COUNSELING SOMEONE WITH SEVERE APHASIA - AN EXPLORATIVE CASE-STUDY

Purpose: To explore a counselling approach for a client, H.N., with a severe aphasia. Method: The principles of Personal Construct Therapy w ere used. Therapy (six sessions) was started and finished by H.N. prod ucing a repertory grid. Sessions were patient-led but the information from the repertory grids was used to help facilitate the process. Each session was video taped. Results: Analysis of therapy sessions reveal ed H.N. was following a pattern, if erratic. He used good conversation al strategies to control the less structured sessions. The therapist N as dominant when the repertory grids were produced. Statistical analys is of the repertory grids was mainly nonsignificant but there was a sh ift for the final grid to a greater variety of and more positive respo nses. General improvement in comprehension was also noted. Conclusion: A 'counselling' approach with someone with severe aphasia is possible . Using a repertory grid was a useful tool for understanding H.N. bett er. it seemed to initiate H.N. to discuss things of importance. The ch anges seen in him could have been due to an improvement in confidence as a communicator. This study has implications for how we can enable p eople with limited language to adapt to their situations.