Listening responses can be a huge asset to a family or parent that is trying to get loved one of child into a drug treatment center. The disease of addiction has a way of severely limiting the communication skills of the addict. Whenever addiction takes over their life is when many life skills cease to develop. Listening responses are the back bone for other strategies. There are essentially three different aspects to basic listening. Receiving the message, processing the message, returning the message to the addict. During conversation with the addict it is important to keep four things in mind pertaining to how you listen. 1. Maintain good eye contact and maintaining a empathetic look.
2. Clarify what has been communicated to you as you heard it. Messages can often times be misinterpreted.
3. Restate or paraphrase in a manner that does not seem condescending.
4. Reflection at the end of the conversation can be a good way for both parties to establish what has been communicated and understand where each person is coming from. This aspect of listening is very important in a therapeutic setting in drug treatment. Therapists need to be able to establish a strong relationship with each client and be able to communicate empathy and respect, especially during drug treatment.
