CACHE Level 2

Certificate in Counselling Skills

ETHICAL FRAMEWORK

COUNSELLING RELATIONSHIP

VALUES AND BELIEFS

DISCRIMINATION

PERSONAL SKILLS

Workbook 2
 How to use your learning materials

This course is delivered on a flexible learning basis. This means that most of your
study will take place away from your Assessor/Tutor. It helps to carefully plan your
studying so that you get the most out of your course. We have put together some
handy tips for you below.

Study Guidance

Try to plan an outline timetable of when and where you will study.
Try to complete your work in a quiet environment where you are unlikely to
be distracted.
Set realistic goals and deadlines for the various elements of your course.
Plan what you are going to study during each session, and try and achieve
this each time.
After each session, reflect on what you have achieved and plan what you hope to
complete next time.
Remember that not only do you have the support of your Assessor/Tutor, but it is
likely that your family, friends and work colleagues will also be willing to help.

Assessor/Tutor Support

Your Assessor/Tutor will be available to support and guide you through the
programme. They are experts in your area of study and are experienced in helping
many different types of learners.
They can help you to improve the standard of work you submit and will give
you useful feedback on areas in which you have excelled, as well as where
you can improve.
Remember to listen to, or read, their feedback carefully. Ask if you are unsure
about any of the feedback you receive as your Assessor/Tutor is there to help.
Make note of any tips they give. Refer to the learning materials as they contain the
information you need to complete the end-of-unit assessments.
Look out for areas in which you can improve, and set yourself an action plan to
make sure you complete the required work.
Take positive feedback on board; this demonstrates you are doing things right and
have a good understanding of the subject area.
Use the feedback to avoid repeating any mistakes you may have made.

Enjoy your studies!

2 © LCG 2018
 CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills

Workbook 2
Workbook Contents

In this workbook learners will explore ethical frameworks and how they are used
in counselling. They will also learn about discrimination and how it can impact on
counselling relationships. An important aspect of a counsellor’s role is understanding
their values, beliefs and personal skills and qualities. In Section 2, learners will
gain an understanding of their own values and beliefs, be able to identify blocks to
listening and develop personal skills and qualities. They will also learn what their
support needs are and how they can fulfil them.

Contents
This workbook contains three sections: Page
Section 1: Diversity and ethics in the use of counselling skills 4
Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development 20
Section 3: Extension activities 46

Each section has corresponding assessment questions CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills

that must be completed in order to achieve this part of Assessment 2

the programme. Learner contact details:

Name:

The assessments for this workbook can be found in: Contact address:

Postcode: Contact number:

Assessment 2 Email:

Learner declaration
I confirm that the answers in Assessment 2 were completed by me, represent my own
ideas and are my own work.
Learner signature: Assessment date:

When you have completed this workbook you should If you need any help in completing these Assessments, refer to the
relevant section within Workbook 2, or contact your Assessor/Tutor.

attempt the assessment. Your Assessor/Tutor will then

Please tick one of the boxes below to show what your status will be when you complete this course.
 EMP 1 In paid employment for 16 hours or more  GAP 1 Gap year before
per week starting HE
 EMP 2 In paid employment for less than 16 hours  EDU 1 Traineeship
per week  EDU 2 Apprenticeship

give you detailed written feedback on your progress.

 EMP 4 Self-employed for 16 hours or more per week  EDU 3 Supported Internship
 EMP 5 Self-employed for less than 16 hours per week  EDU 4 Other FE* (Full-time)
 NPE 1 Not in paid employment, looking for work and
 EDU 5 Other FE* (Part-time)
available to start work
 NPE 2 Not in paid employment, not looking for work  EDU 6 HE
and/or not available to start work (including retired)  OTH # (please state)
 VOL 1 Voluntary work ………………………………

Assessment 2 1

Upon successful completion of this qualification, learners will be awarded the NCFE
CACHE Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills (QRN: 600/0728/X). This CACHE
branded qualification is certified by the Awarding Organisation, NCFE.

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 Section 1: Diversity and ethics in the use of
counselling skills

In this section learners will explore ethical frameworks and what is meant by
discrimination and anti-discriminatory practice.

Ethical frameworks
Please read the following as it will help you to answer questions 1 and 2.

An ethical framework is a collection of rules or guidelines that is used by counsellors

to guide their actions and behaviour when interacting with clients. Look at the
information in the following table to learn more about three ethical frameworks of
well-known counselling associations and the key aspects of each.
Ethical Key aspects
framework
British Principles
Association for Being trustworthy – i.e. honouring the trust placed in the
Counselling & practitioner.
Psychotherapy Autonomy – i.e. respect for the client’s right to be self-governing.
(BACP) Ethical
Beneficence – i.e. a commitment to promoting the client’s
Framework for
well-being.
Good Practice in
Counselling and Non-maleficence – i.e. a commitment to avoiding harm to
Psychotherapy the client.
Justice – i.e. the fair and impartial treatment of all clients and
the provision of adequate services.
Self-respect – i.e. fostering the counsellor’s self-knowledge,
integrity and care for self.
Values
Respecting human rights and dignity.
Alleviating symptoms of personal distress and suffering.
Enhancing people’s well-being and capabilities.
Improving the quality of relationships between people.
Increasing personal resilience and effectiveness.
Facilitating a sense of self that is meaningful to the person(s)
concerned within their personal and cultural context.
Appreciating the variety of human experience and culture.
Protecting the safety of clients.
Ensuring the integrity of practitioner-client relationships.
Enhancing the quality of professional knowledge and its
application.
Striving for fair and adequate provision and services.

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Ethical Key aspects

framework
Personal qualities
Diligence – i.e. conscientiously using skills needed to achieve
a good outcome for the client.
Courage – i.e. the ability to act despite uncertainty or risk.
Empathy – i.e. showing a client you understand and feel what
they are experiencing.
Identity – i.e. the ability to show another person that you
understand their experience from their perspective.
Humility – i.e. the counsellor’s ability to see and assess their
own strengths and weaknesses.
Integrity – i.e. being moral when dealing with clients – including
honesty.
Resilience – i.e. the ability to work with a client without letting it
negatively impact the counsellor’s well-being.
Respect – i.e. showing esteem for clients; valuing each client as
an individual.
Sincerity – i.e. the counsellor doing what they say they will do.
Wisdom – i.e. apply good judgment to counselling sessions.
United Kingdom Best interests of clients
Council for Counsellors should:
Psychotherapy Respect clients’ best interests.
(UKCP)
Treat clients with respect.
Not enter a sexual relationship with a client.
Respect their client’s autonomy.
Not harm their client.
Recognise that their behaviour outside their professional life
may impact client relationships.
Diversity and equality
Counsellor:
Actively considers diversity and equality issues and how they
affect their work; acknowledges that no one is immune from
prejudice and engages in continuous self-enquiry and
professional development.
Will not allow prejudice about a client’s sex, age, colour, race,
disability, sexuality, social, economic or immigration status,
lifestyle, religious or cultural beliefs to adversely affect the way
they interact with clients.

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 Section 1: Diversity and ethics in the use of
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Ethical Key aspects

framework
European Ethical framework
Association for Counsellors must:
Counselling Act according to professional standards of competence.
(EAC)
Maintain confidentiality.
Be open and explicit with clients about the counselling process.
Remain within the boundaries of the counselling role.
Engage only in activities in which they have ability and in which
they are able to act independently and objectively.
Ensure that they receive adequate supervision of their
counselling work.
Continue their own personal and professional development.
Establish, maintain and monitor clear counselling contract.
Core values
Counsellors must possess and demonstrate the following
core values:
Respect – i.e. counsellors show unconditional acceptance of
clients and are fully aware of personal and cultural differences.
This doesn’t mean the counsellor has to accept clients’
behaviour.
Integrity – i.e. counsellors must never exploit a client.
Authority –i.e. they must be present during sessions.
Autonomy – i.e. counsellors should respect human rights and
cultural differences and give clients the freedom to express
themselves, their needs and beliefs.
Privacy – i.e. counsellors must ensure that the counselling
relationship isn’t interfered with or observed by anyone else.
Responsibility – i.e. counsellors must actively observe and
practice the core values.
Competence – i.e. counsellors should only use techniques that
they are trained in.
Sources:
Information for this table was gathered from the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy,
the UK Council for Psychotherapy and the European Association for Counselling.

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How ethical frameworks inform the use of counselling skills

Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 3.

Ethical frameworks play an essential role in the way counsellors use their skills,
because they provide standards, guidance and support for counsellors so that they
have a clear understanding of their roles and the way they should treat and interact
with clients. Ethical frameworks also provide counsellors with guidance on how to deal
with ethical conflicts that may arise.
For example, according to BACP, ethical decisions should be supported by one or
more of the association’s six principles (see page 4). According to BACP, if a decision
is supported by a principle, it is considered to be ‘well-founded’.
It is important to note that when faced with the same situation, counsellors may
make different decisions and prioritise alternative principles to support their decisions.
This is fine, as long as the counsellor considers all of the possible consequences of
the ethical decision.
In Workbook 1 you learned about the core counselling skills and how they are used in
a counselling relationship. If you compare the core skills against the ethical frameworks
in this section, you will see that many of the skills match the qualities or values listed
in the ethical frameworks. Some examples are shown in the following table.
Ethical framework requirement Core counselling skill
Treat clients with respect (BACP, Unconditional positive regard
UKCP, EAC)
Be open and explicit with clients about Beginning a relationship
the counselling process (EAC)
Being trustworthy (BACP) Active listening
Autonomy (EAC) Silence – this allows the client to lead
the session and explore issues on a
deeper level

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Knowledge Activity 1: Go online and research the British Association for

Counselling & Psychotherapy’s ethical framework. Choose one principle,
personal value and personal quality that you think you already have and
explain why you think you possess them.

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The ways in which people experience discrimination

Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 4.

Discrimination means treating an individual differently or unfairly because they have

certain characteristics. Under the Equality Act 2010 it is illegal to discriminate against
a person because they possess one of the following nine protected characteristics:
age
gender
race
disability
religion
being pregnant or on maternity leave
sexual orientation
gender reassignment
being married or in a civil partnership

There are different ways an individual can be discriminated against. These include:
Direct discrimination – e.g. when an individual with a protected characteristic is
treated differently to others. For example, if a person with a protected characteristic
is the best qualified person for a job but doesn’t get it due to their religion.
Indirect discrimination – e.g. a company-wide policy that says all employees
must stand for prolonged periods of time. This would be potentially dangerous for a
pregnant woman.
Harassment – e.g. when an individual experiences unwanted behaviour, such as
jokes or abuse, that makes them feel intimidated or offended.
Victimisation – e.g. an employee makes a complaint about a colleague who has
been harassing them at work, and as a result is treated badly by their co-workers.
Positive discrimination – the act of giving advantage to those groups in society
who have historically experienced disadvantages because of their religion, race,
sex, etc. In employment, positive discrimination is unlawful in the UK but positive
action isn’t. What this means is that employers can choose to hire candidates from
under-represented groups as long as they are as qualified for the role as other
applicants. You are not allowed to recruit a person purely on the basis of his or her
age, disability, gender, race or religion, regardless of their ability to do the job. This
would be committing discrimination under the Equality Act.

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 Section 1: Diversity and ethics in the use of
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Under the Equality Act, individuals with a protected characteristic are protected from
discrimination:
at work
in education
as a consumer
when using public services
when buying or renting a property
as a member or guest of a private club or association

Under the Act, it is also against the law to put disabled individuals at an unfair
disadvantage in a range of situations, including at work and in educational settings.
Employers are legally bound to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the workplace so
that disabled employees have equal access to the same facilities and benefits. A
reasonable adjustment may include a ramp for wheelchair users to access the main
entrance of an office.

The counsellor’s experiences and observations of

possible discrimination
Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 5.

An element that is required to successfully complete this unit is your contribution of

personal experiences and observations of possible discrimination.
When you’re thinking about your own experiences and observations, you may have to
look at them from a different perspective to determine if what you experienced and
observed was possible discrimination.
Look at the following examples to see if you think the individuals have been
discriminated against.
The answers can be found on page 12.

Example 1
Aliah has gone for a job interview at a large financial firm. She is extremely well
qualified and has excellent references. During the interview, the potential employer
asks Aliah her age and whether she plans on having children.
Has Aliah been discriminated against?

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Example 2
Pavel is at a job interview and is asked if he is eligible to work in the UK. He is also
asked what his race is.
Has Pavel been discriminated against?

Example 3
Roman uses a wheelchair. He has just moved to a new area and needs to get the
bus to the local shops. After 15 minutes a bus arrives, but when Roman goes to the
front door to ask the driver to put down the ramp, the driver says ‘Sorry, I haven’t got
time. You’ll have to wait for the next one’.
Has Roman been discriminated against?

Knowledge Activity 2: Describe a time when you have experienced

discrimination, witnessed discrimination or seen discrimination on the
television. Describe how it made you feel.

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Answer – example 1
Yes. Age and future family plans should not be asked about during an interview because
they are potentially discriminatory and personal. According to a leading national
recruitment firm, these types of question can also be used to figure out an individual’s
sexual orientation, which is not relevant to whether or not they can do the job.

Answer – example 2
Yes and no.
Yes – employers aren’t legally allowed to ask potential employees about their race
because it is a protected characteristic.
No – by law, employers must verify that job applicants are eligible to work in the UK.

Answer – example 3
Yes. Under the Equality Act, an individual with a protected characteristic can’t be
discriminated against when using a public service (the bus). The driver should have
lowered the ramp for Roman – ideally without him even having to ask for it.

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Key legal aspects of anti-discriminatory practice

Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 6.

In Workbook 1 you explored the different ways in which an individual can experience
discrimination. It is essential that counsellors develop skills to ensure they are
culturally sensitive and accessible to every individual, irrespective of their social or
cultural background. This is known as anti-discriminatory practice, and counsellors
must be aware of the laws that have led to and support it.
Read the information in the following table to learn about national and international
legislation that informs anti-discriminatory practice.
Legislation Key aspects
Equality Act 2010 a single Act created to replace all previous anti-
(and amendment of discrimination laws (which included the Sex Discrimination
April 2011) Act 1975, the Race Relations Act 1976, and the Disability
Discrimination Act 1995)
explains the ways it is unlawful to treat a person
describes the nine protected characteristics (see page 9)
gives a framework that helps avoid direct and indirect
discrimination, victimisation and harassment
gives guidelines to understand how to avoid discriminating
against an individual because they have a protected
characteristic or are associated with someone who has one
gives guidelines on discrimination in services; guidelines
include tailoring services to meet each individual’s needs
so that everyone receives the same standard of service
gives guidelines on positive action, which is when an
employer can help or encourage an individual with a
specific need or who is from a disadvantaged group to
access employment or training
explains age discrimination – and the exceptions
associated with it

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 Section 1: Diversity and ethics in the use of
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Legislation Key aspects

The Human Rights public organisations, including the police and government,
Act 1998 must treat everyone equally
based on the 14 articles of the European Convention on
Human Rights
provides guidance for individuals if they think that any of
the following rights have been unlawfully interfered with:
– the right to life – i.e. an individual cannot be unlawfully
killed by the state
– prohibition of torture and inhuman treatment
– prohibition of slavery and forced labour
– everyone’s right to freedom and security – i.e. all
individuals have a right to be told why they have been
arrested and receive compensation if they are unlawfully
arrested or detained
– the right to a fair trial – i.e. to be presumed innocent
until proven guilty
– respecting privacy, family life – i.e. emails and telephone
messages should remain private
– everyone’s right to freedom of thought, religion and belief
– the right to free speech, or freedom of expression, which
means everyone is allowed to have and express their
own opinions and share information
– prohibition of discrimination – i.e. through the protected
characteristics

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Legislation Key aspects

European Convention an international treaty that protects human rights in Europe
on Human Rights signed by 47 states, including the UK
1950 consists of 14 ‘articles’ – if an individual feels their human
rights have been violated and has tried unsuccessfully to
use the Human Rights Act to get resolution, they can take
their case to the European Court of Human Rights
as well as the rights listed in the Human Rights Act box,
includes:
– respecting human rights
– no punishment without law – i.e. an individual cannot
be found guilty of a crime if a law against it didn’t exist
when they committed it
– freedom of assembly and association – i.e. all individuals
are allowed to take part in peaceful protests and form
trade unions
– the right to marry – i.e. to whomever an individual wishes
– right to an effective remedy – i.e. if an individual’s rights
are breached, they must be given the chance to receive
compensation or to have their conviction quashed
through the courts
*Sources: www.liberty.org.uk; www.citizensadvice.org.uk

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 Section 1: Diversity and ethics in the use of
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How diversity impacts on the counselling relationship

Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 7.

Diversity is defined as:

The state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a
group or organisation.

Diversity can be found in an individual’s personality, age, experiences, gender, beliefs,

culture and reactions, and it is a counsellor’s job to be able to accept diversity and
learn techniques to work with a diverse range of clients. Accepting diversity allows
counsellors to see the world from each client’s point of view, which helps to build trust.

In counselling, diversity is a very important concept because it helps counsellors to

recognise that every individual and group of individuals is different. This in turn allows
them to treat each client as an individual and, importantly, value diversity. Diversity
can positively impact the counselling relationship in the following ways:
 can help the counsellor to work with a larger number of people because they are
It
able to associate and empathise with them.
 can give counsellors a richer understanding of people from different groups and
It
different ages who have had a variety of experiences, which they most likely have
not experienced themselves.

If a counsellor doesn’t accept and embrace diversity, they may end up imposing
their own thoughts and feelings onto their clients. As you have already learned, when
an individual feels safe, accepted and not judged by their counsellor, they will be
comfortable talking about their issues. If the client feels that the counsellor doesn’t
accept and understand their point of view, it is unlikely they will benefit from the
session and won’t return for further sessions.

If a counsellor doesn’t embrace diversity, there may be negative consequences.

For example:

They may not be able to look past the diversity, which means they won’t be able
to help their client.

They may allow their own beliefs or world view to impact the way they see the
client, which means they are not practicing unconditional positive regard. It is also
unlikely they will be able to show the client empathy.

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Clients from different backgrounds, of different genders and ages, may feel that the
counsellor can’t see their problems from their perspective, so will be unable to help
them find a solution.
 can lead to doubt about the counsellor’s ability to help the client, i.e. ‘You’re not
It
from my culture, how would you know anything about my problem?’
The client may fear they will experience discrimination based on their diversity.

Ways to address difference and diversity in counselling

skills practice
Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 8.

All counsellors will work with clients from a diverse range of backgrounds, cultures, etc.
who have varied experiences. Counsellors should treat every client, irrespective of any
differences they may have, the same. To address these differences, counsellors can:
Learn how to identify diversity and deal with it positively.
Accept that there is no such thing as ‘normal’ and learn how to avoid stereotyping.

Learn to separate the client’s culture, sexuality, gender, ability or age from their
problem instead of assuming that they are the cause.
Commit to continuous education about different cultures.

Use active listening skills to help them show an empathic understanding of their
client’s problem.
Learn how to set aside their own preferences to view their clients’ worlds objectively.

Understand that each client with have their own ‘frame of reference’, which refers
to a structure of concepts, values and customs by which an individual perceives
information.

Dedicate time to understanding themselves, as this will help them to learn about
their own prejudices and feelings about certain things. This in turn will help them to
set aside their own world view to work objectively with clients.

Accept that they will feel more comfortable with some clients than with others but
that this shouldn’t impact the quality of the support they offer to each client.

Avoid making assumptions about a client – this can prevent the counsellor from
getting to the root of the real issue, which means they will be unable to help
the client.

Practice looking beyond issues such as not being able to identify with a client to
engage with the person.

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 Section 1: Diversity and ethics in the use of
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Work hard to look beyond behaviour they don’t accept or agree with to see the
person, not the behaviour.

Practice being open and honest about their own feelings and responses so that
they can see their clients in their own reality, rather than the counsellor’s reality.

Ensure they are constantly aware of the issues that may prevent them from
entering the client’s world.
Set aside their own feelings/beliefs for the duration of the sessions with their clients.

Explore their own assumptions about clients and figure out how to deal with them
in a way that ensures they don’t negatively impact the clients.

Maintain a good knowledge of the type of discrimination different groups of society
are and have been subjected to, as history can impact the way members of
particular groups see themselves.
Create a space that is easy to engage with the client in.
Work hard to understand and value the unique experiences of each client.

Accept that they will have to work outside their ‘comfort zone’ to learn about
different perspectives.

Knowledge Activity 3: Go online and research positive action and positive

discrimination, then describe the differences between them below.

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Summary

In this section you have learned about:

how an ethical framework relates to the use of counselling skills
what discrimination means
about anti-discriminatory practice

Workbook 2 19
 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

In this section learners will explore the different ways in which self-understanding can
be developed as well as the qualities that are useful and relevant to helping roles.
Additionally, learners will examine how to identify and meet their own support needs
and understand the importance of self-reflection to personal development.

Identifying personal values and beliefs

Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 9.

Values and beliefs are developed throughout every individual’s life and can come from
a range of sources, including:
family
friends
culture
society
religion
experience/life events
the workplace

Values

A value is something that an individual feels is important in their life or work; it is a

fundamental belief that guides an individual’s behaviour. For example, a person may
value the time they spend with their children.
It is important that you are able to identify your own values, because they are used
to guide you through – and help you to deal with – different situations, and be an
effective helper or counsellor. To build on the previous example, the individual who
values spending time with their children may turn down a job that would require them
to be away from their children for long periods of time. This shows how values can
guide an individual’s life choices.
It is also important to understand that values may change over time as people’s
needs change, they have different experiences, and interact with different groups,
cultures and societies.

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To identify your own personal values, you can think of:


what is important to you, for example, having good friendships, travelling, learning
about new things, being up to date on social media
where your values come from (use the list on page 20 as a guide)

The following table provides some examples of personal values.

Accountability Compassion Honesty Reliability
Ambition Creativity Integrity Respect
Being the best Enthusiasm Learning Self-discipline
Caring Family Love Teamwork
Commitment Friendship Patience Trust

Beliefs

A belief is an idea that an individual deems to be true. Like values, beliefs come from
a range of sources, including:
personal experiences
culture
society
religion
education

Beliefs include how an individual expects the world, others and themselves to be.
Beliefs may include:
how an individual expects others to behave
how an individual treats others and expects to be treated by others
religion
treating others with respect
treating others with compassion

Examples
‘I believe in karma.’
‘I believe that drinking and driving is wrong.’
‘I believe that if I work hard I will succeed and feel fulfilled.’

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 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

Knowledge Activity 4: Look at the values in the table on page 21.

Choose five and explain briefly why each is important to you and how
they relate to your job role.
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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How values and beliefs could have an effect on helping

relationships
Please read the following as it will help you to answer questions 10 and 11.

Our values and beliefs guide the choices we make, the way we deal with different
situations, and our behaviour. While helpers are expected to be objective in the way
they deal with helpees, that is, they shouldn’t let their personal values and beliefs
impact on the way they deal with different helpees, it is impossible for a helper to
completely ignore or set aside their own values and beliefs. What is important is that
the helper is able to identify personal values or beliefs that may negatively impact on
a helping relationship and use tools to limit the impact they may have on the helping
relationship.
In the following table, a range of values and beliefs are explored, along with the effect
they may have on helping relationships.
Value or belief Effect on helping relationships
Stereotyping – i.e. a A stereotype is usually negative, so if a helper stereotypes
set idea an individual a helpee they will be unable to see the helpee as a unique
has about a person individual. This means the helper isn’t displaying Roger’s
based on certain core conditions or core counselling skills. Ultimately, the
characteristics, such as helper won’t be able to adequately assist the helpee.
the culture they come
from. For example,
there is a stereotype
that all British people
have bad teeth.
Educational background If the helper places value on a good education and
believes education is the key to success, they may find
it difficult to identify with a helpee who perhaps hasn’t
received a good education or who doesn’t also value
education. They will be unable to empathise with the
helpee or show unconditional positive regard.

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Religion Everyone has different beliefs, but few are more contentious
than religion. If a helper has very strong religious beliefs it
may negatively impact on their ability to help someone who
has differing religious views or someone who is very vocal
about their beliefs. The helper may feel unable to connect
with a helpee who has very different religious values and
beliefs, which can result in a lack of trust and the inability
to separate the helpee from their religious beliefs. The
helper will be unable to show empathy, congruence or
unconditional positive regard, the three core conditions that
are essential in a helping relationship.
Injustice When a helper identifies with an injustice a helpee has
suffered, they lose the ability to be objective, which
changes the dynamic of the relationship to one more of
friendship than helper and helpee.

The counsellor’s motivation for helping others

Every counsellor will have their own reasons and motivations for helping others;
counsellors are individuals, just as those they help are. You will most likely have your
own reasons for wanting to be a counsellor, and as part of this qualification, you must
be able to identify your motivation for helping others.
Motives can be personal and professional. For example, a personal motive could
be that a counsellor feels emotionally satisfied when helping others. A professional
motive is gaining enough experience in counselling to move up the career ladder.

Personal motives

To figure out what your personal motives are, you can ask yourself the following
questions:
Why do I want to help people?
What do I gain personally from helping people?
What personal qualities do I have that will benefit the people I help?
Why do I want to be a counsellor?
What life experiences have contributed to why I want to be a counsellor?

24 © LCG 2018
 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

Your answers may include:

I enjoy helping people to find solutions to difficult situations.
I like the respect I get from being a counsellor.

Professional motives

To figure out what your professional motives are, you can ask yourself the following
questions:
Why does counselling appeal to me as a career?
Where do I see myself in five years?
 I interested in writing journal articles or performing research to further a
Am
particular aspect of counselling?
Is income a driving factor?
What qualifications do I want to gain?

Your answers may include:

I would like to be a senior counsellor in five years.
I would like to become a member of the British Association for Counselling &
Psychotherapy.
I would like to earn X amount in the next five years.

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 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

Blocks to listening and learning

Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 12.

Counsellors and helpers are expected to engage in continuing professional

development to ensure their skills are current and they are providing the best service
possible to clients, which includes listening to their issues.
As a counsellor or helper, it is important that you can identify anything that might
prevent, or block, your ability to listen to helpees or your ability to learn. When blocks
to listening and learning are identified, steps can be taken to reduce the impact they
have on the counsellor/helper.

Blocks to listening

Blocks to listening can include:

Values – as explored on page 5, your values and beliefs can prevent you from truly
listening to a helpee.
Judging – if you judge a helpee either before they start sessions or during
sessions, you will not hear what the helpee is truly saying.
Sympathising – when you feel sympathy for someone, you feel sorry for them,
which means you are dealing with the person’s issue emotionally rather than
objectively. Instead, you should empathise with the individual, which is where you
place yourself in the helpee’s position to try and understand their experiences from
their point of view.
Stereotyping – if a helper stereotypes a helpee, the stereotype will prevent them
from hearing what the helpee says.
Personal experiences – the experiences you have in life influence your choices,
attitudes and behaviour. They can also impact the way you see a helpee. If their
experiences are similar to yours you may lose objectivity; if they are too different
you may be unable to really hear what the helpee is saying.
Not being focussed – whether it is due to fatigue, being disinterested in what the
helpee is saying, or being distracted by events in your own life, lack of focus can
prevent you from properly listening to the helpee.
Physical issues – i.e. an ear infection, which can limit how much you can hear
when a helpee is talking.

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Examples of blocks to listening

1. Marie has a new helpee who is trying to deal with the emotional after-effects
of being mugged on her way home from work. Marie’s grandmother was also
mugged last year.
What blocks to listening do you think Marie could experience?
Answer: Marie may find herself sympathising with the helpee instead of
empathising. She may also allow her personal experiences to affect her objectivity.
2. Zoltan has a new baby at home who hasn’t been sleeping very well. What blocks
to listening do you think Zoltan could experience?
Answer: By not being focussed. If Zoltan is exhausted he won’t be able to give
his helpees the attention they need and deserve.
3. Harambe is from a poor background and has spent many years working hard
to achieve his goal of becoming a counsellor. His new helpee is from a wealthy
background and has never had to work.
What blocks to listening do you think Harambe could experience?
Answer: Harambe may stereotype and judge the helpee, which will prevent him
from really hearing the helpee’s issues and seeing the person as an individual.

Blocks to learning

Everyone learns differently; some people learn by seeing someone else do something,
others learn by reading instructions and others learn verbally, i.e. being told how to do
something. Blocks to learning may include:
Personal learning style – because everyone learns differently, what works for one
person may not work for someone else. For example, Gerald’s personal learning
style is to read as much as he can about a subject then write it down over and
over again until he remembers it. Marta, on the other hand, doesn’t like taking
notes and instead learns by watching and listening to someone as they explain how
to do a task. There is no ‘correct’ personal learning style, but it is important to
recognise that an individual’s personal learning style can be a block to learning if
the teaching doesn’t match the learning style.
Environment – e.g. an environment could be noisy, too dark or even too bright, all
of which can block an individual’s ability to learn. Some people work well with
background noise, while others can only work in a silent environment. Some have
to sit at a desk, while others can only get comfortable on a soft sofa.

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 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

Individual learning needs – if it is assumed that everyone in a learning group has

the same skills and knowledge, then it is very possible some members of the group
will be left behind and others will be forced to repeat learning they’ve already
completed. To identify an individual’s learning needs an assessment, or learning
needs analysis, should be made of their existing skills, knowledge and attitude. This
helps to establish any areas of weakness or any missing skills.
Timescales – it takes some longer to learn than others. If the timescales set for
learning are too short, or too long, it may impact an individual’s ability to learn.

The benefits of giving and receiving feedback for

personal development
Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 13.

Feedback is an essential tool for personal development, because it helps the recipient
to identify their strengths and areas in need of improvement and work out how to
make essential changes.
Feedback can be a difficult thing to provide because there is often a fear that what
is said will be hurtful and may upset or anger. So it is important that feedback is
constructive, helpful and honest, without being critical. It should also be specific and
designed to help the other person improve, which means that the language used
shouldn’t be judgemental or accusatory. The person giving the feedback and the
person receiving it should both be honest without being critical.

Benefits of giving feedback

Giving feedback can be quite a daunting prospect, as you never know how someone
is going to react. As a result, the first rule of giving feedback is to make sure it is
framed in a positive way, so that it is constructive rather than critical.

The benefits of giving feedback include:

it helps to strengthen relationships
 allows the giver to practice active listening skills, which include making eye
it
contact and not displaying ‘closed’ body language, like crossing legs or arms
it can help develop and improve communication skills

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 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

 can improve performance as it gives clear expectations and opportunities for

it
change
 helps the giver to be specific and talk only about ways the individual can improve
it
their approach and/or skills

Benefits of receiving feedback

The benefits of receiving feedback include:

 is an invaluable source of reflection – the recipient should give themselves time
it
to think about what they’ve heard and what the implications are
it helps personal development
it is an excellent source of learning
it can help the individual to improve their approach and/or skills
it can help develop and improve communication skills
it can help model good practice
 allows the recipient to formulate and ask questions about the feedback to ensure
it
they understand it
 is a chance for the recipient to summarise what they’ve heard to help them
it
understand it and so that the speaker can hear what the recipient has understood
it helps the recipient to focus on working on any issues

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 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

Personal skills and qualities which are strengths in

relation to a helping relationship
Please read the following as it will help you to answer questions 14, 15 and 16.

As a counsellor or helper, it is important that you can identify the skills and qualities
you consider to be strengths in a helping relationship. Understanding your strengths
will help you to figure out the best way to use certain skills and qualities to support
future helpees. It will also help you to identify areas that are weaker and may need
some improvement.

To identify your own strengths, you can ask the following questions:

What am I good at? For example, are you good at empathising with others? Do
people naturally warm to you and tell you things you don’t expect them to?

What do I enjoy doing the most? For example, do you enjoy solving puzzles or
keeping your room tidy and organised? Or, do you like learning about historical
events?

What qualities have people told me I have? For example, has someone told you
are a good listener?

Which situations do I feel most comfortable in? For example, if there’s an
emergency, are you the first person to help, or do you support the people who are
helping by calling for assistance or managing the crowd?

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The following table gives some examples of personal skills and qualities and explains
how they are considered to be strengths in relation to helping relationships.
Personal skills Description
and qualities
Life skills Life skills play an important part in a helper’s ability to support
others, because it helps them to build strong relationships with
their clients. Examples of life skills include: problem solving,
communication skills, the ability to make good decisions, lateral
thinking and self-awareness.
Resilience Helping can be emotionally difficult, as you are constantly dealing
with people’s feelings and issues. You may also hear distressing
information. Resilience is a quality which means that you can
hear and deal with difficult information without letting it impact
negatively on your everyday life.
Respect/ As a helper, you may meet a client who you do not like, or whose
positive regard actions you don’t agree with. However, you cannot allow your
personal feelings to negatively impact on the helping relationship.
You must still be able to demonstrate that you respect the
client as a unique individual. The ability to respect others is an
essential personal quality and is important to a helper’s ability to
demonstrate unconditional positive regard for their clients. To feel
safe and able to discuss their feelings/issues, an individual needs
to feel comfortable with the helper. If it is obvious the helper
doesn’t respect their client, it will make the helping relationship
very difficult, if not impossible.
Openness If a helper is able to be open with their clients then it is more likely
that their clients will be open with them.
Empathy Empathy, or the ability to understand another person’s feelings, is
an essential skill for a helper to have. Without it they won’t be able
to understand their clients, which in turn means they won’t be able
to help them.
Wisdom To be wise, you have to have experience, knowledge and good
judgement – all of which are considered to be strengths when
used in a helping relationship.
Sincerity Sincerity, or the skill of being honest and serious, is key to building
trust in a helping relationship.

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 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

Example
Cecelia has decided to change careers after 15 years in the marketing industry. In her
marketing job she was known as the person to go to solve difficult problems. She had
a reputation of being easy to talk to and loyal. She has been a foster parent for
five years and before that had cared for her father, who had schizophrenia.
What personal qualities and skills do you think Cecelia has that would be considered
strengths as a helper?
Answer: Cecelia is approachable and people feel comfortable going to her in difficult
situations. This means she is trustworthy and able to maintain confidentiality, which
are both valuable qualities in a helper. She has also had experience with a range
of different children as a foster carer so is able to identify and support people from
different backgrounds. Finally, her experience with her father’s schizophrenia means
she knows what it feels like to deal with difficult emotional situations and also how
doctors and healthcare professionals treat their patients’ families. This means she can
see her helpees’ situations from their point of view.

Areas for development in personal skills and qualities in relation to

helping relationships

No one is perfect, and as a helper you should always be assessing and reassessing
your skills and qualities to make sure that you identify any that need development in
order to better support your clients.
It is important to frequently take stock of your personal skills and qualities. You can
do this by requesting feedback from your peers after exercises or from your tutor at
the end of each term to pinpoint specific areas that need some development. You
may already feel that there are certain areas you don’t feel very confident in that you
would like to work on.

To identify areas that may need further development, you could begin with an
assessment of your personal skills and qualities in relation to the core conditions
of empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard. Ask yourself the
following questions:
Do I feel I’m lacking, or need development, in any of the core conditions?
Do I find myself sympathising with a client instead of empathising with them?
 I find myself disagreeing with my client or feeling irritated by them? Does that
Do
show when I am talking to them?
What do I think I can do better during the sessions when using the core conditions?

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You could then look at your personal skills in terms of what you feel you still have
to learn. For example, would you like to take a course in communication or in active
listening? Both of these are essential skills in a helping relationship. Personal skills
that may need development include:
interpersonal skills
the ability to reflect
the ability to challenge others’ attitudes and beliefs without being confrontational
planning
motivating others
 ability to build relationships with people from different backgrounds/cultures/
the
societies and with different experiences

Developing skills and qualities in the future

In this section you have explored how to identify your own personal skills and qualities
and how to identify areas for development in relation to a helping relationship. To
develop skills and qualities in the future, you must:
Engage in self-reflection – (see page 43 for more information). Self-reflection will
help you to identify any skills or qualities that you need to acquire or improve on.
Self-reflection will help you to pinpoint the correct training or learning.
Be self-aware – i.e. look at the experiences you’ve had to identify areas for
improvement or skills that would have been helpful at that time.

Engage in frequent personal development – i.e. understand and embrace the
fact that learning is a lifelong endeavour and that, to be the best helper possible,
you need to be constantly updating your existing skills and acquiring new ones.

Know what you want to achieve in the future – i.e. if you have an idea of where
you would like to be in, for example five years’ time, you can look at what skills and
qualities you will need for a specific job and begin setting goals that will get you
where you want to be.

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 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

Knowledge Activity 5: Think about your own skills and qualities. Choose two
skills and two qualities you have and explain in the space below how you think
they would benefit a helping relationship.
Skill 1.

Skill 2.

Quality 1.

Quality 2.

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 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

Identifying the counsellor’s support needs to contribute

to a helping relationship
Please read the following as it will help you to answer questions 17 and 18.

As a helper, even though you will work on a one-to-one basis with your clients, you
are not expected to work in total isolation. Everyone, even highly experienced helpers,
has support needs. You should be able to identify the different types of support you
need as a helper, for example, in improving your skills or ensuring you’re adhering
to the correct ethical legislation. You may also need emotional help because helping
relationships can at times be stressful and emotionally difficult.
All counsellors should have their work supervised to ensure it is practiced in a safe
and ethical way. By identifying your support needs you are actively ensuring that
you are the most effective helper you can be, which in turn will allow you to make a
positive contribution to helping relationships.

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 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

To help you identify your own support needs, some examples are provided in the
following table.
Support requirement How to access support
Supervisory requirements of a professional Supervisors will usually be
counselling body, e.g. British Association for listed on the professional
Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP). body’s website, or can be
Most professional counselling bodies have a found by contacting the
requirement that counsellors and trainees have a professional body.
minimum amount of supervision before they can Supervising therapists can also
become accredited. be found in Therapy Today,
The purpose of supervision is to: online and in print.
develop reflective skills It is recommended that
provide support for the counsellor/helper supervising therapists are
accredited by a recognised
maximise the effectiveness of the helping
body.
relationship
safeguard the interests of the client
maintain ethical standards*
To become an accredited member of the BACP,
for example, students must have:
1 hour of supervision for every 8 hours of
client work
a minimum of 1.5 hours of supervision a month
supervision at least every two weeks
If you are not seeking accreditation there may not
be a minimum supervision requirement. According
to the BACP members should have enough
supervision to ‘allow all aspects of their work to be
discussed as necessary’.
Verbal, emotional and psychological support. As There are a number of ways
you have learned, counselling/helping can be very a counsellor/helper can
demanding and if not dealt with properly can take its get verbal, emotional and
toll on the counsellor/helper. It is also often difficult psychological support. They
to be objective about your own practice. Talking to include personal groups,
someone who is removed from the situation can professional groups and
provide invaluable support to counsellors. They will professional networks. Specific
be able to provide objective comments and help the information about these types
counsellor to work through issues. of group can be found on
social media, professional
publications and industry and
professional websites.

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Support requirement How to access support

Line management support. There are times that When you start a job you
you will have specific professional and personal should be assigned a line
questions that can only be answered by your manager and be given their
immediate manager. Your manager should be contact information.
accessible and approachable, and you should feel
comfortable talking to them about any issues you
may have.
Continuing professional development/ongoing/ A tutor, qualified professional
further training. or peer group will be able
to help you to identify
your training or continuing
professional development
needs and what training is
available to further your skills.
Insurance requirement. Counsellors should carry A Google search will bring up
certain insurances, including: multiple results for counselling-
public liability specific insurance companies.
Once you are insured, you
professional indemnity can contact the insurance
libel and slander company’s helpline whenever
you have a question or query.

cover for wherever you work, e.g. rented room,
client’s property, your own home

legal defence – in the event of a claim being
made against you
*Source: http://www.counsellingme.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/What-is-
supervision.pdf

Knowledge Activity 6: List three support needs.

1.
2.
3.

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 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

How personal and/or professional support can be used to

highlight issues arising from the use of counselling skills
Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 19.

Identifying your support needs has important implications for your role as a counsellor
or helper because support can lead to discovering issues that have come up during
counselling sessions.
For example, in supervisory practice, the trainee counsellor/helper will be asked to
take part in a triad. A triad is a method that is used to help counsellors improve their
skills. Triad means three, and in a triad there is a:
counsellor
client
observer

In a triad, each person will take on one of the roles and engage in a role play of a
situation that may be based on real events or made up. The counsellor in the triad
will have to use counselling skills when dealing with the ‘client’ and at the end of the
session the ‘observer’ will provide feedback. This feedback is invaluable in highlighting
any issues the counsellor may have when using counselling skills.
Continuing professional development support can help identify gaps in knowledge and
personal skills which can lead to the counsellor/helper seeking additional training or
starting a new course that will improve their skills and make them more effective at
their job.
Ethical dilemmas may arise during counselling sessions, and support from a line
manager or supervisor will help the counsellor to find an ethically correct solution to
their issue.

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Knowledge Activity 7: Go online and research the supervisory requirements/

recommendations of three major professional counselling bodies (excluding
BACP). Describe them in the space below.
1.

2.

3.

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 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

The counsellor’s personal observations, thoughts, feelings

and concerns when using counselling skills
Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 20.

You have learned that counselling can be an emotionally difficult and stressful job.
An important part of being a counsellor is ensuring that you deal with your own
observations, thoughts, feeling and concerns in a healthy and effective way so that
you can continue to be an efficient counsellor. This can be achieved by engaging in
reflective practice.
Reflective practice is the process of looking critically at your experiences as a
counsellor (or trainee counsellor) and learning from them. Reflective practice is
important to a counsellor because it helps to identify any changes they can make in
their practice and can help to improve their effectiveness in counselling sessions.
A useful tool to use to get the most from reflective practice is a personal diary. The
diary can be used to record your observations, thoughts, feelings and concerns at the
time you have them.

To help you to keep a personal diary there are two models of reflection that can
be used as frameworks to help you to identify and describe your own observations,
thoughts, feelings and concerns when using counselling skills. They are:
Boud’s triangular representation
Gibb’s reflective cycle

Boud’s triangular representation

Boud’s model is very simple and demonstrates that experience and reflection lead to
learning and learning leads to reflection and experience.

Experience

Learning Reflection

40 © LCG 2018
 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

Gibb’s reflective cycle

Feelings
Description
What were you
What
thinking and
happened?
feeling?

Action plan Evaluation

If it rose again, What was good
what would and bad about the
you do? experience?

Conclusion Analysis
What else What else can
could you you make of
have done? the situation?

Gibb’s (1988) reflective model provides excellent guidance for those who are trying
to describe their personal observations, thoughts, feelings and concerns. It is
particularly useful when you use it to think through every step of an experience,
e.g. when using counselling skills. Look at the following descriptions of each step
in Gibb’s reflective cycle.
Description – you should describe the situation you experienced. The description
should be accurate and concise.
Feelings – you should explain how the situation made you feel, i.e. How did you
feel? What were you thinking when it happened? What did you think after it had
happened?

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 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

Evaluation – among other things, you should discuss how you dealt with the
situation, whether anything good or bad came from the experience and whether
a resolution was found.
Analysis – this is where you get to look at the situation from a critical point of
view to describe what caused the event and whether your reaction to it was
appropriate. You can also discuss what you would change if you could have the
same experience again.
Conclusion – when you are writing a conclusion you are summing up what you
have covered in the previous four sections.
Action plan – having written the conclusion, you can then make suggestions about
what you need to do to better prepare yourself for the next time you experience a
similar situation. Do you need to ask for feedback? Do you need more support? Do
you need to work on a weak skill or add a totally new skill?

Scenario
Ella is a counsellor who qualified a year ago. She has just finished a helping session
with a relatively new client and reflects on her own observations, thoughts, feelings
and concerns when using counselling skills with this client.

She writes:
Observations: This was the third of ten sessions and the client arrived in quite an
agitated state. I noticed that the client’s pupils were quite large. I managed to get the
client to calm down by asking him questions that didn’t directly relate to what had
made him so upset today. Eventually he opened up and told me a supervisor at work
had blamed him for something he hadn’t done and he didn’t know how to deal with it.
Thoughts: I wondered whether or not he had taken some form of drug before the
session. Should I bring drug use up in the next session? I wonder if I need to talk to
my supervisor about my skills to see if I need to brush up on something to make sure
I can adequately deal with this client next time.
Feelings: I felt a bit nervous, as he is much taller and larger than I am.
Concerns: I didn’t bring up my question about drug use because I didn’t want to
make his agitation worse. I need to talk to my counsellor about the physical fear I felt
at the beginning of the session.

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The benefits of self-reflection

Please read the following as it will help you to answer question 21.

Self-reflection, or reflective practice, has many benefits for personal development and
the use of counselling skills.

Personal development

Self-reflection is essential to personal development because it allows you to look

honestly at yourself and at your natural skills and abilities and helps you to identify
your strengths and weaknesses.

Other benefits of self-reflection include:

 helps you to identify the areas of your work that you enjoy and the areas that you
It
don’t enjoy as much.
 helps you to pinpoint specific areas of personal development that you need to
It
focus on.
 helps you to explore your personal observations, thoughts, feelings and concerns,
It
which in turn helps you to better understand yourself. This means that you will
better understand why you warm to some clients and not others, why you
sympathise with some clients rather than empathising with them.
 helps you to be confident in your own decisions – i.e. if you can look back at an
It
experience and say that you dealt with it in a healthy, effective way, then you will
feel more confident the next time you are faced with a difficult situation.

Use of counselling skills

Self-reflection is an important aspect of a counsellor’s continuing professional

development. The benefits of using self-reflection when exploring the use of
counselling skills include:
 allows you to focus on individual skills and explore how well you think you use
It
those skills.
 allows you to focus on experiences you have had with clients, and reflect on
It
what went well and what could have been done better, i.e. could different
counselling skills have been used?
It allows you to focus on best ethical practice.

Workbook 2 43
 Section 2: Counselling skills and personal development

 helps you to identify your own strengths and weaknesses when using
It
counselling skills.
 helps you to set goals regarding your professional skills, such as skills you’d
It
like to acquire or improve.
 helps you to understand why you react to certain clients or situations in the
It
way you do.
 can lead to improved communication with others – i.e. if you identify an
It
instance in which you felt you didn’t communicate your meaning clearly enough,
self-reflection can help you to see where you went wrong and lead to making
changes to improve that particular skill.
 can help you to develop your understanding and improve your use of
It
counselling skills.
It can help you to set self-improvement goals.
It can help you to evaluate your skills and success as a counsellor.

Knowledge Activity 8: Pair up with a colleague. Find a tennis ball and a box.
Place a blindfold over one person’s eyes. Place the box on the floor away from
the blindfolded person. Give them the tennis ball. Now, the person who isn’t
blindfolded should give instructions that allow the blindfolded person to put
the ball in the box. How did it go? Was the blindfolded person successful?
This is an example of giving and receiving feedback; it should be clear and
help the person receiving it.

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Summary

In this section you have learned about:

developing self-understanding
personal qualities relevant to helping roles
how to meet your own support needs
how self-reflection contributes to personal development

Workbook 2 45
 Section 3: Extension activities

Further your knowledge and understanding of the topics in this workbook by

completing the following extension activities.
Diversity and ethics in the use of counselling skills

Extension Activity 1: Think about where you would like to be professionally

in five years. In the following space, describe what steps you will need to take
to reach your career goal.

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 Section 3: Extension activities

Counselling skills and personal development

Extension Activity 2: Go online and research a professional counselling

body that hasn’t been explored in this section. Describe the key aspects
of the organisation’s ethical framework.

Well done!
You have now completed Workbook 2 and should
attempt the assessments. If you require any help or
guidance, please contact your Assessor/Tutor.

Workbook 2 47
 GIVING AND RECEIVING FEEDBACK

SELF-REFLECTION

Disclaimer Copyright 2018

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