Unit of competency

Modification History

Application

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to use a structured approach to counselling to determine, establish and confirm the nature of the counsellor client relationship according to the agency’s counselling model.

This unit applies to individuals whose job role involves working with clients on personal and psychological issues within established policies, procedures and guidelines.

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

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.

Unit Mapping Information

No equivalent unit

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=5e0c25cc-3d9d-4b43-80d3-bd22cc4f1e53

Assessment requirements

Modification History

Performance Evidence

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:

• conducted an initial session with at least 3 different clients presenting with different issues, to establish, confirm and document the nature of the helping relationship, including:

• followed the structure and process of a counselling interview
• developed counselling plans that include required:

• safety or reporting issues
• recording of clients own identified priorities
• observations of client requirements
• involvement of other agencies/referral information
• special needs information
• goals
• evaluation strategies

• used communication techniques, including:

• effective use of body language
• paraphrasing
• reflecting feelings
• open and closed questioning or probing
• summarising
• reframing.

Knowledge Evidence

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 the initial stages of counselling, and how these are applied in individual practice:

• codes of conduct/practice
• contract requirements, formats for contracts and key information for inclusion in a counselling contract
• discrimination
• duty of care
• human rights
• mandatory reporting
• practitioner/client boundaries
• privacy, confidentiality and disclosure
• records management
• rights and responsibilities of workers, employers and clients
• work role boundaries – responsibilities and limitations of the counsellor role
• work health and safety

• the counselling process, including:

• what clients have a right to expect
• principles of person-centred practice
• purpose of counselling
• how counselling has evolved as a helping relationship
• place of counselling within the helping services
• scope and nature of the counselling relationship, including professional limitations
• impact of own values on the counselling relationship

• counselling planning, its scope, and techniques for creating a counselling plan, including requirements for:

• safety or reporting issues
• recording of clients own identified priorities
• observations of client requirements
• involvement of other agencies/referral information
• special needs information
• goals
• evaluation strategies

• communication techniques, including:

• effective use of body language
• paraphrasing
• reflecting feelings
• open and closed questioning or probing
• summarising
• reframing

• types of issues with which clients may present, the extent to which these fall within the counselling scope of practice, and options for referral, including for:

• alcohol and other drugs
• domestic and family violence
• financial difficulty
• homelessness
• mental illness
• problem gambling.

Assessment Conditions

Skills must have been demonstrated in the workplace or in a simulated environment that reflects workplace conditions. The following conditions must be met for this unit:

• use of suitable facilities, equipment and resources, including template documentation for counselling agreements
• modelling of industry operating conditions, including scenarios that involve complex interactions with real people in face-to-face situations where candidate and client are physically present in the same room.

Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015/AQTF mandatory competency requirements for assessors.

In addition, assessors must have 2 years experience working in a counselling role and hold a qualification in counselling or related field that involves counselling, at Diploma level or higher (or equivalent qualification).

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=5e0c25cc-3d9d-4b43-80d3-bd22cc4f1e53