{"id":1423,"date":"2017-04-15T13:16:33","date_gmt":"2017-04-15T13:16:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/?p=1423"},"modified":"2023-08-18T11:20:47","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T10:20:47","slug":"improve-therapy-practice-client-feedback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hypnotc.com\/improve-therapy-practice-client-feedback\/","title":{"rendered":"Improve your therapy practice by getting client feedback"},"content":{"rendered":"

Using client feedback to enhance your therapy practice<\/h2>\n

As a therapist, it can be useful, and informative, to get feedback from your clients. Simply asking \u201cWhat do you like about the way I work, and what could be different?\u201d can be very helpful for both client and therapist.\u00a0Having the confidence in yourself as a practitioner to ask for feedback can communicate to the client that not only are you secure within yourself, but that you are open to input and to change.<\/p>\n

Whatever feedback you receive is information about how others experience you as a therapist, delivering a professional service.\u00a0At times, however, you may receive inaccurate opinions, ill-founded comments about your behaviour, tactless words about your approach and even biased judgements, but do remember, your clients are unlikely to have your communication skills and are more likely to be personal and subjective, rather than objective.\u00a0However, whatever they do say, and how they say it, offers another element of insight into their thoughts.<\/p>\n

When receiving feedback, do listen closely and actively, and seek clarification of any points which are unclear.\u00a0 Remember, you do not need to justify your work.\u00a0 If the feedback was unpleasant, you may want to give yourself time to reflect on it and evaluate it for relevance.\u00a0\u00a0Remember, feedback is offered for consideration, but you do not need to accept it as truth!\u00a0 By seeking feedback, you are expanding your self-awareness, offering yourself opportunities to explore your own strengths and areas for development.<\/p>\n

Getting feedback: Do it right…<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Whilst it can be highly beneficial to seek and gain feedback, it is important to do so at the right time and in the right way.\u00a0 For example, by getting feedback at the start of the next session (or if only one session, at a later date) rather than at the end of the therapy session, you avoid giving the client an opportunity to \u2018unpick\u2019 the work. This also allows some time for the client to consider the key points they wish to provide.\u00a0 Face-to-face feedback is often a more constructive conversation than the \u2018flatter\u2019 forms such as email or text.<\/p>\n

\"hypnotherapy<\/p>\n

Do consider your body language, both when seeking and receiving information.\u00a0 Where feedback is provided in other ways (rather than in person), do be particularly aware of your choice of words, to avoid misunderstanding.\u00a0\u00a0Also, be aware that if feedback is passed from one person to another, it may lose some aspects in its translation.\u00a0 This can be more common in feedback situations that are not two-way communications, such as questionnaires, feedback forms and emails.\u00a0 In addition, both Skype \/ internet and telephone interviews miss out on possibly vital body language.<\/p>\n

Consider what you would like to achieve from gaining feedback and how you will use it. Ask for specific examples, their views and ideas with open questions, such as: \u201cHow do you feel the session went?\u201d<\/em> and \u201cHow could we have worked on this differently?\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

During the actual receiving of feedback, it can be helpful to consider there are several \u2018stages\u2019 for receiving feedback. A useful way of remembering this is with the acronym \u2018ROAR\u2019:<\/p>\n

R<\/strong>eceive:
\nBe aware of your immediate reaction; avoid defending<\/p>\n

O<\/strong>rganise:
\nOrganise your thoughts ready for the next stage<\/p>\n

A<\/strong>ssess:
\nAssess your own performance with consideration of the feedback received<\/p>\n

R<\/strong>espond:
\nThank the person for feedback, respectfully disagree where appropriate (an appropriately), and indicate where you agree, keeping focused on what can be achieved in the future. Also, during the receiving of feedback, you may also wish to consider your level of engagement…<\/p>\n

\"active<\/p>\n

Level One: Personal listening<\/strong>:<\/strong>
\nFocused on own, internal voice and thoughts, including what we think about what they are saying<\/p>\n

Level Two: Considered listening<\/strong>:<\/strong>
\nFocused on what we think or feel about what the client is saying to us<\/p>\n

Level Three: Engaged \/ Active listening<\/strong>:<\/strong>
\nCompletely focused on what the client is saying, and using active listening approaches to gain facts, considered meaning and evaluate intention<\/p>\n

Level Four: Connected listening<\/strong>:<\/strong>
\nCompletely focused on verbal and\u00a0non-verbal communications, including identification of surface and deeper meanings and feelings<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Feedback topics<\/h3>\n

Some topics you can seek feedback on, include how the client felt about:<\/p>\n