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COUNSELLING
Engage in counselling in groups
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 the group; assist the group
to identify their purpose(s) for counselling; assist the group to
plan towards achieving their identified purpose(s) for
counselling; assist the group to implement their plan; and
effect closure of the counselling relationship with the group.
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 group members and the
group may be physical, spiritual, or mental.
Characteristics and needs include: age and stage of
development, coping strategies, group roles and
dynamics, culture, disability, experience, knowledge,
group history, gender, health status, history of each
member of the group, language, sexual orientation,
socio-economic situation; and needs for physical
comfort, safety, and privacy of group members. The
counselling environment must reflect the value and
appropriateness of counselling in that setting in terms of
freedom from interruption to the group process, and the
depth and sensitivity of the counselling situation.
Group and group members are used as generic terms
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
demonstrate:
ability to
relate
to difference;
acknowledgement and respect for difference;
acceptance, genuineness, honesty, humility, patience,
and warmth; use of inclusive language; selection and
implementation of counselling methods and modalities
that are appropriate to the characteristics and needs of
the group; rapport with the group; professional
responses to positive and negative group feedback;
clarity about their role and boundaries in relationships
with the group and group members; clarity about the
limits of their competence and when to refer on to
others.
Competent practice in this unit standard
requires that the concerns, issues, needs and dynamics
of group relationships be attended to as well as the
individual concerns, issues, and needs of each group
member.
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4
In any given situation, candidates may not complete all
elements of this unit standard. For example, the group
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 credit.
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: 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 the group.
performance criteria
1.1
Establishment of the environment for counselling attends to the characteristics
and needs of all members of the group.
1.2
The role, function, and any legal responsibilities of the social service worker and
service provider are clarified with the group.
1.3
Essential elements of group management are established with the group.
Range:
1.4
essential elements of group management include but are not
limited to - membership of and commitment to the group; ground
rules; kawa or protocols for each counselling session and the
counselling relationship; leadership; methods and procedures for
dealing with conflict in the group.
The group is 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 group 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 group, joint plans for the group,
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 group
is established according to negotiation with the group.
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2.2
Assistance enables the group to identify and describe their concerns, issues, or
needs.
2.3
Assistance is provided using interpersonal skills that respond to verbal and nonverbal communications including body language.
Range:
2.4
interpersonal skills include but are not limited to - attending,
clarifying, encouraging, following, listening, questioning,
paraphrasing, reflection of feeling and content, summarising.
Assistance is provided using group work skills that facilitate both the task and
process of the group and identify concerns, issues, or needs.
Range:
group work skills include but are not limited to - maintenance of
ground rules; leadership; conflict resolution; negotiation.
2.5
Assistance enables the group to identify connections between their identified
concerns, issues, or needs and their social and cultural context.
2.6
Assistance enables the group 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 group to plan 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 group, joint plans for the group,
making connections, providing information, referral to other services, reframing.
Evidence is required of six.
performance criteria
3.1
Assistance enables the group to identify and select options to achieve their
purpose(s) for counselling, individually as group members and jointly as a
group.
3.2
Assistance enables the group to develop a plan to achieve their purpose(s) for
counselling that is consistent with their coping abilities, knowledge, resources,
skills, and values individually as group members and jointly as a group.
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3.3
The plan identifies resources that are available to achieve the group's
purpose(s) for counselling, a time frame that is consistent with the use of those
resources, the social service worker's role in the plan, and methods of
evaluating progress.
element 4
Assist the group 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 group, joint plans for the group,
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
group and each member of the group, and discourage dependency by them on
the social service worker or service provider.
4.3
Assistance enables the group to evaluate progress in achieving their individual
and joint purpose(s) for counselling.
4.4
Where necessary, the group and each member of the group 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 group.
performance criteria
5.1
Closure of each counselling session is effected with the group and each
member of the group according to the established kawa or protocol.
5.2
Closure of the counselling relationship is effected according to completion of
planned involvement of the social service worker or service provider.
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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