On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

- Demonstrate a knowledge of core social work counselling skills.
- Demonstrate a knowledge of reflective practice.
- Demonstrate an ability to apply theory to practice.
- Demonstrate an ability to offer and to receive constructive feedback.
- Demonstrate an understanding of self-awareness.
- Identify and demonstrate the knowledge, personal qualities and communication skills necessary to develop a helping relationship.
- Apply counselling and helping skills to a variety of social work helping contexts.
- Demonstrate the ability to conduct and structure an effective helping interaction.
- Identify and apply critically, the skills and knowledge process to enable effective cross cultural communication.


The module content will begin to enable students to meet the following CORU standards:

Domain 1: Professional Autonomy and Accountability

Graduates will:

1. Be able to practise safely and effectively within the legal, ethical and practice boundaries of the profession
2. Be able to identify the limits of their practice and know when to seek advice and additional expertise or refer to another professional
3. Be able to act in the best interest of service users at all times with due regard to their will and preference
4. Be aware of current guidelines and legislation relating to candour and disclosure
5. Respect and uphold the rights, dignity and autonomy of every service user including their role in the diagnostic, therapeutic and social care process
6. Be able to exercise a professional duty of care
7. Understand the importance of maintaining accurate up to date documentation
8. Understand what is required of them by the Registration Board and be familiar with the provisions of the current Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for the profession issued by the Registration Board
9. Recognise the importance of practicing in a non-discriminatory, culturally sensitive way and acknowledge and respect the differences in beliefs and cultural practices of individuals or groups
11. Understand and respect the confidentiality of service users and use information only for the purpose for which it was given
12. Understand the limits of confidentiality in the context of a variety of team settings
16. Be able to gain informed consent to carry out assessments or provide treatment/interventions and document evidence that consent has been obtained
18. Recognise personal responsibility and professional accountability for one’s actions and be able to justify professional decisions made
20. Understand the principles of professional decision-making and be able to make informed decisions within the context of competing demands including those relating to ethical conflicts and available resources

Domain 2 . Communication, Collaborative Practice and Teamworking

Graduates will:

1. Be able to communicate diagnosis/assessment and/or treatment/management options in a way that can be understood by the service user including non-voluntary service users
2. Be able to modify and adapt communication methods and styles, including verbal and nonverbal methods to suit the individual service users considering issues of language, culture, beliefs and health and/or social care needs
3. Recognise service users as active participants in their health and social care and be able to support service users in communicating their health and/or social care needs, choices and concerns
4. Understand the need to empower service users to manage their well-being where possible and recognise the need to provide advice to the service user on self-treatment, where appropriate
5. Be able to recognise when the services of a professional translator are required
6. Be able to produce clear, concise, accurate and objective documentation
9. Be able to express professional, informed and considered opinions to service users, health professionals and others e.g. carers, relatives in varied practice settings and contexts and within the boundaries of confidentiality
11. Understand and be able to discuss the importance of effective conflict management
12. Understand the need to work in partnership with service users, their relatives/carers, guardians and other professionals in planning and evaluating goals, treatments and interventions and be aware of the concepts of power and authority in relationships with service users
13. Understand the need to build and sustain professional relationships as both an independent practitioner and collaboratively as a member of a team
14. Understand the role and impact of effective inter-disciplinary team working in meeting service user needs and be able to effectively contribute to decision-making within a team setting
15. Understand the role of relationships with professional colleagues and other workers in service delivery and the need to create professional relationships based on mutual respect and trust

Domain 3. Safety and Quality

Graduates will:

1. Be able to gather all appropriate background information relevant to the service user’s health and social care needs
2. Be able to justify the selection of and implement appropriate assessment techniques and be able to undertake and record a thorough, sensitive and detailed assessment
4. Be able to analyse and critically evaluate the information collected in the assessment process
5. Be able to demonstrate sound logical reasoning and problem-solving skills to determine appropriate problem lists, action plans and goals
6. Be able to demonstrate an evidence-informed approach to professional decision-making, adapting practice to the needs of the service user and draw on appropriate knowledge and skills in order to make professional judgements
7. Be able to prioritise and maintain the safety of both service users and those involved in their care
8. Be able to evaluate intervention plans using appropriate tools and recognised performance / outcome measures along with service user responses to the interventions. Revise the plans as necessary and where appropriate, in conjunction with the service user.
10. Be able to recognise important risk factors and implement risk management strategies; be able to make reasoned decisions and/or provide guidance to others to initiate, continue, modify or cease interventions, techniques or courses of action and record decisions and concerns
14. Be able to establish safe environments for practice which minimises risks to service users, those treating them and others

Domain 4. Professional Development

Graduates will:

1. Be able to engage in and take responsibility for professional development
3. Be able to evaluate and reflect critically on own professional practice to identify learning and development needs; be able to select appropriate learning activities to achieve professional development goals and be able to integrate new knowledge and skills into professional practice
4. Understand and recognise the impact of personal values and life experience on professional practice and be able to take responsibility and manage this impact appropriately

Domain 5. Professional Knowledge and Skills

Graduates will:

2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of social work theory, methods and skills, social policy and social research, including consideration in a global context.
5. Critically understand and be able to apply principles of social justice in one’s work including being able to appropriately challenge negative discrimination and unjust policies and practices.
6. Demonstrate a critical understanding of cultural competence; and work towards social inclusion.
7. Critically understand and apply a human rights based approach.
9. Demonstrate an awareness and critical understanding of how social work practice is influenced by regulations, national guidelines and standards, findings of inquiries, investigations, associated reports; issues and trends in public and policy development; and be able to access new and emerging information which affects social work practice.
10. Critically understand the role and purpose of relationship-based practice, including the importance of planning the withdrawal of services.
11. Be able to maintain professional boundaries with service users within a variety of social work settings and be able to identify and manage any associated challenges.
12. Critically understand and apply the principles of partnership, participation and power sharing within the social work context.
13. Be able to evaluate the effect of their own characteristics, values and practice on interactions with service users and be able to critically reflect on this to improve practice.
14. Critically understand the concepts and frameworks that underpin a range of individual counselling theory and skills; theory and practice of working with children and families; community work theory and practice and group work theory and practice.
15. Recognise the role of advocacy in promoting the needs and interests of service users; be able to advocate on the behalf of service users.
17. Recognise that service users have the right to self-determination including to take risks.
22. Demonstrate skills in evidence-informed practice, including translation of theory, concepts and methods to professional practice.
23. Demonstrate safe and effective implementation of practical, technical and clinical skills.

The module will introduce students to the helping process within social work practice, focusing on the use of skills in building relationships with service users and in working with them. The module will emphasise self-awareness and reflective practice and will encourage students to reflect on their use of counselling social work skills throughout. The module will focus in particular on the development of core counselling skills such as open questions, active listening, and reflections.

Not applicable to this module.

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

Throughout the module students will engage in non-assessed role plays and they will get feedback in relation to these. These will serve as preparation for the end of semester assignment, which includes an assessed role play. Students will receive written individual feedback in relation to their role play and in relation to the written component of the assignment.