Bringing About Healing Programme

Course 1:  Basic Counselling Skills 1

This Basic Counselling skills 1 course is the first of a two-part module that is based on the Egan Model of counselling for use by professionals, lay counsellors and those interested in learning more about counselling.

The course stimulates growth in knowledge, self-awareness and skills development. It aims to enhance participants’ ability to accurately empathize with their clients, developing and applying listening and communication skills, attending skills, active listening, body language and verbal skills such as paraphrasing, reflection, using questions appropriately and summarizing.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this training it is expected that trainees will be able to:

• Describe the role of self-awareness in the counselling process

• Explain the basics of systems theory

• Explain the Egan Model of counselling

• Demonstrate attending skills

• Demonstrate active listening skills

• Demonstrate appropriate responding skills

• Demonstrate an expanded emotional vocabulary

• Define and demonstrate basic empathy

Demonstrate through role play the first two stages of the Egan Model

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Course 2:  Bringing About Healing in a Traumatized Society (BAH):

It has been argued that the legacy of apartheid has bequeathed to South Africa a "culture of violence". This is rooted in the notion that violence in South Africa has become normative rather than deviant and it has come to be regarded as an appropriate means of resolving social, political and domestic conflict. This is quite easily visible across the entire spectrum, where violence has been sanctioned as a means both of maintaining power, as well as an accepted means of attaining change or resolving conflict. Faced with the universal reality of unexpected life events, e.g. accidents, devastating natural disasters and retrenchments, loss is an aspect of our lives which all of us have to confront at some stage. It is an area that many people avoid looking at and professionals avoid working with.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this training the participants should be able to:

·        Recognize the need for healing in the South African context

·        Know the interconnectedness of trauma, loss and violence

·        Demonstrate a deeper insight in to the dynamics of trauma, loss and abusive relationships

·        Describe the difference between trauma debriefing and trauma support

·        Explain a normal response verses a pathological response to trauma and loss

·        Define the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

·        Recognize the cycle of violence in the South African context

·        Describe what lies behind violent behaviour

·        Identify why women stay in violent relationships

·        Develop a safety plan for individuals at risk

·        Have a deeper understanding of their personal relationship with loss and grief

·        Describe approaches to loss and bereavement

·        Identify risk factors in clients that may be a risk to themselves or others

·        Identify resources and ongoing client management

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