Draw Topic & Writing Ideas From This Essay On Persuasive Interviewing

The similarities between persuasive business techniques and counseling interviewing techniques seem to be very few, but they do exist. For starters, one must look at the primary function of counseling. One of the primary tenets is that the client must believe that they are capable, empowered and able to change. Oftentimes, this requires more than encouragement by the counselor to make this happen. In essence, we are selling to their client the belief structures that are socially appropriate for them to possess,and the emotional tools that they need to cope with their life situation. Also, salesmen will also use visualization techniques to get a customer to purchase whatever it is they are selling -a new car, a bigger tv, a recreational vehicle. They will talk about possible positive outcomes to get the customer to purchase. Counselors employ similar techniques to convince clients that their life could be better if they changed. We ask them magic “what if” questions to get them to start thinking about what opportunities exist for them outside their circumstances. (Harts, 2013)
In Each setting, there are ethical considerations. For the salesman, the considerations are much less life-altering. The salesman has an obligation not to try to persuade a family to purchase something he knows they cannot afford, or an item that will cause them distress or is unsafe. Counselors who thinking of themselves as salesmen must be careful that they are not imposing their own belief structure onto the client. There is a fine line between selling the client empowerment and selling them an entire ideology that aligns directly with what the counselor thinks is right and wrong. The ethical considerations of the counselor are potentially more life altering than those of the salesmen, all though the salesmens techniques can be equally dangers in the short term.
Hart, C. L., Ray, O., & Ksir, C. (2013). Drugs, society & human behavior (16th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Sobrell. (2008). Motivational Interviewing Strategies and Techniques: Rationales and Examples. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
Willshire, D., & Brodsky, S. L. (2001). Toward a taxonomy of unwillingness: Initial steps in engaging the unwilling client. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law,8(2), 154-160. doi:10.1080/13218710109525015