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Engage in counselling with families and
whānau
level:
6
credit:
12
planned review date:
June 2006
sub-field:
Social Services
purpose:
People credited with this unit standard are able to: establish
the counselling relationship with a family or whānau; assist
the family or whānau to identify their purpose(s) for
counselling; assist the family or whānau to work towards
achieving their identified purpose(s) for counselling; assist
the family or whānau to implement their plan; and effect
closure of the counselling relationship with the family or
whānau.
entry information:
Open.
accreditation option:
Evaluation of documentation and visit by NZQA, industry and
teaching professional in the same field from another
provider.
moderation option:
A centrally established and directed national moderation
system has been set up by Community Support Services ITO
Limited (Careerforce).
special notes:
1
People awarded credit in this unit standard are able to
implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the social services
according to the authority and resources available to
them, and are able to demonstrate application of this
competence to the context of assessment for this unit
standard (for further clarification, please refer to Unit
7928, Implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the social
services).
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2
Glossary
Characteristics and needs of the family or whānau may
be physical, spiritual or mental. Characteristics and
needs include: age and stage of development, coping
strategies, family or whānau roles and dynamics,
culture, disability, experience, knowledge, family or
whānau history, gender, health status, history of
individual members of the family or whānau, language,
sexual orientation, socio-economic situation; and needs
for physical comfort, safety, and privacy of all members
of the family or whānau.
Family or whānau is used as a generic term to denote
the people who are involved in counselling. They may
be referred to by various descriptive terms in the range
of social service settings.
3
People awarded credit in this unit standard are able to
demonstrate and self monitor their ability to relate to
difference, as evidenced by acknowledgement and
respect for difference, acceptance, genuineness,
honesty, humility, patience, and warmth. They use
inclusive language, and counselling methods and
modalities that are appropriate to the characteristics
and needs of the people with whom they are
counselling. They seek to establish and maintain
rapport with the family or whānau, positive feedback is
responded to, criticism, or negative feedback is
responded to without defensiveness, and changes
required to re-establish rapport are acted upon. They
demonstrate and communicate clarity about their role in
the social services within all relationships with family
and whānau. They know the limits of their role, function
and competence, and when to refer on to others.
Competent practice in this unit standard requires that
the concerns, issues, needs, and dynamics of the
family or whānau be attended to as well as the
individual concerns, issues, and needs of each member
of the family or whānau.
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4
In any given situation, candidates may not complete all
elements of this unit standard. For example, the family
or whānau may not need the candidate to assist them
to implement a plan, so the candidate may then move
on to establish closure of the relationship. However, it
is necessary to demonstrate competence in all
elements of this unit standard in order to be awarded
this qualification.
5
All communications are treated confidentially. The
scope and limits of confidentiality are defined through
negotiation and informed consent, and criteria
established by legislation, ethical practice, and service
provider guidelines. In the context of this unit standard,
sources of criteria established by legislation, ethical
practice, and service provider guidelines may include
but are not limited to: Family Proceedings Act 1980,
Official Information Act 1982, Privacy Act 1993, service
provider codes of conduct, codes of practice issued by
the Privacy Commissioner, social service codes of
ethics, and service provider guidelines, protocols, staff
manuals, strategic plans, kawa, or tikanga.
6
People awarded credit in this unit standard show that
their actions are guided and supported by valid theory
for social service practice. Evidence is required of
social service theory that is derived from authoritative
sources, which may include but are not limited to: body
of knowledge related to social service work; cultural
theory; practice research.
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Elements and Performance Criteria
element 1
Establish the counselling relationship with a family or whānau.
performance criteria
1.1
Establishment of the environment for counselling attends to the characteristics
and needs of all members of the family or whānau.
1.2
The role, function, and any legal responsibilities of the social service worker and
service provider are clarified with the family or whānau.
1.3
The kawa or protocols for the counselling relationship are agreed with the family
or whānau.
1.4
The family or whānau are engaged in counselling according to their
characteristics and needs, and in accordance with the social service worker's
role, function, and any legal responsibilities.
element 2
Assist the family or whānau to identify their purpose(s) for counselling.
Range:
assistance may include but is not limited to - co-creating and exploring
alternatives, challenging, coaching, confrontation, exploring past and current
behaviours, patterns and beliefs, feedback, focusing, individual assistance or
counselling plans for individual members of the family or whānau, joint plans for
the family or whānau, making connections, providing information, referral to
other services, reframing.
Evidence is required of six.
performance criteria
2.1
The process to be used to identify the concerns, issues, or needs of the family
or whānau is established according to negotiation with the family or whānau.
2.2
Assistance enables the family or whānau to identify and describe their
concerns, issues, or needs.
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2.3
Assistance is provided using interpersonal skills that respond to verbal and nonverbal communications including body language.
Range:
interpersonal skills include but are not limited to - attending,
clarifying, encouraging, following, listening, questioning,
paraphrasing, reflection of feeling and content, summarising.
2.4
Assistance enables the family or whānau to identify connections between their
identified concerns, issues, or needs and their social and cultural context.
2.5
Assistance enables the family or whānau to identify achievable purpose(s) for
counselling that are consistent with their identified concerns, issues, or needs,
and consistent with their coping abilities, knowledge, resources, skills, and
values.
element 3
Assist the family or whānau to work towards achieving their identified purpose(s) for
counselling.
Range:
assistance may include but is not limited to - co-creating and exploring
alternatives, challenging, coaching, confrontation, exploring past and current
behaviours, patterns and beliefs, feedback, focusing, individual assistance or
counselling plans for individual members of the family or whānau, joint plans for
the family or whānau, making connections, providing information, referral to
other services, reframing.
Evidence is required of six.
performance criteria
3.1
Assistance enables the family or whānau to identify and select achievable
options consistent with their purpose(s), and consistent with their coping
abilities, knowledge, resources, skills, and values.
3.2
Assistance enables the family or whānau to develop a plan to achieve their
purpose(s) for counselling that is consistent with their coping abilities,
knowledge, resources, skills, and values.
3.3
The plan identifies resources that are available to achieve the purpose(s) for
counselling identified by the family or whānau, a time frame that is consistent
with the use of those resources, the social service worker's role in the plan (if
any), and methods of evaluating progress.
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element 4
Assist the family or whānau to implement their plan.
Range:
assistance may include but is not limited to - co-creating and exploring
alternatives, challenging, coaching, confrontation, exploring past and current
behaviours, patterns and beliefs, feedback, focusing, individual assistance or
counselling plans for individual members of the family or whānau, joint plans for
the family or whānau, making connections, providing information, referral to
other services, reframing.
Evidence is required of six.
performance criteria
4.1
Assistance is provided in accordance with the social service worker's role in the
plan.
4.2
Assistance is provided using methods that encourage self determination by the
family or whānau and each member of the family or whānau, and discourage
dependency by them on the social service worker or service provider.
4.3
Assistance enables the family or whānau to evaluate progress in achieving their
individual and joint purpose(s) for counselling.
4.4
Where necessary, the family or whānau and each member of the family or
whānau are assisted to redefine their purpose(s) of counselling, establish new
purposes, identify further options, and amend their plan in terms of their
evaluation of progress.
element 5
Effect closure of the counselling relationship with the family or whānau.
performance criteria
5.1
Closure of each counselling session is effected with the family or whānau and
each member of the family or whānau according to the established kawa or
protocol.
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5.2
Closure of the counselling relationship is effected according to completion of
planned involvement of the social service worker or service provider.
5.3
The closure process identifies issues arising from counselling.
Range:
5.4
The closure process identifies issues for future involvement in counselling.
Range:
5.5
issues may include but are not limited to - identification of
achievements and new learning towards independence; transfer of
learning to dealing with other concerns, issues, or needs; ongoing
self management plans.
issues may include but are not limited to - factors that may lead to
resumption of contact; future roles, functions and services
available from the social service worker or service provider;
means of re-establishing contact with social service worker or
service provider; other sources of referral.
Closure of the counselling relationship is managed according to the established
kawa or protocol.
Comments to:
Careerforce
PO Box 2637
Wellington 6140
Please Note:
Providers must be accredited by the Qualifications Authority
before they can offer programmes of education and training
assessed against unit standards.
Accredited providers assessing against unit standards must
engage with the moderation system that applies to those unit
standards. [Please refer to relevant Plan ref: 0222]
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016