Unit of competency details

Unit Descriptor 

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to bring to a close the healing process as part of a relationship between a client and Social and Emotional Well Being worker and to access local therapeutic services, recognising limitations of therapy and factors that may influence clients in contacting a therapist

This unit provides a depth of knowledge, skills values and attitudes necessary to practise as a Social and Emotional Well Being Worker in an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community context

Application 

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander SEWB workers may apply these skills and knowledge as part of primary health care services

Successful completion of this unit equips Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Workers to provide support related to social and emotional well being and does not infer that they are qualified counsellors

Pre-requisites 

This unit must be assessed after successful achievement of pre-requisites:

• HLTAHW507B Work effectively in social and emotional well being
• HLTAHW508B Develop a healing framework for social and emotional well being work

Employability Skills 

This unit contains Employability Skills

Elements define the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

The Performance Criteria specify the level of performance required to demonstrate achievement of the Element. Terms in italics are elaborated in the Range Statement.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1. Complete a facilitated group healing  journey

1.1 Review and agree to rules for participation in a healing group as part of a group, ensuring safety, culturally security and confidentiality during and after the process

1.2 Practise verbal and non-verbal communication skills within the group

1.3 Practise self reflection through review of key issues recorded relating to the healing process

1.4 Acknowledge the impact of confronting own issues  by self-disclosure of past emotional influences

1.5 Undertake work to review and complete a healing journey in the group context

1.6 Reflect on the impacts of participation in healing journeys and share in the group context

2. Create a safe place to continue healing

2.1 Acknowledge the importance of healing as an ongoing process for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people

2.2 Explore and clarify the relevance of experiencing personal healing as a basis for providing support and healing for clients

2.3 Identify principles for creating a safe and culturally secure place for healing and take action to establish and maintain personal safety

2.4 Acknowledge the importance of the support processes of extended families in preparing for and undergoing a healing process

3. Assist clients to access therapeutic services in the local  area

3.1 Identify therapeutic services available in the local area

3.2 Identify obstacles that clients may face when accessing the local therapeutic services

3.3 Develop and implement strategies to help clients access local therapeutic services

3.4 Develop and implement strategies for maintaining primary contact with the client when accessing local therapeutic services

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level required for this unit.

Essential knowledge :

The candidate must be able to demonstrate essential knowledge required to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

This includes knowledge of:

• Alternative therapies - art, music
• Co counselling
• Communication models
• Conflict resolution strategies for individuals and families
• Debriefing

• definitions and processes
• for self
• for colleagues

• Factors that the client may consider when contacting a therapist (kinship, training, confidentiality, gender, cost, approach, personal warmth, sincere concern, whether they can talk in a candid non defensive way, reputation, understanding)
• Limitations of therapy
• Local language, culture and practices
• Local therapeutic services
• Procedures for working with clients in crisis i.e. safety issues, liaising with emergency agencies, calming strategies etc
• Professional boundaries
• Qualities of a good counsellor
• Referral
• Self healing journey
• Story maps
• Story telling
• Strategies for assisting clients to access services
• Strategies for overcoming client resistance
• Suicide and self harm

• risk factors
• emergency procedures
• assistance and support (agencies, community, family)
• counselling strategies
• referral options

continued  ...

Essential knowledge may also include :

• Vocational counselling:

• available vocational training and employment opportunities (e.g. apprenticeships, traineeships, TAFE, RTOs, CDEP, literacy and numeracy support)
• identifying strengths and weaknesses and preferences of client
• local vocational networks and services

Essential skills :

It is critical that the candidate demonstrate the ability to:

• Assist clients to identify and access appropriate therapeutic services to support ongoing healing
• Clarify the relevance of experiencing personal healing as a basis for providing support to clients
• Identify an appropriate point to complete part of healing process and provide closure for self and clients

In addition, the candidate must be able to effectively do the task outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage the task and manage contingencies in the context of the identified work role

This includes the ability to apply skills in:

• Communication
• Debriefing
• Keeping a journal
• Referral
• Self healing journey
• Sharing
• Working with others - sharing, consulting, respecting, acknowledging

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the Performance Criteria, Required Skills and Knowledge, the Range Statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

Critical aspects of assessment :

• The individual being assessed must provide evidence of specified essential knowledge as well as skills
• Consistency of performance should be demonstrated over the required range of situations relevant to the workplace
• Where, for reasons of safety, space, or access to equipment and resources, assessment takes place away from the workplace, the assessment environment should represent workplace conditions as closely as possible

Context of assessment :

• This unit must be assessed in an accessible and supportive group setting, which may be found in an appropriately supervised workplace, training facility or bush residential facility setting
• All assessments must ensure that the personal safety of the worker and the client is taken into consideration when demonstrating competence
• To deliver and assess in this unit it is essential that the trainer/assessor have special skills in therapy group facilitation with particular experience and expertise in working with and empathy for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in community settings
• It is essential for the delivery of this unit that back up counselling arrangements for unexpected or unusual traumas is arranged and available (another 2 counsellors for the same group of participants - also preferably Aboriginal people)

Conditions of assessment :

This unit includes skills and knowledge specific to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander culture

Assessment must therefore be undertaken by a workplace assessor who has expertise in the unit of competency or who has the current qualification being assessed and who is:

• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander him/herself

or:

• accompanied and advised by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person who is a recognised member of the community with experience in primary health care

Related units :

This unit should be assessed either after or in conjunction with:

• HLTAHW606B Provide guidance in social and emotional well being
• CHCAOD408A Assess needs of clients with alcohol and/or other drugs issues
• CHCMH504D Provide a range of services to people with mental health issues

RANGE STATEMENT 

The Range Statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Add any essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts.

Cultural respect 

This competency standard supports the recognition, protection and continued advancement of the inherent rights, cultures and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

It recognises that the improvement of the health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must include attention to physical, spiritual, cultural, emotional and social wellbeing, community capacity and governance

Its application must be culturally sensitive and supportive of traditional healing and health, knowledge and practices

Community control 

Community participation and control in decision-making is essential to all aspects of health work, and the role of the health worker is to support the community in this process

Supervision 

Supervision must be conducted in accordance with prevailing state/territory and organisation legislative and regulatory requirements

References to supervision may include either direct or indirect supervision of work by more experienced workers, supervisors, managers or other health professionals

A person at this level should only  be required to make decisions about clients within the organisation's standard treatment protocols and associated guidelines

Legislative requirements 

Federal, state or territory legislation may impact on workers' practices and responsibilities. Implementation of the competency standards should reflect the legislative framework in which a health worker operates. It is recognised that this may sometimes reduce the application of the Range of Variables in practice. However, assessment in the workplace or through simulation should address all essential skills and knowledge across the Range of Variables

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Workers may be required to operate in situations that do not constitute "usual practice" due to lack of resources, remote locations and community needs. As a result, they may need to possess more competencies than described by "usual practice circumstances"

Under all circumstances, the employer must enable the worker to function within the prevailing legislative framework

A facilitated group healing process includes :

• Sharing self selected past emotional influences
• Reflection
• Support
• Confidentiality
• Healing yourself
• Different therapies - story therapy, art therapy, local traditional therapies
• Local traditional healers and/or community elders
• Group sharing
• Group activities - e.g. painting, music, storytelling, mud maps, projects

Confronting issues may include  (but are not limited to ):

• Stolen generations
• Family or personal traumas
• Suppressed/revived memories
• Personal identity
• Working with one's own family, community
• Managing a crisis
• Critical incidents (e.g. clients' self harm, suicide)
• Counselling
• Local cultural practices
• Resistance from clients

Local therapeutic services will include :

• Private practitioners
• Community mental health centres
• Hospitals
• Human/family service agencies
• Government and non government agencies.

Process of acquisition of this competency unit must include :

• Support from counsellors (preferably Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander) with appropriate experience in working with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people to provide support where personal issues arise that require additional support or counselling

Additional support may be required from :

• Local community elders
• Traditional healers
• Specialist counselling services
• Colleagues/supervisors