Name: Jane Smith
Student Number: MD1119804
Address: The Sanctuary Tangmere Drive Castle Vale
Postcode: B357PX
Course: Counselling Skills
Assignment Number: 4
Date Submitted: 01/04/2014
Number of pages: 5
Email: janes@cvcha.org.uk
Assignment 4
1. Analyse the role of reflection as a counsellor.
The role of reflection is to enable us to learn more about helping in a counselling way and become better at it. It is used to look back at situations and ask what went well, what needs to improve and how do I achieve this. It is used to monitor personal values to see how I change and develop, keeping a personal journal is ideal for reflecting back. You can record observations about motives and values and any conflicts you may discover about your own values and those of others. And record over time how you have improved as a counsellor, helping to see situations from a different angle and record thoughts and feelings. Reflection is important for continuing professional development, individual practitioners decide what constitutes personal development, depending on what speciality they might want to excel in, and what they require in terms of training in order to develop their knowledge in that area. As we work with more clients we understand more of our abilities creating a personal change and learning from experience and changed perspectives leading to a transformation and improvement for yourself and the client. Reflection can help you to consider alternative approaches, make sense of situations of uncertainty, to check whether actions have been consistent with values and monitor how well you are doing in relation to your goals. It helps to examine and improve your own interactions and communication skills. It is an individual’s own responsibility to manage their learning for the benefit of themselves and the client.
2. Create a table that outlines the following:
a) Your current strengths
b) Your areas of weakness
c) Your goals – these must be SMART
d) Potential barriers to achieving your goals.
My current strengths
My areas of weakness
My SMART goals
Barriers to achieving goals.
Good working relationship with young people
Self confidence
Gain knowledge of counselling young people
Funding for training
Organised
Lack of experience
Learn what I need to improve my performance
Time to access training.
Conscientious
Knowledge of specific areas
Gain experience
The amount of time it takes to become experienced?
Willingness to learn
3. In no less than 1000 words:
Write a reflective log on an interaction that has taken place between yourself and someone you have helped. Discuss the counselling skills you employed in this interaction, how these skills are linked to particular counselling theories, and evaluate how this course overall helped you in this interaction.
A young girl came to me with issues surrounding her mom and dad. They had recently split up and she informed me that there were incidents of them arguing and getting very angry with each other. She had witnessed degrees of domestic violence between her mom and dad and also involving her older sister. She went on to inform me that she feels scared all of the time and worries constantly that her dad is going to come back and get her, her mom and her older sister. She said she doesn’t feel safe anywhere whether she is at home or at school, she says that she can’t concentrate at school as she is constantly worrying and doesn’t like to go out in the play ground in case he tries to grab her. She says that she doesn’t go out in the evening at all as she is so scared of what may happen, when she is out at anytime she has a personal alarm with her. She said that she has never spoken to anyone about how she feels, and has never shared her feelings with her mom just in case it upsets her. She also said she has lost her confidence and lives in constant fear of her dad returning.