The basic counselling skills described in this unit are intended for application in the context of delivering a range of community services

Assessment may require additional knowledge specific to a particular community services or health sector

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Enable clients to identify concerns

1.1 Enable clients to express their concerns freely

1.2 Explore presenting issues of clients in order to establish their nature and depth, and give attention to the possibility of underlying issues

1.3 Identify situations requiring immediate action and deal with promptly

1.4 Enable clients to identify their primary concerns in relation to the presenting issues

1.5 Enable clients to prioritise concerns to work on

1.6 Assist clients to become aware of underlying issues where appropriate

1.7 Identify and respond appropriately to strong emotional reactions

1.8 Identify indicators of client issues requiring referral and report or refer appropriately, in line with organisation requirements

2. Enable clients to work through concerns

2.1 Identify and work with uncertainty and ambivalence of clients

2.2 Support clients to experience and process difficulties

2.3 Draw attention to and discuss parallels and links in clients' experience as appropriate

2.4 Ensure that interventions have meaning for the immediate situation of the client

2.5 Reflect on and consider interventions that are most likely to facilitate client understanding and actions

2.6 Enable clients to identify and use known and previously unknown strengths

2.7 Explore perceptions of clients' feelings by reflecting back, clarification and review with clients

2.8 Assist clients to become aware of underlying issues where appropriate and begin to identify ways of dealing with them

2.9 Acknowledge and work with changes in client's life as appropriate

3. Monitor the counselling process

3.1 Monitor and review the counselling process with clients to ensure it remains of value

3.2 Work on threats and disruptions to the counselling process with clients

3.3 Review and compare individual perceptions and client's perceptions of the process

3.4 Work on any tension between clients' hopes and expectations and the reality of resource limitations

3.5 Facilitate change at a pace the client can tolerate and assimilate

3.6 Assess the appropriateness of ending the current counselling

3.7 Acknowledge, value and work with individual uncertainty in the counselling relationship

3.8 Apply ethical codes of conduct as required in addressing counselling dilemmas

4. Bring the counselling process to an end

4.1 Enable clients to identify when the process is approaching its conclusion

4.2 Enable clients to identify, acknowledge and evaluate what is and is not changing, both in the counselling process and in their situation and understanding

4.3 Utilise the ending process to enable clients to understand the nature and impact of earlier issues

4.4 Utilise boundaries of the counselling relationship to assist the ending process

4.5 Plan, structure and contract endings appropriately with clients

4.6 Support clients' sense of autonomy during the ending process

4.7 Inform clients about any opportunities for further support

4.8 Identify unresolved issues and discuss further work if appropriate

4.9 Complete appropriate documentation in line with organisation requirements

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit.

Essential knowledge:

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

These include knowledge of:

Agency/organisation model/s of counselling and intervention

Indication of physical or mental ill health

Obstacles to counselling process

Human life stage development

Policies, principles and procedures to secure and maintain confidentiality including note-taking, record and log keeping and identity protection

Relevant legislation, ethical codes of practice and statutory requirements applying to the counselling relationship

Necessary self awareness including:

role within the organisation

limits of competence and responsibility

personal strengths and limitations

individual needs for support and supervision

capacity to be non-judgemental and/or difficulty with this

Essential skills:

It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to:

Work within the counselling framework

Manage own values so they do not impede effective work and managing the stress of the work

In addition, the candidate must be able to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

These include the ability to:

Demonstrate application of skills in:

active listening, building rapport and contracting

capacity to manage intensity of interaction

elements of interpersonal counselling with problem solving skills

respect ambivalence in client and boundaries in interaction

capacity to assess complexity of situation

capacity to support the client while enlisting additional resources as required

capacity to recognise clients particular issues, situations and context

Maintain documentation as required, including effective use of relevant information technology in line with occupational health and safety (OHS) guidelines

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate this unit of competency:

The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills

This unit of competency will be assessed in the workplace or in a simulated workplace and under the normal range of workplace conditions

Evidence of competency in this unit will need to be assessed over a period of time in order to gather evidence of performance

This will include contexts applicable to the work environment, such as actual or simulated workplace situations involving a combination of direct, indirect and supplementary forms of evidence

Access and equity considerations:

All workers in community services should be aware of access, equity and human rights issues in relation to their own area of work

All workers should develop their ability to work in a culturally diverse environment

In recognition of particular issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, workers should be aware of cultural, historical and current issues impacting on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Assessors and trainers must take into account relevant access and equity issues, in particular relating to factors impacting on Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients and communities

Context of and specific resources for assessment:

This unit can be delivered and assessed independently, however holistic assessment practice with other community services units of competency is encouraged

Resource requirements for assessment include access to an appropriate workplace or an environment capable of accurately simulating the workplace for assessment purposes

Method of assessment:

For valid and reliable assessment of this unit, competency should be demonstrated in a range of situations which must include observation of performance in an actual workplace or in a setting that realistically simulates work conditions:

observation should include key aspects described in elements, performance criteria and relevant aspects of the Range Statement of the unit

where face-to-face observation is not possible, video recordings may be provided

In addition assessment methods may include

written questioning

role play

supervised/guided discussion

candidate's critique of their 'performance' to demonstrate cognitive understanding of theory

Related units:

This unit is recommended to be assessed in conjunction with related units:

CHCCSL501A Work within a structured counselling process

CHCCSL502A Apply specialist interpersonal and counselling interview skills

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.

Emotional reactions may be indicated by:

Extreme withdrawal

Labile emotion expression (rapid changes in emotion unrelated to external events or stimuli)

Excessively talkative

Aggressive behaviour and reaction

Interventions may include:

Responding accurately to client situation

Planning and collaborating with client alternative behaviours

Reviewing with client current life stage

Client issues requiring referral may include, but are not limited to:

Indicators relating to potential:

Child protection issues

Suicide prevention/intervention

Domestic and family violence

Mental health issues

Alcohol and other drugs issues

This unit contains Employability Skills