Pre-requisites

CN8500 Person-Centred Therapies: Theory and Practice;
CN8700 Personal Philosophy of Counselling Practice

Co-requisites

None.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:

• Assess the opportunities and challenges of working with couples, families or groups in counselling

• Judge own values and beliefs concerning families and relationships in order to critically evaluate their implications for practice

• Validate principles and skills of couples, family and group counselling in diverse therapeutic contexts

• Articulate the therapeutic implications of diversity within families, subgroups and subcultures from a Christian perspective

Unit Description

This unit introduces students to the challenges and advantages of working with more than one person by developing their understanding of the main theoretical frameworks and interventions adopted by group, family, and couples counsellors in general and systemic practitioners in particular. Students are supported to apply strategies from influential theoretical frameworks and critically integrate them into their own professional identity as counsellors. Specific issues pertinent to couple, family, and group counsellors are explored along with Biblical perspectives on family, marriage and systemic thinking.

Topics

1. Collective Thinking in the Biblical worldview
2. Introduction to challenges of working with more than one person
3. Holding and respecting each group (or couple) member
4. Understanding the perspective of the other (eg intergenerational trauma)
5. Relationship counselling with couples - with no obvious coercive control
6. Relationship counselling with one partner (on coercive control issues)
7. Understanding family systems and structures (including genogram)
8. Transforming and restorative relationship work with couples and families
9. Relationship issues with group work – giving voice to each on common issue
10. Group support - feeling valued to give value in group work
11. Strengthening relationships for transformative change

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Unit offerings

Face to face: (Demand based)

Please note

The Unit Offerings listed above are a guide only and the timetable for any year is the final authority. The College may vary offerings based on demand, regulatory requirements, continual improvement processes or other conditions.

This unit may be available in different modes of delivery i.e. online and face-to-face as listed above. The unit content will not differ between these modes of delivery. There will possibly be a difference in the schedule and/or the prescribed assessment tasks, however both will cover and assess the same content.