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Follow the links below to find material targeted to the unit's elements, performance criteria, required skills and knowledge

Elements and Performance Criteria

1. Elements define the essential outcomes
2. Communicate effectively
   • Identify communication barriers and use strategies to overcome these barriers in the client-counsellor relationship
   • Facilitate the client-counsellor relationship through selection and use of micro skills
   • Integrate the principles of effective communication into work practices
   • Observe and respond to non-verbal communication cues
   • Consider and respond to the impacts of different communication techniques on the client-counsellor relationship in the context of individual clients
   • Integrate case note taking with minimum distraction
3. Use specialised counselling interviewing skills
   • Select and use communication skills according to the sequence of a 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
   • Identify and respond appropriately to strong client emotional reactions
4. Evaluate own communication
   • Reflect on and evaluate own communication with clients
   • 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

Performance Evidence

The candidate must show evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the job role. There must be evidence that the candidate has:

interviewed at least 3 different clients using specialised interpersonal communication and counselling interviewing skills, including:

micro-skills and communication techniques, including:

attending behaviours – active listening,

reflection of content, summarising

questioning skills – open, closed, simple and compound questions

client observation skills

noting and reflecting skills

providing client feedback

specialised counseling interviewing skills, including:

challenging

reframing

focussing

integrated clear case note taking into the interview process

completed a structured process of self-reflection and evaluation of own communication used during the 3 interviews.

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Knowledge Evidence

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the work role. This includes knowledge of:

legal and ethical considerations for communication in counselling practice, and how these are applied in individual practice:

codes of conduct/practice

discrimination

duty of care

human rights

practitioner/client boundaries

privacy, confidentiality and disclosure

rights and responsibilities of workers, employers and clients

work role boundaries – responsibilities and limitations of the counsellor role

work health and safety

principles of person-centred practice

key objectives of counselling interviewing

stages of a counselling interview

potential impacts of using different communication skills and techniques in counselling contexts

communication techniques and micro-skills including:

attending behaviours – active listening, reflection of content feeling, summarising

questioning skills – open, closed, simple and compound questions

client observation skills

noting and reflecting skills

providing client feedback

specialised counselling communication techniques, and how they are used, including:

challenging

reframing

focusing

components of the communication process including:

encoder

decoder

primary factors that impact on the communication process including:

context

participants

rules

messages

channels

noise

feedback

communication barriers and resolution strategies, including:

environmental

physical

individual perceptions

cultural issues

language

age issues

disability

mechanisms that enhance effective interpersonal communication

observational techniques including:

facial expressions

non-verbal behaviour

posture

silence

ways in which different people absorb information, including:

visual

auditory

kinaesthetic

obstacles to the counselling process

impacts of trauma and stress on the communication process, including on:

concentration and attention

memory

use of verbal and written language

use of body language

challenging within the counselling session

self-evaluation practices, including:

how to recognise own biases

impact of own values on the counselling relationship.

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