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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. Assess for safety risks in couple relationships
   • Assess for domestic and family violence issues using established screening tools
   • Take action to address any issues of safety according to organisation policy and legislative requirements
   • Refer individuals to support services to manage issues of safety or risk according to individual needs
   • Document issues of concern or potential risk according to policy and relevant legislation
   • Assess whether there is a safe enough environment where violence exists to offer couple counselling
   • Create safe environment for couples to maximise opportunities within the counselling session
3. Establish professional relationship with each individual
   • Engage each individual using appropriate techniques and strategies
   • Remain impartial in the professional counselling relationship with couples
   • Explore and outline ethical boundaries and expectations of the professional counselling relationship
   • Identify and manage problematic issues of the professional relationship with couples
   • Take appropriate steps to prevent the development of problematic relationship issues between the counsellor and individuals within the couple
   • Monitor and respond appropriately to the physical and emotional reactions of each individual to the counselling process
4. Identify and explore presenting problems
   • Encourage individuals to describe the presenting problems and explore their understanding of why the problem exists
   • Encourage couples to become aware of and discuss the problem in relation to associated behaviours or situations
   • Elicit the couple’s understandings of attempts to previously manage the problem in the past
   • Evaluate couple’s perception of their relationship prior to the problem existing
   • Reframe problems and recursive interaction
5. Direct the therapeutic process of couples counselling
   • Use questioning and counselling techniques effectively to explore couples options, motivations, and commitments for change
   • Respond to communication difficulties including overt and covert aggression and hostility between individuals
   • Identify strengths of the relationship and encourage individuals to negotiate and develop strategic goals to be achieved in their relationship
   • Develop future session plans based on information and evidence obtained from current counselling session
6. Terminate counselling sessions
   • Recognise when the counselling is no longer serving the interests or needs of the client
   • Discuss with the client/s when counselling no longer appears to serve the clients interest or needs and either re-negotiate professional relationship or terminate the service
   • Engage client/s in determining any further external interventions and arrange appropriate referrals
7. Seek feedback from the client/s about the counselling service provided
   • Review counselling progress and provision regularly with clients
   • Obtain feedback from the clients at the conclusion of the counselling service
   • Use feedback strategies to encourage client contribution to improved counselling practice
   • Review client feedback and use this to inform practice reflection and improvement as part of supervision

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:

performed the activities outlined in the performance criteria of this unit during a period of at least 50 hours of client work in a family counselling service

used specialised counselling communication skills

produced accurate and comprehensive case records, files and reports.

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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 relationship counselling, and how these are applied in organisations and individual practice:

codes of conduct

discrimination

duty of care

ethical dilemmas in practice, and processes for ethical decision-making

practitioner client boundaries and implications of unequal balance of power

privacy, confidentiality and disclosure, including limitations

records management

work role boundaries – responsibilities and limitations, including situations where usefulness of counselling may be limited and referral is required

work health and safety, including:

stress management

supervision requirements

common presenting issues, and their characteristics and counselling challenges, including:

pre and post separation issues

parenting and agreements

sexual relationship issues

fertility and/or pregnancy issues

financial issues

intimacy issues

grief and loss experienced one or both parties

family of origin influences

specific issues for same sex couples

cross cultural issues

processes, systems and requirements for contracting and reaching agreements with client about the nature, process and expected timeframes and responsibilities for counsellor and client

historical development of counselling theories and practice approaches, and their similarities and differences

contemporary research, scientific and professional information and approaches to counselling in diverse cultural contexts

broader contexts that impact family and relationship research and implications for practice

approaches used in couple counselling, their strengths, limitations and contraindications, including, including the principles and practices of major theories

ways to engage people in the counselling process, including:

conversation – non problem-focused

discussion of self as counsellor in professional manner

respectful and non-judgemental attitude

even distribution of time between individuals in couple

open questioning in a non threatening manner

use of empathy and rapport building techniques

types of questioning used in relationship counselling, including:

questioning to scan relationship web

reflexive questioning

relational questioning

circular questioning

issues impacting different types of couples, including:

heterosexual couples

same sex couples

couples of different ages/stages of development

family and domestic violence considerations, including:

indicators and dynamics of domestic and family violence and complexities of interpersonal interactions, e.g. power, abuse and conflict

procedures and instruments to screen for abuse before, during and after couple or family counselling and any additional safety planning requirements and procedures for clients and staff

concepts of couple, family and child dynamics in normal and abnormal developmental forms

stages of human development and how this knowledge applies to relationship counselling practice

characteristics of diversity, and how these impact on attitudes to, and values within, relationships, including:

age

cognitive ability

culture

ethnicity

gender

socio-economic status

spirituality

the role of social context in the counselling relationship

counselling and case work processes, including those related to:

contracting and what needs to be agreed

documentation

interactions with other professionals and service providers

interactions with the client, their family, significant others and carers

type and scope of referral options and pathways to support clients seeking interventions and supports beyond or in conjunction with counselling

own prejudices and stereotyping attitudes and their potential influence on counselling practice.

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