Application
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to use advanced and specialised communication skills in the client-counsellor relationship.
This unit applies to individuals whose job role involves working with clients on personal and psychological issues within established policies, procedures and guidelines.
The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand Standards and industry codes of practice.
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Elements define the essential outcomes | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Communicate effectively | 1.1 Identify communication barriers and use strategies to overcome these barriers in the client-counsellor relationship 1.2 Facilitate the client-counsellor relationship through selection and use of micro skills 1.3 Integrate the principles of effective communication into work practices 1.4 Observe and respond to non-verbal communication cues 1.5 Consider and respond to the impacts of different communication techniques on the client-counsellor relationship in the context of individual clients 1.6 Integrate case note taking with minimum distraction |
2. Use specialised counselling interviewing skills | 2.1 Select and use communication skills according to the sequence of a counselling interview 2.2 Identify points at which specialised counselling interviewing skills are appropriate for inclusion 2.3 Use specialised counselling communication techniques based on their impacts and potential to enhance client development and growth 2.4 Identify and respond appropriately to strong client emotional reactions |
3. Evaluate own communication | 3.1 Reflect on and evaluate own communication with clients 3.2 Recognise the effect of own values and beliefs on communication with clients 3.3 Identify and respond to the need for development of own skills and knowledge |
Evidence of Performance
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.
Evidence of Knowledge
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.
Assessment Conditions
Skills must have been demonstrated in the workplace or in a simulated environment that reflects workplace conditions. The following conditions must be met for this unit:
use of suitable facilities, equipment and resources, including client information
modelling of industry operating conditions, including:
scenarios that involve complex interactions with real people in face-to-face situations where candidate and client are physically present in the same room
scenarios that involve problem solving.
Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015/AQTF mandatory competency requirements for assessors.
In addition, assessors must have 2 years experience working in a counselling role and hold a qualification in counselling or related field that involves counselling, at Diploma level or higher (or equivalent qualification).
Foundation Skills
The Foundation Skills describe those required skills (language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills) that are essential to performance.
Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.