Introductory description

This module will introduce you to practical listening and helping skills which will enable you to interact helpfully and empathically with clients and service users in a variety of employment and personal contexts. You will be offered the chance to practice these skills in the classroom with peers and to reflect through feedback and self exploration on your own process and learning progress.
You will begin to explore your capacity for empathic understanding, unconditional positive regard, and to learn to use skills that demonstrate and convey these qualities to a client.
You will also be supported to begin to examine your own identity and background, and your beliefs, attitudes, values and assumptions about human nature and human interaction and how these might influence your capacity to offer a climate of acceptance, empathy and congruence.
We also explore the importance of contracting and examining boundaries in establishing a counselling relationship, and learn about the specific requirements for contracting in different settings, including face to face and online.
As part of your process on this module, you will learn about reflective practice and be encouraged to think deeply about yourself as a helping practitioner.

You'll explore these concepts through formal lectures, group discussions and experiential exercises in a variety of group contexts, including beginning to apply relevant counselling skills to practice work with peers in the classroom. This aligns to QAA Benchmarks (section 3.7 on Professional skills practice, 3.9 on Professional Development, and some aspects of 3.8 Personal Development), BACP Core Training elements (B3.5, B3.6 on Knowledge) and ScoPEd framework themes (1 Professional Framework, 2 Assessment, and elements of 4 Knowledge and Skills and 5 Self-Awareness and Reflection).

This module will support you to develop core employability skills of Communication, Professionalism and Self-Awareness in line with the Warwick Award Core Skills, and will offer you the chance to develop your communication and helping skills in a range of ways that would support helping work in a variety of interpersonal and employment contexts. The module will facilitate the development of your Information Literacy as you learn the technical, ethical, and professional implications of conducting helping sessions online.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Contracting and boundary setting skills, awareness of ethics in practice.
Counselling and listening skills, development of Rogers' attitudinal conditions.
Reflective practice, giving and receiving feedback in practice groups, applying counselling theory to own and others' practice.
Understanding the specific ethical and practical requirements of working in different contexts including face to face, online and one the telephone.
Exploration of working within diversity and awareness of own personal context, values and identities.
Guest speakers on the module will include central University Wellbeing and Conduct services, and University Report and Support service will deliver their core workshops.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Clearly communicate and contract the professional boundaries of a helping or counselling session
• Demonstrate appropriate skills to communicate empathy and non judgemental warmth in a counselling or helping session
• Explain how aspects of own self and identity could impact on the counselling relationship
• Evaluate own counselling practice
• Apply counselling theory to helping interactions in a counselling or helping session

Indicative reading list

Specific reading list for the module

Interdisciplinary

Helping skills applicable to a wide variety of professional practices - social work, medicine, coaching, teaching, support work, etc.

Subject specific skills

Counselling skills.
Contracting and holding boundaries in counselling practice.
Developing the helping relationship.
Develop self awareness and apply theory to self.
Reflective practice.

Transferable skills

Capacity to work on own initiative and in cooperation with others, developing teamwork and professionalism skills.
Capacity to understand research and apply in formative way to practice.
Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing, developing academic presentation skills.
Reflection on own learning and practice.
Developing awareness of own self, including intercultural awareness and working within diversity.
The ability to form good, supportive, challenging and trusting relationships with others in which sensitive personal material can be considered.
The capacity to accept the process of challenge, self-reflection and change.
Developing digital literacy skills in using appropriate platforms to communicate ethically and safely online.
Professionalism and teamwork: capacity to work independently and autonomously where required, and in collaboration with other students as appropriate.
Self Awareness: Reflection on own learning and practice.