Elements and Performance Criteria
- Address client and counsellor rights and responsibilities within counselling practice
- Identify, analyse and apply current industry standards of ethical and legal practice in counselling
- Identify the responsibilities of a counsellor and apply to ensure delivery of legal and ethical counselling services
- Formulate appropriate procedures to ensure rights are communicated to clients
- Establish and communicate client rights in counselling practice and within the client-counsellor relationship in accordance with organisation procedures
- Analyse issues involved in counselling practice and client-counsellor relationships
- Identify and apply strategies to resolve situations of risk or potential risk
- Analyse and apply strategies to resolve issues involved in working with individual difference
- Analyse and apply strategies to resolve issues arising from 'high need' clients
- Explore personal and professional issues that may impact on the counselling practice or the client-counsellor relationship
- Formulate ways of minimising the impact of personal biases and value systems
- Demonstrate ethical practice in client-counsellor relationships
- Use work practices that apply the responsibilities of a counsellor, including the rights of minors
- Where appropriate, ensure clients are informed of circumstances (legislative requirements) which may override confidentiality
- Identify and apply strategies to minimise risk in client-counsellor relationships
- Identify the potential for litigation associated with sexual relationships between client and counsellor
- Formulate processes on national and state legislation regarding sexual behaviour towards clients as part of strategy to prevent risk
- Identify and apply strategies to minimise the ethical dilemmas of dual relationships
- Formulate a plan for ongoing personal and professional development
- Identify the role and function of a professional practice supervisor
- Identify areas for growth and plan ongoing personal and professional development and supervision
- Reflect upon challenges that may impact on the counselling process, including own motivations for choosing a helping profession
- Undertake self evaluation in relation to identified potential challenges for counsellors
- Formulate referral procedures