module specification

This module will embrace the notion of social justice, compassion, and inclusion. This is key to our Education for Social Justice Framework at London Metropolitan University

Rationale:

To introduce and familiarise students with key concepts of counselling in groups and their implications in different professional contexts. This module requires students to explore and develop the basic skills needed for counselling and group work and recognise the difference between listening to others as friends, parents, youth and community work practitioners or as counsellors. Due to the experiential nature of the course there is scope for personal development.  Many of the exercises will focus on practising skills necessary for counselling in groups and there will be theoretical inputs on the main influences in this area. The aim of the module is for students’ to be introduced to key concepts of counselling and provide a world perspective on group work counselling.  The module will involve the students in active group learning, sharing some of their own experiences with other group members.  The course will be very practical with the learning being conducted in the large group, small groups, triads and pairs.  Emphasis will be placed on learning basic listening skills, finding out what counselling is, how it relates to the student in youth and community work settings, and recognising the importance of developing self-awareness.

In total there are three counselling modules, one at each level.  It is envisaged that they correspond to the L1, L2 & L3 of the training structure that prospective counsellors have to undertake with regards to the hours and assessment strategies prior to attending the L4 Diploma in Counselling.

The successful completion of one module is the equivalent of L1.

The successful completion of two modules is the equivalent of L2.

The successful completion of three modules is the equivalent of the L3 qualification.

The module at L6 is an optional module for all the students in the University programmes and will be very much focused on developing counselling skills in working with young people in a group setting in formal and informal groups.

The modules at L5 & L6 will be optional modules.  As such there will be an opportunity for all students to cover some of the basic skills in particular settings and working in groups respectively.  For those with more experience it will enable them to develop their personal journey at a much deeper level and this will be reflected in the quality of their journal submissions, the depth of the essay question and the enhanced quality of their practical counselling intervention skills.

The assessment processes will be the same to reflect the methods of assessments used on the pre Diploma courses.

It aims to:

• Critically examine what is counselling groups in a world perspective and its role in youth and community work settings and analyse key approaches, core conditions and models of counselling.
• Develop a critical awareness of their own self-development and how they are able to use counselling skills to help develop others within groups.
• Critically examine diversity issues while working with people from different gender, race and sexualities and power dynamics and the importance of anti-oppressive practice especially in group settings.

None

The syllabus will encourage students to think critically about issues affecting oppression in contemporary contexts and introduce theory, practice and applied youth work principles in relation to the following themes:

Indicative Content

1. What is Counselling? - LO1, LO2 
2. Eurocentric and world approaches to counselling. LO4 
3. Person-centred/humanistic approaches, Cognitive-behavioural approaches, Psychodynamic approaches & LO2 LO4
4. Integrative approaches, Egan’s 3 stage model of counselling. LO1 LO2 
5. Exploring Existential, Transcultural, Gestalt and the myriad forms of counselling that exist and the contexts in which they are applied. LO1, LO4
6. The key skills of paraphrasing, reflecting feelings, communication and active listening skills LO1 LO2 LO5 
7. Where group work skills and counselling meet / diverge? LO1 LO2 LO3   
8. Issues of power and anti-oppressive practice, addressing diversity issues (gender, race, sexualities) within counselling relationships LO1 LO3 LO4 
9. Appropriating knowledge and the colonisation of the mind of the oppressed LO4 LO5 
10. The impact of migration and how it affects young people and communities LO1 LO4 

The module will be taught by a blended learning approach to lecture and critical discussion. There will be a focus on triads and counselling real life experiences.

A student-centred approach will be adopted in teaching and learning on the module, relying on class discussions/activities, reflections.

1. Ensure that counselling in groups remains within the professional boundaries of a youth and community worker's role and that of other professionals and the core conditions of Person-centred Counselling (LO1).
2. Analyse the core conditions of counselling and how they link to the principles and values of youth and community work, and that of other professionals and group work and identify organisational policies, procedures and legislation which support or contradict these values (LO2).
3. Identify and critically evaluate the connection between personal values, youth and community work values and those of other professionals and behaviour in practice and analyse the use and abuse of power in micro and macro contexts within the field of counselling in groups (LO3).
4. Identify and critically evaluate key concepts in counselling groups and how they inform interventions in different professional contexts and how they have been dominated by western European concepts (LO4).
5. Implement Anti-Oppressive Practice (AOP) effectively and with due regards to the principles and values of Counselling and youth and community work and other professional bodies especially in a group setting (LO5).

Formative assessment, and draft work is considered and commented on. Comments on draft work are provided a week before the final hand in date, so that students have opportunities to amend their work.

The learning of the module will be assessed through two methods:

1. Students will need to demonstrate in front of the group their counselling skills in a 30 minute Triad session.
2. A 1000 word assignment
3. 1200 word Reflective journals

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/E4A53812-A1F5-5F7D-C4E4-62A7801998CD.html?lang=en-US