GEN PRAC 5005HO - Counselling Skills 1

Teaching Hospitals - Semester 1 - 2014

Counselling Skills 1 introduces students to the fundamental elements of counselling and psychotherapy. Purposes and goals of the counselling process will be presented with an emphasis on the stages of the counselling process for both the client and the counsellor. Development of the therapeutic relationship is covered in relation to specific skills such as: active listening, empathy and reflection of feeling and content. A core component of this subject will be the implementation and practice of the specific skills taught. Students will be given maximum opportunity to develop these skills in a safe and supportive learning environment.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code GEN PRAC 5005HO
    Course Counselling Skills 1
    Coordinating Unit General Practice
    Term Semester 1
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s Teaching Hospitals
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 2 hours per week
    Course Description Counselling Skills 1 introduces students to the fundamental elements of counselling and psychotherapy. Purposes and goals of the counselling process will be presented with an emphasis on the stages of the counselling process for both the client and the counsellor.
    Development of the therapeutic relationship is covered in relation to specific skills such as: active listening, empathy and reflection of feeling and content.
    A core component of this subject will be the implementation and practice of the specific skills taught. Students will be given maximum opportunity to develop these skills in a safe and supportive learning environment.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Mary Sutherland

    Course Coordinator: Dr Greg Smith
    Phone: +61 8313 0148
    Email: gregory.smith@adelaide.edu.au
    Location: Level 11, 178 North Terrace

    Learning and Teaching Team
    Phone: +61 8313 2128
    Email: postgrad_enq@adelaide.edu.au
    Location: Level 11, 178 North Terrace
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1 Demonstrate an understanding of Carkhuff's Three Phase Model of Counselling;
    2 Aquire knowledge of, and competence in, the pre-helping skills;
    3 Produce a series of accurate emphathic responses to client statements;
    4 Discriminate and rate the different levels of effective and ineffective responses accurately, and discern unhelpful/inappropriate counselling behaviours;
    5 Manage a genuine client issue and provide a series of effective responses (in accordance with the criteria to be detailed in class);
    6 Demonstrate the ability to critique and rate one’s own counselling responses and set goals for improvement.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. 1-6
    The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 1-4
    An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 2-6
    Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 2, 3, 5, 6
    A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies. 1, 2, 4
    A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 1-6
    An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 1-6
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources

    Kranz, D.,& Sanders, V. (2006).A compendium of Roadworthy skills for counsellors and other helpers. Adelaide, SA: Quest Partners.

    This text has been ordered and will be available from mid-February at Unibooks which is at the Victoria Drive end of the Main Campus at the University of Adelaide.

    Recommended Resources
    Carkhuff, R. (2009). The art of helping in the 21st Century. (9th ed.). Amherst, MA: Human Resource Development Press, Inc.

    Corey, G. (2009). Theory and practice of counselling and psychotherapy. (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

    Corey, M. S., & Corey, G. (2011). Becoming a helper. (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
    Egan, G. (2009). The skilled helper. (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

    Geldard, D., &Geldard, K. (2009). Basic personal counselling: a training manual for counsellors. (6th ed.). Sydney, NSW: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

    Ivey, A., Ivey, M., &Zalaquett, C. (2012). Essentials of intentional interviewing: Counselling in a multicultural world. (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

    Kottler, J. A., & Shepard, D. S. (2011). Introduction to counseling: Voices from the field. (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

    McLeod, J. (2009). An introduction to counselling. (4th ed.). Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
    Nelson-Jones, R. (2007). Practical counselling and helping skills. (5th ed.). London: Sage Publications.

    Neukrug, E. S. (2011). Counseling theory and practice. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

    Neukrug, E. S. (2012). The world of the counselor: An introduction to the counseling profession. (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

    Rogers, C. (2004). On becoming a person: A therapist’s view of psychotherapy. London: Constable & Robinson Ltd.

    Smaby, M. H., & Maddux, C. D. (2011). Basic and advanced counseling skills: The skilled counselor training model. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
    Online Learning
    3.3.1 MyUni
    All students enrolled in a postgraduate coursework program have access to a Postgraduate Coursework Student Centre on MyUni. This course is available on MyUni at www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/.
    Please check the website regularly as it may contain announcements that are relevant to your study in the course. If you would like the opportunity to network with other students, you can use the Communication features in the site:
    Discussion Board – Users can post discussion items and reply to other posts. Note: If you would like to have a specific Discussion Board Forum created, please send your request to greg.smith@adelaide.edu.au
    Send Email – This feature enables users to send email to fellow students.
    Group Pages – Groups enable Users to collaborate with each other. Groups usually consist of a smaller group of Users in a course or organisation, such as study groups or project groups. From a Group Page, users may send email, exchange files, enter discussion forums or enter collaboration sessions.
    Note: Only members of a particular Group can access the Group communication features (discussion forums, email, etc.). If you would like to have a specific Group Page created, please send your request to greg.smith@adelaide.edu.au. For example, Group Pages can be created to include students living in the same geographical area or students working for the same organisation.
    Please note that you also have access to individual MyUni sites for EACH course you are enrolled in. Please check the sites regularly as they may contain important announcements that are relevant to your study in the course.

    3.3.2 Access Adelaide
    Access Adelaide is the name of the online service that allows you to access and, in some cases, amend your records. It can be found at: https://access.adelaide.edu.au/sa/login.asp.
    You can log into Access Adelaide to view:
    your enrolment details for any term
    your academic results
    your unofficial academic transcript
    your personal details
    the fees, charges and payments on your University account
    your exam schedule
    your graduation eligibility details.
    As a student you can:
    change your address and telephone details (please inform the Discipline as well) change your password
    set a password clue to help you remember your password. 

     
    3.3.3 Student email
    It is important that you set up your student email and check it regularly. Information from your course coordinator and student administration will be sent to you at your University of Adelaide email address. It is your responsibility to check your email. You will need your student number located on your student card to log in. http://webmail.adelaide.edu.au/

    3.3.4 Computers
    Where can I use a computer in the University?
    Computing facilities are provided to students by the University, and there are several suites of computers available, including at the Barr Smith Library and in Hub Central. The University web site has a list of computer labs at:
    http://www.adelaide.edu.au/its/student_support/labs/University of Adelaide

    3.3.5 Internet access
    The University provides a free dial-up service to students without the need for a commercial ISP account. This service is available at the cost of a local call to students residing within Adelaide (please refer to your telecommunications provider for confirmation of call costs). Students residing outside these numbers can dial into the University at STD call rates (www.adelaide.edu.au/its/desktop/dialup/).
    Postgraduate Coursework students will receive a University Funded Quota of 500Mb.
     

  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The aim of this course is to enable students to develop an understanding of the core counselling process, and to acquire the fundamental counselling skills that are essential for any counselling or psychotherapy practice.

    We encourage you to see practice sessions as an ‘experimental laboratory’ where you can try out new behaviours, be relieved of the ‘pressure to be perfect’, be supported by staff and peers, and to offer support to fellow students in learning. In the practice sessions, students are asked to work in practice groups to apply the material covered in lectures.

    Practice activities
    There are two kinds of possible practice activities in this course. These are:
    counselling interviews with three other students—using real material,—where each member takes on a specific role (for detail see ‘roles and tasks’ below);
    pencil and paper activities that are usually conducted in small groups.
    For details of how to undertake both kinds of practice activities, see sections below.

    Counselling interviews
    The skills you will be taught will be practised in the sequence outlined in the counselling process: attending, observing, listening and responding.
    There are three roles that you will undertake as you learn these skills. These are the roles of ‘student-counsellor’, ‘student-client’, and ‘observer’, which you will receive detailed information about at the commencement of the course.

    Adopting the Role of the Student-Counsellor
    This is obviously the primary role that you will need to master in order to develop effective counselling skills, and successfully complete the assessment requirements.
    You will be required to adopt the attending position that will be taught in class and respond with the formula that will also be covered in the training.
    It is important that you suspend your current counselling practice, or if you do not have this, your usual range of interpersonal responses.
    The formula we will be teaching is for learning purposes only. You may choose to adopt it in your own counselling practice but its purpose is to assist you with focussing on the essential elements of responding and thereby liberate you from worrying about how to structure your responses to the student-client. Further, the formula may appear elementary and therefore may be dismissed as too simple or too basic however, you will discover that it is not a straightforward skill to acquire and can take considerable practice to achieve competency.

    Adopting the Role of the Student-Client
    Given that we cannot recruit ‘real clients’ for you to practice your counselling, we require you to adopt this role. It is important to note that this is NOT a role-play and that you will need to identify a few areas of your life that you are willing to explore with a student-counsellor. The purpose of the student-client presenting genuine material is to allow the student-counsellor the challenge of working with real issues AND allow for a sustained delivery of counsellor responses. Please note that presenting non-genuine material is both transparent and uncooperative in a shared learning process.
    In your role as a student-client we request that you present an issue that is manageable for the student-counsellor, that is, neither too complex nor too superficial. Although Counselling Skills 1 is not an opportunity to resolve an issue that is bothering you, we do ask you to begin considering the types of problems that you could comfortably present and that could elicit 5-15 responses from the student-counsellor – a handout will be presented to you in class to help you identify the types of problem areas you may wish to explore.
    Please note that you are required to prepare for this role prior to coming to class and be ready to quickly assume the role of student-client. Your colleagues and lecturers will not appreciate any delay on your behalf as this will waste valuable practice time.
    Finally, as the student-client you will have an opportunity to experience the value of being listened to carefully and empathically, and the benefit of being helped to explore and articulate issues. You will also experience the reality and impact of ineffective responses which will help shape your own counselling practice. It is also important to note that any issue, along with all the classroom activities, will be protected by strict levels of confidentiality by all the participants (including the teaching staff) in the Course.
     
    Adopting the Role of the Observer
    We will be working in groups of three or four (depending on class numbers), which initially will be randomly selected, and you will also have the opportunity to work across a number of groups. The group will rotate the roles of student-counsellor, student-client and observer(s) to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to practice.
    The role of the observer requires you to note the student-counsellor’s behaviours and to record the attending behaviours and counselling responses on a recording sheet that will be given out in class. Please note that feedback should be given sensitively and confined to what actually happened in the counselling activity NOT what you thought of the encounter or how you would have gone about it. Remember it is better to describe what you thought was either helpful or unhelpful practice rather than limit your observations to unhelpful phrases such as ‘that was good’ or ‘that was poor’.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    The teaching methods in this course will employ a range of techniques to allow the integration and understanding of the content presented. Counselling practice sessions and workshop activities will be employed in addition to the traditional methods of communicating information. Further, it is expected that by creating an environment that promotes the practice of individual responsibility as essential for students in managing their own and others learning, it will also complement the expectations that current counselling agencies adopt.

    Counselling Skills 1 commences with a two, full day, intensive workshop and is followed up with three, 3 hour practice workshops. Because this course is conducted as a series of workshops it is essential that you meet the 100% attendance requirement of this course. Please also note that because the first two days of Counselling Skills 1 occur on a Friday and Saturday in early March, you need to factor this in when making bookings etc for all of the possible social events that occur in Adelaide at that time of the year. For example, having pre-purchased tickets for WOMADELAIDE or Clipsal will not be an acceptable reason to not attend this course.

    Finally, it is assumed that all students are of a mature age, professionally educated and motivated to adopt the responsibilities associated with post-graduate study. Therefore, a level of intellectual effort (including a minimum of 10 hours of private study time outside of formal class time per week), and a level of commitment and participation in class activities, is expected.
    Learning Activities Summary
    Week Topic Lecture
    Intensive Workshop Day 1 Overview of Course Course learning outcomes; assessment;
    Establishing norms.
    Clarifying Roles of Student-Counsellor;
    Student-Client & Observer.
    Intensive Workshop Day 1 Theoretical Orientation 3 Phase Model of Helping:
    Exploration and Responding; Self Understanding
    & Personalising; Initiate & Action.
    Intensive Workshop Day 1 Pre-helping Skills  Creating a Suitable Counselling Environment. Optimal Attending & Observing Skills.
    Intensive Workshop Day 1 Listening and Responding Understanding & Demonstrating Empathy.
    Formulating Empathic Responses.
    Intensive Workshop Day 2 Listening and Responding Responding to Meaning: Externalised
    Responses.
    Intensive Workshop Day 2 Discriminating between Effective and Ineffective Responses How to Rate Counsellor Responses.
    Intensive Workshop Day 2 Developing Counselling Skills Skills Practice in Groups of Four.
    Intensive Workshop Day 2 Developing Counselling Skills Skills Practice in Groups of Four:
    Group Practice:
    Self Refectivce Exercise;
    Review Assignment 1.
    Follow-up Workshop 1 Developing Counselling Skills Advanced Empathy;
    Skills Practice;
    Review Assignment 2.
    Follow-up Workshop 2 Developing Counselling Skills Person-centred Therapy: Current Applications in Counselling Agencies Skills Practice
    Follow-up Workshop 3 Developing Counselling Skills Bringing it All Together.
    Assessment 1 Feedback & Assessment 2.
    Where To From Here: Counselling Skills 2.
    Closure.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Assessment Type Weighting Learning Outcome(s) being addressed
    Class Participation Due: Ongoing Summative 10% 1-6
    Written Assignment Due: 24 March 2014 Summative 30% 1-4
    Skills Application Due: 9 May 2014 Summative 60% 1, 3, 4, 5, 6
    Assessment Detail
    Class Participation

    In accordance with both university policy and the group norms identified in class.

    Due: Ongoing

    Written Assignment

    Completion of a take home assignment booklet, which will cover all the work presented in the Intensive Workshop. Booklet to be distributed in class.

    Due: 21st March, 2014.

    Skills Application

    Completion of a video/digital recording session in which student counsellors will deliver a series of responses (in accordance with the criteria set in the assignment) to a student-client presenting a genuine counselling issue. A critique of the counselling session is also required.

    Due: 9th May, 2014.
    Submission
    Submission of Assignments

    Please submit the first assignment, titled: Written Assignment at the start of Follow-up Workshop 1 on the 21st March, 2014.

    You may either hand up your DVD of your counselling session early, that is, at the end of Follow-up Workshop 3 on the 2nd of May OR you can forward it by post so that it is received by the 9th May, 2014. Assignment 2 should be marked CONFIDENTIAL and secured in an appropriate package and either submitted by post to:

    Dr. Greg Smith,
    Course coordinator, Counselling Skills 1
    Discipline of General Practice
    The University of Adelaide
    SA 5005

    Or delivered personally, by you, to the office reception, ensuring that the package is both secure and marked CONFIDENTIAL, and addressed to Greg Smith.

    Feedback on assignments will be provided to students within 4 weeks of completion of the task so that students can take advantage of this feedback.

    Extension of Time for Assessment Items
    Up to one week
    It is expected that all assessments will be submitted by the specified time on the specified due date.
    However, students may apply for an extension of time to submit an assessment, if they are experiencing difficulty. Applications for extension must be made to the Course Coordinator gregory.smith@adelaide.edu.au and copied into the Program Administrator jacqui.howard@adelaide.edu.au, in writing (e.g. email) prior to the due date lodgement of the assignment. Anticipate that it may take a few days to receive a reply. The grounds for granting an extension include health problems, compassionate reasons and other extenuating circumstances. Extensions will usually only be granted for a maximum of one week, but can be longer at the discretion of the Chairperson of the Academic Progress Committee if substantiated with evidence such as a medical certificate. Only original documents or certified copies of originals will be accepted.
    You will be notified by email to your University of Adelaide student email account of the outcome of your application. If your extension is granted then it is your responsibility to keep in contact with the course coordinator and to hand in the assessment with a copy of the email (or other document) approving the extension. Failure to submit an assessment item on time without an approved extension will incur a penalty as detailed under ‘Late Submission of Work’.

    Longer than one week
    If you require an extension for longer than one week, please contact the Course Co-ordinator Greg Smith at gregory.smith@adelaide.edu.au to discuss your request. Please submit any applications gregory.smith@adelaide.edu.au copied into the Program Administrator jacqui.howard@adelaide.edu.au. If you require an extension for longer than a week due to illness, a medical certificate will be required.
    Failure to submit an assessment item on time without an approved extension will incur a penalty as detailed under ‘Late Submission of Work’.

    Late Submission of Work
    All assignments should be submitted either in class of by COB (5.00pm) on the due date.
    Late submission without an approved extension will be penalised at the rate of 10% of available marks for each day after the due date. Work submitted more than ten days after the due date may be returned unmarked. This action will be taken to prevent students who do get their work in on time being disadvantaged. 
     
    Word Limit
    You are advised to comply with word limits. You are, of course, not expected to achieve exactly the required length and a 10% leeway on either side is acceptable. However, a penalty of 5% of available marks will apply for word limit in excess of the 10% leeway.

    Presentation
    It is essential that you reference all written work accurately and consistently. Where relevant, ask that use the American Psychological Society Referencing Format (APA 6) and information regarding this system can be found athttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/.

    A Guide to APA 6th Edition, developed by Monash University will also be provided in MyUni.

    EndNote bibliographic software is a very useful tool for managing your references and it is provided free of charge through the university. Information about EndNote can be found at:
    http://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/guide/gen/bibsoft/

    Be aware that marks will be deducted for incorrect referencing in all assignments.

    Requesting a Re-Mark
    Any student who, after discussion of the result with the lecturer in charge, is still dissatisfied with the final grade awarded for a course, or with the mark awarded for a particular piece of assessment work, and who has specific grounds for objecting to the grade/mark, may lodge a written request for a review of the result or an independent second assessment with the Head of Discipline within 10 University business days from the date of notification of the result. Such a written request must contain details of the grounds on which the objection is based.

    Requests must include a summary of the reasons the student believes his or her assessment work deserves a higher mark. These reasons must be directly related to the academic quality of the work. Re-marks, for example, will not be granted where the grounds are that the student has paid tuition fees or incurred liability under HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP, or needs one or two additional marks to get a higher overall grade for the course. The Head of Discipline may seek the advice of the Academic Progress Committee, and will make a determination on review or second assessment and inform the student of his or her decision in writing.

    The mark awarded to a piece of work following review or second assessment as provided for in this policy or as a consequence of appeal to the Student Appeals Committee will usually stand as the final mark for the work, regardless of whether this mark is higher or lower than the mark originally awarded

    Important

    Please note that Counselling Skills 1 is assessed according to the GS8 Grading Scheme. Please see the relevant assessment grading categories, below.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    GS8 (Coursework Grade Scheme)
    Grade Description
    CN Continuing
    FNS Fail No Submission
    NFE No Formal Examination
    F Fail
    NGP Non Graded Pass
    P Pass
    C Credit
    D Distinction
    HD High Distinction
    RP Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.