Course Title: Apply specialist interpersonal and counselling interview skills

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term1 2021

Course Code: HWSS6120C

Course Title: Apply specialist interpersonal and counselling interview skills

School: 375T Vocational Design and Social Context

Campus: City Campus

Program: C5360 - Diploma of 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: 60

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 course describes the skills and knowledge required to support clients to identify and work through their concerns using advanced and specialised communication skills.

The counselling skills developed within this course will be considered in a financial counselling context.

This course is clustered with one other course:

  • Establish and confirm the counselling relationship CHCCSL001

These two courses are delivered and assessed together. 


National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:

CHCCSL002 Apply specialist interpersonal and counselling interview skills

Element:

E1. Communicate effectively

Performance Criteria:

1.1 Identify communication barriers and use strategies to overcome these barriers in the client-counsellor relationship

1.2 Facilitate the client-counsellor relationship through selection and use of micro skills

1.3 Integrate the principles of effective communication into work practices

1.4 Observe and respond to non-verbal communication cues

1.5 Consider and respond to the impacts of different communication techniques on the client-counsellor relationship in the context of individual clients

1.6 Integrate case note taking with minimum distraction

Element:

E2. Use specialised counselling interviewing skills

Performance Criteria:

2.1 Select and use communication skills according to the sequence of a counselling interview

2.2 Identify points at which specialised counselling interviewing skills are appropriate for inclusion

2.3 Use specialised counselling communication techniques based on their impacts and potential to enhance client development and growth

2.4 Identify and respond appropriately to strong client emotional reactions

Element:

E3. Evaluate own communication

Performance Criteria:

3.1 Reflect on and evaluate own communication with clients

3.2 Recognise the effect of own values and beliefs on communication with clients

3.3 Identify and respond to the need for development of own skills and knowledge


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.  


Details of Learning Activities

In-class (campus-based and online classroom) activities:

  • teacher directed group activities/projects
  • peer teaching
  • group discussion
  • class activities to review discussions/lectures
  • role play activities

 

Out-of-class activities:

  • independent project-based work online and other research
  • independent study


Teaching Schedule

1

 

Introduction to unit

The counselling process,

What clients have a right to expect

Principles of person-centred practice

Purpose of counselling

How counselling has evolved as a helping relationship

Place of counselling within the helping services

Scope and nature of the counselling relationship, including professional limitations

Impact of own values on the counselling relationship

 

What is a structured approach to counselling?

What are the objectives in the initial counselling session?

Client needs and expectations in the initial session

Consider the types of issues with which clients may present, the extent to which these fall within the counselling scope of practice, and options for referral, including for:

  • alcohol and other drugs
  • domestic and family violence
  • financial difficulty
  • homelessness
  • mental illness    
  • problem gambling

 

2

 

Setting up the counselling session:

  • Analysing existing client information prior to commencing session
  • Using the initial session to gather additional client information
  • How this additional information is foundation for the counselling process

Communication techniques to support the initial counselling session objectives including:

  • effective use of body language
  • paraphrasing
  • reflecting feelings
  • open and closed questioning or probing
  • summarising
  • reframing 

 

3

 

What information you will provide to the client to assist their understanding of the counselling service on offer

Clarify, confirm or modify client expectations of the counselling service (consider this in relation to what perception of the counselling service the client may have)

Safety or reporting issues

Recording of client’s own identified priorities

Identify client anxieties about the counselling process and explore with clients.

Acknowledge and show respect for client’s immediate concerns.  

Identify indicators of client issues beyond scope of own role and report or refer according to presenting issue and organisation requirements

 

4

 

Explore options and approaches for the relationship with clients according to the client’s need

Working collaboratively with the client to agree priorities and develop a plan for counselling

Make documented agreement with the client that addresses disclosure and organisation requirements. Legal and ethical considerations for the initial stages of counselling, and how these are applied in individual practice:

  • codes of conduct/practice
  • contract requirements, formats for contracts and key information for inclusion in a counselling contract

Integrate case note taking with minimum distraction

 

 

5

 

Work role boundaries – responsibilities and limitations of the counsellor role

Consider the counsellor’s role in terms of

  • duty of care 
  • human rights 
  • mandatory reporting 
  • practitioner/client boundaries 
  • privacy, confidentiality and disclosure
  • records management
  • rights and responsibilities of workers, employers and clients

6

 

Specialist interpersonal and counselling interview skills

Identifying communication barriers and using strategies to overcome these barriers in the client-counsellor relationship

Selecting and using communication micro skills and when to use them in the counselling interview

Identify points at which specialised counselling interviewing skills are appropriate for inclusion

Use specialised counselling communication techniques based on their impacts and potential to enhance client development and growth

Observe and respond to non-verbal communication cues

Identify and respond appropriately to strong client emotional reactions

Consider and respond to the impacts of different communication techniques on the client-counsellor relationship in the context of individual clients

 

7

 

Reflect on and evaluate own communication with clients – why would you do this and how would you do this?

Recognise the effect of own values and beliefs on communication with clients

Identify and respond to the need for development of own skills and knowledge

 


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts


References


Other Resources


Overview of Assessment

Your knowledge and understanding of course content is assessed through:

  • Practical demonstration of skills responding to a work place scenario
  • Knowledge questions


Assessment Tasks

This course is assessed in accordance with competency-based assessment.

To demonstrate competency in this course you will need to complete the following assessment tasks to a satisfactory standard. You will receive feedback from the teacher when you have completed the assessment tasks. You should refer to the assessment plan which is available on Canvas for details of each assessment task and for detailed assessment criteria.

Assessments for this cluster:

  • Assessment task 1: Role Play
  • Assessment task 2: Role Play
  • Assessment task 3: Knowledge questions


Assessment Matrix

The assessment matrix demonstrates alignment of assessment tasks with the relevant unit of competency. These matrices are available with the assessment tasks on Canvas.

Other Information

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

Course Overview: Access Course Overview