In my placement experience I am working with a client who feels she is in a pretty bleak place at the moment. She and her daughter have both been through a traumatic event and are having problems both physically and emotionally coping therefore there are alot of emotions and tears. When I first met this client and her daughter I was very uncomfortable and unsure of how to help. While there are practical things that this client needed done she also needed emotional support. After that first session I was not confident at all and the atmosphere in the clients hospital room was very tense. Unsure of what to do about it I started analysing my actions and body language and realised I was tense and not putting out a very relaxing or calming vibe.

In my next session with this client I pulled up a chair close to the clients hospital bed and just sat calmly and listened quietly as she talked using silence to relax her. I had always felt that those silences were awkward and was not comfortable in using them. But I had a lightbulb moment as I watched her calm down and become more comfortable with me. Surprisingly using a small gesture such as placing my hand gently on her arm and handing her a tissue went along way in establishing a relationship with her.

After working with this client for a few weeks I asked my supervisor to analyse me with the client and give me some advice and pointers or critiques about my practice. When we approached the client she and her daughter both where very upset and tearful, so I started using the non verbal techniques in practice. My supervisor said it was almost instant that my presence calmed both the client and her daughter and looked more relaxed and by the end of our session she was actually smiling and joking and had less anxiety. Hearing this from my supervisor has made me want to work harder to develop these non verbal skills and not feeling so awkward using them.