Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Differentiate between social work counselling skills and counselling.
Understand the need for constructive feedback in social work practice development.
Define and position social work ethics (legal and professional).
Define and understand the difference between social work values and personal values.
Uphold professional standards in terms of reading and understanding the referral information, arranging a meeting place, writing an appointment letter, making a phone call to arrange an appointment, leaving a voicemail, communicating with other professionals, ensuring social work practitioner safety, and the need for resources, e.g., a translator.
Define confidentiality and consent.
Recognise the importance of open disclosure and candour in social work practice.
Understand the importance of establishing social work boundaries.
Build rapport whilst maintaining professional boundaries.
Ensure professionalism in terms of appropriate clothing, timekeeping, body language and (non)verbal communication styles.
Greet and orient the service user (reiterating the importance of clearly and concisely explaining the role, consent, and limits of confidentiality).
Recognise when it is appropriate to share referral information with the service user.
Define and differentiate between the following counselling skills: Attending, reflecting, clarifying, building rapport, recognising the need for immediacy, demonstrating a non-judgmental approach, asking open questions, asking closed questions, summarising, clarifying, prompting, reframing, paraphrasing, navigating anger and upset, highlighting strengths, responding to service user anxiety, providing appropriate reassurance, dealing with emotions/crying, waiting for replies, challenging appropriately, ensuring safety, validating feelings and interpretations, focusing, demonstrating empathy, affirming, identifying strengths, knowing when to stay silent, facilitating open dialogue, circular questioning and boundary setting.
Engage the service user in the social work session (relationship-based practice, person-centred approach, implementing counselling skills to complete a psychosocial assessment).
Purposefully align counselling skills with social work theory and methods.
Define what is meant by an involuntary service user.
Understand the impact of power in working relationships with service users.
Recognise how a service user's previous lived experiences of the social work profession might influence their willingness to engage.
Understand how 'needing to be liked' can contribute to unhelpful social work communication and engagement with others (service users and professionals).
Respond to ambivalence in social work settings.
Professionally respond to conflict in social work settings.
Recognise and regulate their own emotions during communication with others.
Implement a reflexive practice model for anti-oppressive social work practice (Houston and Marshall, 2020). This model is based on enabling social workers to be sensitive to the sway of power and ideology on themselves and service users. In doing so, it helps them reflect on how various personal and social domains have shaped their understanding, narrative, biography, and life course. The model has five domains, including psycho-biography, relationships, culture, organisations, politics and the economy.
Implement counselling skills effectively in diverse cultural contexts.
Communicate effectively and professionally with family members/loved ones (Building rapport, validating but not agreeing with interpretations, maintaining professional boundaries, acknowledging the importance of expert by observation experiences).
Understand and communicate what next of kin means in terms of sharing information and the limitations of input regarding decision-making (ensuring confidentiality, educating family members/loved ones about consent to share information, managing emotions – upset, crying, knowing when to provide family members/loved ones with information about counselling support for them).
Clarify service users' and loved ones'/family members' expectations about the social work role (clearly and concisely defining the social work role, responding to anxiety, managing hostility, and providing appropriate assurance).
Effectively collect information from the service user, their loved ones/family members, and professionals (gathering information appropriately over the phone and using professional emails effectively, using open and closed questions, paraphrasing, clarifying, prompting, use of circular questions, challenging appropriately).
Objective recording of this information (using non-emotive, non-judgmental language).
Critically analyse the information gathered before using it to inform decision-making (how to assess situations objectively, consider different perspectives and apply knowledge and evidence to understand complex problems).
Understand the positive and negative impact of endings on the service user and the social worker.
Identify appropriate counselling skills to use for ending sessions with service users.
Identify appropriate counselling skills when planning for the end of engagement with a service user.
Know when to leave the door open for re-engagement.
Differentiate between constructive and unconstructive feedback (both can be hurtful).
Receive and respond to constructive feedback from the service user, family member/loved one and professionals.
Implement best practice for sharing your written reports/referrals about the service user with them (Nothing about me, without me).
Implement counselling skills when sharing reports/referrals about the service user with them.
This module provides learning opportunities for the students to meet the following CORU Social Work Standards of Proficiency:
Domain 1: Professional Autonomy and Accountability
Be able to practise safely and effectively within the legal, ethical and practice boundaries of the profession.
Be able to identify the limits of their practice and know when to seek advice and additional expertise or refer to another professional.
Be able to act in the best interest of service users at all times with due regard to their will and preference.
Be aware of current guidelines and legislation relating to candour and disclosure.
Respect and uphold the rights, dignity and autonomy of every service user, including their role in the diagnostic, therapeutic and social care process.
Be able to exercise a professional duty of care.
Understand the importance of maintaining accurate, up-to-date documentation.
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.
Recognise the importance of practising in a non-discriminatory, culturally sensitive way and acknowledge and respect the differences in beliefs and cultural practices of individuals or groups.
Understand the role of policies and systems to protect the health, safety, welfare, equality and dignity of service users, staff and volunteers.
Understand and respect the confidentiality of service users and use information only for the purpose for which it was given.
Understand the limits of confidentiality in the context of a variety of team settings
Understand and be able to apply the limits of the concept of confidentiality, particularly in relation to child protection, vulnerable adults and elder abuse.
Be aware of current data protection, freedom of information and other legislation relevant to the profession and be able to access new and emerging legislation.
Be able to recognise and manage the potential conflict that can arise between confidentiality and whistle-blowing.
Be able to gain informed consent to carry out assessments or provide treatment/interventions and document evidence that consent has been obtained.
Be aware of current legislation and guidelines related to informed consent, for individuals with lack of capacity.
Recognise personal responsibility and professional accountability for one’s actions and be able to justify professional decisions made.
Domain 2 . Communication, Collaborative Practice and Teamworking
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.
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.
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.
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.
Be able to recognise when the services of a professional translator are required.
Be able to produce clear, concise, accurate and objective documentation.
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.
Understand and be able to discuss the importance of effective conflict management.
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.
Understand the need to build and sustain professional relationships as both an independent practitioner and collaboratively as a member of a team.
Understand the role and impact of effective interdisciplinary team working in meeting service user needs and be able to effectively contribute to decision-making within a team setting.
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
Be able to gather all appropriate background information relevant to the service user’s health and social care needs.
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.
Be able to analyse and critically evaluate the information collected in the assessment process.
Be able to demonstrate sound logical reasoning and problem solving skills to determine appropriate problem lists, action plans and goals.
Be able to prioritise and maintain the safety of both service users and those involved in their care.
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.
Domain 4. Professional Development
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.
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.
Understand the importance of and be able to seek professional development, supervision, feedback and peer review opportunities in order to continuously improve practice.
Domain 5. Professional Knowledge and Skills
Know, understand and apply the key concepts of the domains of knowledge which are relevant to the profession for individuals, groups and communities.
Demonstrate a critical understanding of social work theory, methods and skills, social policy and social research, including consideration in a global context.
Have a critical understanding of sociology, psychology, human growth and development, health, law, economics and political science.
Critically understand the importance of effective supervisory frameworks and be able to actively participate in same.
Demonstrate a critical understanding of cultural competence and work towards social Inclusion.
Critically understand the role and purpose of relationship based practice, including the importance of planning the withdrawal of services.
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.
Critically understand and apply the principles of partnership, participation and power sharing within the social work context.
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.
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.
Recognise the role of advocacy in promoting the needs and interests of service users; be able to advocate on the behalf of service users.
Critically understand the role of ethics in the use of digital and social media, including maintaining confidentiality and professionalism.
Be able to write concise, accurate reports which articulate and justify professional decisions made.
Demonstrate skills in evidence-informed practice, including translation of theory, concepts and methods to professional practice.
Demonstrate safe and effective implementation of practical, technical and clinical skills.
Indicative Module Content:
A mix of approaches to teaching and learning will be utilised. These will include active/task-based learning; peer and group work; lectures; and case-based learning. A particular emphasis will be placed on the use of role plays and reflecting on one's learning in this regard.