Table of Contents
What is eye contact in Counselling?
a direct look exchanged between two people who are interacting. Maintaining eye contact is considered essential to communication between therapist and client during face-to-face interviews.
Are you missing your clients signals?
Many therapists need to pay more attention to the nonverbal expressive music of the clients’ voices, rather than the content of what they’re saying. If a therapist looks aside while clients are talking, it can be easier to notice tonal and tempo shifts.
How do you maintain eye contact with audience?
Tips for Making Eye Contact
- Establish eye contact at the start. Make eye contact before you start talking to someone.
- Use the 50/70 rule. Maintain eye contact 50\% of the time when speaking and 70\% when listening.
- Look for 4–5 seconds.
- Look away slowly.
- Use the triangle technique.
- Make a gesture.
- Look near the eyes.
Why won’t my client make eye contact with Me?
If this occurs then one would expect that the client would be able to increase the amount of eye contact they establish with their therapist. Many therapists assume that lack of eye contact with some clients may indicate that they may have Autism (or are somewhere on the spectrum). This may or may not be the case for you.
Should therapists make eye contact?
Most therapists are not trained or given guidelines about when eye contact should be made, how eye contact is made and what is considered to be “normal” eye contact within the therapeutic context. Despite this, psychological theory and clinical practice suggests that a client that avoids eye contact has some sort of problem or issue.
How do you establish eye contact in a conversation?
Establish eye contact at the start. Make eye contact before you start talking to someone. Use the 50/70 rule. Maintain eye contact 50\% of the time when speaking and 70\% when listening.
How long should you hold eye contact when talking to someone?
Below are some additional tips: Use the 50/70 rule: maintain eye contact 50\% of the time when speaking and 70\% when listening. Hold eye contact for about 4 to 5 seconds at a time, or about as much time as it takes you to register the color of their eyes. When you look away, do it slowly.