Comments/notes
Title / Counselling Skills Workshops and Personal Development:
The Therapeutic Relationship
Code / CY102
Level / 4
Credit rating / 20
Pre-requisites / Enrolment on the Foundation Degree in Person-Centred Counselling
Type of module / Extensive over 1 semester
Aims / To enable students to develop counselling relationships. To facilitate students in exploration of their impact on others. To prepare students for assessed taped counselling work
Learning outcomes/objectives / On successful completion of the module, the students will be able to:
1Offer therapeutic relationships based on the core conditions of congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathy
2Demonstrate an ability to use non-directive and non-judgmental counselling skills in a therapeutic relationship
3Demonstrate an ability to communicate understanding of ‘felt senses’ in a therapeutic relationship
4Show understanding of Interpersonal Process Recall(IPR) and of the counsellor as a reflective practitioner
Content / This is the third practice based module of the course which integrates the theory from modules CY103, CY104 and CY105 in bringing together person-centred skills and attitudes, ethical considerations, and the impact of social relationships on both counsellor and client
Development of the counselling relationship through integration of the core conditions of congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathy and awareness of ‘felt senses’ with reflective counselling skills and other aspects of counselling including:
  • Ethical responsibilities
  • Personal responsibilities
  • Philosophy of person-centred counselling relationships
  • Boundaries
The concept of the counsellor as a reflective practitioner. Introduce transcribing and presentation of taped counselling work and Interpersonal Process Recall-IPR [IPR] as a means for reflecting on and analysing taped counselling work.
This module integrates the previous counselling skills and personal development modules in year one and prepares students for the deepening process of counselling work which will be the focus of counselling skills and personal development modules in year two
Teaching and learning strategies / Tutor facilitated counselling skills groups
The provision of a Community Group to enable students to use and develop counselling skills
Personal development groups each
facilitated by a core tutor
Tutor demonstrations
Individual tutorials
Learning support / Tutor Support from Module Team
Peer Learning Group
Learning Support Tutors
Indicative Reading:
Bozarth, J. D. and Wilkins. P. 2001. Rogers’ Therapeutic Conditions. Evolution, Theory and Practice. Unconditional Positive Regard. Vol. 3. Ross-on Wye: PCCS Books
Clarkson,P.1995.The Therapeutic
Relationship. London: Whurr Publishers
Haugh, S and Paul,S eds 2008. The Therapeutic Relationship, Perspectives and Themes. PCCS Books: Ross-on-Wye
Haugh, S. and Merry. T. 2001.
Rogers’ Therapeutic Conditions. Evolution, Theory and Practice. Empathy. Vol. 2. Ross-on Wye: PCCS Books
Mearns, D and Thorne, .B. 1992. Person-Centred Counselling in Action.3rd Ed. London: Sage Publications
Saunders,P.,Frankland P., and
Wilkins P. 2009. Next Steps in Counselling Practice (2nd Edit) PCCS Books: Ross -on –Wye
Wyatt, G. 2001. Rogers’ Therapeutic Conditions. Evolution, Theory and Practice. Congruence. Vol. 1.Ross-on Wye: PCCS Books
CPR : research journal for counsellors and psychotherapists
Person-Centred Quarterly: magazine of the British Association for the Person-Centred Approach (BAPCA)
Journal for Person-Centred and Experiential Counsellors and Psychotherapists (PCEP)
Therapy Today: Magazine for counsellors and psychotherapists
Sussex Downs College and University of Brighton Library and e-technology resources.
Sussex Downs College iLearning Moodle
University of Brighton Studentcentral
Assessment tasks / The assignment is in two parts
  1. Demonstration of the ability to offer a therapeutic relationship based on the core conditions of congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathy and on the understanding of ‘felt senses’ communicated in a non-judgmental and non-directive way.
  2. Demonstration of the ability to offer a therapeutic relationship based on person-centred skills and attitudes in a 50-60 minute tape with 10 minutes of process recall and a 1500 word analysis using published research and literature
The weighting is 50% for each part of the assignment. Both parts have to be passed
Brief description of module content and/or aims (maximum 80 words) / This module provides students with the opportunity to bring together learning from previous skills modules to form person-centred therapeutic relationships.
Area examination board to which module relates / Foundation Degree in Person-Centred Counselling AreaExam Board
Module team/authors/ coordinator / Author-Graham Molyneux
Module team
Graham Molyneux - module leader
Sue Creenan
Joy Oakley
Semester offered, where appropriate / One semester-Semester 3 Year 1
Site where delivered / Sussex Downs College: alternate years at Lewes and Eastbourne sites
Date of first approval / July 2006
Date of last revision / May 2011
Date of approval of this version
Version number / 2
Replacement for previous module
Field for which module is acceptable and status in that field / Foundation Degree in Counselling – Mandatory
Course(s) for which module is acceptable and status in course / School of Applied Social Science
School home / Derryn Ellingham-From September 2010
External examiner

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