Elements and Performance Criteria

Working with clients will be carried out within requirements established by:
Relevant legislation and statutory requirements
International conventions relating to the rights of individuals
Organisational policy and codes of conduct
Relevant program standards
Professional association codes of conduct and ethical and ethical positions

Critical aspects of assessment:
Working cooperatively with clients/significant others to achieve behavioural life skills changes
Working with individuals in a range of settings to achieve maximum outcomes

Essential knowledge:
Counselling models/practices including basic knowledge of theories supporting counselling process
Professional service provision codes of conduct, ethical codes, referral protocols
Group dynamics models/practices
Range of services available
Organisational procedures and program standards
Indicators of pathology, i.e. substance use, mental health
Cultural protocols, taboos and language systems
Facilitation model/practices
Statutory mandate and responsibilities
Assumptions underlying the medical model and its application in abnormal psychology.
Behaviour change models/practices
Central ideas and frameworks for understanding love, sex and intimacy in relationships
Different areas and levels of wellbeing such as psychological, physiological, social, economic and spiritual
Theoretical developmental approaches to human development and understanding of life stages and physical, emotional, social, cognitive characteristics of human development
Human lifespan and personality theory
Major psychological approaches to human behaviour
Main approaches - psychoanalytic, behavioural, humanistic and cognitive relate approaches to social welfare work
Links between personality theory and abnormal psychology including main definitions of health and well being
Stress indicators
Sociological understanding
Culture and diversity
Models of society
Critique of socialisation theory
Family, power
Understanding of deviance
Identity theories

Essential skills:
Crisis intervention
Demonstration of empathy
Relationship building
Counselling including:
counselling context, process and goals
establishing a trusting relationship
information gathering
reflective listening, respectful responding, development of empathy and rapport
human life stage development
Communication
Negotiation
Managing groups
Stress management
Assertion
Conflict management

Resource implications:
Access to appropriate workplace where assessment can take place or
Simulation of realistic workplace setting for assessment

Consistency in performance:
Assessment may include observations, questioning or evidence gathered from the workplace
Assessment may take place on one occasion but must include assessment of competence with a number of clients

Context of assessment:
This unit will be most appropriately assessed in the workplace or in a simulated workplace and under the normal range of workplace conditions.