Introducing Counselling Skills

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Unit Learning Outcomes

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1 — Know the issues for which people seek counselling.

Assessment Criteria

• 1.1
  Outline different issues for which people seek counselling.

2 — Know how counselling can help people.

Assessment Criteria

• 2.1
  Describe ways in which counselling can help people deal with the issues they want to address.

3 — Understand the skills used by counsellors.

Assessment Criteria

• 3.1
  Describe the key skills counsellors use in their practice.
• 3.2
  Explain the importance of active listening skills for counsellors.

4 — Know about empathy in a counselling context.

Assessment Criteria

• 4.1
  Describe ways in which a counsellor can demonstrate empathy.
• 4.2
  Give reasons why it is important for counsellors to show empathy.

5 — Understand how self-knowledge enables counsellors to demonstrate acceptance.

Assessment Criteria

• 5.1
  Outline why it is important for a counsellor to be aware of their own prejudices and their response to distress.
• 5.2
  State how a counsellor's prejudices can affect those being helped.
• 5.3
  State how a counsellor's response to distress can affect those being helped.
• 5.4
  Identify ways a counsellor can manage their own prejudices and response to distress in order to show acceptance to clients.