“Basics of Counselling Skills”

“Connecting with Community”
November 16, 2015

“Basics of Counselling Skills”

Overview
Counselling skills are essential for all healthcare professionals and not just mental health professionals. Even outside health sector, especially those who work in humanitarian settings or social services, these skills are extremely valuable to help others find a way through their distress. This workshop offers an exciting experiential opportunity for participants to work very closely with a diverse professional group to understand the basic concepts of counseling. It focuses on core principles of counselling process through a hands-on experience. These include meaning listening, reflecting and responding techniques; and working through difficult emotions like anger, fear, grief etc. There is particular emphasis on culture sensitivities whilst applying these counseling skills. It also provides an opportunity for the participants to explore their own strengths/weaknesses through self-awareness exercises and develop their skills further.

This is a highly interactive activity, which provides a stimulating environment to self-reflect, work in pairs and in small groups. The participants will be actively involved to experience and demonstrate these skills on real cases and through role-plays.

The aim of the workshop is to encourage participants to engage in psychotherapeutic processes with people in their everyday work and not to certify participants as ‘counsellors’.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of the workshop, participants will be able to:
1. Outline the basic principles of counseling.
2. Identify indications for application of these skills in relevant settings.
3. Demonstrate effective counseling skills.
4. Reflect on personal skills to identify their own strengths and weaknesses.
5. Apply the core elements of counselling in everyday work.
Target Audience
Basics of Counselling Skills would be particularly useful for the following:
• Mental healthcare professionals
• Other healthcare professionals
• Humanitarian agencies and social services staff
• Postgraduate & undergraduate students

January 2016

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