Laboratory on Basic Counselling Skills (COU498)

This counselling skill-based course to be conducted in the training laboratory and classroom is to enable our students in the Foundation Studies to: • Acquire the theoretical framework and basic counselling skills in the stages of the counselling process. • Practise the micro-counselling skills through role-plays and live supervision. • Develop qualities of an effective counsellor through the training model of the Person-of-the-Therapist (POTT) • Show cultural sensitivity and adaption within the multicultural context of Singapore. • Demonstrate the skills needed to provide and receive feedback on counselling skills and interventions. • Critically examine and evaluate the impact of personal values and beliefs on the counselling process, including ethical issues in counselling.

• Introduction to Basic Counselling Skills
• An Overview of the Counselling Process
• Ethical Issues in Counselling
• Self-Awareness & Counselling
• Cultural Awareness Change Talk in Counselling
• Exploration Stage
• Micro-counselling Skills: Reflecting and summarising skills
• Insight Stage
• Micro-counselling skills: Confronting, Interpreting and Informing Skills
• Action Stage and Integration
• Micro-counselling Skills: Pulling it All Altogether
• The Person-of-the-Therapist

• Examine the theoretical framework and importance of micro-counselling skills in the counselling session
• Discuss factors that contribute to establishing a positive therapeutic relationship and cultural sensitivity of clients in local contexts.
• Analyse the different micro-counselling skills that are appropriate at different stages of counselling, including the use of self in the counselling process in local contexts.
• Deconstruct communication and counselling skills that facilitate the counselling process with specific populations.
• Appraise the impact of poor communication and use of micro-counselling skills on clients in local contexts.
• Evaluate the competency of using micro-counselling skills, and the person-of-the-therapist in the counselling process.