KEELE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY

Part-time Professional Counselling Training

Route:

(Year 1 : Certificate in Counselling)

COURSE HANDBOOK 2011- 2012

SEPTEMBER 2011

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Disclaimer The information in this Handbook is as accurate and up-to-date as we can make it. It does not, however, replace the entries in the University Prospectus and Calendar, which are authoritative statements. In case of conflict, university regulations take priority. The statements of School policy in this Handbook are made in good faith. It may however be necessary from time to time to vary courses, procedures and other arrangements. The web version of this Handbook will incorporate any updates and should be seen as the definitive version.

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Professional Counselling Training Route: Year 1: Certificate in Counselling

Handbook 2011-2012

CONTENTS 1. Counselling Courses: The School of Psychology 2

2. Counselling Courses at Keele – philosophy 2

3. Course structure 3

4. Health and safety issues 4

5. The Counselling staff team 4

6. Student support 7

7. Student representation and evaluation of teaching 7

8. After the course - publication of results and references 8

9. Information on University policies and procedures 8

10. Attendance requirements, assignment submission and assessments 10

11. Aims and Intended Learning Outcomes 12

12. Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategies 13

13. 2011-2012 Term dates 16

14. Module Outlines 17 Module PSY-30079: Core Counselling Competencies 17 Module PSY-30080: Personal and Professional issues 19

15. Completion of this course 27

16. Appendices 1. Marking Criteria 29 2. BACP Ethical Framework 32 3. Writing an essay for Counselling 32 4. Citation and referencing list (short guide) 32 5. Journal keeping 34 6. Personal therapy contract 36 7. Provisional timetable 37 8. Assignment submission forms 38 9. Indicative reading list 39 10. Contents of folder 40 11. Course regulations 41

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1. Counselling Courses in the School of Psychology at Keele University The School of Psychology is one of Keele’s largest, with over 40 teaching, support and research staff, an annual intake of around 250 Psychology BSc undergraduates, around 75 counselling and psychotherapy studies students, and research and taught-course postgraduate students – plus a dynamic and enthusiastic research environment. Keele has an unbroken record of providing counselling training since 1964, when it was one of the first universities in the UK to provide courses for school counsellors, and it enjoys an international reputation. Staff who have trained at Keele are widespread in voluntary and statutory services as well as in the independent sector. Books written by the former Professor of Counselling, Dr John McLeod, are in use worldwide on counselling courses and many previous students and staff make major contributions to the field of counselling and counselling training. A comprehensive range of counselling courses are provided by the University, from foundation level (level 0) to the MSc in Counselling Psychology (level 4). This programme is accredited by the University of Keele and BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. 2. Counselling Courses at Keele - philosophy The underlying ethos of the counselling courses offered at Keele is broadly humanistic and the counselling relationship is viewed as central to successful therapeutic movement. A detailed explanation of the ‘Keele model’ is available on the KLE under module PSY-30079. This therapeutic relationship involves the counsellor in being able to establish and maintain a relationship characterised by the core conditions (Rogers, 1951) and necessitates the counsellor having a commitment to continued personal awareness and development. All courses operate from a belief that effective counsellors are people who are skilled in their work with clients, can draw upon a well-articulated theoretical understanding of the counselling process, and have an accurate, developed, awareness of self. Thus the courses offer learning in these three key areas: professional practice, theory, and personal development. Throughout all these strands, attention is paid to making explicit underlying philosophies, assumptions, basic principles, concepts, strategies, techniques and addresses the assumptions that are made about human nature and development. Students are encouraged to identify their core values and beliefs explore how these dictate a theory of human nature and development and connect to skills used. From this they will develop a personal integrative theoretical model. The School aims to give practitioners an opportunity to deepen and widen their understanding of counselling, and competence as counsellors, and to develop their capacity for leadership in this professional field through research influence on policy-making, supervision and training. Courses also function as learning communities, with tutors as facilitators and

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managers of that community, setting limits, standards and boundaries in relation to University requirements for academic awards. It is expected that members will actively use each other as sources of knowledge and skill. Full attendance, meaningful participation and involvement in the work of the group are necessary pre-requisites for the creation of a successful learning community. 3. Course structure The part-time Professional Counselling Training route is a 2 year programme to gain a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology. It is possible to exit the route after Year 1 with a Certificate in Counselling through successful completion of the modules detailed below. It is also possible to continue for a third year to obtain the MSc in Counselling Psychology. In order to progress onto Year 2, you are required to have successfully passed Year 1 and to have gained a recommendation from your tutor for progression. In addition, given the academic demands of studying at a postgraduate level, we recommend that students progressing onto Year 2 of the Professional Counselling Training route should have acquired an overall mark of 60% during Year 1. 3.1 Year 1 Year 1 aims to develop students’ proficiency in theory, professional skills and in personal qualities (“personal development”). All elements of the course are compulsory: there are no optional pathways. There are a number of elements to the course, helping to meet the course aims and personal and professional development learning outcomes. These are described in the following sections. Additional detail will be given by tutors during the Course. Year 1 has three broad foci of study: 1. The self of the counsellor (personal development, including personal therapy); 2. Theoretical perspectives and evidence-based (research) findings; 3. Professional practice and counselling skills development.

Table 1 gives an overview of the course modules and Table 2 (shown later in this handbook) summarises the assessment components. It carries 60 credits at level 3, requiring 600 hours of study (which include private study in addition to the course components described below).

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Table 1: Year 1/Certificate in counselling modules Module Code

Credits (Level 3)

Semester (2 semesters over 1 year)

Module title

PSY-30079

30 1 and 2 Core counselling competencies

PSY-30080

30 1 and 2 Personal development and professional issues

Total 60 All elements of the course are contained within these modules, described in detail later, each of which will have a designated module leader. The course team comprises full-time members of the academic staff of the School of Psychology, and a team of part-time counselling tutors (see list below). These tutors are qualified counsellors, working in a wide variety of counselling settings. 3.2 Year 2 Full details of the structure of Year 2 are given in a separate handbook, viewable on the Psychology pages of the Keele website. Briefly, Year 2 aims to build on the learning of Year 1, with a greater emphasis on developing students’ ability to work as professional counsellors. In addition to the components of theory, professional skills and personal development, there is a requirement to complete 100 hours of supervised counselling practice. Successful completion of Year 2 provides entry into the part-time MSc in counselling psychology. 4. Health and safety issues Please be sure to read the School of Psychology’s safety guidelines in the Undergraduate handbook. Specific health and safety issues should be discussed in the first instance with your tutor and, if necessary, brought to the attention of the School Health & Safety Committee (Chair: Dr Richard Stephens). At induction, arrangements for fire drills, and what to do in the event of fire, will be explained. See also notices posted in each room. 5. The Counselling staff team Year 1 of the Professional Counselling Training route is managed by a Course Committee, supported by a staff-student liaison committee (SSLC). This Committee reports to the School of Psychology’s Learning and Teaching Committee which has overall responsibility for the teaching function of the School. This committee implements quality assurance procedures as defined by the University’s codes of practice. Members of the staff team (see below) fulfil a range of roles, consistent with the academic management and quality assurance requirements of the University. These

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work within, and are supported by, the wider structures of the School and the University. Important ones are: Head of School of Psychology: Professor Michael Murray The Director of Counselling Studies: Dr Maggie Robson Deputy Director of Counselling Studies and Director of the Professional

Counselling Training route: Dr Jane Hunt Counselling tutors (see list below) are responsible for:

Organisation, delivery and assessment of the modules Ensuring that written feedback is given on written work (and informal

verbal feedback if required) Being available for student consultations. Any significant issues will be

discussed with the staff team, rather than with individual tutors. The Course Administrator: Mrs Bev Davies Technical support staff: John Coleman, Andy Knipe, Dave Smethurst, Pete

Lonsdale

Further details of staff can be found in on the School of Psychology website www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ps. Contacting staff: Please feel free to contact any member of the Course Team with queries, comments, and suggestions. Part-time staff are usually contactable by telephone only on teaching days and may only access their emails on these days. You may e-mail staff in the first instance and contact the course administrators if necessary. Course administrator Beverley Davies can be contacted via the School Office. Phone 01782 733538 Email b.davies@psy.keele.ac.uk. Her contact hours are: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Head of School Professor Michael Murray BSc, PhD Michael is Head of School. He has taught at Keele since 2006 and has research interests in social and health psychology. Office: DH0.65, Phone 01782 733311, Email m.murray@psy.keele.ac.uk Technical support John Coleman (DVD support) Office DH1.60, Phone 01782 734262, Email j.h.coleman@psy.keele.ac.uk Andrew Knipe Office DH0.42, Phone 01782 733340, Email a.knipe@psy.keele.ac.uk Dave Smethurst (Teaching room equipment and support) Office DH0.33, Phone 01782 734263, Email d.smethurst@psy.keele.ac.uk Pete Lonsdale (Learning technology and computer programming officer) Office DH1.69, Phone 01782 733625, p.r.lonsdale@psy.keele.ac.uk.

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External Examiner Dr Sue Pattison, Degree Programme Director for the IPhd Education and Communication at Newcastle University. Her research interests are the social and emotional health and well-being of children and young people in educational and other settings, school counselling, emotional intelligence. Counselling Tutors Viv Griffiths: Graduate Dip in Counselling, PG Cert. Supervision, C& G 7307 Further and Adult Teachers’ Cert. Module leader for Module PSY-30080 Viv has worked as a part-time lecturer at Keele for many years. She has also worked as a counselling trainer in a number of local colleges. Viv has a diverse portfolio of counselling experience and, prior to establishing a private practice, was employed by MIND as a counsellor and supervisor. She is a CPC Registered Counsellor and provides brief therapy for a large Primary Care Trust and a number of Employee Assistance Programmes. Office: DH1.81, Phone 01782 734139, Email v.griffiths@psy.keele.ac.uk Marion Gossman B.A.Hons (Psych);M.Ed.(Counselling);Dip.Clin.Hyp; Membership: BACP; BPS. Marion is an experienced therapist with a background in teaching and lecturing, both in counselling and psychology. She trained as a counsellor in New Zealand at the University of Canterbury and subsequently worked in School Counselling, Student Services, Community Agencies and also in private practice. She is interested in sandtray therapy and working with people who struggle with eating issues. Before coming to Keele she I lectured in counselling and education at Sheffield Hallam University and previously was involved in counsellor education at various institutions both in the UK and in New Zealand. Her research interests include counsellor education – specifically, the experiences of student counsellors when recording their practice for assessment and supervision; using technology to enhance teaching and learning in counsellor education; supervision and sandtray therapy. She enjoys travelling, cooking, kayaking, walking and enjoying time with her friends and family. Office DH1.81, Phone 01782 734139 Jane Johnson: BSc (Hons), Graduate Dip in Counselling, PGCE, PG Cert Supervision, MSc, MBACP (accred). Module leader for Module PSY-30079 Jane has taught counselling at Keele and in other organisations for a number of years, from foundation to postgraduate diploma level. As well as teaching, she works as a counsellor and counselling supervisor in various settings including private practice, primary care and the voluntary sector. Office: DH1.81, Phone 01782 734139, Email: j.e.johnson@psy.keele.ac.uk Dr Maggie Robson Cert Ed, BA, MA (Ed) Guidance and Counselling, PhD, and Dip in Play Therapy, Chartered Counselling Psychologist. Maggie was formerly Director in Counselling at Durham. She has extensive experience in counselling and psychology, including extensive collaborative work with counselling organisations in Kenya. She has research interests in working on bereavement counselling with children using play therapy. Office: DH1.28, Phone: 01782 733319, Email: m.a.robson@psy.keele.ac.uk

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Dr Jane Hunt B.A. (Hons), M.A. in App. Soc. Studies, Dip. S.W., M.A. (Ed) Guidance and Counselling, Dip. Cognitive Analytic Therapy, D. Couns. Jane is an experienced counsellor and trainer. She has worked in a range of counselling settings including further and higher education, the private and voluntary sectors, and in the NHS. Jane has also trained as a Relate couple counsellor and a cognitive analytic practitioner. Jane was a Lecturer in Counselling at the University of Salford for five years before coming to Keele, and her research interests are in the area of transgender and counselling, gender theory, feminist theory, the philosophy of research methodologies, and discourse analysis. Office: DH1.31, Phone: 01782 733583, Email: j.a.hunt@psy.keele.ac.uk 6. Student Support Students join a Tutor group (these are formed at the start of the course), led by a tutor. These meet regularly for counselling skills development, peer support and mutual reflection. Additionally, Individual tutorials are scheduled twice per year for the purpose of progress review. Your first contact for further academic support and guidance within the School is your tutor. She or he will be able to suggest other sources of help, should they be needed. In addition each of you will be allocated an independent contact person (i.e. someone not teaching on the programme). We would still wish that if you do have concerns or problems that you discuss these initially with your tutor and/or the Course Director but if you would like independent support you are very welcome to make contact with the independent contact person. There is no expectation that you must. Other resources in the School and the University include:

The University has Student Support and Development Services (SSDS) (a department of the Human Resources, Organisational Development and Student Support Directorate). which can offer helpful guidance beyond the support of the course team and the School of Psychology.

There is a Student Support website with many useful resources, accessed via the University website.

7. Student representation and evaluation of teaching There are two elected course representatives, who are members of the Year 1 Professional Counselling Training Route Staff-Student Liaison Committee (SSLC). As soon as student representatives have been elected for 2011-12 we will communicate their names to you and you may direct any problems to them. The SSLC usually meets twice a year for about half an hour and comprises the student representatives and the course teaching staff. The Year 1 Professional Counselling Training Route Course Committee receives SSLC reports and considers action based on them and discusses any developments that may be needed and the feedback from the External Examiner. SSLC

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representatives also sit on the Course Committee. The team evaluates modules and the course as a whole on a regular basis with anonymous feedback forms. We also welcome informal feedback on the course at any stage. Year 1 Professional Counselling Training Route Staff-Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) meetings Tuesdays at 12 noon on: 1 November 2011 (Provisional) 28 February 2012 (Provisional) Year 1 Professional Counselling Training Route Course Committee meetings Tuesdays at 12 noon on: 15 November 2011 (Provisional) 13 March 2012 (Provisional) The School of Psychology operates a range of procedures to assist the effective management and continuous enhancement of the quality of its teaching. These include: Student Evaluation of Teaching Team teaching with peer observation Staff Student Liaison Committees (one for each course) Mentoring and monitoring of new staff Annual Teaching Innovation "Away Days" 8. After the course - publication of results and references On completion of the year, your results (subject to confirmation by Senate) will be conveyed to you in writing. After confirmation by Senate you will receive official written university confirmation of your award. You are welcome to ask any course tutor who has been involved with your assessed work to write you an academic reference. 9. Information on University policies and procedures You will find many helpful university policies and procedures on the university web-pages, particularly under the umbrella of Academic Affairs and the Student Handbook: http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/regulationshandbook. In particular your attention is drawn to the following important policies and procedures: Absence for illness and other good cause A statement of university policy on absence for illness and other good cause can be found in the Academic Regulations and Guidance for Students and Staff at http://www.keele.ac.uk/regulations/regulation10/#d.en.20020 Academic warnings A statement of university procedures for issuing academic warnings can be found in

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the Academic Regulations and Guidance for Students and Staff at http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/newacadregpages/warnings.htm See also the guidance attached to section 9 Satisfactory Work During Each Academic Year of Regulation 1A, 1B, 1C, 1G, 2A or 2B or section 8 of Regulation 1F,or section 10 of Regulation 2C, in General Academic Regulations at http://www.keele.ac.uk/regulations/. Appeals procedure A statement of the University’s procedure for appeals against decisions of boards of examiners is in Regulation 7 in the Academic Regulations and Guidance for Students and Staff at http://www.keele.ac.uk/ps/governance/disciplinecomplaintsgrievancesappeals/academicappeals/ Assessment The detailed arrangements for assessment of year 1 of the Professional Counselling Training route are given in the Module information later in this handbook. You should be aware of the general regulations of the University: A statement of the University’s assessment procedures, ‘General Regulations for University Examinations and Assessment’ is Regulation 8 in the Academic Regulations and Guidance for Students and Staff at http://www.keele.ac.uk/ps/governance/ Codes of Practice

The University’s Codes of Practice can be found as follows: on Assessment at http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/newacadregpages/copassessment.htm on Collaborative Provision, on Personal Tutoring, on Placement Learning, for Staff-Student Liaison Committees, in the Academic Quality and Standards Manual at http://www.keele.ac.uk/qao/, on Student Complaints at http://www.keele.ac.uk/hrss/centreforlearningandstudentsupport/codeofpracticeforstudentcomplaintspdf/ and on Equality and Diversity at http://www.keele.ac.uk/hrss/equalitydiversity/ . Complaints procedures A statement of the university student complaints procedure is in Regulation 26 in the Academic Regulations and Guidance for Students and Staff at http://www.keele.ac.uk/regulations/regulation26/ Disability policy A statement of university policy on term disability can be found at http://www.keele.ac.uk/media/keeleuniversity/equaldiversity/FINAL%20APPROVED%20Disability%20Equality%20Scheme%202010-2013%20-%20JLR%20Dec%202009.doc Plagiarism At this level of study the most common instances of plagiarism refer not to duplication of other students’ work but to undue borrowing from published sources. This usually results from a student not understanding the requirements of a particular

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assignment, and can also be a consequence of lack of confidence. The School takes the problem of plagiarism very seriously and the university exacts strong penalties. Always make sure that you give appropriate references when you are citing and do your best to rephrase and rewrite rather than reproducing existing texts. The university webpage listed below gives very precise examples of what is acceptable and what is not.

A statement of University policy on plagiarism and other academic dishonesty can be found in section 12 of Regulation 8 in the Academic Regulations and Guidance for Students and Staff at http://www.keele.ac.uk/regulations/regulation8/Guidance on the avoidance of plagiarism can be found at http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/landt/links/page_from_online_skills.htm Psychology student handbook The School of Psychology undergraduate handbook also contains much relevant information and is available on the web at http://www.keele.ac.uk/psychology/forcurrentstudents/ Student facilities Counselling students enjoy full access to the full range of university facilities enjoyed by other undergraduate and postgraduate students. Information about these is available on the Keele University web site, for example at http://students.keele.ac.uk/ 10. Attendance requirements, assignment submission and assessments Attendance is expected to be 100% in all course components. Unavoidable absence should be notified, preferably in advance, to the course administrator. A minimum 80% attendance is required to pass the course. If you are unavoidably absent, through illness or other good cause, please see Section 9 above for details of what to do. Please notify the Course Administrator if you are unable to attend. Written assignments must be word-processed and submitted (two copies, one of which will be retained by the School for quality assurance and examination procedures), with a completed declaration sheet, by the deadlines set for handing in course work for each module. Handing-in dates for all coursework are specified in this handbook (Table 2). Procedures for submitting these will be explained by the course team. Students must retain an electronic copy of all assignments. Please note that the deadlines are adhered to absolutely. Work submitted up to 1 week late will be capped at 40%.and work not submitted by this time will fail by non-submission and the resubmission mark will be capped at 40%. Please see Appendix 3 for further essay writing guidelines, and additional guidance will be given by the course team. Occasionally, circumstances arise when late submission is unavoidable. In such cases, you should complete an “Extenuating Circumstances Form”. Information is given at: http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/newacadregpages/forms.htm Paper copies of the form are also available in the reception area on the undergraduate coursework submission stand. This form needs to be signed by the course director, module leader or your tutor.

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All written assignments (essays) on the course are tutor assessed. The ongoing Personal Learning Journal should be kept from the start of the course. It forms the basis for the Personal development essay. The journal is not itself given a mark but its completion is requirement of the course and evidence of its existence will need to be shown to your tutor. It is important that each piece of work completed demonstrates a student’s ability to relate theory to practice. There needs to be evidence of reading having taken place in support of discussion and generally we would be looking for something of the student themselves as well as their experience, in each piece of work. All written work must contain reference to published literature and a reference section listing literature/journals etc. referred to in the text must be included at the end of each assignment using the APA standard system (see Appendices 4 and 5). It is also important that evidence is provided in written work demonstrating that the learning outcomes of the program have been met. These outcomes include 1. Learning outcomes specific to the professional practice of Counselling 2. Outcomes generic to study at Keele University, which are key skills transferable to other settings, such as employment. Full details are given in section 11. Students are encouraged to submit a full draft of the first assignment for discussion with tutors prior to students writing the final document. Subsequently an A4 draft of ideas regarding written assignments may be submitted and discussed with tutors prior to students writing the final document, if students feel this would be helpful. Written work which does not reach the minimum grade of 40% may be re-submitted by a date agreed with the course director. The maximum grade for re-submitted work is 40%. Assessment and re-assessment arrangements - A pass in each assignment must be achieved (pass mark = 40%) for the successful completion of Year 1 of the Part-time Professional Counselling Training Route and the award of the Certificate in Counselling. Students will be notified by the course team of the arrangements for re-submitting work for failed modules. 11. Aims and Intended Learning Outcomes

Aims: The year aims to offer participants an introduction to the theory and practice of counselling. Intended Learning outcomes: The intended learning outcomes are set out below in two categories: 1. Learning outcomes specific to the professional practice of Counselling 2. Outcomes generic to study at Keele University, which are key skills transferable to other settings, such as employment.

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Learning outcomes specific to the professional practice of Counselling On completion of year 1 of the Part time Professional Counselling Training route/Certificate in Counselling, students should have gained competencies in a wide range of professional knowledge, skills, and self- development relevant to the practice of counselling. These include: Knowledge and Understanding

1. a systematic understanding of key aspects of counselling theory and practice, including acquisition of coherent and detailed knowledge, at least some of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of defined aspects of a discipline

2. an ability to deploy accurately established techniques of analysis and enquiry within counselling skills practice and self awareness

3. conceptual understanding that enables the student:

o to devise and sustain arguments, and/or to solve problems, using ideas and techniques, some of which are at the forefront of the counselling discipline

o to describe and comment upon particular aspects of current research, or equivalent advanced scholarship, in the counselling discipline

4. an appreciation of the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of knowledge

5. the ability to manage their own learning, and to make use of scholarly reviews and primary sources (for example, refereed research articles and/or original materials appropriate to the counselling discipline).

Application

6. apply the methods and techniques that they have learned to review, consolidate, extend and apply their knowledge and understanding, and to initiate and carry out projects In particular, to demonstrate the acquisition of basic counselling skills in practice sessions with peers.

7. critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and data (that may be incomplete), to make judgments, and to frame appropriate questions to achieve a solution - or identify a range of solutions - to a problem

Communication & Personal Development 8. communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both

specialist and non-specialist audiences

Transferable skills On completion of year 1 of the Part time Professional Counselling Training route/Certificate in Counselling, students should have gained a working

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knowledge of a range of interpersonal competencies relevant to admission to further counselling training, such as Year 2 of the route

9. the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility

10. decision-making in complex and unpredictable contexts

11. the learning ability needed to undertake appropriate further training of a professional or equivalent nature.

Further specification of these skills is available on the Keele University Website at http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/landt/docs/Employability%20Skills%20Guidelines%20May03.doc

12. Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategies The above intended learning outcomes are achieved through:

Class attendance – 100% attendance is expected, 80% minimum attendance per semester is necessary to pass. If students are absent from any session they must have a good reason and may be asked to provide evidence of this reason.

A range of teaching strategies, including: Lectures

Seminars

Evaluation of skills practice and formative feedback

Written formative feedback given on all assignments

Facilitation of personal development group

Individual tutorials

Facilitation of experiential workshops

‘Live’ demonstrations of counselling

Private study and reflection Undergoing, or having recently undergone, a minimum of eight hours personal

counselling / therapy, Completion of essays and report assignments, with consideration of tutor

feedback Active participation in all aspects of the course Completion of a learning journal (portfolio) including sections on academic

issues, professional issues, personal development issues Engaging in personal development work through various methods such as:PD

Group Assessment is through self, peer and tutor assessment, using a variety of formats, including essays, recorded sessions (DVD), and project work. There are no examinations. Table 2 shows assessment requirements in relation to each module.

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Table 2: Year 1/Certificate in Counselling Assignment details

Mo

d. C

od

e

Ass

ign

men

t d

escr

ipti

on

Wei

gh

tin

g

Dra

ft

Du

e

Ret

urn

ed t

o

stu

den

t

Fin

al d

ue

Fin

al

retu

rned

to

st

ud

ent

PSY-30079

Core Counselling Competencies Essay 1: Personal beliefs and humanistic counselling Essay 2: Counselling experience DVD presentation (formative) DVD presentation (formative) Reflective journal

50% 50%

1/11/11

15/11/11

22/11/11 21/02/12 29/11/11 or 6/12/11 6/3/12 or 13/3/12 5/6/12

13/12/11 13/3/12

PSY-30080

Personal Development and Professional Issues Final DVD presentation DVD critique Personal development essay NB A minimum of 40% MUST be achieved for each of the DVD, critique and personal development essay. Personal therapy

40% 30% 30%

1/5/12 or 8/5/12 22/5/12 1/5/12 5/6/11

Marks emailed after end of term 22/5/12

FINAL FOLDER, includes:

Personal beliefs and humanistic counselling essay Counselling experience essay DVD DVD critique Personal development essay Personal Therapy Certificate of Attendance (signed by your therapist) Evidence of completion of reflective journal A list of the contents of the folder should be included at the front, confirming that all elements are present. (See appendix 10)

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the folder contains all relevant documentation when submitted. All work except the DVD submitted in the final folder will be kept for 5 years. It is then available for collection or it will be destroyed. The DVD will be available for collection after the external exam board. You need to be aware of this when negotiating contracts with clients.

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Procedures for submitting assignments Two copies of all course work need to be submitted by 12.30pm on the required deadline with a submission form attached. You can find copies of the submission form in appendix 8 of this handbook. After you’ve filled in and attached the submission form to your work, please post your work in the assignment box located in the reception area of the School of Psychology (DH 0.35). One copy of your work will be returned to you, via your tutor, with comments and a provisional mark. This should be then kept in your final folder for submission at the end of the year. The second, unmarked copy is retained in the School for the use of the external examiner. If you have problems that prevent you from meeting a deadline, your first contact should be with your tutor. You will be required to provide written details of extenuating circumstances, accompanied by independent evidence, and the work completed at that point. However, you must seek prior approval for an extension and provide documentary evidence to support your case, otherwise you may receive lower marks or no marks for the work. An extenuating circumstances form should be completed. This can be found on the university website: http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/newacadregpages/forms.htm

13. 2011 – 2012 Term Dates

Residential Weekend (compulsory for all students): Saturday 17 September - Sunday 18 September 2011

Autumn Semester: Saturday, 17 September 2011 - Friday, 20 January 2011 inclusive

Study Week: Monday, 24 October - Friday, 28 October 2011

Christmas Vacation: Saturday, 17 December 2011 - Sunday, 8 January 2012 inclusive

Spring Semester: Monday, 23 January 2012 - Friday, 8 June 2012 inclusive

Study Week: Monday, 13 February – Friday, 17 February 2012

Easter Vacation: Saturday, 31 March 2012 - Sunday, 29 April 2012 inclusive

Non-Residential Conference (Compulsory for all students): Friday 23 March – Sunday 25 March 2012

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14. Module Outlines

PLEASE NOTE THAT MODULE TUTORS WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE AND LEARNING RESOURCES DURING THE COURSE

Module PSY-30079: Core Counselling Competencies

Module Leader: Jane Johnson Module Aim: To develop students’ knowledge of the theory of person-centred counselling; to gain the skills inherent in forming and maintaining a facilitative counselling relationship; to develop personal and professional awareness. Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of this module, students will have:

a systematic understanding of key aspects of person centred counselling theory and practice, including acquisition of coherent and detailed knowledge, at least some of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of defined aspects of a discipline

a conceptual understanding that enables the student: a) to devise and sustain arguments, and/or to solve problems, using ideas and techniques, some of which are at the forefront of the counselling discipline b) to describe and comment upon particular aspects of current research, or equivalent advanced scholarship, in the counselling discipline

the ability to manage their own learning, and to make use of scholarly reviews and primary sources (for example, refereed research articles and/or original materials appropriate to the counselling discipline).

the ability to apply the methods and techniques that they have learned to review, consolidate, extend and apply their knowledge and understanding, and to initiate and carry out projects. In particular, to demonstrate the acquisition of basic counselling skills in practice sessions with peers.

the ability to critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and data (that may be incomplete), to make judgements, and to frame appropriate questions to achieve a solution - or identify a range of solutions - to a problem

the ability to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences

the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility the learning ability needed to undertake appropriate further training of a

professional or equivalent nature. Content: Indicative content of the Module includes Attending Skills Use of questions Rogers’ model of personality Empathy Congruence Unconditional Positive Regard Counselling Skills Development

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Counselling as a process Group process Self-disclosure Bereavement and Loss Photo-therapy Endings Teaching and learning format: Lectures, counselling skills development, personal development groups, individual tutorials and coursework. Assessment: 3000 word essay titled ’Where might your personal beliefs, values and

experience be in conflict with the underlying ethos of humanistic counselling?’

3000 word essay titled ‘What is your experience of the counselling relationship as both counsellor and client?’

Tutor and peer feedback on 2 DVD recorded counselling practice sessions (formative)

Reflective journal Please see Table 2 for weightings of assessment components and hand-in dates. Essay 1: ’Where might your personal beliefs, values and experience be in conflict with the underlying ethos of humanistic counselling?’ This assignment will be marked according to the general criteria given in appendix 1. Students will be expected to meet the learning objectives for the module and the following additional criteria for this assignment:

include evidence that you have done library and/or electronic database

research so as to put the essay into the context of published research and professional opinion

be smartly presented – typed and on one side of the paper only be structured, making use of headings and sub-headings, with an

introduction, a middle and a conclusion have a list of references using APA format (see appendix) to all books

and articles referred to in the text describe the underlying ethos of humanistic counselling reflecting on personal and professional life consider the tensions you

might experience between this philosophical approach and your own beliefs and values

Provide a well argued answer to the question posed in the title.

Essay 2: ‘What is your experience of the counselling relationship as both counsellor and client?’

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This assignment will be marked according to the general criteria given in appendix 1. Students will be expected to meet the following additional criteria for this assignment:

Base your essay on your experience of being both a counsellor and a client.

Examine the ethical issues involved e.g. boundaries, confidentiality, contracting.

Discuss how the core conditions as described by Rogers facilitated the development of the counselling relationships. This part of your essay MUST be well supported by examples, ideas AND quotations from the literature.

Discuss the advantages and limitations of your counsellor’s interventions and approach. Consider how these might influence your practice.

Discuss the insights the experience of both roles has given you vis a vis the counselling process and your own personal growth.

Have a list of references using APA format (see appendices) to all books and articles referred to in the text.

Please also see Appendix 3 for detailed suggestions on assignment writing.

Presentation of 2 recorded counselling practice sessions: Students will be required to present 2 15-20 minute recorded counselling sessions, usually made with a member of the tutor group as client. Students are expected to make these recordings in their own time and are asked to provide a good quality DVD for this purpose that is playable on Keele equipment. Students are strongly encouraged to provide a transcript of each session, with sufficient copies for the group to give written feedback.

Module PSY-30080: Personal Development & Professional Issues

Module Leader: Viv Griffiths Aim: To equip students with an understanding of and respect for safe, ethical practice as counsellors, in line with BACP recommended standards; to deal with professional dilemma and issues involved in working with difference and diversity. Learning Outcomes: On successful completion of this Module, students will be enabled to:

have a systematic understanding of key aspects of person centred counselling theory and practice, including acquisition of coherent and detailed knowledge, at least some of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of defined aspects of a discipline

deploy accurately established techniques of analysis and enquiry within counselling skills practice and self awareness

have an appreciation of the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of knowledge to manage their own learning, and to make use of scholarly reviews and

primary sources (for example, refereed research articles and/or original

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materials appropriate to the counselling discipline). to apply the methods and techniques that they have learned to review,

consolidate, extend and apply their knowledge and understanding, and to initiate and carry out projects. In particular, to demonstrate the acquisition of basic counselling skills in practice sessions with peers.

to critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and data (that may be incomplete), to make judgements, and to frame appropriate questions to achieve a solution - or identify a range of solutions - to a problem

to communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences Transferable Skills: Developing and agreeing effective contracts for collaborative work. 1. Developing a non-judgemental attitude to issues of difference and

diversity. 2. Holding the boundaries of an agreement. 3. Respect for confidentiality. Content: The Module covers contracting, confidentiality, supervision, ethical dilemmas, difference and diversity, looking after Self and thereby ensuring safe practice, counselling in line with BACP’s Ethical Framework for Good Practice in counselling and psychology. Teaching Format: Formal teaching sessions; working in large and small groups, dyads and triads; DVD critique work; personal therapy; private study. The course emphasises the central importance of accurate self-awareness as a condition for effective counselling and it is for this reason that personal development activities are considered essential to the programme. These include: genuine participation in the experiential work in the modules; large group experiences with the cohort group during weekly sessions; small group experiences in tutor groups; a minimum of 8 one-hour personal therapy sessions; keeping a personal development journal throughout the course; presenting a personal development essay at the end of the course

which draws specifically upon material recorded in the personal journal. The personal development dimension of the course is partly assessed through the Personal development essay (see below). It is expected that this will draw upon material recorded in the personal development section of the personal learning journal. However, it is expected that students will include evidence of their personal development and increasing personal awareness in all their written work. Optional supervision

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Supervision is a BACP requirement for practicing counsellors, to ensure the safety of both clients and counsellors. Students may find that it is helpful to have supervision for the counselling that they conduct with fellow students. This is not a course requirement. It does, however, give the student the opportunity to experience this important aspect of being a professional counsellor. If a student is particularly concerned about the safety of a fellow member of the course, this should be brought to the attention of the tutors. Specific elements of Module PSY-30080 Personal learning journal Students are required to keep a record of their work during the course in a Personal Learning Journal. This is not given a mark but is used during the course and evidence of its existence is required at the end of the course. A personal learning journal is a piece of reflective writing that only you can do. Keeping a journal can be a powerful way of helping you notice more about yourself. Each week, keep a record of your thoughts, feelings and responses to people and situations. These should include your responses to the teaching sessions, but could also be about any aspect of your life. It can also be useful to include a record of your dreams, focusing on the feelings that were part of the dream. Don’t restrict yourself only to writing. Make sketches and drawings as well. You can also keep pictures, photographs and stories that mean something to you, eg from papers or magazines. The point is to record the changes you notice in yourself and the way you feel you are developing more awareness of yourself. See appendix 5 for some ideas. The personal learning journal is likely to contain confidential information and therefore you have the responsibility to keep it in a secure place. In addition, you should use the personal learning journal to reflect on your development as a counsellor. Each time you record a practice session, make a note of the date and the number of sessions with this client. Consider what awareness the client might have taken from the session. Reflect what you have learnt about yourself and about counselling. Make a note of areas for future development. These records will be reviewed with your tutor in the December and March individual tutorials.

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Participation Participation in the large group experiences offered through meetings of the course membership as a whole, is another important vehicle for personal development. The task of the large group is to explore issues and feelings relevant to the philosophy and culture of the course as a whole and to practice in triads and dyads the various skills and competencies being addressed. The dynamics of large groups are complex and often anxiety-provoking and effective participation in the large group is typically difficult and challenging. The large group experience, therefore, offers a particularly powerful environment for developing qualities such as acceptance, empathy and congruence. Work in the large group also helps in the development of the group as a whole as a learning community, and makes effective communication and collaboration more possible in other settings within the course. Individual tutorials There is an expectation that two individual tutorials will take place during the course of the year. The focus of these sessions is likely to include aspects of personal and professional development and students are required to bring their Personal Journal as a basis for discussion.

Personal Development (PD) Group The personal development group meets each week of the course and is facilitated by the course tutors. The PD group offers an unstructured, experiential environment in which participants can begin to discover more about themselves. Group members can gain awareness through the interpersonal dynamics of group process and by reflecting upon and sharing their internal and external responses to the group. As a group member, you may wish to consider the following questions:

How do I feel about intimacy with others? How do I respond when I feel vulnerable? Do I feel okay to be myself in this group? How do I respond to difference? How do I respond to conflict? How real and honest can I be in this group? How aware am I of how I feel? How aware am I of how others feel? The role of the facilitators The group facilitators aim to:

Enable the group to create an environment in which members feel respected, supported and contained.

Participate genuinely. Enable members to gain awareness by drawing attention to group or

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individual processes. Personal therapy

Each student is required to organise his/her own personal therapy of at least 8, one-hour sessions. A list of suggested therapists is available on the KLE under module psy-30079. The therapist should have an approach that is broadly consistent with the philosophy and scope of the Course (humanistic – integrative). The aims of participation in personal therapy include:

development of awareness of self; experience of the role of client; support in coping with the demands of the course; exposure to the therapeutic style of the personal therapist. It is essential (whether students are continuing with ongoing therapists or choosing a new one) that tutors are consulted and agreement is reached as to the suitability of the arrangement, as early as possible during the course. Therapists must

Be prepared to abide by the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice and Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Be in at least monthly supervision in line with BACP guidelines. Be a member of a recognised professional therapy organisation with a

professional conduct procedure. Be willing to complete the appropriate paperwork for Keele University. Be insured. Be in or have access to personal therapy. Be competent practitioners with at least three years of practice. Not have a dual relationship (eg line manager, colleague) with the student.

Ideally

Have a recognised and relevant qualification in counselling. Clearly, the final choice of therapist is a very personal matter and course tutors are well aware of this fact. We want students to have the best possible experience and our intention is to facilitate this process. When students begin therapy they are required to use the Therapy Contract Form in the appendices. Therapists are required to complete the appropriate section of the form at this stage; students should present the form to their personal tutor who will note that they have commenced therapy. Students then retain the form in their personal journal until the eight sessions have been completed. At this stage therapists are required to sign the form confirming that the agreed number of sessions has been completed. This procedure provides evidence that the personal therapeutic requirements of the course have been completed. The forms do not ask for details about the

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therapeutic work covered; that is strictly confidential between students and their therapists. Completed Record of Therapy Attendance forms must be included in the final folder for external examination purposes. Students are under no obligation to finish their therapy after eight sessions but the requirements of the course are that a minimum of 8 sessions MUST be completed by the last day of the second semester. It is recognised that personal development can occur as a result of many different experiences and practices. Students are actively encouraged to participate in other forms of personal development such as experiential workshops, reading beyond core counselling texts.

Assessment: 20 minute DVD of a counselling session with a member of the course 3,000 word report – DVD Critique (transcript, commentary and summative

report, summarising personal and professional development over the year). Transcripts are not included in word count

2,500 word essay – Personal development essay 8 hours of personal therapy Full guidelines for all assignments in this module are given below. Please see Table 2 for weightings of assessment components and hand in dates. A minimum of 40% MUST be achieved for each of the DVD, critique and personal development essay. Guidelines for DVD and DVD Critique Counselling competency is assessed by a DVD recording of a counselling

session, usually with a member of the tutor group as client, and a comprehensive critique of this recording. A pass at 40% is required for both DVD and critique. Students are expected to make this recording in their own time and are asked to provide good quality DVDs for this purpose, that are playable on Keele equipment. Although only one recording is required, students are strongly encouraged to make more than one to ensure that a good example of counselling can be seen.

The session should be 20 minutes long (+/- two minutes) and should include the start, middle and ending of the session. The final DVD will be critiqued by tutors and peers in the tutor groups. You may find it useful to provide a full, word processed transcript of the 20 minute session for this session. You will be expected to have reviewed the DVD personally beforehand and highlight the areas you would most like feedback on. A full transcript must be supplied with the final critique.

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Example of transcript:

Client 1 I felt really gutted here – so bad that I couldn’t bear thinking about it…Oh well, no point in having a long face is there?

Counsellor 1a

Best to keep smiling …

Verbal and written feedback will be offered to the presenting student and she/he should collate this, along with the verbal comments recorded immediately after the session.

The DVD and Critique will be marked according to the general criteria given in appendix 1. Students will be expected to meet the following additional criteria for the Critique: Evaluate on the competencies used during the session, their effectiveness

and suitability. These need to be related to specific interventions. Relate the competencies used to the relevant counselling theory. Consider the process of counselling in the session – include your own

internal processes within the session (thoughts and feelings that were going on in you), as well as any movement in the client’s responses.

Reflect on the therapeutic relationship. Consider the ethical issues involved and the way you handled them. Respond to tutor and peer comments. Include a self-evaluation – give an overall evaluation of the work. This is

not about having got it right, it should show your ability to critically appraise the work you do, without being overly self-critical, and to draw conclusions about what might be considered next time.

Consider what you learnt (a) from the work with this client and (b) from writing it up in this way.

Consider your future development needs. Have a list of references using APA format (see appendices) to all books

and articles referred to in the text. A good piece of work will: 1. Describe, explore and evaluate your practice non-defensively, recognising

areas for development and improvement without undue self-criticism. It will show that this is a developmental piece of work.

2. Show evidence of your ability to relate theory to practice. 3. Demonstrate ethical and safe practice. 4. Include relevant references.

Guidelines for Personal Development Essay

Title: ‘Who am I as a counsellor now? What has changed since the start of the course and how have these changes affected my relationship with self and others?’

The main purpose of the Personal Development essay is to give students an opportunity to review and reflect upon the work on self that has been undertaken

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throughout the duration of the course and to relate this to counselling theory. It also presents an opportunity for students to consider the future personal development needs which may have emerged, and to identify what might be on their continuing personal and professional development ‘agendas’ in the future. The Personal Development essay is both a piece of assessed work and a very personal document, charting the student’s personal journey throughout the year. It is partly drawn from the student’s confidential Personal Learning Journal, although the usual academic criteria, such as depth of reading, reference to literature are still relevant. Since the essay is highly individual, reflecting the personal learning, growth and development of each individual student, it is not appropriate to suggest a standard format for it. It may contain, for example, quotations from the Personal Journal, drawings and poems, etc. Ultimately, however, the essay must provide an overview of the student’s personal journey through the course and, in the process, it should touch on the following reflective topics; (a) What have been the aspects of the course where there has been most learning about the self - seminars, informal discussions, supervision, personal therapy, etc? What kinds of lessons have been gained from each? In what settings has it been difficult to work on self? Why might this be? (b) What are the issues that have been in the forefront of work on self? What has changed in your sense of these issues during the course? What new issues have emerged? Are there any personal concerns which you imagined would be around on the course but which have not surfaced? What may be the reasons for this? (c) What are the events, episodes or incidents which have made a big impact on you during the course? Who are the people who have made an impact? What has made these so powerful? (d) How do you understand your personal development? Where has this understanding come from - books, discussions, practice, therapy? (e) How do you relate the process of your personal development to counselling theory? This part of your essay MUST be well supported by examples, ideas AND quotations from the literature. (f) What are the implications of any of the above for you professionally? Do you now have any ideas about the direction your work will take you given your personal development process at the moment? (g) What are the implications of your work on self this year for the personal work you would like to do in future? This assignment will be marked according to the general criteria given in appendix 1. Students will be expected to meet the following additional criteria for this assignment: 1. Demonstrate a genuine commitment to personal development and work on self. 2. Demonstrate the capacity to reflect on your personal development processes and

relate this to counselling theory.

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3. Demonstrate the themes outlined above, in a coherent and cohesive way, 4. Include all necessary documentation. 15. Completion of the Course Final folder At the end of the year, you will need to hand in a folder containing all marked work including the feedback sheets and any drafts you have handed in, and your therapy form. Your DVD and critique will be added to the folder once it has been marked. A contents list is included in this handbook – Appendix 10. Full instructions for handing this in will be given at the appropriate time. Fitness to Practice: Procedures for withholding the award The Board of Examiners reserves the right to withhold an award if it judges that a student is unfit, at the present time, to progress to the next level of study. If this is thought to be the case, the following procedure will normally be followed: 1) Tutor/s will discuss with the student their concerns and explore any possible

ways forward. 2) The Course Director, Director of Postgraduate Counselling and Head of

School will be informed formally and the student notified that this has happened.

3) If there is no obvious resolution to the issue, a panel will be formed to make recommendations to the Board of Examiners. The panel will normally consist of:

Chair of the Board of Examiners Director of Counselling Studies Student’s Tutor and/or Course Director A representative from the School (usually the Head of School) Another Tutor from the Counselling Team

4) Evidence will be presented by the tutor and the student with the aim of being

as supportive as possible to the student and to protect potential clients. 5) The panel will then make a recommendation as to a course of action to the

Board of Examiners and the student will be informed throughout this process. If deemed possible, the panel will recommend a course of action to be followed by the student in order to allow him/her to become ‘fit to practice’. He/she will be given a period of time to pursue this course of action and then be required to present evidence of their change of circumstance to the panel. The panel will then recommend to the Board of Examiners that either:

The student has satisfied the panel and the award can be made or

Extra time is judged to be needed to satisfy the panel and the extra time will be identified or

The student is unable to provide evidence and no award will be made

6) The Board of Examiners will make the final decision, which will be

communicated to the student.

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Appendix 1 MARKING CRITERIA Students are both formatively and summatively assessed. Criteria for summative assessment are given below. All assessed work must provide evidence of having met the learning objectives of the specific module for the assessment. Marking criteria for written work for Year 1 of the Professional counselling training route and Certificate in Counselling

Mark Marking Guidelines Pass 91-

100 Could not be bettered in the time available. Excellent understanding of the issues and theories; independent thinking informs a well organised answer based upon rigorous argument accurately supported by evidence derived from a wide range of primary source material. Contains no inaccuracies, irrelevant material, or repetition, and no important relevant material has been omitted.

81-90 An exceptionally good answer. As 100, but minor improvements could be made.

76-80 An answer which has most, but not all of the following characteristics: demonstrates an excellent level of understanding of the issues and theory with strong, accurately evidenced and well organised argument. Some original and critical thought and evidence of independent study of a wide range of sources. Selective use of relevant material.

70-75 An answer which has most, but not all of the following characteristics, and few shortcomings (not inaccuracies): demonstrates excellent level of understanding of the issues and theories, with strong, accurately evidenced and organised argument. Some original and critical thought and evidence of independent study of a wide range of sources. Selective use of relevant material.

65-69 An answer which shows familiarity and very good understanding of an appropriate range of sources for the level, including independent study. An organised argument showing some engagement with the issues. Minor shortcomings but no fundamental errors.

60-64 An answer which shows familiarity and good understanding of an appropriate range of sources for the level, including some independent study. An organised argument showing some engagement with the issues. Some obvious shortcomings, including minor errors/omissions, but no fundamental errors.

55-59 An answer which shows a satisfactory grasp of the main issues,

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familiarity with the basic reading, but some minor errors and/or omissions of essential material. Faithful reproduction of material without any significant critical judgment.

50-54 An answer which shows a satisfactory grasp of the main issues, and familiarity with the basic reading, but containing errors and omissions and/or the inclusion of some irrelevant material.

45-49 An incomplete or poorly organised answer which shows very basic understanding of the essential material. May contain some factual inaccuracies, omissions and/or irrelevant material, with little or no evidence of independent study.

40-44 An answer showing barely adequate and limited grasp of some of the issues, poorly conceived and poorly directed to the question set.

Fail 35-39 Unsatisfactory but shows some skeletal grasp of some relevant issues and necessary material and/or skills. May be poorly organised and poorly presented.

30-34 Shows some evidence of grasp of knowledge and /or skills but this is not applied appropriately or where relevant. There may be gross misconceptions which nevertheless show some evidence of an elementary grasp of some issues.

20-29 An attempt to answer the question(s) set, but without any significant grasp of material or appropriate skills.

10-19 An answer which shows some evidence that the student has benefited from the course, but which is severely lacking in relevant content and shows no appropriate skills.

1-9 Answer given is totally irrelevant, is fundamentally wrong. 0 No answer given or is plagiarised.

In addition to the above criteria for written work, students will be expected to meet the additional criteria set out in the sections describing each assignment. The DVD is examined using the following criteria:

a) Observance of the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy.

b) The ability to establish an appropriate relationship, characterised by the core conditions of congruence, acceptance and empathy and including the holding of time boundaries.

c) The ability to use counseling skills to help the client talk about self, in the present, from the client’s frame of reference, including an exploration of feelings.

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d) An awareness of the client agenda and an ability to keep to that agenda rather than to impose a counsellor-led agenda; to ‘walk alongside’ the client rather than leading.

e) An awareness of and ability to work with non-verbal communication. Assessment Criteria for Practice

Class Marks ILOs Criteria for practice Pass 80-100

Threshold intended learning outcomes attained

Indications of high level of competence in most categories.

70-79 Indications of high level of competence in some categories.

60-69 Sound competence in all categories. 50-59 A basic level of competence in all categories 40-49 A basic level of competence in at least categories

a and b (described below) Fail <40

Threshold intended learning outcomes NOT attained

Failure in either a or b below: a. Observance of the Ethical Framework for

Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy,

b. The ability to establish an appropriate relationship, characterised by the core conditions of congruence, acceptance and empathy and including the holding of time boundaries

c. The ability to use counselling skills to help the client talk about self, in the present, at a feeling level

d. An awareness of the client agenda and an ability to keep to that agenda rather than to impose a counsellor-led agenda; to ‘walk alongside’ the client rather than leading

e. An awareness of and ability to work with non-verbal communication

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Appendix 2 BACP Ethical Framework The BACP ethical framework can be accessed direct from the BACP website. The address is http://www.bacp.co.uk/admin/structure/files/pdf/566_ethical%20framework%20feb2010.pdf Students are expected to be aware of the framework and make appropriate reference to it in written assignments. Appendix 3 Essay Writing Guidance on writing an essay for counselling is given on the KLE (Keele Learning Environment) under module PSY-30079 Additional support for those unfamiliar or out of practice at writing essays can be obtained from the academic support. Their web address is http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/aa/class/guidance/index.html Appendix 4 Citations and Reference Lists (Short Guide) (See the KLE under module PSY-30079 for full guide) Most assignments require your own work to be set in the context of published literature. This includes academic books, and professional journal articles. This is done by making reference to published works (“citations”) in the body of your essay, which refer in turn to full “reference lists” at the end of the essay. It is ESSENTIAL you include these. There are international standards for citations and reference lists. We prefer to follow the “American Psychological Association” (APA) standard. Briefly, this means that you give the author’s surname and the date of publication of the source in brackets and then put the full, bibliographic reference in the reference list at the end of your essay. There are specific conventions for this, which you should follow slavishly. The example below illustrates this. It is from an article of staff responses to violence from children with learning disabilities.

Extract from text of article, showing citation method Staff facing violence or challenging behaviour have an increased risk of stress (Male and May, 1997; Balloch et al., 1998). The research literature points to stress having a major impact upon the services provided to people with learning disabilities. The experience of stress may account for the high staff turnover seen in learning disability services, although Rose (1995) points out that high staff turnover may actually be a positive way of losing less functional members. Staff experiencing stress are far less likely to interact with clients (Rose et al., 1993). Violent behaviour may also be viewed as one of a number of stressors in care work, along with other

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elements of the support role such as role clarity, workload, or experience. If violence is a stressor, then supporting those staff who face violence becomes even more important. Extract from reference list (in the complete list, each article cited in the text would be found in full) showing full bibliographic details of each citation, and the format to be used. Note slightly different layout of articles and books. It is the journal TITLE and the book TITLE that is italicised. Observe use of commas, semi-colons etc. Alexander M & Hegarty J. R. (2000). Measuring Staff Burnout in a Community

Home. British Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 46 , 51-62. Balloch S, Pahl J and McLean J. (1998). Working in the social services: Job

satisfaction, stress and violence. British Journal of Social Work, 28, 329-350. Bromley J and Emerson E. (1995). Beliefs and emotional reactions of care staff

working with people with challenging behaviour. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities Research, 39, 341-352.

Clegg J A. (1994). Epistemology and learning disabilities: Invited commentary on Hastings and Remmington. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 33, 439-444.

Coolican H. (1999). Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology: 3rd Edition. London: Hodder & Stoughton.

Dagnan D, Trower P and Smith R. (1998). Care staff responses to people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour: A cognitive-emotional analysis. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 37, 59-68.

Dey I. (1993). Qualitative data analysis: A user-friendly guide for social scientists. London: Routledge.

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Appendix 5 Journal Keeping The attached notes are offered to all students as a guideline for keeping a learning journal. Keeping a Journal This is an activity which you are required to engage in for the duration of the course. You will not be asked to submit your journal and it will not be assessed, but you may choose to share it with someone else. What is it? A natural, active, purposeful communication with self. How? Write, doodle, sketch, play with your imagination. Record immediate feelings, thoughts, interests and inhibitions. When? Whenever you wish. Result A unique, unrepeatable story of self. Beginnings Selecting your book Small - convenient to carry around, may produce a cramped writing style. Large - may encourage expansion, ease drawing as well as writing,

experimentation and elaboration. Blank - no subliminal messages from cover design or structure. A page labelled

with the date for each day suggests a diary entry. Rainer (1979) suggests a large, undated, bound book. Scraps of paper can be stuck in or stapled on.

Principles Write spontaneously - don't judge your writing, trust your process. Write honestly not to do with truth, more to do with unmasking your self. Write deeply - a dream to remember, meeting someone who could prove

significant in your life. Write correctly? - a place where you don't have to worry about being perfect. Choosing your audience - best audience is your future self. Encourages you to

include all sensual vitality of the moment. Value contradictions - Your only concern is to be true to yourself within the

moment. Where to begin Begin with the present moment/present period. Get in touch with the immediacy of your life. Where are you in your now?

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How do you live? What are you thinking, feeling, experiencing? What do you desire? What do you fear? What do you value? Whom do you care about? What is the significance of the present moment of your life? What is changing about you?

Or Can start with an image, feeling, or a description of the most recent period of

the past that has meaning, in the present. Or a self portrait a word portrait - not a detailed autobiography, use images or similes, or begin with the day description - include feelings, emotions, or record a recent dream

USEFUL BOOKS: Milner, M. (1983). On not being able to paint. New York: Jeremy P Tarcher/Putnam. Progoff, I. (1992). At a journal workshop. New York: Jeremy P Tarcher/Putnam. Rainer, T. (1979). The new diary. New York: Jeremy P Tarcher/Putnam. (These books are not currently in the library)

Note: Your Journal may contain confidential information about you or other members of the course and should be kept in a secure place at all times

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Appendix 6

CERTIFICATE IN COUNSELLING THERAPY CONTRACT

Student Name; ……………………………………………………………………… Name of Therapist; ……………………………………………………………… Telephone Number;………………………………………………………………… Therapist’s Training and Qualifications; ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… Model/s of Therapy used (Person-Centred, Psychodynamic, Integrative etc.); …………………………………………………………………………………………. Length of Session; …………………………………………………………………… Frequency of Sessions; ……………………………………………………………... Duration of therapy contract; ……………………………………………………….. Total number of sessions completed; ……………………………………………... Signed by Therapist ;……………………………………………………… ……… Signed by Student;…………………………………………………………………… Date;………………………………………………………………………………… Note to student ; Please place this form in your folder at the end of the year, on completion of your therapy. It is advisable to retain a copy for your own records and your therapist may also wish to keep a copy. Students should note that the course requirement is for a minimum of 8 hours of personal therapy.

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Appendix 7

Professional Counselling Training Route: Year 1 Provisional timetable 2011 - 2012

20 September 2011 Attending 27 September Library visit 4 October Attending 11 October Use of questions 18 October DVD/recording session 25 October STUDY WEEK 1 November Empathy 8 November Empathy 15 November UPR 22 November UPR 29 November Skills - DVD reviews (formative) 6 December Skills - DVD reviews (formative) 13 December Tutorials

CHRISTMAS BREAK 10 January 2012 Congruence 17 January Rogers’ model of personality 24 January Counselling process 31 January Counselling process - skills 7 February Self disclosure and immediacy 14 February STUDY WEEK 21 February Skills 28 February Ethics 6 March DVD reviews (formative) 13 March DVD reviews (formative) 20 March To be arranged 27 March Tutorials

EASTER BREAK 01 May Final DVD presentations 8 May Final DVD presentations 15 May Placements/Supervision 22 May Loss 29 May Counselling - The bigger picture 5 June Endings NB The 5 June is a bank holiday, but the last class will be held on that date.

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Appendix 8 Coursework submission forms There are five submission forms: one for each of your assignments. (Only one copy of the submission form is required with each hand-in)

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Appendix 9 Indicative Reading List Bond, T. (2009). Standards & ethics for counselling in action. 3rd edition. London: Sage.

Bor, R. & Watts, M. (eds) (2011) The trainee handbook. A guide for counselling and psychotherapy trainees. Sage: London.

Casemore, R. (2011) (2nd Edition) Person-Centred Counselling in A Nutshell. London: Sage

Corey, G. (2008). Student Manual for Theory and practice of counseling (7th ed.) , Belmont CA: Brooks Cole-Thomson Learning.

Culley, S. and Bond, T. (20011) (3rd edition). Integrative counselling skills in action London: Sage.

Dainow, S. and Bailey, C (1988). Developing skills with people. New York: Wiley.

De Board, R. (1998). Counselling for toads. London: Routledge.

Egan, G. (2010). The skilled helper. (9th edition). Monterey: Calif: Brookes Cole.

Fairhurst I. (Ed) (1999). Women writing in the person-centred approach. Ross on Wye: PCCS Books.

Frankland A., Sanders P. and Wilkins, P. (2009). Next steps in counseling practice, (2nd edition). Ross on Wye: PCCS Books.

Heron, J (2001). Helping the client. London: Sage.

Jones, C., Shillito-Clarke C., Syme G., Hill D., Casemore R., & Murdin L. (2001). Questions of ethics in counselling and therapy. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.

Karter, J. (2002) On Training to be a Therapist: the long and winding road to qualification. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Kirschenbaum, H. & Henderson, V. (1989). The Carl Rogers reader. London: Constable.

McLeod, J. (2009). An introduction to counselling. (4th ed.). Milton Keynes: Open University Press.

McLeod, J. (2007). Counselling skill. Berkshire: Open University Press Mearns, D. (1997) Person centred counselling training. London: Sage. Mearns, D. (2002) Developing person centred counselling. (2nd edition). London. Sage Mearns, D. & Thorne, B. (2007) Person-centred counselling in Action. 3rd edition. London:

Sage.

Merry, T. (2002). Learning and being in person-centred counselling, (2nd edition). Ross on Wye: PCCS Books.

Natiello, P. (2001). The person centred approach: a passionate presence. Ross on Wye: PCCS Books.

Nelson-Jones, R. (2009). Introduction to counselling skills. Text and activities. (3rd edition). London: Sage

Nelson-Jones, R. (2011) (5th Edition) Theory and Practice of Counselling and Therapy. London:Sage

Rennie, D. (1998). Person centred counselling. London: Sage.

Rogers, C. (2003). Client centred therapy. London: Constable and Robinson.

Rogers, C. (1977). On personal power. London: Constable.

Essential reading Not currently in the library Appropriate references should also be included from a range of relevant journals. The British Journal of Guidance and Counselling (BJGC) Counselling and Psychotherapy Research (BACP Research Journal) Counselling Psychology Quarterly (British Psychological Society (PBS) Journal) Counselling Psychology Review (British Psychological Society (BPS) Journal)

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Appendix 10

SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY

Professional Counselling Training Route: Year 1

Contents of final folder

MODULE ASSIGNMENT INCLUDED (TICK)

PSY-30079 Core Counselling Competencies

Essay – Title: ’Where might your personal beliefs, values and experience be in conflict with the underlying ethos of humanistic counselling?’ Essay – Title: What is your experience of the counselling relationship as both counsellor and client?

PSY-30080 Personal Development and Professional Issues

Essay – Title: Who am I as a counsellor now?

DVD

DVD critique and transcript

Therapy Contract

Total hours

Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Signature: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Date: . . . ……….

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Appendix 11: Course Regulations: MSc in Counselling Psychology (Part -Time) including the Professional Counselling Training Route Course Regulations: (updated June 2010)

These regulations supplement the relevant University Academic Regulations (2A) which are to be found on the University Web-site and in the University Calendar. In the event of a contradiction or other discrepancy between these regulations and University Academic Regulations, the University Academic Regulations shall be authoritative, unless approval has been given by Senate for a variation from the University Academic Regulations.

The MSc programme consists of not less than thirty six months part-time study. The Professional Counselling Training Route consists of not less than 24 months of part-time study and culminates in the award of Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology with an interim award of Certificate in Counselling. The Certificate in Counselling consists of not less than 10 months part-time study. Students on the Professional Route would normally be expected to have fulfilled the academic requirements of the programme within 24 months but may take up to a further 12 months to complete the counselling practice and supervision requirements. 1. Structure of Programme: The course structure is presented in the table below. The modules offered are subject to development and change over time subject to approval by the Natural Sciences Faculty Learning and Teaching Committee. There are no Pre-requisites, Precursors or Co-requisites. Modules PSY-30079 and PSY-30080 lead to the interim award of Certificate and must be passed at a mark of 40%. Marks from Modules PSY 40022, PSY 40023, PSY 40024, PSY 40025, PSY 40026 and PSY 40027 lead to the MSc award and must be passed at a mark of 50%.

Module Code and Title Pass Mark Credits Level Core (C) or Optional (O)

Module PSY-30079 ‘Core Counselling Competences’

40% 30 3 C

Year 1: Certificate in Counselling

Year 3: MSc in Counselling Psychology

Year 2: Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology

Professional Counselling Training Route

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Module PSY-30080 ‘Personal Development and Professional Issues’

40% 30 3 C

Module PSY 40022 ‘Exploration in Counselling’ (30 credits)

50% 30 4 C

Module : PSY 40023 ‘Understanding in Counselling’(30 credits)

50% 30 4 C

Module : PSY 40024 ‘Integration in Counselling’(30 credits)

50% 30 4 C

Module : PSY 40025 Practicum (30 credits)

50% in both dvd of counselling practice and the evaluation of the dvd Satisfactory evidence of a minimum of 100 hours of satisfactory supervised counselling practice Evidence of 8 hours of personal therapy

30 4 C

Module : PSY 40026 ‘Research Methods’(15 credits)

50% 15 4 C

Module : PSY 40027 Dissertation(60 credits)

50% 60 4 C

2. Entrance Requirements: The programme is open to applicants that show appropriate commitment and motivation to participate in a programme that combines experiential learning and academic study. All successful applicants will demonstrate emotional maturity and a capacity for sustained self-directed study, the ability to present written exposition of information and argument, to work experientially as a member of a small group, an awareness of self and an awareness of the nature of prejudice and oppression. All students will normally be interviewed prior to acceptance onto the course and all applicants will submit a personal statement to demonstrate how they fulfil the above entrance requirements.

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The minimum English language requirement for students who do not have English as their first language is an IELTS score of 7.0 or the equivalent. Students should achieve a score of at least 6.5 in each of the IELTS sub-tests. 3. Specific Requirements for admission with advanced standing and module exemptions Students may apply for exemption from PSY-30079 and PSY-30080 if they can demonstrate that they have successfully completed a programme of study equivalent to the Certificate in Counselling from Keele University. Students may also apply for exemption from PSY-40022, 40023, 40024 and 40025 if they have previously been awarded a Graduate or Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling from Keele University or the equivalent from elsewhere. 4. Attendance Requirement: Full attendance on the programme is expected. Due to professional requirements, students are normally expected to complete a minimum of 400 hours of staff/student contact time in Year 1 and 2. Attendance is expected to be 100% in all course components. Unavoidable lateness or absence should be notified, preferably in advance, to the course administrator. Failure to meet this requirement could cause the student to fail the programme. Satisfactory academic progress includes the satisfactory completion of: Attendance requirement A minimum of 100 hours of supervised counselling practice A minimum of 8 hours of personal therapy Completion of all assessed work. 5. Interruption of Studies: Students would normally be expected to follow the full programme of study over the time period indicated (36 months part time ) although students may continue to complete their placement hours in the following academic year. In unusual circumstances a student may apply for ‘leave of absence’ from the programme if:

a) the period of leave is recommended by a medical practitioner or b) The Director of Counselling Psychology is satisfied that the request is

reasonable (i.e. in the case of bereavement) The request must be made in writing giving reasons for the request and including any supporting evidence available and an expected date of return. This will be considered by the Director of Counselling Psychology. If an agreement is reached, the student must write to the Director of Counselling Psychology and the Director of Academic Services of their intention to return to the University to resume their programme of study at least one month before the date on which it is intended that they return to study. This would normally only be allowed at the beginning of semester one.

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6. Exit and Interim Awards Students who complete 60 credits at Level 3 (Core Counselling Competences and Personal Development and Professional Issues) will be eligible for the award of Certificate in Counselling (interim and exit award). Students who complete 60 M level credits (PSY-40022 and 40025) will be eligible for an exit award of a Postgraduate Certificate. Students who complete 120 M level credits (PSY-40022, 40023, 40024 and 40025) will be eligible for an interim and exit award of a Postgraduate Diploma. Students are also eligible for an interim award of Postgraduate Diploma on completion of 120 M level credits (PSY-40022, 40023, 40024 and 40025). Students who complete 195 M level credits (PSY-40022, 40023, 40024, 40025, 40026 & 40027 will be eligible for the award of MSc.

7. Assessment

7.1 All course work will be word-processed except where a student has received the explicit written permission of the course director to submit hand written work. Such permission shall not be unreasonably withheld.

7.2 Two copies of all assessed work must be submitted, with a completed declaration sheet, by 12:00 noon on the date of submission. 7.3 Work submitted more than seven calendar days after the deadline or non-submission of work, without good cause, will not be accepted and signifies failure of that component of the module, which may lead to failure of the module as a whole. In such circumstances the maximum reassessment mark available for the component or whole module shall be 40% for Year 1 and 50% for Years 2 and 3 as prescribed in the University Regulations. Where there are extenuating circumstances which may have had an effect on the ability to submit coursework on time this is dealt with under Regulation 8 section 15 of the Academic Regulations Handbook:

7.4 Students must retain an electronic copy of all assignments.

7.5 Students will be allowed to submit for re-assessment any work which has failed to achieve a mark of 40% in Year 1 or 50% in Years 2 and 3.

7.6 The re-assessed work will be capped at 40% in Year 1 or 50% in Years 2 and 3 if it is deemed to have passed.

7.7 Only one re-submission for each piece of assessed work is allowed 7.8 The word count for all in-module assessment is a guideline, with a permitted variation of 10% either way. Excessively long or short work will be penalised. 7.9 The programme has been approved as offering distinction and merit awards following the University guidelines: To be eligible for the award of a Distinction in the Masters degree a student must have satisfied the requirements of the award and achieved: (i) an average mark of 70% over all level M modules, calculated in accordance with any weightings specified in the course regulations; and (ii) a mark of at least 70% in the Masters dissertation. To be eligible for the award of a Merit in the Masters degree a student must have satisfied the requirements of the award and achieved: (i) an average mark of 60% over all level M modules, calculated in accordance with any weightings specified in the course regulations; and (ii) a mark of at least 60% in the Masters dissertation. 7.10 The programme is assessed in the following way:

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Module Assessment Weighting of each piece per module

Module PSY-30079 ‘Core Counselling Competences’

1. 2 X Essay x 3000 words 2. 2 X DVD of practice 3. Reflection on and record of counselling practice

1. 50% each = 100% 2. Compulsory requirement 3. Compulsory requirement

Module PSY-30080 ‘Personal Development and Professional Issues’

1. 20 minute DVD of Counselling Skills practice

2. 3,000 word critique of DVD

3. 2,500 word essay 4. 8 hours of personal

therapy

1. DVD 40% 2. critique essay 30% 3. 2,500 word essay 30% 4. Compulsory requirement

Module PSY 40022 ‘Exploration in Counselling’ (30 credits)

2 X 3,000 word Assignments

Each assignment worth 50%

Module : PSY 40023 ‘Understanding in Counselling’(30 credits)

1X 5,000 word Assignments 100%

Module : PSY 40024 ‘Integration in Counselling’(30 credits)

1X 5,000 word Assignments 100%

Module : PSY 40025 Practicum (30 credits)

DVD of practice (20 mins) and a written evaluation of 5,000 words Plus the satisfactory completion of 100 hours of supervised counselling practice as evidenced by the presentation of 2 satisfactory supervisors’ reports annually And evidence of a minimum of 8 hours of personal therapy (may have been completed in Year1)

DVD = 50% Evaluation = 50% NB each element must attract a mark of at least 50% Placement: Compulsory requirement Therapy: Compulsory requirement

Module : PSY 40026 ‘Research Methods’(15 credits)

3000 word essay in which they must demonstrate knowledge of research principles, theories and methods and include a report of the research methodology presentation

100%

Module : PSY 40027 Dissertation(60 credits)

Dissertation of not less than 15,000 words and not more than 20,000 words

100%

8. Other regulatory matters specific to the programme not covered by the

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university regulations: Fitness to Practice: Procedures for withholding the award or not allowing progression

The Board of Examiners reserves the right to withhold an award or not allow a student to progress if it judges that a student is unfit, at the present time, to practice. If this is thought to be the case, the following procedure will normally be followed:

1) Tutor/s will discuss with the student their concerns and explore any possible ways forward.

2) The Course Director, Director of Counselling Psychology and Head of School will be informed formally and the student notified that this has happened.

3) If there is no obvious resolution to the issue, a panel will be formed to make recommendations to the Board of Examiners. The panel will normally consist of:

Chair of the Board of Examiners Director of Counselling Psychology Student’s Tutor and/or Course Director A representative from the School of Psychology, usually the Head of School

4) Evidence will be presented by the tutor and the student with the aim of being

as supportive as possible to the student and to protect potential clients and supervisees.

5) The panel will then make a recommendation as to a course of action to the Board of Examiners and the student will be informed throughout this process. If deemed possible, the panel will recommend a course of action to be followed by the student in order to allow him/her to become ‘fit to practice’. He/she will be given a period of time to pursue this course of action and then be required to present evidence of their change of circumstance to the panel. The panel will then recommend to the Board of Examiners that either: The student has satisfied the panel and the award can be made or the

student can progress or Extra time is judged to be needed to satisfy the panel and the extra time

will be identified or The student is unable to provide evidence and no award will be made or no

progression allowed. 6) The Board of Examiners will make the final decision, which will be

communicated, to the student.