External Assessment L3 Counselling

NCFE LEVEL 3

EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT

Q. 2a

If a child does not experience unconditional love or unconditional positive regard then they could show problems in their development in the form of:

* Boundaries

* Conditions of worth

* Behavioural difficulties

Conversely, the child who has experienced unconditional love will be more aware of their boundaries as they will have been shown or given them by their parent or guardian and so find it easier to understand or work within conventional boundaries. The child's perception of acceptable boundaries may be well adjusted and thus they could be less prone to experiencing difficulties forming relationships or being able to find and hold a job in later life. When children have had the experience of unconditional positive regard their sense of self- worth can be high. When someone has never received praise for their achievements they begin to feel that they are not good enough or they can feel that they are not as good as their peers, where as a child that has may have a better idea of who they are and where they stand in relation to others. The child may have more positive feelings around their potential to achieve any goals which they may set themselves in life.

Given that the child has experienced unconditional love and therefor has developed good conditions of worth as well as clear perceptions around boundaries, it is completely possible they may be much more likely not to resort to poor behaviour during their life.

Q. 2b

The Person Centred Approach is, in my opinion, the best for Nerys as she is presenting with an issue that requires a safe environment where she will not be judged and everything will be confidential, so that she can explore her true feelings around the subject without feeling pressured into an outcome that is not of her own making. Nerys needs to be able to focus on the parts of her life that she feels are most significant. She needs to come up with solutions that are correct for her at the time. What PCA can give her is total autonomy and control over the sessions. She will be able to talk through the issues without being directed in a way that may hinder her process. The person centred counsellor will strive to enter her frame of reference and use paraphrasing and reflection in order to help Nerys see how she is coming across to others or that she might be able to answer her own questions. The person centred approach will not just allow her to talk about the problem of Owen returning, but will enable her to get to the root of the issue and help her to understand the reasons why she went with Owen in the first place. Towards the end of the process Nerys will hopefully then be in a position to make a decision on her future based upon the answers she has given herself during the counselling sessions.

Q. 3a

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy would be suitable for Bronwyn as she has an immediate problem that needs workable solutions to enable her to get back to the person she was before the incident with the car took place. Bronwyn's problem has come about as a result of this incident and does not seem to have a deep seated root from her past that needs to be analysed or delved into. Her condition involves an irrational fear and could be best helped by a counsellor using a directive approach such as CBT. It would be helpful for her to examine all the possible outcomes and not just focus on the worst case scenario. Due to Bronwyn's age and standing within the family it may be preferable to her to have a collaborative method where she has input into the techniques used and she can dictate the pace of progress throughout the counselling process. Bronwyn should be able to see near instant results from CBT that are measurable and controlled. By seeing quick results Bronwyn will grow in confidence in her own abilities and take a step further each session until she is once again functioning the same as before the incident. CBT can also give the client tools to use after the counselling sessions have ended that they can fall back on should they start to slide backwards in their progress.

Q. 3b

Gavin's mum Bronwyn had been involved in an incident with a car that has left her feeling unable or even safe to be outside. She has begun to feel unable to live life as she had before the incident and her confidence is at its lowest. If Bronwyn was to start seeing a counsellor that took a CBT approach I feel she would benefit most from goal setting. By working together with the counsellor Bronwyn would set small achievable goals where the results were seen quickly. By achieving these goals Bronwyn would quickly be able to see that she can do the things she used to do before the car accident. The CBT counsellor would start by working with Bronwyn on an action plan then they could work together on small, achievable, realistic, and manageable goals. The counsellor would ask Bronwyn to try completing these goals at home and they could explore her feelings around them during their sessions and periodically review the plan as they go. As the goals were achieved Bronwyn could see how close she was getting to her main goal and doing the things she thought that she could not because of the accident. Bronwyn's confidence would grow and in turn she would feel more able to go back to leaving the house on her own and even looking after her grandchildren may not seem like a great deal to her.

Q. 4

I can assure you Nerys that all our counsellors here at the centre have to work to a code of ethics that we have laid down and an important piece of this code is the confidentiality clause. The confidentiality element states that everything said within the counselling session is completely confidential between the counsellor and the client. Confidentiality will not be broken unless you tell the counsellor that you plan to hurt your-self or anyone else. The counsellor may decide that they have no option but to discuss with their line manager/supervisor if you were to disclose a terrorist threat or something else of a severe criminal nature such as child abuse or drug/people trafficking. I can assure you that at no time will the counsellor or any other member of staff disclose to a member of your family or any of your friends that you even attend the centre. It would certainly be out of the question that a counsellor or staff member would offer any personal information over the phone about any client, even if the caller said they were the client's husband or other family member