B1059C Counselling and Coaching Skills Coursework Assessment Brief : Intake Session Case Study

COURSEWORK ASSESSMENT BRIEF

The Coursework Assessment is an individually graded assignment which will make up 100% of your final grade.

There are TWO (2) parts to this individual Coursework Assessment:

• Video Recording of a Counselling or Coaching Session (50%)
• Reflection Paper on the Recorded Counselling or Coaching Session (50%)

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

The components and breakdown of marks for the TWO (2) parts of the assignment are as follows:

You will need to conduct and record a video of ONE (1) counselling OR coaching Intake session to discuss a client’s minor personal or work-related issues. Minor personal issues can include, but not limited to, work stress, academic stress and minor relationship conflict and should exclude all Clinical and Mental health issues such as chronic depression, suicidal tendencies, violence, abuse, trauma, etc.

You will be evaluated based on your ability to demonstrate:

• Organisation of the counselling/coaching session
• Application of microskills and building of counselling relationships
• Use of questions in the session
• Maintenance of professionalism

The detailed instructions are:

Before the Session

1. Find a client who is not a current SDCC student, family member or friend with whom you have an emotional attachment. It is the responsibility of the students to find their client and arrange for the counselling OR coaching intake session.
2. Identify the presenting issue(s) of the chosen client and consult the program coordinator to determine suitability.
3. Obtain the consent and declaration form from the program coordinator after presenting issue(s) is/are deemed suitable.
4. Decide on counselling mode with the client: Either face-to-face (F2F) or online session. For online session, obtain the client’s consent to turn on the camera during the session and that his/her face will be recorded. Facial expressions are important cues for you to assess and monitor client’s state of mind.
5. Obtain written consent (for F2F session) or e-consent (for online session) from client before the start of the session

During the Session

6. Conduct the counselling or coaching session with the client. You should aim to complete the session within 30 minutes.
7. For online sessions, you may use any videoconferencing platform (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom) with video recording function. Ensure the cameras for both you and the client are turned on during the recording.
8. For F2F session, ensure that the recording equipment is working properly and placed behind the client so that the client’s face is not visible. Ensure the sound recording is audible and clear. Avoid open or public places where the environment may be noisy and distracting.

After the Session

Trim the recording to 30 min and convert the recording into mp4 format.

PART 2: REFLECTION PAPER

You will need to write a Reflection Paper on the counselling/coaching session that you have conducted and recorded.

The Reflection Paper shall consist of the following sections:

1. A client brief that contains information about the client i.e. demographics, presenting issue(s), reason client came to counselling. This section is to provide context to the session and will not be graded and words in this section will not be counted toward the word limit.
2. Assessment of the client including but not limited to:
   • Preliminary impression of the client and the session
   • Summary of your thoughts about the presenting issue(s)
   • Analysis of the information gathered from the session
3. Self-evaluation of your performance as a counsellor/coach, considering:
   • Evaluation of the counselling relationship and microskills used
   • Reflection on microskills not used and proposed improvements
   • Client assessment skills (i.e., ability to assess the client’s issues / situation)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS)

General questions

My work involves with secondary school students. Is this age-group appropriate?

Yes, you may work with this clientele group. However, you would need to get consent from both the client and one of their parents if the client is younger than 21 years old.

Do we need to write to you to inform that we have a specific client and what we intend to cover in our intake session?

There is no need to update the program coordinator on your client nor the content of the session. Only the presenting issue(s) needs to be consulted for suitability.

Do we need to inform you about the client’s presenting issue before proceeding with recording?

Yes, and this is so to determine if the client and presenting issue(s) is/are suitable for this assignment. Avoid discussing clinical or mental health issues as you may not neither have the necessary skills nor sufficient time to cover the issue(s) in 30 mins.

What will happen to the video after being graded?

Nobody can access the video but your programme coordinator. Unless something needs to be flagged up in the video that requires intervention e.g. suicidal thoughts, self-harm, harm to others. It is important to tell her/him that you are not going to discuss clinical issues i.e. depression, anxiety, OCD, etc. Pick a topic that allows you to chat for about 30 mins. The content will be deleted once students are graded and finalized with Board of Examiners (when there is no further appeal).

Must we script it in a way that we cover everything within 30 minutes?

It is highly recommended for you not to script your session. This is because we want you to have natural conversations with your client. If you script it, it may not be/sound genuine or authentic. However, you can jot down some notes to guide and make sure you cover all grounds.

Can we continue with the session after 30 minutes?

It will be awkward and unhelpful for the client if you were to create a hard-stop on the recording or the session abruptly. We do not want you to disrupt your client’s sharing and flow, and neither do we want you to become overly focused on the time versus the quality of the counselling/coaching process. Go ahead with the recording and complete your conversation/session. However, when you do submit your recording, please trim it to 30 mins.

Must we give you the first 30 minutes?
Yes, you are to submit the start of an intake session. Throughout the session, your demonstration of the use of appropriate non-verbals, basic to advanced microskills are expected.

If we intend to do counselling session, is it expected of us to fully showcase the use of our choice of counselling modalities or theories in our questioning techniques? Or can it be a mix of counselling and coaching?

No necessarily, you can integrate both counselling and coaching into one session. Just like how it is done in real life, you can also be eclectic in your approach. If you have chosen psychodynamic for your approach, you may use other techniques e.g. CBT, REBT. There is no hard and fast rule on this but the bare minimum is your demonstration of empathy, genuineness, and positive regards (PCT).