Observing and Reflecting Feelings

I like how the book describes reflection of feelings and paraphrasing as closely related.  It is very important for the client to reflect on their feelings. As a counselor you can help your client do this by paraphrasing. As a client is talking, a counselor may repeat back what he or she has heard and by doing this you may in turn open your clients eye to something they didn't see before. It is also good to paraphrase so that the counselor is clear on what he or she is hearing and if they have heard something wrong the client then can clarify. Paraphrasing can help the counselor identify the feelings or emotions the client is expressing and also allow the client to reflect on his or her own feelings. I think this is a very useful technique to use in a counseling session or even it regular conversation.