Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE COU3202

 
TITLE Basic Helping Skills for Trainee Health Professionals

 
UM LEVEL 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 6

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Counselling

 
DESCRIPTION Caring professions require studying the accumulated scientific knowledge, and developing the skills to be effective communicators and helpers. Four common counselling skills across disciplines are skills for communicating, motivating, problem solving and resolving conflicts. This study-unit will introduce participants to basic counselling skills which address these four common skills for effective and appropriate communication and support to clients and patients. Participants will have the opportunity to understand theories of basic counselling skills and the evolution of the helper in human civilization. Participants will also have the chance to role-play and practice skills through group-work and will be provided with contexts according to their choice of profession.

Study-unit Aims:

This study-unit intends to focus on basic counselling skills. This study-unit is not meant to qualify successful participants to be counsellors or to do counselling, but intends to:

- Offer a grounding in basic counselling theory;
- Provide training in the basic skills required for human communication and support;
- Enable participants to practice basic counselling skills.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Describe the theory of basic counselling skills;
- Discuss the historical context of counselling;
- Differentiate between counselling and giving advice;
- Demonstrate the concept of listening, empathy and feedback;
- Discuss approaches of basic counselling skills as well as the dynamics involved between the professional and the client.

2. Skills:

By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Address the three-stage model of basic counselling;
- Demonstrate attending skills necessary to help others;
- Demonstrate listening skills used when attending;
- Demonstrate positive and negative feedback, pacing, and attending skills necessary for effective communication and support;
- Demonstrate basic counselling skills: feedback, immediacy, goal setting, basic empathy, probing, advanced empathy and challenging.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Text/s:

- Egan, G. The skilled helper (Latest Edition available) USA: CA, Brooks/Cole.

Supplementary Readings:

- Brammer, L.M. & Macdonald, G. (1996) The helping relationship: process and skills. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
- Capuzzi, D & Gross, D.R. (1997) Introduction to the counseling profession. London: Allyn & Bacon.
- Crough, A. (1997) Inside counselling. USA: Sage
- Darmanin, A. (1992) Developing leaderships skills, a training manual for leaders. Malta: Media Center Productions.
- Hill, C.E. (2009) Helping Skills: Facilitating Exploration, Insight, and Action (3rd Ed.)
- Hopson, B & Scally, M. (1985) Lifeskills teaching. London: McGraw Hill
- Mearns, D. & Thorne, B. (1999) Person-centered counselling in action.USA: Sage
- Nelson-Jones, R. (1992) Lifeskills helping.USA: Thomson Learning
- Patterson, L.E. & Welfel, E.R. (1977) The counseling process. CA: Brooks and Cole
- Pfeiffer, W.J. (ed.). (1985) A handbook of structured experiences for human relations training. San Diego, Cal: University Associates.

Reading Pack Provided

Note: Please note that the topics from this study-unit will be included in a Synoptic study-unit

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES Note: Please note that the topics from this study-unit will be included in the final assessment of PSY3400

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Seminar

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment SEM2 Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Ryan Portelli

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit