Counselling Skills Fundamentals

Curriculum guideline

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Course
PSYC 4370
Discontinued
No
Course code
PSYC 4370
Descriptive
Counselling Skills Fundamentals
Department
Psychology
Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
202010
PLAR
No
Semester length
15
Max class size
16
Contact hours
4 hours per week/semester
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Learning activities

Lecture and skills demonstration/practice of specific counselling skills will be the primary methods of instruction. The course may also involve other methods of instructions such as small group activities, group discussion, computer simulations, video/DVDs, and guest lectures.

Course description
This course provides an introduction to counselling interviewing skills. The topics covered include the helping relationship, the helping process and the communication skills required in the therapeutic dialogue. Students are expected to self disclose and engage in self-exploration, as the bulk of the course will focus on using counseling skills with fellow classmates. This course is recommended for students who are interested in human service professions such as criminology, teaching, coaching, nursing, human resources, and counseling/clinical psychology.
Course content

1.The helping relationship

  • The components of an effective helping relationship
  • Values that drive the helping relationship
  • Professional ethics/code of ethics 
  • Diversity and its effect on client/counsellor interactions

2. The helping process

  • Clarifying the key issues
  • Engaging the other
  • Overcoming reluctance and resistance

3. Communication skills in the therapeutic dialogue

  • Non verbal behaviour 
  • Empathic listening and responding
  • Probing and summarizing
  • Challenging client assumptions and moving to new perspectives
Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the successful student should be able to:

  1. Delineate what a helping relationship is
  2. Analyze personal values that could impact the helping relationship
  3. Outline ethical principles that guide helping relationships
  4. Explain how stereotyping and being judgmental hinder helping others
  5. Identify how to clarify key issues
  6. Explain how reluctance and resistance operate in helping relationships
  7. Demonstrate attending skills
  8. Demonstrate empathic listening and responding skills
  9. Demonstrate the skill of probing
  10. Demonstrate the skill of summarizing
  11. Demonstrate the skill of challenging client assumptions
Means of assessment

Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College policy. Evaluation will be based on course objectives and includes some of the following:

  1. Multiple choice, short answer or essay exams
  2. Term paper, research project or written assignments
  3. Taped demonstration of counselling skills

The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific evaluation at the beginning of the semester.

An example of a possible evaluation scheme is as follows:

Two exams at 15% each 30%
Three Video Tapes of skill demonstrations and transcripts at 20% each 60%
Attendance 10%
Total 100%
Textbook materials

Texts will be updated periodically. A typical example of a text is:

  • Egan, G. (2010). The skilled helper (9th ed.) Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole

Prerequisites

PSYC 1100, PSYC 1200