Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2018 - EDUC 874 G001

Counselling Skills and Strategies (5)

Class Number: 10212

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 3 – Apr 10, 2018: Wed, 4:30–9:20 p.m.
    Surrey

  • Prerequisites:

    EDUC 870.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Counselling skills and strategies are analysed, practiced, and critically examined. Counsellor decision-making, counselling effectiveness, and professionalism in counselling are also considered.

COURSE DETAILS:

Students participating in this course will learn and hone counselling skills, while deepening their understanding of the role of a professional counselor. This course builds on the foundational skills of attending, empathic attunement, and reflection learned in pre-requisite courses for admission to the Counselling Psychology program. The objectives of this course are for students to master basic counselling skills, build intermediate counselling skills in preparation for supervised clinical experience, and become familiar with advanced skills that would further their development.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

To achieve this primary objective students will:

Attending

  • develop the capacity to attune to clients, and attend to their experience in session
  • demonstrate capacity for consistent and accurate reflection of advanced empathy (accuracy, precision, specificity and personalization, intensity, sensitivity)
  • practice building maintaining and repairing the therapeutic alliance

Assessment & Conceptualization
  • understand client's presenting issues from emic and etic perspectives
  • apply counselling theories to case conceptualization

Therapeutic Dialogue and Change
  • develop the capacity to facilitate therapeutic dialogue and influence client change
  • co-construct or collaboratively generate goals for counselling
  • practice skills for focusing and managing sessions
  • practice using counselling microskills appropriately and flexibly
  • practice interventions focused on affect/emotion, attention, cognition, behaviour, language & narratives
  • increase awareness of interpersonal/relational process and self-as-counsellor in therapy

Professional, Reflective, Ethical and Just Practice.
  • critically reflect on how theory and evidence are guiding their counselling practice
  • enhance critical self-reflexivity about how your own social positionalities shape values, counselling approach, and counselling interactions
  • apply principles guiding ethical practice in all course related work

Students will participate in supervision and be introduced to practices that promote their constructive engagement in supervision/training in clinical settings:
  • Self-awareness, self-reflexivity and self-assessment practices
  • Giving and receiving feedback
  • Reviewing recordings, transcribing and commenting on their practice in sessions

Grading

  • Transcript & Reflection Assignment 1 10%
  • Transcript & Reflection Assignment 2 25%
  • Transcript & Reflection Assignment 3 35%
  • Participation in class, counselling triads and group supervision 30%

NOTES:

Coursework comprises experiential exercises, demonstrations, guided practice through role-plays and interviews, review of counseling skills through video or audio recording and transcription, lectures, discussion and clinical supervision. As a participant in this course, you are invited to become collaboratively, creatively, and actively engaged in your development as a professional counselor.  

Your participation in a triad in which you take on roles of counsellor, client and observer each week forms a substantial portion of the course work. You will refine your counseling skills through assignments and feedback (oral and written) based on these sessions. A portion of class time will be devoted to group supervision of your counselling work in these sessions.

REQUIREMENTS:

Students will be evaluated based on their performance as counsellors, as well as their active engagement in training and supervision.   Counselling Skills & Interventions Portfolio (70%) Demonstration of skills and interventions through video transcript and commentary assignments (3); Demonstration of self-awareness and reflective practice through session commentary, supervision, and a reflection paper; constructive and non-defensive use of feedback from supervisor and peers; demonstration of sensitivity to ethics and multicultural issues in session commentary and reflection paper.   Participation in all course learning activities (30%) includes attending and participating in all class activities, participating as a client, and constructive engagement in peer feedback and supervision.     To receive a passing grade in this course students must demonstrate readiness to work with clients in a supervised community based clinic (Educ 799).

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Teyber, E. & McClure, F.H. (2011). Interpersonal process in therapy: An integrative model. (6th Ed.) Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. eText:  ISBN-13 978-1-111-56227-4 Print:  ISBN-13 978-0-495-60420-4  

Yalom, I. (2009). The Gift of Therapy: An open letter to a new generation of therapists and their patients. New York, NY: Harper Collins ISBN: 978-0061719615

RECOMMENDED READING:

Martin, D. (2016) Counseling and Therapy Skills, 4th Ed. Long Grove, ILL.Waveland Press

 

ISBN: 1-4786-2875

Egan, G. & Schroeder, W. (2009). The Skilled Helper. 1st Canadian Edition. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.
ISBN: 978-0-17-644152-4

Graduate Studies Notes:

Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS