Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

This class involves examining the personality and the interpersonal relationship style of the students, as these may impact on successful mastery of the skills being taught. Students will be expected to talk about current personal life issues and to give and receive feedback regarding interpersonal functioning. This may result in heightened anxiety or stress during some class sessions, but each student is allowed full control over the degree of self-disclosure and each student has the right to stop the feedback process at any point.

At the conclusion of this course the student will able to:
1. Demonstrate a minimally facilitative skill level in responding to client behavior, content, feelings and meaning on the Robert Carkuff rating scale or Non-Violent Communication Model in order to evaluate and to practice their level of accurate empathy with others.

Increase the level of functioning as a counselor in the area of basic empathy and communication skills, and evaluate each participant for readiness for practicum placement.

1. Students will demonstrate the ability to function at a minimum of 1.75 on a 3-point counselor rating scale as described in course textbook which measures counselor functioning in the use of accurate empathy, genuineness, concreteness, and respect.

2.  All students will make one brief 10-minute spontaneous videotape of a counseling interaction for review in class with the instructor guiding the interpersonal process recall IPR (In class time 1 hour ). The tape will not be edited or role played. The help will use current personal material that can be set aside so the focus can be on helper skills.

3.Each student will receive a written video feedback form from the instructor based on skills demonstrated in the tape, including strengths, growth areas, and a rating on the scale.

4. Students who are unable to demonstrate mastery of the skills may redo the tape as many times as necessary to “pass” the tape

5. Write an assessment of personal strengths and weaknesses the student brings to the helping role.

6. Receive verbal feedback on counseling skills from instructor if requested by the student reviewing the videotape.

7. Observe other students’ videotapes in class, and give written feedback on strengths and areas of needed improvement. Practice principles of effective feedback.

8. Participate in at least 8 hours of homework triad practice outside of class.

COURSE CONTENT:

Client Rating Scales

Counselor Rating Scales

Responding Skills Scale

Receiving a Written “Videotape Feedback Form” from the instructor

Self Evaluation of Strengths and Growth Areas (including instructor feedback)

History of Interpersonal Process Recall

Structure of Interpersonal Process Recall

Student Boundary Setting in Receiving Feedback

Permission Given to Receive In-class Feedback

Making a Videotape

Giving Constructive Feedback, Orally and in Writing

Responding to Content, Feelings, Sources, Undercurrents

Summarizing

Owning of Helper Feelings

Inappropriate Self-Disclosure

Client Growth Process

Structuring the Counseling Interview