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Apr 18, 2024

Assignment Task

Section 1 Factors Impacting The Communication Process

Preparing for the Counselling Relationship

1.1 Select True or False in relation to the following statements All correct

  • Counselling is a professional helping relationship so clients have a right to expect professionals service even during an initial telephone contact as they arrange an appointment
  • Counsellors should ensure that any promotional material they develop is accurate, professional, and sets the scene for professional counselling practice
  • It is best practice to remove physical barriers such as desks between the counsellor and client when setting up a counselling room

1.2 Why do counsellors typically avoid having a lot of personal objects in the counselling room? What impact can the presence of personal objects have on a client? (Your response should be approximately 30 words)

1.3 Counsellors should engage in contracting activities at the start of the therapeutic process. Briefly outline the key aspects of the counselling relationship and process that counsellors should discuss with clients before engaging in further counselling. (Your response should be approximately 50 words)

Helping Clients Tell Their Story

1.4 Select True or False in relation to the following statements All correct

  1. One of the components of effective counselling involves helping clients to share their story and work towards change
  2. Extensive questioning is the key communication skill that counsellors should use to help encourage clients to begin to tell their story
  3. It is important that clients feel as though the counsellor is genuinely interested in what they are saying
  4. Listening with interest involves the effective use of minimal responses, brief invitations to continue, appropriate non-verbal behaviours, and the appropriate use of silence

1.5 Most counsellors use some variation of key person-centred counselling techniques to provide an effective counselling environment to encourage the client to share their story. Briefly outline how the core principles of person-centred practice can facilitate the sharing process 

1.6 Staying with the client’s perspective or frame of reference can help clients to more fully express their concerns. For each of the following client statements, provide a counsellor response that appropriately stays within the client’s frame of reference. 

  • “Everything in my life is just stressing me out right now – work, the kids, the mortgage, the never-ending bills, john and I have gotten through tough times before, but I just don’t know how we’re going to manage this time around…”
  • “It’s been really hard since Nana died. She held our family together. I’m worried that we’re going to fall apart without her.”

Exploring the Nature and Depth of the Client’s Presenting Issues

1.7 Once a client has shared their initial story and revealed their presenting issues/concerns, the counsellor will need to work with the client to explore the nature and depth of these concerns. This generally involves the counsellor facilitating an exploration of the client’s issues and moving the conversation from the general to the more specific

  • Why are counsellors interested in learning about the specific details of the client’s issues? (Your response should be approximately 30 words)
  • List five (5) questions counsellors might ask a client to facilitate this process (Your response should be approximately 50 words)

Prioritising Concerns

1.8 In many cases, clients will present with a range of issues/concerns they wish to work on in the counselling relationship. Imagine that you are conducting an initial counselling session with a new client, Brianna. Brianna begins by telling you that her ‘life is a mess”. She is currently fighting with her boyfriend, having issues at work and struggling to cope with her mother’s recent cancer diagnosis. Brianna tells you that she wants to work on all of these issues during counselling.

  • Briefly outline the initial steps that you would take to help Brianna prioritise her concerns 
  • Imagine that Brianna tells you that she is unsure about which concerns she wants to focus on first and that she just “doesn’t know where to begin”. List five (5) questions that you could ask Brianna to help her to prioritise her concerns. 
  • Why is it important to assist Brianna to prioritise her own concerns rather than making the decision about which concern to focus on yourself? 

1.9 Imagine that you are conducting an initial session with a new client, Abed. Abed tells you that he has come to counselling because he is considering dropping out of his university course and can’t decide what to do. Abed tells you that he is currently enrolled in a Bachelor of Medical Science because he was strongly encouraged by his parents to enrol in the course – they have dreams about him becoming a doctor. Abed tells you that he has completed a year of the course so far and hated it. The new semester has just started and Abed is seriously considering dropping out before the HECS census date (so that he doesn’t incur any further costs), but that he is unsure if that would be the best thing for him because he knows that his parents will be really disappointed. Abed tells you that he has always struggled to communicate his own wishes to his parents and always seems to let them control his life. Abed tells you that he doesn’t want to disappoint his parents but that he also wants to be happy. He tells you that he has sought out counselling to help him make a decision about university and to learn how to better communicate his wishes to his parents.

Which of Abed’s issues would it be most appropriate to focus on during the initial counselling sessions? Why? (Your response should be approximately 30 words)

1.10 In some cases, a client will present to counselling with issues/concerns that are a threat to their safety/well-being and require immediate action.

  • List four (4) situations of risk that would require immediate action.
  • What should the counsellor do in such situations? 

1.11 Select True or False in relation to the following statements: All correct

  • If a client reports symptoms of serious mental health issues it would be appropriate for the counsellor to continue to work with the client and make their own diagnosis.
  • If a client reports being fatigued and having difficulty breathing for the last few weeks it would be appropriate to refer the client to a doctor for a physical check-up.
  • If a client requires specialist counselling skills that are beyond the counsellor’s own level of competence or area of training, it would be appropriate for the counsellor to refer the client to another, suitably qualified helping professional.

1.12 When making a referral, a counsellor should:

  • Consult with the client and obtain their consent
  • Comply with their organisation’s referral policies and procedures
  • Complete a referral form to provide an overview of the client’s situation
  • Use organisational specific terminology to communicate with external service providers
  • All of the above
  • B and C
  • A, B and C
  • B, C and D

Supporting Clients to Experience and Process Difficulties

1.13 Counsellors use a range of skills and techniques to help clients to better experience and process their difficulties. One important counselling skill involves helping clients to recognise and process their emotions.

  • How might a counsellor develop an understanding of a client’s current emotional experience? 
  • If a counsellor suspects that a client is experiencing a particular emotion how could they go about confirming the accuracy of their observations? 

1.14 Counselling can be a draining process for many clients so, as you are exploring the client’s stories and concerns, it is appropriate to acknowledge the demanding nature of the experience and make sure that the client is comfortable and ready to continue. The table below contains examples of a counsellor using specific techniques that assist in this process. Complete the table by correctly labelling each technique being used

1.15 Select True or False in relation to the following statements: All correct

  • When working with clients on difficult issues, it is best to work through them as quickly as possible.
  • If a client is experiencing strong emotions it is best for the counsellor to encourage the client to continue telling their story without a break until they get to the core of the experience
  • When exploring painful or potentially overwhelming stories, it is appropriate for the counsellor to take a gradual approach and continually monitor how the client is feeling

1.16 Imagine that you are a counsellor who is working with a client who is continually focusing on past experiences. You want to re-focus them on the present moment. Briefly outline one (1) technique you could use to do this (Your response should be approximately 50 words)

Considering Underlying Issues, Parallels and Links in Client Concerns

1.17 Select True or False in relation to the following statements:

  • The first concerns that the client discusses in counselling are always the most important concerns that they want counselling to focus on
  • In some cases, exploration of the client’s concerns reveals the presence of underlying issues that also need to be explored
  • Life stage changes are a common source of client distress

1.18 Imagine that you have just started working with Tony, a 29 year old man, who has sought out counselling for help with stress management. He tells you that work has been extra busy lately and that his girlfriend, Tanya, has told him that he is taking his stress out on her and encouraged him to get counselling. Tony tells you that he doesn’t believe he is stressed. He tells you that while work has been busier lately, he is actually quite enjoying it and doesn’t see it as a problem. As you are exploring why Tanya might think that he has a stress problem, Tony mentions that Tanya has applied for a work promotion that would require her to move to another state for nine months. While discussing the prospect of Tanya moving away, Tony starts clenching his fists and swallowing hard. You suspect that he is trying to hold back some emotions. You ask Tony to talk more about his life and he tells you that he was largely raised by his mother. His father travelled a lot for work when he was a child and, when Tony was nine years old, he left on one business trip and never came back. 

  • Consider what you have learned about Tony’s history and his present circumstances. What underlying issue do you think may be influencing Tony’s need for counselling?
  • How would you plan on working with Tony to raise his awareness of this issue and begin to work on it? (your response should be approximately 50 words)

1.19 When working with clients to explore and process their difficulties, counsellors may observe parallels and links in a client’s life and issues.

  • Briefly explain what themes and patterns are and how they can assist counsellors to better understand the underlying issues, parallels and links in a client’s life. 
  • Clients are often not aware of these recurring themes and underlying issues. As such, exploration of these should be done carefully. List two (2) things that a counsellor should consider before making the decision to draw attention to these.
  • If a counsellor does make a decision to draw the client’s attention to these they will need to take care to do it appropriately. How should a counsellor phrase any hunches that they wish to share? 

Section 2 Monitoring The Counselling Process And Ensuring Effective Counselling

Monitoring and Reviewing the Counselling Process

2.1 What is the difference between informal monitoring and formal monitoring (

2.2 Imagine you are working in your own private counselling practice and you want to develop a client feedback form to give to your clients at the midway point of your contracted sessions in order to obtain their feedback about their perceptions of the counselling relationship and process so far. List ten (10) questions that you would include in your feedback form. Your questions may be scale-based, open-ended or a combination. (Your response should be approximately 100 words)

2.3 List five (5) key areas of the counselling process that feedback and monitoring typically focus on (Your response should be approximately 50 words)

2.4 Select whether the following statements are True or False. All correct

  • Counsellors must reflect upon the information gathered from feedback, monitoring and evaluation processes and make adjustments to the counselling process as needed
  • If client feedback indicated that the client was struggling with the number of interventions being used in sessions and desired to slow things down a little, it would be appropriate for the counsellor to respond by slowing down the pace of the sessions
  • If there are discrepancies between the counsellor’s perception of the client progress and the client’s own perceptions it can be useful for the counsellor to share their perspective and discuss and discrepancies
  • If there are discrepancies between the counsellor’s and client’s perception of the client’s progress then, ultimately, it is only the counsellor’s perception that is important because they are the expert
  • If the client is not making the expected progress then the counsellor should always refer the client to another practitioner

If a counsellor is unsure of how to proceed with a client it would be appropriate for them to discuss the matter with their supervisor

2.5 Imagine that you have been working with a client, Sean, for the past six weeks. Sean originally came to counselling to address issues of social anxiety. At the beginning of counselling Sean told you that he was “painfully shy” and actively avoided situations that would require him to talk to strangers. This meant that he avoided day-to-day activities like ordering coffee at this local coffee shop, going into stores, and talking to his neighbours. You have been working with Sean using a number of cognitive behavioural techniques to assist Sean to more appropriately manage his anxiety levels and increase his ability to interact effectively with others. During your sessions you have regularly monitored Sean’s progress via the review of homework activities. Over the course of six weeks Sean’s thought records have shown a decline in the strength and occurrence of his negative thought “I will say something stupid” and behavioural experiments have shown that Sean has been able to successfully go shopping for clothes by himself, make small talk with the barista at this local coffee shop, and call his insurance company on a number of occasions to process an insurance claim.

You think Sean is making solid progress towards his goals. However, during the current session, you ask Sean about his thoughts on his progress and Sean tells you that he does not think he has made much progress at all. Sean says that the thought of interacting with people still causes him anxiety and that he is not sure if he will ever feel confident and comfortable in social situations.

  • Consider the discrepancies between your perception and Sean’s perception of his progress. In the space below, write what you would say to Sean to outline your perceptions and encourage him to reflect upon progress that he might not have considered. (Your response should be approximately 75 words)
  • Imagine that, after some discussion, Sean was still unhappy with his progress. Briefly outline two (2) possible changes that you might suggest to help resolve this issue.

Exploring Client Expectations and Limits to the Relationship

2.6 Imagine that you are a counsellor working for a busy government funded counselling organisation. Organisational policy restricts all client sessions to 50 minutes and all clients to a maximum of six sessions.

For the past three weeks you have been working with Amy, who initially sought out counselling because she was finding it difficult to cope with the breakdown of her relationship with her fiancé. During the initial contracting process you explained your organisation’s policies and Amy agreed to contract for six, 50 minute sessions. You are now conducting a review during your third session together. Amy tells you that she has found the counselling process quite transformative and is thrilled with her progress but that she thinks she would like more time with you. Amy says that she knows that she can only have six sessions but asks if you could ‘fudge the books a little’ and book her in for double sessions over the next three weeks so that she has a chance to talk through everything that she needs to before her funded sessions run out.

In the space below, write what you would say to respond to Amy’s request. 

Managing Threats and Disruptions in the Counselling Process

2.7 There are a number of potential threats, disruptions, and barriers that counsellors and clients may face during the counselling process. It is important for counsellors to be able to identify and address these when they arise.

Imagine that you are conducting your first counselling session with a client, James. James has come to counselling at the urging of his wife who herself has been seeing a counsellor since the accidental drowning death of their son three months ago. James’ wife believes that James is struggling to cope and has asked him to try counselling. During the beginning of the session James is very reserved – he makes minimal eye contact and squirms around in his seat. James tells you that he doesn’t need counselling and that he is a real man who can hold his family together himself.

You are concerned that James will not engage with the counselling process and feels shame at the thought of needing help. How would you work with James during the first session to help him better engage with the counselling process? 

Imagine that you are starting your second counselling session with a client, 19 year old Lisa. During your first session Lisa told you that she is struggling with managing her university studies. Lisa told you that she had been bullied throughout high school and had always looked forward to the freedom that university would bring, but now that she is at university she feels lost and anxious. During the first session you explored her university experiences. You think it would be appropriate to explore Lisa’s high school experiences during the second session because you suspect that these experiences could be influencing her current issues. When you begin to ask Lisa to discuss her experiences of high school, Lisa’s demeanour instantly changes. She crosses her arms across her chest, looks down at the floor, and quietly says, “I’m not… Um… I… I don’t want to talk about that.”

You are concerned that you may have damaged the relationship that you have developed with Lisa by trying to move too quickly into an exploration of these issues. In the space below, write what you could say to Lisa to proactively address this disruption to the counselling process. 

Imagine that you are starting your second counselling session with a mandated client, Kyle. Kyle was quite reluctant to attend counselling. He says that people who need to see counsellors are weak and that he isn’t weak. Kyle has been very reluctant to discuss the reason he has been referred to counselling and continually deflected your questions during the first session. You feel as though you failed to achieve much in the first session and you are determined to approach Kyle differently in this session so that you can better overcome this barrier.

Briefly outline how you would go about working with Kyle in the second session to more effectively address his resistance

A Note on Ethical Practice

2.8 It is important for counsellors to maintain ethical boundaries with clients throughout the counselling process. Consider the extract from the Australian Counselling Association’s Code of Ethics and Practice presented on page 40 of the Study Guide and provide five (5) examples of inappropriate counsellor-client relationships. (Your response should be appropriately 50 words)

2.9 What should a counsellor do if they are concerned about boundary issues during the counselling process? (Your response should be approximately 30 words)

2.10 Imagine that you have been working with a client, Dan, for the last 15 weeks on issues of self-esteem and social anxiety. Dan begins your latest session by telling you about his mother’s recent death and how difficult it has been for him due to a lack of nearby family support. Dan tells you that his mother’s funeral is in two days and asks you to come to the funeral with him. He says that he told his mother a lot about you and that she would have liked for you to come.

You are unsure about what to do so you decide to use the ethical decision making model proposed by Corey, Corey, Corey and Callanan (2015) that is summarised on pages 41-42 of your Study Guide. In the space below, provide a brief description of your key considerations/reasoning at each stage. (your total response should be approximately 300 words)

2.11 Select whether the following statements are True or False. All correct

  • It is important to document your reasoning and course of action when you make a decision regarding ethical dilemmas.
  • If an ethical dilemma relates to differences in client and counsellor values, the counsellor should persuade the client to adopt the counsellor’s values.
  • It is inappropriate for a counsellor to discriminate against their clients based upon their individual characteristics
  • Throughout their work, counsellors have a duty of care to protect the well-being of both clients and others who may be impacted severely by the client’s actions
  • It is acceptable for counsellors to engage in sexual relationships with clients as long as the client signs a release.
  • Counsellors must ensure that client session notes are stored securely
  • There is no need for counsellors to discuss the limits of confidentiality unless a situation arises in which the counsellor needs to breach confidentiality
  • If a counsellor disagrees with their organisation’s policies and procedures then the counsellor may disregard them and their actions still comply with the Australian Counselling Association’s Code of Ethics and Practice
  • Counsellors must ensure that they work within their role boundaries at all times.
  • Counsellors have a responsibility to ensure that the work environment is safe for themselves, other workers and clients.

Section 3 Bringing The Counselling Relationship To An End

Assessing When to End Counselling

3.1 Briefly outline four (4) possible sources of information that a counsellor and client could use to help monitor the client’s progress and determine whether or not it is time for the counselling relationship to come to an end. (Your response should be approximately 100 words)

3.2 Counsellors should plan for the end of counselling from the very first session. Briefly outline one way in which counsellors do this. (Your response should be approximately 50 words)

Preparing Clients for the Ending of the Counselling Relationship

3.3 Select whether the following statements are True or False. All correct

  1. Counsellors should not discuss termination/ the end of the counselling process until the last counselling session
  2. Ending counselling can create feelings of loss in some clients that may need to be addressed prior to the counselling relationship ending.
  3. Reviewing the client’s progress can help the client feel more prepared and empowered for the end of counselling.
  4. As the counselling relationship is coming to a close, it is appropriate for the counsellor and client to review their work together in order to identify changes the client has made, to honour the client’s persistence and achievements, to affirm the client’s strengths and to discuss how the client will apply their new skills to daily life.

3.4 Imagine that you have been working with a client, Steve, for the last seven weeks. You originally contracted to work together for ten weeks. You believe that Steve has made great progress towards his goals and will be ready for the counselling relationship to come to a close at the end of the originally contracted sessions. However, because you have been working with Steve on some highly emotional issues, you think it is important to prepare him for the end of the counselling relationship and review whether there are any additional issues he would like to discuss before counselling ends.

In the space below, write what you would say to Steve to facilitate this discussion and outline why you have decided to use this statement/question.

3.5 As the counselling relationship is coming to a close it is useful to remind the client of the progress they have made. Briefly outline how a counsellor can do this. 

3.6 When reviewing client progress as the end of the contracted sessions are approaching, the counsellor should enable the client to consider…

  • What has changed for them
  • What has not changed for them
  • The impact that counselling has had
  • Whether they can continue to work towards/maintain their goals outside of the counselling relationship
  • All of the above

3.7 Why do you think it important to support the client’s sense of autonomy during the ending of the counselling relationship and how can a counsellor do this? 

Exploring Opportunities for Further Support

3.8 Select whether the following statements are True or False. All correct

  1. If a client has not achieved 100% of their counselling goals by the end of the initially contracted number of sessions, the counsellor must recontract for additional counselling with the client
  2. Counsellors must ensure that any support options discussed comply with their organisation’s policies and procedures.
  3. When considering opportunities for further support, counsellors should consider possible economic barriers that the client may face and discuss service options that the client can actually access

There is no need to document additional supports agreed upon unless it involves recontracting with the counsellor

3.9 Briefly outline four (4) different opportunities for additional support that counsellors might discuss with their clients as the originally contracted counselling relationship draws to an end. (Your response should be approximately 100 words)

3.10 Imagine that you are reaching the end of your contracted counselling sessions with each of the following clients. For each. Consider their need (or not) for additional support and briefly outline any options for support that you would explore with the client.

  • You have been working with Pippa for the last nine weeks on issues of social anxiety. She has achieved most of her goals, however during your monitoring processes you have identified that Pippa is unhappy with her progress in relation to a specific goal of improving her ability to engage in public speaking.
  • You have been working with James for the last five weeks in relation to his issues regarding stress at work. Together you have explored a number of stress and time management techniques. Your monitoring processes revealed that James is happy with his progress and goal attainment and that he is confident that he will be able to continue implementing the techniques that he has learned after the counselling relationship comes to an end
  • You have been working with Ravi for the last ten weeks in relation to his dissatisfaction with his life, career and marriage. During the counselling process Ravi raised a lot of marital issues and, recently, he has discussed the possibility of engaging in counselling with his wife (i.e. couple’s counselling). You do not have experience in counselling couples and, even if you did, it would be ethically inappropriate to start counselling with Ravi and his wife as a couple given your existing counselling relationship with Ravi.

Integrating Your Knowledge

The following questions require you to draw upon all of the knowledge and skills you have learned throughout the entire Study Guide.

3.11 Imagine that you have just started working with a new client, 43 year old Bryan. During the initial contracting discussion you notice that Bryan is sitting with his arms crossed over his chest and is looking at the floor. While he answers your questions and agrees to the proposed counselling relationship, you observe that he does not appear to be very interested in the process.

You ask Bryan why he has come to counselling today. Bryan tells you that he is there at the insistence of his wife who believes that he has anger issues but that she is overreacting and that he isn’t that bad – he never yells at or abuses his wife or family, only “idiots who need to be told what they’ve done wrong”. Bryan then tells you that he doesn’t really need help and the only thing that counselling will achieve is keeping his wife happy.

  • Imagine that you have a strong personal aversion to people who lose their temper easily. What impact do you think this could have on your capacity to be non-judgemental and develop an effective counselling relationship with Bryan and how would you intend upon addressing this?
  • Consider Bryan’s current attitude towards counselling and the psychological barriers he is facing. What steps would you take to help Bryan feel more engaged in the counselling process and comfortable enough to open up and discuss his concerns.
  • In the space below, write a question that you would ask Bryan to encourage him to begin sharing his story.
  • You want to encourage Bryan to share more of his story so it is important that you stay with Bryan’s perspective/frame of reference. In the space below, write what you would say in response to Bryan’s disclosure.
  • Bryan tells you that last week he was involved in a minor ‘road rage’ incident in which he got out of his car at a set of traffic lights and screamed at a woman in the car in front of him who had cut him off a few minutes before. Bryan’s wife was in the car with him and told Bryan that he needed to get counselling for his anger issues or she would consider leaving him. Bryan tells you that his wife overreacted and that the incident was fairly minor – he says he only yelled for about 60 seconds and then got back in the car – but that he wants to keep his wife happy so he has come to counselling.
  • Consider the parallels and links in Bryan’s stories. In the space below, write what you would say to Bryan to encourage him to consider these links
  • During the counselling conversation Bryan tells you that his wife is quite a placid person and can’t always understand his need to ‘vent’. Bryan admits that he can get a ‘little hot under the collar’ and that it does get him into trouble sometimes but that it isn’t as bad as his wife makes it out to be. Bryan says that he only points out what people are doing wrong and that if he doesn’t tell them, they may never learn. Bryan says that he mainly gets set off by people who can’t drive and blokes at the pub who are talking rubbish. During the conversation, Bryan also mentions that his desire to make sure people are doing the right thing has gotten him into a little trouble at work – a few colleagues have made complaints against him for telling them off when they do something wrong and that he has been fired from a few jobs when he was younger for telling the boss the right way to do things.
  • Ultimately, Bryan has agreed to contract with you for twelve sessions. Together you have also agreed to that you will monitor the counselling process by engaging in verbal monitoring every third session and Bryan will also complete a client satisfaction feedback form at the midway point of the contracted sessions (e.g., at session 6).
  • Imagine that over the course of the discussion, Bryan acknowledges that he does have some anger issues that he would like to address. By the end of the session you have helped Bryan develop two broad counselling goals (1. Identify anger triggers and 2. Learn and apply mindfulness and relaxation skills when anger is triggered). You also explored the possibility of Bryan keeping an anger diary. Bryan seemed to be a little hesitant to do this and you have decided that it would be appropriate to discuss the possibility of this intervention later in the counselling relationship when Bryan is more comfortable with the counselling process (you have found that the use of anger diaries is very effective in helping clients identify their anger triggers). For now, Bryan has expressed an interest in learning more about mindfulness and applying some mindfulness techniques from acceptance and commitment therapy to help him better manage his anger (he has previously read a book about mindfulness and was intrigued by the concepts – Bryan believes that these techniques would work well for him).
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