Preliminaries:

Name Rahul Mehra

Age 20

Sex Male

Education Bsc hons.

Report

interviewer: Hello! Rapport building providing insight into

participant: Hi! participant’s current mood

or well-being. This sets a

interviewer: How are you? welcoming tone for further

participant: good discussion and

demonstrates the

interviewer's readiness to

engage with the participant

in a supportive manner.

interviewer: Exams are Open question By using these skills, the

approaching are you interviewer aims to create

preparing for them? a supportive and non-

participant: No. I havent judgmental environment

started preparations yet. where the participant feels

 comfortable discussing

their concerns and

exploring potential

strategies for coping with

exam preparation.

interviewer: What course Open question Through these skills, the

are you pursuing by the Probe interviewer creates an

way? atmosphere of empathy

participant: Bachelors of and understanding while

science honours course in facilitating further

computer science. exploration of the

participant's concerns

interviewer: Bsc! you must about their academic

be very good in performance and exam

academics. Exams won’t stress.

stress you much. Do they? In retrospect, the

participant: I used to be interviewer's approach

good but now my could have been improved

performance has been by avoiding assumptions

degrading. Exams do about the participant's

stress me. academic abilities and their

experience with exam

stress. Instead, the

 interviewer could have

employed more empathetic

and open-ended questions

to explore the participant's

feelings and experiences

without making premature

judgments. For example,

they could have asked

something like, "How do

you feel about exams and

your performance lately?"

This approach would have

allowed the participant to

express themselves more

freely and provided a

better foundation for further

exploration and support.

interviewer: oh! That’s very Reflection use of these skills appears

upsetting but why so? Open question/ probe appropriate as they aim to

participant: a lot lot of Primary Empathy create a supportive

things have changed environment and

moreover my friend circle encourage the participant

is somehow responsible for to explore their feelings

this. and potential sources of

support.

interviewer: I can totally

understand. Lifestyle

changes can affect a

person in many ways and

is a major reason for

stress. This must be very

difficult for you staying far

away from home doing

everything on your own.

Plus, have you considered

talking to your friends

about the struggle you’re

facing?

participant: indeed it is. No

I didn’t discuss this with

them.

interviewer: oh! You should Open question Overall, the interviewer's

work upon have you use of an open question

thought of any way to and a reflective response

improve your situation? demonstrates their attempt

to engage the participant in

participant: sure. I will try to exploring potential

do something about this solutions and validating

situation. I have reduced their efforts to improve

my interaction with people their situation.

affecting my studies.

interviewer: I see, And Open question the interviewer's use of

how do you cope with the Empathy open questions, empathy,

stress? Education education, and reflection

Cleint: I don’t have much helps facilitate a supportive

idea I just consume alcohol and informative

sometimes. conversation aimed at

guiding the participant

interviewer: I do towards healthier coping

understand dealing with strategies.

stress is not an easy task.

But rather than indulging in

unhealthy coping

mechanisms that would

lead you to harm you

should try engaging

yourself in healthy habits

like mediation and yoga to

 deal with stress.

participant: yeah. It’s going

to take time but I’ll reduce

drinking.

In this conversation, the participant admits to not preparing for exams and experiencing

a decline in performance. They attribute this partly to lifestyle changes and the influence

of their friend circle. It's evident that they're feeling the pressure of being away from

home and managing everything independently.

When discussing coping mechanisms, the participant reveals that they sometimes turn

to alcohol to deal with stress. As a counselor, it's essential to address this unhealthy

behavior and encourage healthier alternatives like meditation and yoga. It's encouraging

to hear that the participant is open to reducing alcohol consumption and acknowledges

that it will take time to make these changes.

Identification of countertransference

Countertransference did occur on the mention of participant’s alcohol consumption.

I was really concerned about the participant when they mentioned their unhealthy

coping habit, I never liked alcohol but there were times when I used to harm myself out
of frustration. I felt empathetic towards the participant’s struggle, and could relate with

what they are going through.

The reason could be I personally don’t approve of consuming alcohol. I’ve been told it’s

harmful to health in many ways since childhood. I’ve seen people completely destroying

their life because of substance abuse and it’s addiction. Plus, it’s heartbreaking to see a

young student with potential wasting his life like this. Overcoming such situations is not

easy but alcohol will just make it more difficult. It’ll drown him and he would never be

able to reach the shore.

Personal reflection

As an interviewer, hearing the participant's struggles with academic performance and

stress caused by lifestyle changes and peer influences is concerning. It's clear that

they're facing significant challenges and may be using alcohol as a way to cope, which

is worrying.

Reflecting on the session, I realize the importance of providing a supportive and non-

judgmental space for the participant to express their concerns. It's essential to validate

their feelings and acknowledge the difficulty of their situation while gently guiding them

towards healthier coping mechanisms.

I'm encouraged by the participant's willingness to acknowledge their reliance on alcohol

and their openness to exploring alternative ways to manage stress, such as meditation

and yoga. It's a positive step forward, and I'll continue to encourage and support them

on their journey towards better mental and emotional well-being.

Moving forward, I'll emphasize the importance of self-care and seeking support from

friends or professionals when needed. I'll also continue to explore with the participant

any underlying issues contributing to their stress and academic performance, helping

them develop strategies to address these challenges effectively.

References

Gerald Corey (2009): Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. Publisher:

Thompson Brooks.

Jeffrey A. Kottler & David S. Shepard (2008): Introduction to Counseling: Voices from

the Field. Publisher: Thompson Brooks.

Mearns, D. & Thorne, B. (1998): Person-Centered Counselling in Action. Sage

Publications