional somatic disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of within-treatment effects. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 145, 110473.

American Psychological Association. (2020, July 31). Understanding psychotherapy and how it works. https://www.apa.org/topics/psychotherapy/understanding

de Maat, S., De Jonghe, F., Schoevers, R., & Dekker, J. (2009). The effectiveness of long-term psychoanalytic therapy: A systematic review of empirical studies. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 17(1), 1-23.

Elliott, R. (2002). The effectiveness of humanistic therapies: A meta-analysis.

Elliott, R. (2016). Research on person-centred/experiential psychotherapy and counselling: summary of the main findings.

Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive therapy and research, 36(5), 427-440.

Munder, T., Flückiger, C., Leichsenring, F., Abbass, A. A., Hilsenroth, M. J., Luyten, P., Rabung, S., Steinert, C. & Wampold, B. E. (2019). Is psychotherapy effective? A re-analysis of treatments for depression. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 28(3), 268-274.

NIDA. (2020, June 1). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (Alcohol, Marijuana, Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Nicotine). From https://nida.nih.gov/publications/principles-drug-addiction-treatment-research-based-guide-third-edition/evidence-based-approaches-to-drug-addiction-treatment/behavioral-therapies/cognitive-behavioral-therapy

Oud, M., De Winter, L., Vermeulen-Smit, E., Bodden, D., Nauta, M., Stone, L., van den Heuvel, M., Al Taher, R., de Graaf, I., Kendall, T., Engels, R. & Stikkelbroek, Y. (2019). Effectiveness of CBT for children and adolescents with depression: A systematic review and meta-regression analysis. European psychiatry, 57, 33-45.

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13 Strategies for Repairing a Relationship After a Fight

Esteemed relationship writer Draven Porter explores human connection complexities. With a psychology background, his writing offers powerful insights and thoughtful analysis.

In This Article

After a heated argument with your partner, you might find yourself feeling lost, wondering how to repair the relationship. Whether it’s a disagreement over finances, miscommunication about household responsibilities, or differing opinions on a social issue, fights are inevitable in any relationship. 

The aftermath often leaves both parties feeling hurt and distant, but repairing a relationship after a fight is possible with the right strategies. Recognizing your role in the conflict, apologizing sincerely, and finding common ground are just a few steps toward reconciliation. 

By practicing patience, understanding, and open communication, couples can rebuild their connection and strengthen their bond. Here are some proven strategies that can help you and your partner navigate the path to repairing your relationship and reconnecting after a fight.

13 proven strategies for rebuilding relationships after the fight

Arguments are inevitable in any relationship, and they can leave both partners feeling distant and hurt. However, how you make up after a fight is what really matters. With the right strategies, you can reconnect and strengthen your bond. 

Here are some proven ways for repairing a relationship after a fight and creating a healthier connection:

1. Give each other space  

After a heated argument, it’s essential to let the initial wave of emotions subside. Taking a short break from each other can help you both cool down and gain perspective. 

It could be as simple as going for a walk or spending some time in different rooms. This space allows each partner to reflect on their feelings and prevents further escalation.

2. Reflect on the argument  

Once you’re calm, think back to the fight. What were the triggers? Were there misunderstandings or assumptions? Understanding what led to the argument can help prevent similar conflicts in the future. Be honest with yourself about your role in the dispute, and approach the conversation with a clearer perspective.

3. Apologize sincerely  

A heartfelt apology is crucial for repairing a relationship after a fight. If you realize that you made mistakes, acknowledge them genuinely and without excuses. 

Studies show that there are various factors that go into making an apology acceptable, including the intensity of the bond, severity of the wrongful deed etc.

Use straightforward language like “I’m sorry for…” instead of conditional apologies such as “I’m sorry, but…”. This shows your partner that you’re taking responsibility for your actions.

4. Listen actively  

When talking things out with your partner, give them your undivided attention. Put away distractions like your phone, maintain eye contact, and listen without interrupting. 

As per experts , active listening can improve understanding and the overall quality of relationships by promoting a greater sense of understanding and trust. 

Show you’re listening by nodding, paraphrasing their words, or simply saying, “I understand.” Active listening fosters empathy and makes your partner feel heard and valued.

5. Express how you feel  

Communication is key to resolving conflicts. Share your emotions calmly and clearly without blaming your partner. Use “I” statements like “I felt hurt when…” rather than “You always make me feel…”. This approach keeps the conversation focused on your feelings rather than attacking your partner.

6. Find common ground  

After addressing the issues, identify points where both of you agree. This could include shared values like mutual respect or a desire for better communication. By focusing on these commonalities, you can create a foundation for moving forward and rebuilding your relationship together.

7. Set healthy boundaries  

Boundaries define acceptable behavior in a relationship. During your reconciliation talk, discuss limits that can prevent future fights from getting out of hand. 

Research has shown that healthy boundaries are essential for any relationship, as they help trust, understanding and respect to strengthen the bond that two people share.

For instance, agree to avoid name-calling or storming out during arguments. Having clear boundaries ensures both partners feel safe and respected.

8. Reaffirm your commitment  

Arguments can make partners feel insecure about their relationship. Reassure your partner that you’re committed to working through the issues together. Simple affirmations like “We’re a team” or “I love you” can provide comfort and strengthen your bond, especially if you had a fight with your girlfriend.

9. Plan quality time together  

Reconnecting through enjoyable activities can help mend emotional wounds. Plan something fun, whether it’s a date night, hiking, or cooking a meal together. These shared moments rekindle positive feelings and remind you both of the joy in your relationship. Find romantic ways to make up after a fight to rekindle that spark.

10. Seek to understand, not to win  

Arguments can often become battles where each person wants to win. Shift your focus from winning to understanding your partner’s perspective. Instead of trying to prove them wrong, ask questions like “Can you help me understand your point of view?” This collaborative approach builds empathy and reduces defensiveness.

11. Work on communication skills  

Effective communication is essential for a healthy relationship. Practice expressing yourself clearly and respectfully, and be open to your partner’s feelings. Avoid interrupting or making assumptions. By improving communication, you reduce misunderstandings and future conflicts.

To learn how to communicate better as a couple, watch this video:

12. Seek professional help if needed  

If fights are frequent and reconciliation seems challenging, consider seeking couples therapy. A therapist provides a neutral perspective and practical tools to help navigate recurring issues. They can also offer insights that may be hard to see from within the relationship.

13. Forgive and move forward  

Holding onto resentment only causes more harm to the relationship. While forgiveness takes time, it’s crucial for healing. 

Let go of past hurts and focus on what you can learn from the argument. By forgiving, you allow your relationship to move forward with a fresh start. Understanding how to heal a relationship after a fight can make a huge difference in the long run.  

Flights can leave emotional scars, but they don’t have to spell the end of your relationship. With patience, understanding, and love, you can rebuild trust and strengthen your bond using these 13 strategies.

Conflict is a part of life, but how you handle it can transform your relationship into one that’s stronger and more resilient.

After a fight, rebuilding a relationship can feel challenging. Here are answers to some common questions about navigating reconciliation and restoring your connection:

How long should I wait after a fight before discussing it?  

Give yourselves enough time to cool off and reflect, usually a few hours to a day. Waiting too long can lead to resentment, while rushing in may lead to another argument. The right moment is when both parties are calm and ready for a constructive conversation.

Is it really necessary to apologize if I don’t think I was wrong?  

Even if you believe you’re right, acknowledging your partner’s feelings can go a long way. Apologizing for how your words or actions may have hurt them, without admitting fault, can show empathy and open the door to productive dialogue. Focus on repairing the relationship rather than winning the argument.

What if the other person isn’t ready to forgive?  

Healing takes time, so give your partner the space they need. Continue to offer support, acknowledge their feelings, and express your desire to work things out. A genuine apology, patience, and understanding can help rebuild trust. Remember, forgiveness is a process, not an immediate result.

Can a relationship be stronger after a conflict?  

Yes, conflicts can strengthen a relationship if handled constructively. When both partners listen actively, communicate openly, and understand each other better, the relationship can emerge stronger. Learning to navigate challenges together fosters resilience, deepens intimacy, and builds a more secure bond.

How to heal a relationship after a fight?  

Start by giving each other space to cool off, then approach the conversation calmly and with empathy. Apologize sincerely, listen actively, and express your feelings using “I” statements. Set healthy boundaries , reaffirm your commitment, and spend quality time together. Consider couples therapy if needed to facilitate healing.

In conclusion 

Repairing a relationship after a fight is like fixing a cracked vase. With care and patience, it’s possible to mend the pieces and create something stronger than before. Whether it’s a minor disagreement over dinner plans or a major argument about finances, these 13 strategies can help you both reconnect and rebuild. 

By giving each other space, apologizing sincerely, and actively listening, you lay the foundation for understanding. Setting healthy boundaries, reaffirming your commitment, and spending quality time together strengthen the relationship further. 

Seeking to understand rather than win, working on communication skills, and considering professional help when needed ensure lasting harmony. Lastly, forgiving and moving forward are essential to fully repairing a relationship after a fight. Embrace these steps, and you’ll find that each argument can ultimately bring you closer together.

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Draven Porter is an esteemed relationship writer who delves deep into the complexities of human connection. With a background in psychology, Draven’s writing is known for its powerful insights and thoughtful analysis. When not Read more writing, Draven can be found exploring his passion for music and attending concerts. Draven’s unique perspective on relationships is rooted in his fascination with different cultures and he enjoys immersing himself in new experiences through travel and trying out exotic cuisines. Read less

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Difference Between Paraphrasing And Summarizing

Paraphrasing involves restating the content of a passage in your own words, while Summarizing involves concisely stating the main points of a work or passage. Paraphrasing usually Retains more detail from the original text, while summarizing focuses on capturing the main points of the original text. Paraphrasing can be similar to or longer than the original text, while summaries are usually Significantly shorter.

Fredrick Eghosa

May 21, 2024

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

What is paraphrasing, when to use paraphrasing:, when you're incorporating a source into your writing:, to avoiding plagiarism:, to simplify complex information:, to tailoring content for specific audiences:, for creating original content:, to avoid overrelying on direct quotations:, how to paraphrase, ensure you understand the original text:, identify key information in the original text:, set the text aside:, express in your own words:, maintain the original meaning:, check for accuracy:, cite the source:, use cowriter:, paraphrased examples generated by cowriter, tips for effective paraphrasing:, what is summarizing, when to use summarizing, to understanding complex texts:, for preparation for presentations or discussions:, for reviewing and studying:, extracting key information:, writing abstracts:, how to summarize, read the text carefully:, identify the main ideas:, outline the structure:, write a first draft of the summary:, always focus on clarity and conciseness:, omit irrelevant details:, edit and check for accuracy:, provide proper attribution:, examples of summaries generated by cowriter, tips for effective summarizing:, difference between paraphrasing and summarizing:, wrapping up.

• Focus on Paraphrasing the text's main idea or central argument rather than trying to rephrase every detail.
• If you need to retain specific terminology from the original text, indicate that it's a direct quote using quotation marks.
• When paraphrasing information from multiple sources, paraphrase each source separately before integrating them into your writing.
• Remember, paraphrasing is a skill that can be improved with practice.

• When summarizing a text, focus on identifying the main ideas, central arguments, and key details crucial for understanding the content.
• Exclude irrelevant examples, anecdotes, or supporting information that do not contribute to the text's core message.
• Present information objectively without introducing personal biases or interpretations.
• Use clear and concise language to convey the summary effectively.
• Aim to keep summaries under 10% of the original length.

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Counseling@Northwestern / Online Master's in Counseling / Why Counseling? / What Is Counseling?

The American Counseling Association (ACA), the world’s largest association of professional counselors, defines counseling as “a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.”

Since its beginnings in the vocational guidance movement of the late 1890s, counseling has evolved over more than 100 years into a highly professionalized field requiring rigorous education, training, state licensure, and ethical standards. Practicing in settings such as community health centers, inpatient and outpatient clinics, student services, substance abuse clinics, veterans’ hospitals, or private practice, today’s counselors work with clients to help them:

• Adjust to major life changes such as divorce, loss of a loved one, unemployment, or return from military deployment.
• Develop skills and strategies for addressing personal or interpersonal challenges at home, work, or in social settings.
• Recognize and modify behaviors that detract from their well-being or quality of life.
• Overcome and manage anxiety, substance abuse, depression, and other mental health disorders.
• Define career, life, or personal goals and the strategies required to meet those goals.

While there are various types of counseling, they all share the fundamental goal of empowering people to lead more fulfilling and productive lives.

As someone interested in helping others, you may have considered careers in social work and psychology as well as clinical mental health counseling. While all three fields involve helping people address mental health issues, there are key differences in education and training requirements, scope of services, and approaches that are worth considering.

Explore the differences between  counseling and psychology .

Explore the differences between  counseling and social work .

To learn more about Counseling@Northwestern, contact an admissions counselor at  1-844-684-6221  or [email protected].

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Top TOEFL Courses Online- Updated List 2024

Online TOEFL preparation provides a diverse range of study resources, personalized guidance, and custom mock tests for candidates to access from their residences. Coaching programs assess candidates through online TOEFL practice tests and offer feedback to aid improvement.

Esteemed online TOEFL coaching platforms include Magoosh, ETS: Official TOEFL Test Prep, Kaplan, and PrepScholar, among others. The typical fee for online TOEFL coaching in India begins at INR 3,000. Let us learn more about TOEFL Preparation Online!

Benefits of Online Coaching

Here are some potential benefits of online coaching for TOEFL preparation:

• Convenience and flexibility: Online coaching allows you to learn from the comfort of your own home or any location with an internet connection. You can schedule your sessions according to your availability, making it easier to balance your TOEFL preparation with other commitments.
• Access to expert instructors: With online coaching, you can have access to highly qualified and experienced TOEFL instructors from around the world. This expands your options and allows you to find the best fit for your learning style and needs.
• Personalized instruction: Online coaching often provides a more personalized learning experience. Instructors can tailor their teaching methods and materials to your specific strengths, weaknesses, and learning pace, ensuring that you receive targeted support.
• Variety of resources: Online coaching platforms often provide a wide range of resources, such as practice tests, video lessons, interactive exercises, and study materials. These resources can complement the coaching sessions and provide additional opportunities for practice and reinforcement.
• Recorded sessions: Many online coaching platforms allow you to record your sessions, which can be useful for reviewing the material later or clarifying any doubts that may arise.
• Cost-effective: Online coaching can be more cost-effective than traditional in-person classes, as there are no commuting costs or additional expenses associated with attending physical locations.
• Progress tracking: Online coaching platforms often include tools for tracking your progress, allowing you to monitor your improvement and identify areas that require more attention.
• Scheduling flexibility: Online coaching sessions can be scheduled at times that are convenient for you, allowing you to fit your TOEFL preparation into your busy schedule more easily.
• Exposure to diverse accents and backgrounds: By participating in online coaching sessions with instructors and fellow students from different parts of the world, you can gain exposure to various English accents and cultural perspectives, which can be beneficial for the TOEFL.

Best TOEFL Online Coaching

Here are some of the best online coaching options for TOEFL preparation:

ETS: Official TOEFL Test Prep

As the official provider of the TOEFL exam, ETS (Educational Testing Service) offers the most authentic and reliable TOEFL preparation materials. Their Official TOEFL Test Prep package includes:

• Practice Tests: Access to multiple full-length TOEFL practice tests that accurately reflect the content, format, and difficulty level of the actual exam. These practice tests are invaluable for simulating the real test-taking experience and identifying areas for improvement.
• Interactive Lessons: Interactive lessons covering all four sections of the TOEFL (Reading, Listening, Speaking, and Writing). These lessons provide explanations, examples, and strategies specific to each question type, helping you understand the skills and knowledge required for each section.
• Scoring Tools: Official scoring tools that provide detailed performance feedback and analysis after completing practice tests or tasks. These tools help you understand your strengths and weaknesses and track your progress over time.
• Official Test Prep Planner: A customizable study plan that helps you organize and schedule your TOEFL preparation based on your target test date and availability.
• Authentic Test Experiences: Official TOEFL Test Prep provides an authentic test-taking experience, including the same software used for the actual exam, ensuring you are familiar with the interface and navigation.
• Trusted Resources: As the official source, the materials are created and reviewed by the same team of experts who develop the TOEFL exam, ensuring accuracy and alignment with the test specifications.

Kaplan is a well-established and reputable provider of test preparation services, including comprehensive TOEFL preparation options. Their TOEFL offerings include:

• Online Courses: Kaplan offers various online TOEFL preparation courses, ranging from self-paced to instructor-led options. These courses provide structured lessons, practice materials, and access to expert instructors.
• Private Tutoring: Kaplan offers one-on-one private tutoring with experienced TOEFL instructors. This personalized approach allows for customized study plans and targeted feedback to address your specific needs and weaknesses.
• In-Person Classes: While the focus has shifted to online options, Kaplan still offers in-person TOEFL preparation classes in select locations. These classes provide a traditional classroom setting with face-to-face instruction and peer interaction.
• Practice Tests and Materials: Kaplan provides a wide range of TOEFL practice tests, question banks, and study materials. These resources are designed to simulate the actual exam and help you prepare for the different question types and sections.
• Score Analysis and Feedback: Kaplan offers detailed score analysis and feedback after completing practice tests or practice sessions. This helps you identify your strengths, weaknesses, and areas that require more focus.

PrepScholar

PrepScholar is an online TOEFL preparation platform that offers a comprehensive and personalized approach to TOEFL preparation. Here are some key features of PrepScholar’s TOEFL preparation program:

• Personalized Study Plans: PrepScholar creates customized study plans based on your target score, current proficiency level, and availability. These plans are designed to optimize your preparation time and focus on your specific areas for improvement.
• Live Online Classes: PrepScholar offers live online classes taught by experienced TOEFL instructors. These classes provide interactive learning, allowing you to ask questions, receive feedback, and engage with the instructor and other students.
• Extensive Practice Materials: PrepScholar provides access to a vast library of TOEFL practice materials, including practice tests, question banks, and targeted skill-building exercises. These materials are designed to simulate the actual exam and help you develop the necessary skills for each section.
• Strategy Guides and Video Lessons: In addition to practice materials, PrepScholar offers comprehensive strategy guides and video lessons that break down the TOEFL exam structure, question types, and effective strategies for approaching each section.
• Performance Tracking and Analysis: PrepScholar’s platform allows you to track your progress, monitor your performance across different sections and question types, and receive detailed score analysis and feedback.

Magoosh is an online TOEFL preparation platform that offers a range of resources and tools for self-paced study. Here are some key features of Magoosh’s TOEFL preparation program:

• Video Lessons: Magoosh provides comprehensive video lessons covering all sections of the TOEFL exam. These lessons are taught by experienced instructors and provide explanations, examples, and strategies for different question types and skills.
• Practice Questions: Magoosh offers a large bank of practice questions categorized by section and question type. These practice questions are designed to simulate the actual TOEFL exam and help you develop the necessary skills and strategies.
• Full-Length Practice Tests: Magoosh provides access to multiple full-length TOEFL practice tests. These tests can be taken timed or untimed, allowing you to simulate the actual test-taking experience and identify areas for improvement.
• Score Analysis and Feedback: After completing practice tests or question sets, Magoosh provides detailed score analysis and feedback. This includes information on your performance across different sections, question types, and skills, helping you focus your preparation efforts.
• Email Assistance: Magoosh’s premium plan includes email assistance from TOEFL experts. You can submit questions or seek clarification on specific topics or strategies, and receive personalized guidance from experienced instructors.
• Study Schedules and Plans: Magoosh offers customizable study schedules and plans to help you organize and structure your TOEFL preparation based on your target test date and availability

BestMyTest is an online platform that offers personalized TOEFL coaching and preparation services. Here are some key features:

• Personalized Coaching: BestMyTest provides one-on-one coaching with experienced TOEFL instructors. The instructors work closely with you to create a customized study plan tailored to your needs, strengths, and weaknesses.
• Comprehensive Materials: BestMyTest offers a wide range of TOEFL preparation materials, including practice tests, video lessons, strategy guides, and skill-building exercises. These materials are designed to cover all aspects of the TOEFL exam.
• Regular Feedback and Support: Throughout your preparation, your BestMyTest instructor will provide regular feedback on your performance, identify areas for improvement, and offer guidance and support to help you address them.
• Flexible Scheduling: BestMyTest allows you to schedule coaching sessions at times that are convenient for you, making it easier to balance your TOEFL preparation with other commitments.
• Progress Tracking: The platform includes tools for tracking your progress, allowing you to monitor your improvement over time and adjust your study plan as needed.

UDEMY is an online learning platform that offers a variety of TOEFL preparation courses created by independent instructors. Here’s an overview of UDEMY’s TOEFL offerings:

• Course Selection: UDEMY has a wide selection of TOEFL preparation courses, ranging from comprehensive full-length courses to targeted courses focusing on specific sections or skills.
• Instructor Expertise: The quality and expertise of the instructors can vary, as courses are created by independent educators and professionals. It’s important to read course reviews and instructor credentials to evaluate their expertise and teaching style.
• Course Format: UDEMY courses typically consist of pre-recorded video lectures, supplementary materials (e.g., PDFs, practice tests), and sometimes interactive quizzes or assignments.
• Self-Paced Learning: UDEMY courses are primarily self-paced, allowing you to learn at your own pace and schedule. However, some courses may have set deadlines or live sessions.
• Affordable Pricing: One of the advantages of UDEMY is that courses are generally more affordable compared to some other online options, with frequent discounts and promotions.

E2Language is an online TOEFL preparation platform that focuses on developing English proficiency specifically for the TOEFL exam. Here are some key features:

• Video Lessons: E2Language offers a comprehensive library of video lessons covering all sections of the TOEFL, as well as grammar, vocabulary, and general English skills.
• Practice Tests: The platform provides access to full-length TOEFL practice tests, as well as section-specific practice tests and question banks.
• Study Plans: E2Language offers customizable study plans to help you structure your TOEFL preparation based on your target score, available time, and learning pace.
• Skill-Building Exercises: In addition to practice tests, E2Language provides targeted skill-building exercises and drills to help you improve specific areas, such as note-taking, paraphrasing, and academic writing.
• Progress Tracking: The platform includes tools for tracking your progress, allowing you to monitor your performance and identify areas that need further attention.

Jamboree is an online TOEFL preparation platform that provides a range of resources and tools for self-paced study. Here are some key features:

• Video Lessons: Jamboree offers video lessons covering all sections of the TOEFL exam, as well as specific lessons on strategies, time management, and common mistakes to avoid.
• Practice Questions: The platform provides a large bank of practice questions categorized by section and question type, allowing you to focus on specific areas for improvement.
• Full-Length Practice Tests: Jamboree offers multiple full-length TOEFL practice tests, designed to simulate the actual exam experience and help you develop effective test-taking strategies.
• Score Analysis and Feedback: After completing practice tests or question sets, Jamboree provides detailed score analysis and feedback, highlighting your strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
• Study Schedules and Plans: Jamboree offers customizable study schedules and plans to help you organize and structure your TOEFL preparation based on your target test date and availability.
• Mobile App: Jamboree has a mobile app that allows you to access study materials and practice questions on-the-go, providing flexibility in your preparation.

Dilip Oak’s Academy

Founded in 1996, Dilip Oak’s Academy has emerged as a highly esteemed coaching institution for online TOEFL preparation. Their classes are meticulously crafted not only to instruct students but also to equip aspirants with the necessary study materials and strategies to attain their target scores.

Highlighted Features:

Complimentary trial sessions are available for prospective candidates. The curriculum is structured to cover the entire syllabus within a specified timeframe. Expert faculty members design comprehensive study materials for students. Pricing:

TOEFL course fees at Dilip Oak Academy Online commence from INR 15,000.

Established in 1997, TestDen offers online TOEFL writing preparation, ensuring candidates are well-prepared to achieve their desired scores. Their program includes four graded online TOEFL classes to provide real-time exam practice.

Key Features:

They provide comprehensive and updated materials reflecting the latest changes in the test. Interactive practice resources with numerous questions and exercises are available. Immediate feedback on answers allows candidates to track their progress. Expert guidance on test-taking strategies, focusing on specific grammar and vocabulary points, is provided. Live online classes facilitate interaction with instructors and fellow students in real-time.

TestDen’s TOEFL course is priced at $149 (INR 12,414).

Online TOEFL coaching provides a wide range of benefits, from personalized instruction to access to expert instructors and comprehensive study materials. By choosing the right online platform and leveraging its resources effectively, you can optimize your TOEFL preparation and boost your chances of success.

TOEFL Courses Online- FAQs

What are the advantages of online toefl coaching over traditional classroom-based preparation.

A: Online coaching offers flexibility in scheduling, access to instructors from around the world, personalized instruction, and a cost-effective approach without commuting expenses.

How do I choose the best online TOEFL coaching program for my needs?

A: Consider factors such as the expertise and qualifications of instructors, the comprehensiveness of study materials, the availability of practice tests and feedback, and the program’s overall reputation and reviews.

Can online TOEFL coaching be as effective as in-person instruction?

A: Yes, with the right platform and dedicated instructors, online coaching can be just as effective as in-person instruction. Many online programs offer interactive live sessions, personalized feedback, and comprehensive study materials.

How much does online TOEFL coaching typically cost?

A: The cost of online TOEFL coaching can vary widely depending on the provider, the level of personalization, and the resources included. Some affordable self-paced options are available, while more comprehensive programs with dedicated instructors can be more expensive.

How important is it to have access to practice tests and score analysis when preparing for the TOEFL?

A: Access to full-length practice tests and detailed score analysis is crucial for effective TOEFL preparation. These resources help you simulate the actual exam experience, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and track your progress over time.

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