Application
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to assess for safety risks, establish professional relationships, determine presenting problems and direct therapeutic counselling processes with couples experiencing complex relationship issues.
This unit applies to family relationship counsellors who operate with significant autonomy in therapeutic professional service roles in the community sector. The activity is self-directed.
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. Assess for safety risks in couple relationships | 1.1 Assess for domestic and family violence issues using established screening tools 1.2 Take action to address any issues of safety according to organisation policy and legislative requirements 1.3 Refer individuals to support services to manage issues of safety or risk according to individual needs 1.4 Document issues of concern or potential risk according to policy and relevant legislation 1.5 Assess whether there is a safe enough environment where violence exists to offer couple counselling 1.6 Create safe environment for couples to maximise opportunities within the counselling session |
2. Establish professional relationship with each individual | 2.1 Engage each individual using appropriate techniques and strategies 2.2 Remain impartial in the professional counselling relationship with couples 2.3 Explore and outline ethical boundaries and expectations of the professional counselling relationship 2.4 Identify and manage problematic issues of the professional relationship with couples 2.5 Take appropriate steps to prevent the development of problematic relationship issues between the counsellor and individuals within the couple 2.6 Monitor and respond appropriately to the physical and emotional reactions of each individual to the counselling process |
3. Identify and explore presenting problems | 3.1 Encourage individuals to describe the presenting problems and explore their understanding of why the problem exists 3.2 Encourage couples to become aware of and discuss the problem in relation to associated behaviours or situations 3.3 Elicit the couple’s understandings of attempts to previously manage the problem in the past 3.4 Evaluate couple’s perception of their relationship prior to the problem existing 3.5 Reframe problems and recursive interaction |
4. Direct the therapeutic process of couples counselling | 4.1 Use questioning and counselling techniques effectively to explore couples options, motivations, and commitments for change 4.2 Respond to communication difficulties including overt and covert aggression and hostility between individuals 4.3 Identify strengths of the relationship and encourage individuals to negotiate and develop strategic goals to be achieved in their relationship 4.4 Develop future session plans based on information and evidence obtained from current counselling session |
5. Terminate counselling sessions | 5.1 Recognise when the counselling is no longer serving the interests or needs of the client 5.2 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 5.3 Engage client/s in determining any further external interventions and arrange appropriate referrals |
6. Seek feedback from the client/s about the counselling service provided | 6.1 Review counselling progress and provision regularly with clients 6.2 Obtain feedback from the clients at the conclusion of the counselling service 6.3 Use feedback strategies to encourage client contribution to improved counselling practice 6.4 Review client feedback and use this to inform practice reflection and improvement as part of supervision |
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:
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.
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 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.
Assessment Conditions
Skills must have been demonstrated in the workplace with the addition of simulations and scenarios where the full range of contexts and situations have not been provided in the workplace. 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 clients.
Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015/AQTF mandatory competency requirements for assessors.
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.