Diploma of Counselling & Community Service Work Lesson 3 CHCCSL503B:FACILITATE THE COUNSELLING RELATIONSHIP
Diploma of Counselling & Community Service Work
Lesson 3CHCCSL503B:FACILITATE THE COUNSELLING RELATIONSHIP
PRESENTATION OBJECTIVES
By the end of this presentation you will have knowledge and
understanding of:
• Reviewing and monitoring the counselling process
• Minimising threats and disruptions to the counselling process
• Applying ethical codes of conduct
MONITOR THE COUNSELLING PROCESS
Organisations will often embed procedural methods for monitoring
the process of counselling within their policy documents. You may,
for example, be required to complete a progress questionnaire
every five sessions or re-establish goals every two months.
Monitoring in this way tracks clients’ progress and ensures that
counselling continues to be of value to the client.
MONITOR THE COUNSELLING PROCESS
As a counsellor, you may have additional strategies that you
implement to help you ascertain how your client is going and what
the next step might be.
These may include:
• In-session observation
• Client’s verbal feedback
• A rating scale
• A questionnaire or survey
• Pre and post assessment
results
REVIEW THE COUNSELLING PROCESS
Reviewing the counselling process assists you to:
• Monitor your adherence to the devised support plan and goals
• Adapt services when (or if) required
• Find out what is working and what isn’t
• Set new goals with the client
• Respond to new client circumstances
• Devise new strategies
• Understand when the counselling process is coming to an end
REVIEW THE COUNSELLING PROCESSSome questions to ask yourself in the review process are:
• What is working? Can the client focus on this?
• Was the target too difficult? Would smaller steps help?
• Have you missed some client strengths?
• Is the client fully involved in the plan and in reviewing it?
• How are you and the client feeling about the process?
• Are enough resources or community agencies involved?
REVIEW THE COUNSELLING PROCESS
• It is important in the process of review that a client does not
become unrealistically hopeful about the outcome of counselling.
• This is especially true when the client is attending counselling as
part of an overall case plan aimed at achieving a particular
outcome (such as the return of children to their care).
• Always be encouraging but honest and upfront with your client.
Don’t promise what you can’t deliver and be sure to inform your
client of the resources (and limits on the resources) available to
them.
MINIMISE THREATS AND DISRUPTIONS
Threats and disruptions to the counselling process may occur for a
variety of reasons. Disruptions can be classified under two key
headings: intentional and unintentional.
• Intentional disruptions, as the name suggests, are those
disruptions that are caused by circumstances within the control of
the client (such as unwillingness to participate, missed
appointments and using their mobile device in session).
• Unintentional disruptions occur when the client is genuinely in
a situation where counselling must be disrupted (such as physical
ill-health or work commitments).
MINIMISE THREATS AND DISRUPTIONS
When threats or disruptions occur, the counsellor needs to seek
first to understand the cause of the disruption and then potentially
implement one or more of the following strategies:
• Address and discuss the problem directly
• Re-schedule the session, if required
• Negotiate with the client
• Remind the client of terms of agreement and the counselling
contract
• Suspend/terminate counselling
APPLY ETHICAL CODES OF CONDUCT
When significant and complex decisions need to be made in
practice, counsellors will refer a code of professional conduct.
Relevant codes within the counselling and community service
sector include (but are not limited to):
• The Australian Counselling Association’s Code of Ethics and
Practice
• The Australian Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics
• The Australia Community Workers Association’s Code of Ethics
MANDATORY REPORTING
• Additionally, counsellors must be mindful of any legislative
mandates relevant to their role.
• Mandatory reporting laws, for example, are an important aspect of
any counsellor’s work.
• These law vary from state to state, to learn more about mandatory
reporting in your state, please see -
https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/mandatory-reporting-child-abuse-and-neglect
PRESENTATION SUMMARY
Now that you have completed this presentation you should have
acquired knowledge and understanding of:
• How to review and monitor the counselling process
• How to minimise threats and disruptions to the counselling process
• The application of ethical codes of conduct in practice
REFERENCES• De Jong, P., & Miller, S. (1995). How to interview for client strengths. Social
Work, 40, 729-736.
• Egan, G. (2010). The skilled helper: A problem management and opportunity
development approach to helping (5th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
• Geldard, D. & Geldard, K. (2005). Basic personal counselling: A training
manual for counsellors (6th ed.). Frenchs Forest NSW: Pearson.
• Ivey A. E., Ivey, M. B. & Zalaquett, C. P. (2013). Intentional interviewing and
counseling: Facilitating client development in a multicultural society (8th ed.).
Belmont, CA: Cengage.
• Maidment, J. (2009). Understanding endings: Evaluation and termination. In J.
Maidment & R. Egan (Eds). Practice skills in social work and welfare. More
than just common sense (2nd ed., pp 261 – 274). Crows Nest, Australia: Allen
& Unwin.
• Sheafor, B. W. & Horejsi, C. R. (2010). Techniques and guidelines for social
work practice (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
PHOTO CREDITS• www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/ourservices/clinicaldepartments
• www.powerofmind.com.au/affordable-counselling
• www.trainstation.net.au
• www.anniecreativetherapy.co.uk/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/5718?opendocument&part=4
• www.arttherapyblog.com/what-is-art-therapy/#.Vaw9ME0w9aQ
• www.blackthornbookkeeping.com/creative-writing
• visionpsychology.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Mindfulness.jpg