Each day we process vast amounts of information without much thought. Our behavior is almost automatic. Without benefit of a clock, we can make a reasonable estimate of the time. When shopping, we can without too much trouble distinguish the clerk from fellow customers. Sometimes, though, we cannot find a person who seems to be a clerk. Take a couple of minutes to think about the clues you do use in separating the clerk from the customers. One of the clues might be dress. Clerks may wear a special outfit, such as smock, apron, or shirt with the store’s logo. In colder weather, customers off the street will be wearing or carrying their coats. Another clue is behavior. The clerks stand behind counters and cash registers, the customers in front. Customers stroll about casually looking at merchandise, whereas clerks systematically arrange displays. Another clue might be the person’s companions. Clerks are usually alone, not hauling children or browsing with a friend. Although we have all had some experience of guessing incorrectly, it happens rarely. In essence, this is the good guys wear white hats principle. A person’s appearance provides us with useful, reliable information about that person. Before a word of conversation is spoken, our observations provide us with some basic data to guide our interactions.

We hope that you are convinced everyone indeed has keen observational powers. Usually people simply do not reflect on these skills. The only difference between a counselor and others is that a counselor will cultivate these observational capacities, will listen carefully, and will attend to how something is said and not merely the content. The counselor will ask: “What is the client’s mood?” “Is the mood appropriate to what is being said?” “What kinds of shifts take place during the interview?” “What nonverbal clues, or signs, does the client give to portray how she feels?”

So, in a counseling session, from time to time, momentarily tune out the words and take a good look. What do you see? Reverse that. Turn off the picture and focus on the sound. One important thing : the questions you ask yourself (or the client) are not why questions. They are what and how questions that attempt to determine what is going on. Strangely enough, in alcohol counseling, successful treatment can occur without ever tackling a why question. Ignoring what or how issues, however, may mean you’ll never even get into the right ball park.

So what is the importance of observation? It provides data for making hypotheses. A question continually before the counselor is: “What’s going on with this person?” What you see provides clues. You do not pretend to be a mind reader. Despite occasional lapses, you do not equate observations, or hunches, with ultimate truth. Your observations, coupled with your knowledge of alcohol, suggest where you might focus attention. An example: a client whose coloring is awful, who has a distended abdomen and a number of bruises, will alert the counselor to the strong possibility of serious medical problems. The client may try to explain this all away by “just having tripped over the phone cord,” but the counselor will urge the client to see a physician.

You do your work by observing, by listening, and by asking the client (and yourself) questions to gain a picture of the client’s situation. The image of a picture being sketched and painted is quite apt to capture the counseling process. The space below is the canvas. The total area includes everything that is going on in the client’s life.

As the client speaks with the counselor, this space is filled in. Now the counselor is getting a picture of the client’s situation. Not only do you have the “facts” as the client sees them; you can also see the client, his mood and feelings, and get a sense of what the world and picture feel like as well.

You have a notion of the various areas that make up the person’s life: family, physical health, work, economic situation, community life, how the person feels about himself, and so on.

You are also aware of how alcohol may affect these areas. As you find it necessary, you will guide the conversation to insure that you have a total picture of the client’s life. You are also aware that if the client is experiencing difficulty, having a problem, it means that the pieces are not fitting together in a way that feels comfortable. Maybe some parts have very rough edges. Maybe one part is exerting undue influence on the others. So you also attempt to see the relationship and interaction between the parts.

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