Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) Basic Counselling Syllabus - Mumbai University

About this course

Increasing complexities of social determinants of mental health are leading to an alarming increase in mental health concerns. Intersectional factors, stigma and apathy towards quality care for people with mental health concerns are impacting the recovery and reintegration of those in need of care and support. An important ability of a social worker is to develop and sustain relationships with people, often in times of extreme need, distress or upheaval in their lives. Building relationships is at the heart of social work practice and needs mastery of basic skills in empathy, listening and acceptance. As social work practitioners the awareness of Self is also a fundamental quality having consequences in our engagement with others. Building a cadre of professionals with counselling skills will ensure the first level of intervention in encouraging people to seek care and treatment. Counselling also promotes reflective practice by enabling self-awareness of feelings, and behaviours, especially reactions and responses to those of others. This becomes critical when we need to take action for the well-being of the people we engage. The course on Basic Counselling course is designed to enable learners interested in counselling to become self-aware, develop the basic qualities of an effective counsellor, learn the theoretical approaches and stages of counselling and be equipped with the requisite counselling skills and techniques The course structure provides students with an understanding of Counselling approaches and how they can be effectively used in the intervention process. The purpose of this course is to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the learner with an integrated framework for counselling practice. The course emphasizes an experiential style of learning enabling students to actively engage in various reflective exercises including self-exploration. The course has inbuilt components for lab sessions/field visits and students are expected to apply and integrate their learning in their field practicum. On completion of the course, students will be able to utilize basic counselling skills across various settings.

Course objectives

• To sensitise the learner on the relevance of counselling in the helping process and the qualities of an effective counsellor
• To develop knowledge of the stages, skills, techniques and approaches of counselling.
• To develop skills in the application of counselling across various settings.

Learning outcomes

• CO 145 Identify and appreciate the use of basic counselling skills
• CO 146 Explain the stages of counselling process
• CO 147 Discuss different approaches to counselling, including psychodynamic, behavioural, person-centred perspectives, existential, and postmodern perspectives
• CO 148 Apply basic skills in counselling in social work practice across various settings.

Unit I: Introduction to Counselling and Stages of counselling

• Introduction to counselling: Definition, Role of counselling in social work, qualities of an effective counsellor, ethical principles in counselling
• Stages and processes: First Phase: Intake, Contextual Relationship Building, Assessment Second Phase: Planning and Implementing Counselling Intervention - Humanistic Framework for Counselling in Social Work (Carl Rogers and Maslow) Third Phase: Evaluation; Follow- up and Termination

Essential readings

• Egan, G. (2014). The Skilled Helper: A problem – management and opportunity- development approach to Helping. 10th Edition. Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning. Gibson R.L. & Mitchell, M. (2008). Introduction to counselling and guidance. 7th Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
• Fuster, J.M. (2008).Personal Counseling. Mumbai: Saint Paul/ Better Yourself Books. Mumbai.
• Rogers, C (1961). On becoming a person: A therapist view of Psychotherapy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Unit II: Skills and Techniques while Working with Different Target Groups

• Skills and Techniques: Acquainting, observing, attending, listening, questioning, use of silence reporting, interpreting and feedback, confrontation, immediacy, personalizing, reframing, evaluating, summarizing
• Target groups – Children, Women, Youth, Elderly etc.
• Steps in problem solving

Essential readings

• Parrott, L. (2003). Counselling & Psychology. 2nd Edition. USA: Pacific Grove Publishers. Patterson, C.H. (1986). Theories of Counselling & Psychology. New York: Harper & Row Publications. Gladding, S.T. (2017). Counselling: A Comprehensive Profession. 8th Edition. USA: Pearsons Publication.
• Humphrey, G.M. & Zimpfer D.G. (2008). Counselling for Grief & Bereavement. 2nd Edition. New Delhi: Sage Publications