Reflective Listening
Reflections are statements that accurately represent what a service user has just said. Miller and Rollnick (2023) liken reflections to an iceberg. Simple reflections, which represent the portion of the iceberg above the waterline, repeat or slightly rephrase what a service user has just said. Complex reflections, which represent the portion of the iceberg below the waterline, paraphrase what a service user has just said and may capture unstated thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that underlie what the service user said.
In this Discussion, you will choose two presenting challenges the service user in your case study has identified. Then, you will write simple and complex reflections for each of the challenges.
Reference: Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2023). Motivational interviewing (4th ed.). The Guilford Press.
Resources
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
To Prepare
- Review your Course Announcements for possible information related to this week’s Discussion and Assignment.
- Review the Learning Resources on identifying presenting challenges. Pay particular attention to the strategies for identifying presenting challenges to establish a direction or goal.
- Review the Learning Resources on reflective listening. Consider the purpose of reflecting listening in the motivational interviewing process, and examine specific examples of simple and complex reflections.
- Go to the Hart City virtual community using the link that is provided in the Learning Resources. Once you are in the community, review the case study you were assigned.
- Select two presenting challenges that the service user has identified.
- Write simple and complex reflections for each challenge.
By Day 4
Identify the Hart City case study you were assigned in the subject line of your post, and choose two presenting challenges that your Hart City service user has identified.
Post a brief explanation of the two presenting challenges, and briefly discuss those challenges in 1–2 sentences. Finally, write one simple and one complex reflective statement for each challenge.
- Walden University, LLC. (2020). Hart CityLinks to an external site. [Interactive media]. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com
- Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2023). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (4th ed.). The Guilford Press.
- Chapter 8, “Deeper Listening" (pp. 143–154)
- Chapter 9, “Focusing: A Deeper Dive" (pp. 155–173)
- Chapter 10 “Evoking: Cultivating Change Talk” (pp. 174–190)
- Chapter 11, “Offering Information and Advice” (pp. 191–202)
- Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2023). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (4th ed.). The Guilford Press.
- Chapter 17, “Learning from Conversations about Change” (pp. 285–297)
- Biggs, J., Sprague-Jones, J., Garstka, T., & Richardson, D. (2018). Brief motivational interviewing training for home visitors: Results for caregiver retention and referral engagement.Links to an external site. Children and Youth Services Review, 94(C) 56–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.09.021Links to an external site.
- Miller, W. R., Hedrick, K. E., & Orlofsky, D. R. (1991). The Helpful Responses Questionnaire: A procedure for measuring therapeutic empathyLinks to an external site.. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 47(3), 444–448. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-4679(199105)47:3<444::AID-JCLP2270470320>3.0.CO;2-ULinks to an external site.
- Document: Reflection Worksheet Download Reflection Worksheet(PDF)
Reflection Worksheet
For each of the statements below, write a simple reflection and a complex reflection.
1. I drank too much wine at the party. So what? I was celebrating my new job.
Aren’t I allowed to celebrate? My husband is making a bigger deal of this than is
necessary.
2. I have been trying for 6 months to find a job but have not received one response.
It’s hopeless. I will never find a job.
3. My son is totally out of control. He stays out all hours of the night. I know he is
doing drugs. I can’t control him.
4. I know my anger issues cost me my job. I just can’t help it. I get angry, and I see
red.
5. It’s not that I am against taking medicine. I know I need it for my heart. I just
forget. I go about my day, and the next thing you know it’s the end of the day,
and I forgot to take it again.
6. I know it is wrong for my boyfriend to hit me. But he says he loves me, and he
promises that he will never do it again.