Unit information: Practical Counselling Skills 2 in 2014/15

Unit name	Practical Counselling Skills 2
Unit code	EDUCM5194
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Dr. Jenny Knibb
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	Practical counselling skills 1
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Education
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

This unit builds on Practical Counselling Skills 1. It is designed to teach more advanced counselling skills, informed by narrative theory and practices, and consider their application to commonly raised problems in educational settings. Participants will be given opportunities to develop their capacity for assessing and monitoring their own delivery of counselling and their appropriateness to the client's needs. Core principles and practices associated with narrative therapy will be taught as the basis for advanced counselling skills.

To enable students to:

• extend their range of counselling skills that are intrinsic to the effective support of their students in their academic, emotional and social learning

• deepen understanding of the role of the use of counselling skills in educational contexts

• acquire additional counselling skills particularly in relation to narrative theory and practice

• demonstrate adequate competence in core counselling skills

• develop a capacity to evaluate and monitor the appropriateness of their use of counselling skills within specific helping relationships.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to :

• demonstrate a critical awareness of their own use of counselling skills when supporting students in a range of educational contexts

• demonstrate knowledge of appropriate counselling skills to support the academic, emotional and social learning of pupils and students

• use a critical frame work to assess the suitability of their counselling skills.

• use selected advanced counselling skills appropriately

• explain the selection of specific skills and evaluate their application

• identify the ethical limits of the use of advanced counselling skills

• demonstrate competence in assessed practice sessions.

Teaching Information

The focus of this unit is on learning by observation, experience and evaluative reflection. The methods of teaching will be very practical and will include experiential activities, small and larger group discussion as well as tutor-led demonstrations and input in order to identify, practise and receive constructive feedback on a range of advanced counselling skills and interventions.

The needs of a wide range of students, including those with disabilities, international students and those from ethnic minority backgrounds have been considered. It is not anticipated that the teaching and assessment methods used will cause disadvantage to any person taking the unit. The Graduate School of Education is happy to address individual support requests as necessary.

Assessment Information

Students will be assessed by means of a videotape demonstrating their ability to use and critique a range of identified counselling skills. The videotape will be accompanied by a critical commentary of 2,500 words. Student will be expected to show greater sophistication in their understanding and practice than is required for Practical Counselling Skills 1.

Reading and References

• Aldridge, S. & Rigby, S. (eds.) (2001) Counselling Skills in Context. London, Hodder & Stoughton

• Culley, S. & Bond, T. (2nd ed.) (2004) Integrative Counselling Skills in Action. London, Sage

• McLeod, J. (2007) Counselling Skill. Buckingham, Open University Press

• Morgan, A. (2000) What is Narrative Therapy? Adelaide, Dulwich Centre

• Payne, M. (2nd ed.) (2006) Narrative Therapy: an introduction for counsellors. London Sage

• Russell, S. & Carey, M. (2004) Narrative Therapy: responding to your questions. Adelaide, Dulwich Centre