Course Title: Facilitate the counselling relationship

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term1 2016

Course Code: HWSS6027C

Course Title: Facilitate the counselling relationship

School: 365T Global, Urban and Social Studies

Campus: City Campus

Program: C5334 - Diploma of Community Services (Financial counselling)

Course Contact: Jo Wallwork

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 3983

Course Contact Email: mary-josephine.wallwork@rmit.edu.au


Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Nominal Hours: 120

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

None.

Course Description

 

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to develop a structured approach to counselling using advanced and specialised communication skills.  The counselling skills developed within this cluster will be considered in a financial counselling context.

This course addresses four (4) units of competency:

  • Work within a structured counselling framework CHCCSL501A
  • Apply specialist interpersonal and counselling interview skills CHCCSL502A
  • Facilitate the counselling relationship  CHCCSL503B
  • Support counselling clients in decision-making processes CHCCSL507B

These four units are delivered and assessed together.


National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:

CHCCSL503B Facilitate the counselling relationship

Element:

E1. Enable clients to identify concerns

1.1 Enable clients to express their concerns freely
1.2 Explore presenting issues of clients in order to establish their nature and depth, and give attention to the possibility of underlying issues
1.3 Identify situations requiring immediate action and deal with promptly
1.4 Enable clients to identify their primary concerns in relation to the presenting issues
1.5 Enable clients to prioritise concerns to work on
1.6 Assist clients to become aware of underlying issues where appropriate
1.7 Identify and respond appropriately to strong emotional reactions
1.8 Identify indicators of client issues requiring referral and report or refer appropriately, in line with organisation requirements
 

Performance Criteria:

 

1.1       Enable clients to express their concerns freely

1.2       Explore presenting issues of clients in order to establish their nature and depth, and give attention to the possibility of underlying issues

1.3       Identify situations requiring immediate action and deal with promptly

1.4       Enable clients to identify their primary concerns in relation to the presenting issues

1.5       Enable clients to prioritise concerns to work on

1.6       Assist clients to become aware of underlying issues where appropriate

1.7       Identify and respond appropriately to strong emotional reactions

1.8  Identify indicators of client issues requiring referral and report or refer appropriately, in line with organisation requirements

Element:

E2. Enable clients to work through concerns

2.1 Identify and work with uncertainty and ambivalence of clients
2.2 Support clients to experience and process difficulties
2.3 Draw attention to and discuss parallels and links in clients' experience as appropriate
2.4 Ensure that interventions have meaning for the immediate situation of the client
2.5 Reflect on and consider interventions that are most likely to facilitate client understanding and actions
2.6 Enable clients to identify and use known and previously unknown strengths
2.7 Explore perceptions of clients' feelings by reflecting back, clarification and review with clients
2.8 Assist clients to become aware of underlying issues where appropriate and begin to identify ways of dealing with them
2.9 Acknowledge and work with changes in client's life as appropriate
 

Performance Criteria:

2.1       Identify and work with uncertainty and ambivalence of clients

2.2       Support clients to experience and process difficulties

2.3       Draw attention to and discuss parallels and links in clients' experience as appropriate

2.4       Ensure that interventions have meaning for the immediate situation of the client

2.5       Reflect on and consider interventions that are most likely to facilitate client understanding and actions

2.6       Enable clients to identify and use known and previously unknown strengths

2.7       Explore perceptions of clients' feelings by reflecting back, clarification and review with clients

2.8       Assist clients to become aware of underlying issues where appropriate and begin to identify ways of dealing with them

2.9  Acknowledge and work with changes in client's life as appropriate 

Element:

E3. Monitor the counselling process

3.1 Monitor and review the counselling process with clients to ensure it remains of value
3.2 Work on threats and disruptions to the counselling process with clients
3.3 Review and compare individual perceptions and client's perceptions of the process
3.4 Work on any tension between clients' hopes and expectations and the reality of resource limitations
3.5 Facilitate change at a pace the client can tolerate and assimilate
3.6 Assess the appropriateness of ending the current counselling
3.7 Acknowledge, value and work with individual uncertainty in the counselling relationship
3.8 Apply ethical codes of conduct as required in addressing counselling dilemmas

 

Performance Criteria:

3.1       Monitor and review the counselling process with clients to ensure it remains of value

3.2       Work on threats and disruptions to the counselling process with clients

3.3       Review and compare individual perceptions and client's perceptions of the process

3.4       Work on any tension between clients' hopes and expectations and the reality of resource limitations

3.5       Facilitate change at a pace the client can tolerate and assimilate

3.6       Assess the appropriateness of ending the current counselling

3.7       Acknowledge, value and work with individual uncertainty in the counselling relationship

3.8  Apply ethical codes of conduct as required in addressing counselling dilemmas

Element:

E4. Bring the counselling process to an end

4.1 Enable clients to identify when the process is approaching its conclusion
4.2 Enable clients to identify, acknowledge and evaluate what is and is not changing, both in the counselling process and in their situation and understanding
4.3 Utilise the ending process to enable clients to understand the nature and impact of earlier issues
4.4 Utilise boundaries of the counselling relationship to assist the ending process
4.5 Plan, structure and contract endings appropriately with clients
4.6 Support clients' sense of autonomy during the ending process
4.7 Inform clients about any opportunities for further support
4.8 Identify unresolved issues and discuss further work if appropriate
4.9 Complete appropriate documentation in line with organisation requirements
 

Performance Criteria:

4.1       Enable clients to identify when the process is approaching its conclusion

4.2       Enable clients to identify, acknowledge and evaluate what is and is not changing, both in the counselling process and in their situation and understanding

4.3       Utilise the ending process to enable clients to understand the nature and impact of earlier issues

4.4       Utilise boundaries of the counselling relationship to assist the ending process

4.5       Plan, structure and contract endings appropriately with clients

4.6       Support clients' sense of autonomy during the ending process

4.7       Inform clients about any opportunities for further support

4.8       Identify unresolved issues and discuss further work if appropriate

4.9  Complete appropriate documentation in line with organisation requirements

Learning Outcomes


 

On successful completion of this course you will have developed and applied the skills and knowledge required to demonstrate competency in the above elements. By applying these skills and this knowledge, you will be able to use specialised communication skills within a counselling process.  You will be able to use a structured approach to establish the counselling process; work with clients to clarify goals, options, and courses of action; and manage the counselling process to its conclusion.


Details of Learning Activities

 

In-class activities: 

  • Teacher directed group activities/projects
  • Peer teaching
  • Group discussion
  • Analysis/critique of work
  • Industry speakers
  • Class exercises to review discussions/lectures

Out-of-class activities: 

  • Independent project based work
  • Online and other research
  • Independent study


Teaching Schedule

 

Please note: While your teacher will cover all the material in this schedule, the weekly order is subject to change depending on class needs and availability of speakers and resources.

Week

Content

Assessment due

Units of competency addressed

1

 
  • Introduction to the course structure and assessment
  • Introduction and overview of counselling
  • Introduction to counselling relationship
  • Ethics
  • Boundaries
  • Values & Beliefs
  • Self-care
  • Barriers
  • Listening skills
  • Paraphrasing
  • Reflection of practice
  • Role Play Activities – Active listening

Assessment 1 Due: 24 March 2016

(in class activity)

CHCCSL001

E1. E2. E3.

2

 
  • Stages of counselling
  • Open Communication
  • Working with clients
  • Working as a financial counsellor and the role of counselling with the clients
  • Rapport building
  • Supporting the client’s
  • Working with the client’s concerns and expectations
  • Empathy and its place as a FC 
  • Assessment 1- Role Play  (in class activity)

Assessment 2

Due 13 April 2016

CHCCSL001

E1. E2. E3.

3
  • Understanding open and closed question
  • Working with client strength (strengths-based approach)
  • Opening barriers
  • Using effective communication
  • Open and close questions 
  • Reading Non-Verbal cues
  • Role Play in class
  • Reflective practice

 

CHCCSL002

E1. E2. E3.

4
  • Working as a financial counsellor and the role of counselling with the clients
  • Listen to client story
  • Understand sequence as a financial counselling
  • Working with the client’s emotions
  • Working in financial counselling - own values and beliefs
  • Professional Development for the financial counsellor – role of FCRC
  • Role Play in class

 

CHCCSL002

E1. E2. E3.

5
  • Client concerns  – your role
  • Active listening
  • Open questions
  • Closed questions
  • Body languages
  • Linking their concerns to financial counselling  
  • Reflecting back  on client concerns
  • Monitoring where the client is at
  • Working through the counselling and financial counselling process
  • Supporting the client’s with an action plan
  • Role Play in class
  • Self-care 

Assessment 3

Due 9 August 2016

CHCCSL003

E1. E2. E3. E4.

6
  • Code of conduct – Financial Counselling
  • Acknowledgement of client’s story
  • Your role as a financial counsellor
  • Being able to identify all issues and work with the client 
  • Reporting to your agency
  • Case Management
  • End the counselling session and give an outcome to the client
  • Role Plays in class
  • Self-Care

 

CHCCSL003

E1. E2. E3. E4.

7
  • Confidentiality
  • The role of case-management
  • Working with the client’s aims and goals
  • Working through the client’s strengths
  • Role Plays in class
  • Self-Care

Assessment 4

Due 1 November 2016

CHCCSL007

E1. E2. E3.

8
  • Working thought the counselling process with the client
  • Working on empowering the client
  • Being solution-focused
  • Working on alternatives with the client
  • Referrals when needed
  • Understanding how to end an interview
  • Role plays in class
  • Self care

 

CHCCSL007

E1. E2. E3.

9
  • Overview of all counselling units
  • Self care

 

CHCCSL001 CHCCSL002 CHCCSL003 CHCCSL007

 


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts


References


Other Resources


Overview of Assessment

 

Your knowledge and understanding of course content is assessed through:

  • Practical demonstration of skills
  • Case study scenarios
  • Written assignments/questions


Assessment Tasks

 

Assessment Task 1: Case Study and questions; Role Play (group)

Due date: 13 April 2016

Assessment Task 2: Case Study and questions; Role Play (group); Written responses

Due date: 4 July 2016

Assessment Task 3:Case Studies and questions; Role Play (group); Written responses

Due date: 9 August 2016

Assessment Task4:Case Studies and questions; Role Play (group); Written responses

Due date: 1 November 2016


Assessment Matrix

 

The assessment matrix demonstrates alignment of assessment tasks with the relevant unit of competency. These matrices are available through Program Administration.

Other Information

 

Please refer to the RMIT student page for extensive information about study support, assessment, extensions, appeals and a range of other matters: http://www1.rmit.edu.au/students

Course Overview: Access Course Overview