Module PPC-4003:
Counselling Skills

Module Facts

Run by School of Human and Behavioural Sciences

10.000 Credits or 5.000 ECTS Credits

Semester 1

Organiser: Prof Fay Short

Overall aims and purpose

This module will provide you with an opportunity to develop your counselling skills for in-person therapy and remote therapy.

At the most fundamental level, counselling is about using your therapeutic skills to help your client find their own path on their journey through life. This means being a real person who is present, genuine, and honest with your client. It means forming and developing a relationship with your client, which is warm, engaging, and inspiring while still being professional, work-focused, and boundaried. Most importantly, it means being able to give your client a safe yet challenging space in which they can explore their issues. This module will provide training on the key skills involved in counselling and give you an opportunity to try out these skills in a safe practice environment.

You will learn about the keys to effective communication and begin to integrate these skills to work with the client in the room. You will then learn how to modify these skills to work with clients online or on the telephone. For both in-person and remote therapy, you will reflect on your own skill development against a list of counselling competencies.

Alongside lectures to help you understand the key counselling skills, you will also apply these skills in practice. You will work in small groups to run mock-counselling sessions: one speaker will share their thoughts in the role of client, one listener will demonstrate skills in the role of counsellor, and remaining observers will provide feedback on skills. This important activity gives you a valuable opportunity to practice your counselling skills before working with real clients, and the development of these skills is an essential part of your development as a counsellor.

Course content

Topics covered in this module include: • Group Roles (Managing Roles) • Conflict (Managing Conflict) • Performance Anxiety (Managing Anxiety) • Reflective Writing Skills (Counselling Skills Sessions) • In-Person Therapy: Communication Keys (Opening and Closing Therapy Sessions) • In-Person Therapy: Other Focus and Attendance Indicators (Evidencing Attention in Therapy) • In-Person Therapy: Confirming Understanding and Considered Questions (Questions in Therapy) • In-Person Therapy: Sensitive Challenges and Selective Self-Disclosure (Self as the Therapist) • In-Person Therapy: Non-Judgmental Approach and Maintaining Boundaries (Boundary Breaches in Therapy) • In-Person Therapy: Signposting and Informing and Modelling (Beginnings and Endings in Therapeutic Relationships) • Remote Therapy: Introduction, Risks, Contracts, Confidentiality, Culture, Boundaries, Communication Skills, Support, and Self-Care • Remote Therapy (Competencies) • Therapeutic Contracting and Record Keeping (Self in the Therapeutic Relationship) Please note that these topics are subject to change dependent on staff availability and the assessed needs of the students

Assessment Criteria

excellent

• Honest and insightful reflection resulting in positive development of counselling skills (safe practice) • Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of counselling skills • Detailed understanding with no factual errors • Critical analysis showing evaluation and synthesis of ideas • Originality in approach, interpretation, and/or voice • Extensive independent research • Logically defended arguments with evidence for all claims • Highly focused and well structured • Excellent presentation with accurate and appropriate expression • Correct format in appropriate referencing style

good

• Honest and considered reflection resulting in positive development of counselling skills (safe practice) • Strong knowledge of counselling skills • Clear understanding and mostly free of factual errors • Some analysis showing critical evaluation and links between ideas • Some originality in approach, interpretation, and/or voice • Some independent research • Coherent arguments with evidence for most claims • Focused and well structured • Good presentation with accurate and appropriate expression • Mostly correct format in appropriate referencing style

threshold

• Honest reflection resulting in some positive development of counselling skills (safe practice) • Some knowledge of counselling skills • Understanding of the main concepts, but with factual errors in non-core concepts • Limited analysis showing only obvious points of evaluation and links between ideas • Highly limited originality in approach, interpretation, and/or voice • Highly limited evidence of independent research • Arguments presented but lack coherence with evidence for only some claims • Focused but with some irrelevant material and weaknesses in structure • Acceptable presentation with appropriate expression • Attempt at correct format in appropriate referencing style

Learning outcomes

  1. Metacognitively reflect on own role and manage interactions within a group

  2. Synthesise and apply interpersonal and communication skills in an in-person and remote counselling setting

  3. Analyse own counselling skills with honest critique and insight into the generation of reflective professional development action plans

Assessment Methods

Type Name Description Weight
Professional Competencies 50.00
Reflective Journal 50.00

Teaching and Learning Strategy

Hours
Lecture

Your lectures will focus on the core theories and concepts for each of the topics in the curriculum content. Training for in-person therapy will utilise live in-person lectures, whereas training for remote therapy will utilise recorded online lectures.

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Practical classes and workshops

Your practical workshops will give you an opportunity to practice and develop your counselling skills: one person will be the client, one person will be the counsellor, and remaining observers will provide feedback on skills. Training for in-person therapy will utilise live in-person workshops, whereas training for remote therapy will utilise live online workshops via videocall.

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Private study 50

Transferable skills

  • Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of media
  • Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner. To examine the outcomes of tasks and events, and judge levels of quality and importance
  • Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives
  • Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitevely with others
  • Safety-Consciousness - Having an awareness of your immediate environment, and confidence in adhering to health and safety regulations
  • Presentation - Able to clearly present information and explanations to an audience. Through the written or oral mode of communication accurately and concisely.
  • Teamwork - Able to constructively cooperate with others on a common task, and/or be part of a day-to-day working team
  • Mentoring - Able to support, help, guide, inspire and/or coach others
  • Caring - Showing concern for others; caring for children, people with disabilities and/or the elderly
  • Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of your own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives. Able to regularly review, evaluate and reflect upon the performance of yourself and others

Subject specific skills

  • Communicate psychological concepts effectively in oral form.
  • Retrieve and organise information effectively.
  • Handle primary source material critically.
  • Engage in effective teamwork for the purpose of collaborating on psychological projects.
  • Be sensitive and react appropriately to contextual and interpersonal psychological factors.
  • Use effectively personal planning and project management skills.
  • Work effectively under pressure (time pressure, limited resources, etc) as independent and pragmatic learners.
  • Problem-solve by clarifying questions, considering alternative solutions, making critical judgements, and evaluating outcomes.
  • Be aware of ethical principles and approval procedures.

Resources

Talis Reading list

http://readinglists.bangor.ac.uk/modules/ppc-4003.html

Reading list

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. (2016). Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions. Leicestershire, UK: BACP. Egan, G. (1994). The skilled helper. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. Ellis, A. (2016). How to control your anxiety before it controls you. NY, US: Kensington Publishing Corp. Short, F. E., & Thomas, P. (2014). Core approaches in counselling and psychotherapy. UK: Routledge. Stedmon, J. & Dallos, R. (2009). Reflective practice in counselling and psychotherapy. Berkshire, UK: Open University Press. Sutton, J., & Stewart, W. (2008) Learning to counsel. Oxford, UK: How To Books Ltd.

Pre- and Co-requisite Modules

Courses including this module

Compulsory in courses: