Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE COU5225

 
TITLE Counselling Skills: Advanced

 
UM LEVEL 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course

 
MQF LEVEL 7

 
ECTS CREDITS 5

 
DEPARTMENT Counselling

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit builds upon COU5134 and covers the development of advanced counselling skills through a combination of didactic instruction and role-plays (including required videotaped role-plays). The main focus of this study-unit is on the acquisition and implementation of advanced skills, such as dealing with the establishment of a working alliance, establishing and maintaining therapeutic rapport, formulating advanced appropriate directions for therapy, and conceptualising strategies for advanced interventions.

Specific skills which will be covered include: client risk assessment, case conceptualisation and formulation, contracting and termination, therapeutic frame, advanced listening skills, empathic responses, immediacy, challenging, managing resistance and motivational interviewing. Individual attention will be given to skill acquisition. This study-unit will also focus on the use of appropriate counselling skills with specific case studies. Trainees will be supported to identify areas of professional growth.

Study-Unit Aims:

This study-unit intends to give students the opportunity to practice and reflect on advanced counselling skills. These will include:
- advanced empathy;
- probing;
- immediacy;
- meta-communication;
- contracting;
- case conceptualisation and formulation;
- assessing for risk;
- managing resistance;
- motivational interviewing;
- termination.

Students will learn to establish and maintain the therapeutic frame within a counselling relationship.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Explain the importance of establishing a therapeutic rapport;
- Demonstrate knowledge of the theoretical underpinnings of a case conceptualisation;
- Critique and explain the appropriate use of counselling skills;
- Demonstrate a good working knowledge of issues that arise from the counselling process including transference and countertransference;
- Demonstrate understanding of the importance of establishing and maintaining a therapeutic frame;
- Demonstrate understanding of motivational interviewing.

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

- Demonstrate and appropriately apply skills related to: advanced listening, probing, basic and advanced empathy, immediacy and meta-communication;
- Demonstrate and appropriately apply skills relating to contracting and terminating in a variety of counselling situations;
- Identify and manage resistance within a therapeutic context;
- Demonstrate and appropriately apply motivational interviewing skills;
- Demonstrate the ability to establish and maintain the therapeutic frame;
- Carry out a risk assessment;
- Utilise role-playing as a means to strengthen individual skills acquisition;
- Evaluate personal strengths and identify areas of growth in relation to professional development.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts:

- Reeves, A. (2018). An Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy: From Theory to Practice 2nd Ed. Sage.
- McLeod, J. (2009). An introduction to counseling (4th ed.). Buckingham: Open University Press.
- Gray, A. (2014). An Introduction to the Therapeutic Frame. Routledge.

Supplementary Readings:

- Casement, P.J. (1991). Learning from the Patient (Revised Ed.). The Guilford Press.
- Johns, H. (2002). Personal Development in Counselling Training. London: Cassell.
- Loewenthal, D. (2007). Case studies in relational research. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- MacMillan, M. & Clark, D.(1998) Learning and Writing in Counselling. London: Sage.
- Mearns, D and Thorne, B. (2007). Person-Centred Counselling in Action. (3rd ed) London: Sage.
- Moodley, R. & West, W. (Eds.). (2005). Integrating traditional healing practices into counseling and psychotherapy. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- Paul, S. & Charura, D. (2015). An introduction to the therapeutic relationship in counselling and psychotherapy, London: SAGE.
- Rogers, C. R. (1996). On becoming a person. London: Constable.
- Sanders, P. (2002) First Steps in Counselling (3rd ed). Rosson-Wye: PCCS Books.
- Sanders, P. (2003) Steps into Study Counselling (3rd ed). Rosson-Wye: PCCS Books.
- Simanowitz, V. Pearce, P.(2003). Personality Development. Berkshire: Open University Press.
- Sue, D.W., Ivey, A.E. & Pedersen, P.B. (Eds.) (1996) A theory of multicultural counseling and therapy. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES Pre-Requisite Study-unit: COU5134

Students are expected to attend all the lectures and prepare themselves by completing assigned readings prior to the respective lecture.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment SEM1 Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Marlene Cauchi

 

 
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 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

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